All Environment
Fighting winter with fire? Wood-burning on the rise.The number of US homes relying on burning wood for heat is up 24 percent since 2006. But environmental concerns could quash further growth of wood-burning.
Wildland fires: New yardstick for risk aims to help protect communitiesThe risk index announced Wednesday is a tool for communities in the 'wildland-urban interface,' where development has pushed into areas in which wildfires are part of the ecology.
Freeport-McMoRan to acquire oil, gas assets in $20 billion dealCopper-mining giant Freeport-McMoRan will purchase two oil and gas companies, which could rescue a venture by McMoRan Exploration Co. to drill one of the deepest offshore oil wells on record.
Cleantech on the decline? Predictions for 2013Next year is shaping up to be something of a year of backtracking for the cleantech industry, according to an analysis by Kachan & Co., a cleantech research and consulting firm.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Act 3: global warming crusaderThe Terminator took on global warming as governor of California. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined a Showtime miniseries to try to educate the everyman about climate change.
Solar-powered plane to circumnavigate globe. How will it fly at night?The solar-powered plane, scheduled to fly around the world in 2015, travels only 30 miles per hour and will have to stay aloft 20 days, even at night. The solar-powered plane is the brainchild of Bertrand Piccard, the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon.
New plastic lighting saves energy. Goodbye, fluorescent lights?Scientists have designed an energy-efficient light of plastic packed with nanomaterials that glow.听The shatterproof FIPEL technology can be molded into almost any shape, but still needs to prove it's commercially viable.听
Tesla Model S electric zaps the competitionPraise pours in for the Tesla Model S,聽a costly car that uses no gas.
Fuel subsidies get scrutiny at Doha talksNations spend more than $500 billion to keep fossil fuel prices low, which is popular with voters but harms the climate. Removing fossil-fuel subsidies would lower聽carbon emissions by more than 10 percent by 2050, the OECD calculates.听
Pressure on Obama grows for Keystone XL decisionPresident Barack Obama is facing pressure from all sides concerning the fate of the Keystone XL, a pipeline that would stretch from Canada through the Midwestern US in order to easily transport crude from Alberta鈥檚 oil sands to refineries in Texas.
Global water crisis: Seen from the first Himalayan glacial trickleGlobal water crisis: Reporter William Wheeler talks about water stress from the effects of climate change high in the Himalayas where India and Pakistan's great rivers start to Haiti's fresh-water pollution.
Cover StoryGlobal water crisis: too little, too much, or lack of a plan?The global water crisis 鈥� caused by drought, flood, and climate change 鈥� is less about supply than it is about recognizing water's true value, using it efficiently, and planning for a different future, say experts.
With military's push, biofuels can growUS Senate voted Wednesday to restore the Defense Department's ability to buy biofuels. As the largest petroleum user in the world, the US military says its dependence on oil is a national security threat.
Oil and the 'fiscal cliff'Tverberg explores the connection between changes in the oil market and growing concern of the 'fiscal cliff.'聽
Carbon tax: It's not coming soonA US carbon tax would raise revenue for the federal government. But there are three reasons a carbon tax won't be part of any budget compromise in the next few weeks.- Carbon tax: It's not coming soonA US carbon tax would raise revenue for the federal government. But there are three reasons a carbon tax won't be part of any budget compromise in the next few weeks.
US to sell offshore wind leasesFederal plans to sell competitive leases next year for offshore wind farms off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Virginia are a first. Each offshore wind farm could power 700,000 homes.- US to sell offshore wind leasesFederal plans to sell competitive leases next year for offshore wind farms off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Virginia are a first. Each offshore wind farm could power 700,000 homes.
New Jersey derailment: How safe are hazmat rail shipments?The New Jersey derailment on Friday sent tank cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride off a collapsed bridge and into a creek, reviving safety concerns. But hazmat rail accidents are down.
Hidden factor behind brighter US energy outlookOne big reason the US will become nearly energy self-sufficient by 2035 is increased energy efficiency, says Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency. Aggressive energy efficiency policies could yield even bigger gains.
