It can be hard to get back into the swing of things at work after the cheer of the holiday season. But we have some tips that might help get your creative juices flowing again during the dark, cold weeks of winter. You can become a new office hero by suggesting ways for your employer to save money while helping out the planet. Continue reading →

Climate change could cause severe crop losses in South Asia and southern Africa over the next 20 years, a study in the journal Science says. Continue reading →

A petition has been filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asking the agency to set rules regarding pollution that comes from the large ocean going ships, both cargo and cruise ships. The petition is a joint effort of several environmental groups, namely Oceana, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity and it was filed in their names by Earthjustice, the leading U.S. public interest environmental law firm. Continue reading →

China’s rising greenhouse gas output illustrates the need for greater global cooperation against climate change, U.S. President George W. Bush’s environmental adviser said Tuesday.

James Connaughton said China had responded positively to calls from the U.S. and others for a global agreement to limit greenhouse gases after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Continue reading →

The world can expect to see an acceleration of the effects of global warming. That is the conclusion of a UN climate panel in a report to be issued today at the end of an international conference in Paris. It is the starkest warning yet that human activities are causing global warming that may bring more droughts, heatwaves and rising seas. Continue reading →

"The slick is about 500 litres. It’s maybe 15 kilometres (9 miles) long," said a dispatcher from the Czech agency that oversees the Elbe.

The oil slick was discovered at 8.30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) and officials quickly began enacting a plan to control it, he added, giving no further details.

The Ministry of Environment and Agriculture in the eastern German state of Saxony said it had been informed by the Czechs of the oil slick, which is in the vicinity of Usti nad Labem, a city near the northern Czech border with Germany.

"The cause of the contamination is not yet clear," the ministry said in a statement. "It is possible that it was a damaged pipeline or a freighter or truck accident."

"The Czechs have erected barriers that should slow down the spread of the oil slick. It is not clear whether and when the oil slick will reach Saxony," it said.

The Elbe flows up from the Czech Republic, where it is known as the Labe River, through Dresden and up north to Hamburg.

In a press statement, signatories said that millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors. "Many of us have required considerable convincing before becoming persuaded that climate change is a real problem and that it ought to matter to us as Christians," they said. "But now we have seen and heard enough." The campaign intends to use newspaper and television ads to push its position.

Reportedly instrumental in George W. Bush’s re-election to the White House, Evangelicals are more often associated with taking conservative stands on hot-button issues such as abortion and gay marriage than with environmental sensitivity. But in 2004, National Association of Evangelicals did adopt a statement that humans have "a sacred responsibility to steward the Earth and not a license to abuse the creation of which we are a part." That said, though, despite the publicity generated by the call to action signatories, most Evangelicals, including the NAE leadership, do not consider the fight against global warming to be a top priority.

The draft bill on Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) is scheduled for a vote in the European Parliament on Thursday after years of haggling and debate.

REACH is designed to protect people from the adverse effects of chemicals found in a wide range of products such as paint, detergents, cars and computers.

In the drive to get approval in the EU legislature, key political groups agreed last week on changes to reduce the number of substances in the low-tonnage category that would require tests.

"The Commission decided in favour of this compromise," Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen told lawmakers.

"We think that this compromise strikes a very good balance between the competitiveness, health and environment goals."

Environmentalists said the compromise went too far in accommodating industry’s demands and weakened the bill.

Support from the EU’s executive Commission, the original author of the bill with powers to accept or reject amendments, is crucial for REACH to move on in the EU legislative process.

The low-tonnage category applies to chemicals that are produced or imported in amounts of between 1 and 10 tonnes a year, estimated to be between 17,500 and 20,000 substances.

The package is expected to get broad support in a vote scheduled for Thursday despite dissent from the Greens party, which tabled a counter proposal.

Chemical makers would have to register the properties of substances with a central EU database. Those of highest concern, such as carcinogens, would require authorisation to be used.

CLOSER TO BECOMING LAW

The council of EU member states is debating its own version of REACH. Germany, which has Europe’s largest chemical industry, succeeded in delaying a decision among member states scheduled for later this month, but Britain still plans to obtain a deal before its presidency concludes at the end of 2005.

"We recognise we are very close to a deal and we still intend to achieve political agreement before the end of the UK presidency," Willy Bach, a minister in Britain’s Department of Environment, told lawmakers.

Verheugen said he hoped the outcome in parliament would spur member states to complete their position this year, too.

"I hope that this package will encourage the Council to adopt REACH still this year," he said, adding he thought there was a good chance it would be wrapped up by the end of 2005.

There are still outstanding issues, however. No agreement has been reached among lawmakers on the issue of mandatory substitution for hazardous chemicals, and the amount of animal testing required by REACH remains a divisive subject.

Environmental group Greenpeace said the compromise had diluted the bill.

"We are quite disappointed that the Commission is willing to water down and accept a watered down version of its proposal that will not give sufficient safety data on most chemicals covered by REACH," said Greenpeace policy officer Nadia Haiama.

She said she welcomed, however, signals that the Commission would support amendments that would require substituti?n of hazardous chemicals if alternatives exist.

Verheugen told lawmakers he did not feel REACH had been weakened or watered down.

Companies resumed drilling in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea in early 2005 for the first time since 2001, after the previous government ended a moratorium on petroleum activity in the Arctic against protests by environmental groups.

A left-of-centre coalition took power in October after ousting a centre-right government in September elections.

"I am very pleased with the interest the companies are demonstrating for new exploration opportunities in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea," Oil and Energy Minister Odd Roger Enoksen said in a statement.

"With this amount of applications, it is clear that the competition for acreage is increasing also in frontier parts of the shelf," Enoksen said.

The applications laid a good foundation for comprehensive exploration of frontier parts of the Norwegian continental shelf, he added.

The round also showed that the Norwegian Sea continued to attract many applicants even though that part of the shelf had been included in several comprehensive rounds lately.

The number of applicants in the 19th round was up from 18 in the previous round in 2004 and from 13 in the 17th round, the oil and energy ministry said after the noon (1100 GMT) deadline for filing.

The applicants included Norway’s Statoil and Norsk Hydro, international majors such as ConocoPhillips, ChevronTexaco, France’s Total and Royal Dutch/Shell, independents like US Marathon and minnows like Sweden’s Lundin.

The other applicants were: Amerada Hess, Britain’s BG, Norwegian DNO, Discover Petroleum AS, Denmark’s DONG, Italy’s ENI, Faroe Petroleum plc, Gaz de France, Japan’s Idemitsu, Norwegian Energy Company?AS (NORECO), Premier Oil, Norwegian Revus Energy, Germany’s RWE Dea, Svenska Petroleum Exploration, Canadian Talisman and German Wintershall.

The companies bid individually and in groups.

Norway had offered 30 blocks in the Barents Sea and 34 in the Norwegian Sea. Licences will be awarded towards the end of the first quarter of 2006.

Statoil and Norsk Hydro said they filed extensive applications for acreage, but did not disclose how many licences they sought or in which parts of the shelf — in line with standard practice.

"It is positive that the new government has decided to stick to the original schedule for the 19th round," Norsk Hydro said in a statement.