GoodPlanet.info Dépêches

Rousseff under pressure to veto Brazil's new forest code

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:13:44 GMT

Activists on Thursday said they handed Brazil's president a petition with nearly two million signatures urging her to veto a new forestry code that could result in increased Amazon rainforest deforestation.

Obama calls for Congress to enact 'green' tax credits

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:59:13 GMT

President Barack Obama urged Congress on Thursday to extend tax credits for clean energy companies the White House says are responsible for some 37,000 jobs.

Goldman to plow $40 bn into green energy

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:38:27 GMT

Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs plans to invest $40 billion into projects linked to renewable energy over the next decade, a company spokesman said Thursday.

Climate scientists say warming could exceed 3.5 C

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:28:58 GMT

Climate researchers said Thursday the planet could warm by more than 3.5 degrees Celsius (6.3 degrees Fahrenheit), boosting the risk of drought, flood and rising seas.

Solar plane ends first leg of intercontinental bid

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:18:42 GMT

The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse landed safely in Madrid early Friday at the end of the first leg of its attempt at an intercontinental flight without using a drop of fuel.

China hits back at claims it is blocking climate talks

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:09:06 GMT

China hit back Thursday at claims it was holding up global climate talks in Germany, saying the United States, Europe and other rich states were the ones applying the brakes.

Marine reserves boost fish: Australian study

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:53:52 GMT

Australian researchers tracking life on the Great Barrier Reef said they have proven a long-debated theory that fish born in marine reserves boost overall ocean stocks by dispersing widely.

People's summit alongside Rio+20 to draw 20,000 daily

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:44:20 GMT

A "people's summit" of social movements set to take place here next month in parallel with the UN Rio+20 summit on sustainable development will draw nearly 20,000 people daily, organizers said Thursday.

Scientists find new sensory organ in whales

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:06:17 GMT

Biologists on Wednesday reported they had discovered a new sensory organ on blue, humpback, minke and fin whales that helps explain why these mammals are so huge.

Solar Impulse ready for first intercontinental fligh

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:00:19 GMT

The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse will on Thursday attempt its first intercontinental flight, travelling from Switzerland to Morocco without using a drop of fuel, organisers said.

EU warns climate talks at risk of floundering

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:53:55 GMT

Europe warned at climate talks in Bonn on Wednesday that efforts to forge a new global pact to avert environmental disaster were in danger of floundering, and some pointed fingers at China.

Fukushima radiation mostly within accepted levels: WHO

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:36:40 GMT

Radiation affecting residents in Japan's Fukushima prefecture since the nuclear plant disaster is below the reference level for public exposure in all but two areas, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

Greenpeace urges action on slumping tuna stocks

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:29:19 GMT

Greenpeace Wednesday accused the tuna industry of failing to stop the decimation of fish stocks, and called for an end to fishing methods that also accidentally snare turtles, dolphins and sharks.

Costa Rica assures fair trial for anti-whaling crusader

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:23:23 GMT

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said Wednesday that anti-whaling activist Paul Watson would have a fair trial if extradited to the Central American country following his arrest in Germany.

Alaskan ecologists see surge in Japan tsunami debris

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:54:31 GMT

An "unprecedented" surge in debris from last year's Japanese tsunami is washing up on Alaska's coastline, environmentalists about to embark on a major cleanup operation said.

Street lights disrupt ecosystem, says beetle study

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:17:26 GMT

Street lights have an unexpectedly strong effect on insect populations, favouring some species while punishing others, according to a study released Wednesday that raises new questions about human impact on wildlife.

'Creeping quakes' rumble New Zealand: researchers

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:06:53 GMT

Researchers have discovered New Zealand's earthquake-prone landscape is even more unstable than previously thought, recording deep tremors lasting up to 30 minutes on its biggest fault line.

'Natural causes' blamed for Peru dolphin deaths

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:56:55 GMT

Nearly 900 dolphins that washed up along Peru's northern coast since the start of the year died of natural causes, a top official said Tuesday, citing a government report.

The last free men

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:38:48 GMT

Some indigenous peoples have managed to maintain some of their traditions and lifestyles with the help of NGOs but others have not been so fortunate.

Chile's vanishing Patagonian lake

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:21:16 GMT

In less than 24 hours Lake Cachet II in Chile's southern Patagonia vanished, leaving behind just some large puddles and chunks of ice in the vast lake bed.