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Researchers named the area where they found the tubeworms the "Garden of Eden" because of the abundant life around the deep-sea vents.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says his administration will focus on restoring the Everglades. There are skeptics, however, because Scott oversaw cuts to restoration programs in his first year in office.

NASA satellite altimeter data on the major and destructive tsunami generated by the March 11, 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake off Japan's northeastern coast were used to confirm the existence of long-hypothesized "merging tsunamis" capable of traveling long distances without losing power. The NASA/French Space Agency Jason-1 satellite (left) passed over the tsunami 7 hours and 30 minutes after the earthquake and was able to 'see' a large wave resulting from merging tsunami jets. The NASA/European Jason-2 satellite (right) passed over the region 8 hours and 20 minutes after the earthquake and observed the normal tsunami wave.

Yala Glacier, Langtang Valley, Nepal; the lake in the foreground is evidence of glacial retreat

The world’s poorest people are on the frontlines of climate change, with everything to lose and little to cushion the blow of its far-reaching impacts. A new position paper by the Ecosystems and Livelihoods Adaptation Network (ELAN) illustrates how empowering local communities to pursue sustainable livelihoods while managing their natural resources can contribute to better adaptation in the face of climate change.

Representatives from 191 countries are meeting in Durban, South Africa, this week for United Nations climate change talks. One of the biggest questions is what will become of the Kyoto Protocol — a climate treaty signed in 1997. Key provisions of that expire next year and its future hangs in the balance. Another major question is whether nations can agree to a timeline that would lead to a new treaty that would include the world's biggest greenhouse-gas emitters, including the United States and China. The U.S. did not ratify the Kyoto treaty so it isn't bound by it; China is part of the treaty but is treated like a developing nation with no responsibility to reduce its emissions.

The Baobab Tree is the symbol of the climate change conference in Durban

A new round of United Nations climate talks is getting under way in Durban, South Africa, Monday. And domestic struggles here in the United States are hampering the global talks.

內湖館 林鈺珊 http://www.npr.org/2011/11/28/142714839/ahead-of-climate-talks-u-s-leade...

Black Thunder coal mine. A poisonous gas that reacts with sunlight to form ozone, nitrogen dioxide forms from blasting at strip coal mines, which creates poisonous orange clouds.