Environment

Analysts Say Efficiency Key to Clean Energy Future in Australia

International experts meeting in Australia say global carbon emissions can be reduced by more than 50 percent through simple energy saving measures. Attendees at a conference in Australia, which increasingly relies on coal for power, say that reducing power consumption is an affordable way to both cut energy costs and reduce pollution.

Countries must invest in food security strategies to reduce poverty – UN official

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David Nabarro.

ZIMBABWE: A lean season ahead

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Late and erratic rains have caused wilted maize crops

Obama Defends Energy Policy

President Barack Obama is defending his energy plan against opposition Republican claims that his policies are driving up fuel prices. The president is also demanding an end to government subsidies for oil companies.

HORN OF AFRICA: Drought warning prompts call for early action

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Drought and related famine sparked massive displacement in Somalia in 2011

MYANMAR: Humanitarian cost of economic development

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Construction underway for Dawei port

Lucy Lawless Occupies Arctic Drilling Ship

At 7am this morning actor Lucy Lawless joined Greenpeace New Zealand activists in stopping a Shell-contracted drillship from departing the port of Taranaki for the remote Arctic, where its exploratory oil drilling programme threatens to devastate the Alaskan coastline.

The Noble Discoverer is due to depart on a 6,000 nautical mile journey to drill three exploratory oil wells in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska.

BURUNDI: Rain-displaced need urgent aid

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Heavy rains have caused flooding in Gatumba

Volcanic Ash Preserves Ancient Tropical Forest for 300 Million Years

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Paleontologists have unearthed an ancient tropical forest in northern China that is so well preserved in volcanic ash that they say it is like seeing a snapshot of a moment in time nearly 300 million years ago.

Indigenous People Vulnerable to Climate Change

Researchers say indigenous people are among the most vulnerable to climate change. They’re studying how extreme weather events can trigger more disease outbreaks.