Barack Obama is certainly talking the talk on climate change - promising to put the fight against global warming at the heart of his second term. What's more surprising is that the US - historically, the world's biggest emitter - actually seems to be walking the walk. It is on track to meet Obama's 2009 pledge to cut US emissions by 17 per cent, from 2005 levels, by 2020. The target could even be exceeded, which may give a boost to the long-stalled international climate talks.

The crisis that unfolded at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after Japan's megaquake and tsunami is rewriting the nuclear safety guide. There are some positives. Despite being shaken by an earthquake that exceeded the worst case assumed in their design, the reactors along Japan's Pacific coast suffered no serious damage from the ground movement.

Eugenie Scott has struggled to keep creationism out of the classroom – now her organisation is taking on climate change deniers too.

The Texas drought is a harbinger of things to come for the entire Southwest – water resource managers are making plans for a drier future.

As mining companies prepare to exploit the copper and gold in the seabed, the author explore the fate of the unique ecosystems around tectonic boundaries.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128193.700-deep-sea-gold-rush-mi...

As mining companies prepare to exploit the copper and gold in the seabed, we explore the fate of the unique ecosystems around tectonic boundaries.

Two forests wired up to track water should help the US's most populous state adapt to a warming world in which the stuff becomes increasingly scarce.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028164.300-wired-californian-for...

If the US approves genetically modified fish for human consumption, the implications will be global.

Methods of mopping up the oil hitting the shore from the Gulf spill must be carefully assessed to be sure they don't do more harm than good.