All Environment
Roads soak up the sun. Could we use that energy?By using special piping technology, scientists are trying to turn roads into giant solar energy collectors, Peixe writes, but the concept is not without obstacles.聽
Oklahoma earthquake: How oil extraction shifts the ground beneath usOklahoma's largest recorded earthquake is the latest epicenter of a debate over the connection between fossil fuel recovery and seismic activity. To what extent does oil and gas production cause earthquakes? In the case of the 2011 Oklahoma earthquake, a new study suggests the connection is strong.
Do high natural gas prices mean the shale boom is ending?High natural gas prices聽seriously undermine the official story that the US has a century of cheap natural gas waiting for the drillbit, Cobb writes.
A look at clean coal technology in the 21st centuryClean coal technologies impact our daily lives, Gates writes. One of those clean coal technologies is dry sorbent injection, which聽removes hydrogen chloride and other acid gases through two basic steps.
Will nanowires provide a breakthrough for solar power efficiency?Nanowire solar cells could absorb more of the sun's energy than theory, the so-called Shockley-Queisser limit, would allow, a new study says. Such a breakthrough could聽go a long way to make solar a more viable alternative to fossil fuels, though it's still years away from production.
Kansas House pushes for approval of Keystone XL pipelineThe Kansas House of Representatives adopted a resolution Tuesday聽urging President Barack Obama and the State Department to approve permits to allow construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to begin.聽Federal approval is required because the Keystone XL pipeline crosses international boundaries.
Cyprus bailout: Russia misses chance for natural gasGreek Cypriots have shuffled back and forth to Moscow in an attempt to lure Russia into a bailout package that would have given it a stake in the island鈥檚 estimated 60 trillion cubic feet of natural gas offshore, Alic writes, but the Cyprus offer wasn鈥檛 big enough to tempt the Kremlin.
Did climate change cause the Syrian uprising?Climate change played a role in the Syrian uprising, according to a new study.聽Due to the devastating drought and subsequent lack of food and water in rural areas, hundreds of thousands fled to the cities, where existing problems were only exacerbated by the influx of new mouths to feed, Kennedy writes.
Why Google is spending billions on renewable energyGoogle has already invested around $1 billion in alternative power projects with a combined capacity of more than two gigawatts. These investments have not been just for the benefit of the environment, or to increase Google's sense of wellbeing,聽Peixe writes,聽they are investments made with a goal to making a profit in the future.
Endangered giraffe born in Connecticut centerEndangered Rothschild giraffe 'Petal' gives birth to the first calf born at the LEO Zoological Conservation Center. Two other endangered Rothschild giraffes are pregnant at the Connecticut center.- Endangered giraffe born in Connecticut centerEndangered Rothschild giraffe 'Petal' gives birth to the first calf born at the LEO Zoological Conservation Center. Two other endangered Rothschild giraffes are pregnant at the Connecticut center.
Earth Hour 2013: Does it really save energy?Earth Hour has been criticized for accomplishing little in the way of saving energy and reducing carbon emissions, but those critiques tend to miss the bigger picture. Earth Hour is intended to raise awareness about climate change.
Winter storm dumps snow on Great Plains, MidwestMore than a foot of snow fell in some places across the Great Plains and Midwest Saturday in an early spring snowstorm.聽The snow started falling around midnight in northeast Colorado with the snowstorm moving into northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska.
Refiners hit 'blend wall' with ethanol. Now what?Prices of ethanol credits have skyrocketed 1,400 percent as refiners get stuck with ethanol that they can't profitably blend with gasoline. Courts may take up fairness of renewable fuel standard, which has caused the glut.聽
Why natural gas will determine the future of CyprusCyprus could be sitting on 60 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The country's enormous natural gas reserves are intricately linked to the potential for bailing out Cyprus, Alic writes.
Energy firms, environmentalists agree on 'fracking' standardsRare collaborative effort creates 15 standards to reduce environmental footprint of 'fracking' operations in the Northeast. Agreement suggests new tack by environmentalists on fracking.
Cyprus gets bailout offer from Russian gas giant GazpromCyprus could get an economic boost from Russia's Gazprom if Cyprus is willing to sell exploration rights to the promising offshore natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean Sea, Kennedy writes.
Warming Arctic: Receding ice leaves Hudson Bay polar bears less time to eatPolar bears' territorial tendencies and the diminishing ice season on Hudson Bay are conspiring to leave the animals less time to eat, researchers say. This bodes ill for their ability to reproduce, and survive.
Is the Keystone XL pipeline a diplomatic nightmare?President Obama's possible approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is a tale of political calculation gone sadly wrong, King writes. Delaying the pipeline's review offended the country's principal trading partner and gave environmentalists time to聽mobilize against the Keystone XL pipeline, King adds.聽
Suntech Power defaults. Solar troubles reach China.Suntech Power Holdings, one of the world's largest solar-panel manufacturers, has defaulted on $541 million in bonds. The inability of Suntech Power to make payments on its debt is part of a consolidation of the market's oversupply of cheap solar panels from China.