All Environment
Fuel-efficient US cars? Obama sets target of 54.5 mpg by 2025.The 54.5 mpg target is double the average fuel efficiency of today's US vehicle fleet. Automakers and environmentalists endorsed the new standards, but some Republicans decried the regulatory burden.
FocusUsing Chinese star power to fight ivory poaching in AfricaThe biggest demand for ivory is in China, so conservationists are trying to give Chinese consumers a greater understanding of poaching 鈥� with the help of Chinese celebrities like Yao Ming.
Tropical Storm Isaac expected to hit Gulf Coast as hurricaneThe storm that left 24 dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic over the weekend had shifted course from Tampa, where the Republican National Convention had pushed back its start to Tuesday in case聽Isaac聽passed closer to the gulfside city.- Gulf Coast evacuations begin ahead of IsaacLouisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi have issued evacuation orders as Isaac slows and gathers strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Isaac could be a category 1 hurricane today and hit the Gulf Coast Tuesday.
Venezuela refinery fire burns for third dayVenezuela's biggest refinery may not be able to restart production after gas explosion causes one of oil industry's worst accidents.
'Coalgate' scandal roils India's politicsIndian lawmakers drown out India's prime minister as he defends government role in 'coalgate.' The coalgate controversy involves awarding coal-mining concessions without competitive bidding.
Venezuela's refinery explosion its worst everVenezuela's biggest refinery was rocked by an explosion that claimed 39 lives. Venezuela says the fire is under control and that it won't halt exports.
A domestic clean-tech industry? US aid backfired.US taxpayers supported troubled battery firms Ener1 and A123 Systems. Ener1 is now owned by a Russian oligarch. A Chinese company owns 80 percent of A123.
Mitt Romney's energy plan: What does it promise?Mitt Romney unveiled his energy plan Thursday, saying that it would bring energy independence to the US within a decade. But some experts were skeptical of the claims.
SEC ruling will spotlight financial dealings of firms in AfricaSEC ruling will require oil and mining companies to disclose payments to foreign governments. It could put those operating in resource-rich Africa at odds with governments that prefer secrecy and at a disadvantage to less-regulated companies.
Cover StoryNew breed of ranchers shapes a sustainable WestThese green cowboys try to marry good stewardship of the land with making money.聽
How summer thunderstorms could be punching new holes in the ozone layerA study looking at conditions in the lower stratosphere, where the ozone layer resides, suggests a link between climate change and the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching Earth's surface.
Thanks to North Dakota, US waste of natural gas grows rapidlyThe United States is posting rapid growth in the waste of natural gas in new oil fields where the fuel is either burned or vented into the atmosphere. 聽Experts say the process damages the environment and fails to maximize the return to investors.
Rising sea levels: Is global warming making the US East Coast a 'hot spot?'The pace of sea-level rise along much of the East Coast is accelerating three to four times faster than the worldwide average, a US Geological Survey study says. Global warming is the chief suspect.
West Coast sea levels: New report estimates greater rise by 2100The estimates from the National Research Council, taking advantage of more recent research, range from 19 to 55 inches. The study is expected to become a common frame of reference that coastal communities can use in planning.- Could novel technique to curb global warming also trigger earthquakes?A report finds that injecting carbon dioxide into underground rock formations, while a potential means of fighting global warming, could increase stresses on faults, leading to earthquakes.聽
Global warming's evil twin threatens West Coast fishing groundsWithin the next few decades, ocean acidification 鈥� an effect of global warming 鈥� could leave sea creatures along the West Coast unable to maintain their protective shells, according to a new study.
Beneath Arctic ice, scientists find an ecosystem never imaginedScientists report finding a massive bloom of phytoplankton hidden under Arctic ice, suggesting that, as the ice thins and melts, the region is becoming vastly more biologically productive.聽
Report: Humans near tipping point that could dramatically change EarthHuman activity is affecting Earth in many ways, but a new study suggests that continued population growth and its impact on climate and ecology could trigger a more profound chain reaction of effects within little more than a decade.
Southern Great Plains could run out of groundwater in 30 years, study findsA new study looking at key aquifers beneath the Great Plains and California's Central Valley suggests that areas of Texas and Kansas are drawing groundwater at an unsustainable rate.
