The European Commission might again put pff a decision on whether farmers can grow more genetically modified crops when it holds a long-awaited biotech policy debate in May, officials said yesterday, Reuters reports from Brussels. After months of expectation, the Commission has finally decided on May 7 for a debate on its biotech policy, centred on what has been called the "Dimas package": after Stavros Dimas, EU environment commissioner and one-of the most GMO-wary commissioners.
Global oceans are soaking up less carbon dioxide, a development that could speed up the greenhouse effect and have an impact for the next 1,500 years, scientists said on Wednesday. Research from a five-year project funded by the European Union showed the North Atlantic, which along with the Antarctic is of the world's two vital ocean carbon sinks, is absorbing only half the amount of CO2 that it did in the mid-1990s.
Scientists are developing a tsunami warning system for the Mediterranean region which they said on Wednesday should be ready in 2011 and could save thousands of lives. The 40-50 million euro ($63.32 million) project started three years ago, shortly after the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people and which prompted Asian nations to develop warning systems. "It is true that in the Mediterranean tsunamis are rare," said project vice chairman Gerassimos Papadopoulos at a geoscience conference.
The European Union has called on Iran to join an international nuclear safety convention that could increase knowledge about its disputed atomic energy plans. In an address to a closed safety review meeting of dozens of nations with nuclear programmes, the EU urged Tehran to submit its Bushehr nuclear complex, now close to being completed by Russian contractors, to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS).
Soccer - Austria Aims For Green Soccer Championship AUSTRIA: April 15, 2008 VIENNA - Austria has said energy efficient stadiums, tap water and ethical sponsorship will help it host an environmentally-friendly Euro 2008 despite criticism that organisers' plans are not green enough. Corporate sponsors will fund schemes to compensate for the 40,000 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide emitted by the three-week event in Austria, the government said.
Demand agreement on a divorce settlement before you marry, and the world may believe many things of you: that you are prudent, or cynical, or just a bit mean. What it will not believe is that you are a swooning romantic, moved only by the high ideals of love. You can boast you are an idealist, in other words, or you can make a pre-nuptial agreement: you cannot plausibly do both.
As Austria revises its Green Electricity Act the clean power industries reject the draft on the table as inadequate. To reach its climate protection targets the country will have to massively buy in CO2 certificates.
Agriculture ministers of 10 eu countries voted against the approval of three genetically modified (gm) varieties of maize for use in the European market on September 26, but failed to block it. The move reflects divisions among eu nations over whether gm crops pose a risk to health.
Environment: As the importance of recycling becomes more apparent, questions about it linger. Is it worth the effort? How does it work? Is recycling waste just going into a
landfill in China? Here are some answers
