Paris: Plant and soil can take up to two years to recover from an exceptionally hot year, a finding that has implications for the combat against global warming, according to research published on Wedn

Brussels would look favourably at member states giving financial support for plants to test almost carbon-free power production, which could help fight climate change, a European Commission official said on Monday.

German utilities are among those worldwide that are seeking to pilot carbon capture and storage (CCS), which supporters hope can clean up the burning of coal for power generation by separating off carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and burying them.

Burning coal is the dirtiest, most old-fashioned way to produce electricity in the energy industry today.

However, in the coming years many governments and energy companies are hoping to reinvent coal as a cleaner, more modern form of energy in the coming years, as they try to reconcile energy security with the need to halt climate change.

Despite the economic downturn and rising prices, global energy demand continues to rise; so do carbon emissions.

Paris: Climate change could release unexpectedly huge stores of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, which would in turn fuel a vicious circle of global warming, a new study warned on Sunday.

And according to one commentary, current models of climate change have not taken this extra source of greenhouse gas into account. Scientists have long known that organic carbon trapped inside a blanket of frozen permafrost covering one fifth of the world's land mass would, if thawed, release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal has called upon the developed world to take urgent steps to reduce emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases so as to minimise the adverse impact on global climate.