Environment

• Saturday, March 12th 2011 - 05:33 UTC

  Nuclear emergency and thousands of residents evacuated

  

  The Japanese government declared a state of emergency at five nuclear reactors as cooling systems failed. Authorities battled Saturday to contain rising pressure at the plants damaged by a massive earthquake and were moving tens of thousands of residents from the area.

• Saturday, March 12th 2011 - 05:21 UTC

  Japan begins huge relief effort: hundreds killed but more feared disappeared

  

  A mammoth relief mission is swinging into action in north-east Japan, a day after it was struck by a devastating tsunami, claiming hundreds of lives. Whole villages have been washed away and at least one town has been largely destroyed.

• Friday, March 11th 2011 - 00:53 UTC

  Decline of bees’ colonies threatens pollination, essential for growing more crops

  

  More than a dozen factors, ranging from declines in flowering plants and the use of memory-damaging insecticides to the world-wide spread of pests and air pollution, may be behind the emerging decline of bee colonies across many parts of the globe.

• Thursday, March 10th 2011 - 22:26 UTC

  New Zealand cuts basic interest rate to help with earthquake recovery

  

  New Zealand's central bank has cut the cost of borrowing to try to reduce the economic impact of the earthquake in Christchurch, the country's second largest city. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut the key interest rate 0.5 points to 2.5%.

• Wednesday, March 9th 2011 - 21:17 UTC

  Ice losses in both caskets and rising sea level faster than estimated

  

  Ice loss from Antarctica and Greenland has accelerated over the last 20 years, research shows, and will soon become the biggest driver of sea level rise. From satellite data and climate models, scientists calculate that the two polar ice sheets are losing enough ice to raise sea levels by 1.3mm each year.

• Wednesday, March 9th 2011 - 21:03 UTC

  Critically low oxygen blamed for massive death of fish in South California

  

  Critically low oxygen levels have been measured in a southern Californian harbour after millions of dead fish were washed up in Redondo Beach's marina, close to Los Angeles. A local scientist, Brent Scheiwe, said he took dissolved oxygen level readings in the harbour and found them at almost zero.

• Wednesday, March 9th 2011 - 05:10 UTC

  Wikileaks reveals Chilean government changed environment rules to please US interests

  

  Wikileaks cables last week revealed that the U.S. Embassy in Santiago pressured Chilean government officials in 2009 to change environmental rules so that a controversial thermoelectric plant could be built.

• Tuesday, March 8th 2011 - 23:29 UTC

  Monte Grande dam project in the Amazon steams full ahead

  

  Work on the Belo Monte giant hydroelectric dam complex in the Amazon, which has generated much controversy in Brazil because of its environmental impacts, officially began Monday, (in spite of Carnival celebrations) according to the Norte Energia consortium.

• Monday, March 7th 2011 - 13:43 UTC

  Flying with the Albatross

  

  THE British Royal Navy and the company British International helicopters have been assisting Islander conservationists in vital surveys of the majestic Black-browed albatross in the Falkland Islands.

• Saturday, March 5th 2011 - 06:44 UTC

  About 70.000 people, 20% of the population have fled from Christchurch

  

  About 70,000 people, or 20% of the population, have fled Christchurch, New Zealand's second-largest city, since last week's devastating earthquake, Mayor Bob Parker said Friday.