Nations urged to combine environmental and development goals

Submitted by ysp013 on Sat, 05/09/2015 - 4:46pm

Author:

John Vidal

'Humans are transforming the planet in ways that could undermine any development gains,' the paper warns. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

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Degradation of the natural world is undermining efforts to reduce poverty, warn scientists, who say the only chance of achieving global prosperity is for all countries to combine poverty and environmental targets.

World leaders should set six goals around universal clean energy, an end to water and food shortages, thriving lives and livelihoods, and healthy and productive ecosystems, they say.

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Nations urged to combine environmental and development goals

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Global

Iceland Looks to Export Power Bubbling From Below

Submitted by ysp013 on Sat, 05/09/2015 - 4:34pm

Author:

Andrew Higgins

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KRAFLA, Iceland — Soon after work began here on a power plant to harness some of the vast reserves of energy stored at the earth’s crust, the ground moved and, along a six-mile-long fissure, began belching red-hot lava. The eruptions continued for nine years, prompting the construction of a stone and soil barrier to make sure that molten rock did not incinerate Iceland’s first geothermal power station.

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Iceland Looks to Export Power Bubbling From Below

Geographic Area:

Iceland

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Global

World seed banks get funds to tackle climate, other threats

Submitted by ysp013 on Sat, 05/09/2015 - 4:17pm

Author:

Alister Doyle

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OSLO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Scientists have agreed on a $109 million plan to strengthen the world's biggest seed banks of crops such as rice and wheat to help protect and develop new varieties resistant to climate change and other threats.

The Global Crop Diversity Trust and the CGIAR Consortium of agricultural researchers said on Thursday that a five-year plan would help secure storage of more than 700,000 samples of crops at 11 existing gene banks from the Philippines to Belgium.

Link:

World seed banks get funds to tackle climate, other threats

Level:

Global

China and Australia top list of 'carbon bomb' projects

Submitted by ysp013 on Sat, 05/09/2015 - 4:06pm

Author:

Oliver Milman

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China and Australia top a global list of planned oil, gas and coal projects that will act as "carbon bombs" and push the planet towards catastrophic climate change, a Greenpeace report warned on Tuesday.