Old divisions between developed and developing countries in who should lead the fight against climate change should be laid aside, according to ministers from some of the world's poorest countries and European representatives meeting on May 8.

The vexed issue of which countries should bear the greatest responsibility for cutting greenhouse gas emissions has been a sticking point in international negotiations for two decades. Under the original settlement reached in 1992 at the Rio Earth summit, and formalised in the 1997 Kyoto protocol, some rapidly emerging economies such as China were left out of the roster of obligations to curb emissions.

Passing carbon dioxide through slag left over from steel-making turns the waste product into a strong material that can be used for construction.

Natural gas is not the

The passage of the cap-and-trade bill through the committee stage has driven a wedge through the US environmental lobby, Fiona Harvey reports .

India has thrown down the gauntlet to developed nations in the latest round of climate change talks, saying the developing world wants to see pledges of cash before it is prepared to discuss emissions curbs.

The sea of northern Spain is shortly to be invaded - by robots.

Scientists are building a shoal of robot fish to be let loose in the port of Gijon to check on the quality of the water.

Modelled on carp and costing about

Something fishy is going on in northern Spain. The waters of the port of Gijon are shortly to be invaded

Europe is running out of fresh water and

Around the world, a massive injection of cash is being prepared by governments desperately trying to resolve the financial crisis and prevent the recession turning into something worse.

Plans for a green stimulus in the US have focused on energy efficiency, an area in which the US historically lags behind the rest of the developed world, as low energy prices and taxes have given consumers little incentive to conserve power.