DISPOSING of household rubbish is not, at first glance, a task that looks amenable to high-tech solutions. But Hilburn Hillestad of Geoplasma, a firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, begs to differ. Burying trash
Brisbane is under water, and the Queensland boom suspended
A WALL of water charged through Toowoomba, a city in south-east Queensland, on January 10th, sweeping unsuspecting people before it. Two days later the floods had reached Brisbane, the state capital and, with a population of 2m, Australia
Torrential rain prompts tragedy, and a need for prevention
Floods in Brazil and Colombia
When the mountains move in Rio
IN THE state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil this week the rains were sudden and torrential. In Colombia they have been relentless, lasting months. In both countries they been far more lethal than the more publicised flooding in Australia see article).
EUROPEANS are notoriously squeamish about genetically modified (GM) crops. In America, however, they reign supreme. Since farmers first planted GM soya in 1996, engineered crops have steadily conquered America
How investor-friendly is India?
POSCO's Indian steel project
INDIA needs steel, ports and investment. POSCO, a South Korean steel giant, wants to invest 545 billion rupees ($12 billion) to build a steel plant with a port in Orissa, a poorish state with lots of iron ore. It would be the single biggest foreign investment in India ever, and yield 12m tonnes of steel a year.
The rhinoceros is under threat yet againCONTRARY to widespread belief in China and South-East Asia, the rhinoceros horn has no proven medicinal or aphrodisiac qualities. Its effect, some scientists say, is the same as chewing your fingernails. It is made of the same stuff, agglutinated hair. Yet rhino horn is currently worth more than gold, selling for up to $60,000 a kilo.
ONE of the gestures that saved the UN climate conference in Copenhagen last December from complete meltdown was American support for the idea that, by 2020, $100 billion should be flowing from the north to the south every year to pay for emissions reduction and climate adaptation.
