International

"An El Nino weather pattern this year appears almost certain, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday in a revised forecast, raising the prospect of drought in Australia and a even weaker monsoon in India."

"The US, China, and dozens of other countries are meeting [this week] in Egypt to chart the course of a new international agency aimed at promoting renewable energy."

"Where the natural gas from the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline will end up is a murky question. ..."

"Major economies including the United States and China are considering setting a goal of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 when they hold a summit in Italy next month, a draft document showed."

"International Whaling Commission members agreed Wednesday to extend negotiations over the disputed hunting of the marine mammals for a year, avoiding a disastrous split in the group."

From an immense mansion in the Hamptons, Ira Rennert oversees a private industrial empire that includes one of the most toxic sites in the world.

Four island nations facing inundation from sea-level rise wrote President Obama, asking him to support their efforts to control HFCs.

On a global average, the amount of mercury falling out of the sky has tripled since the Industrial Revolution, primarily because of the burning of fossil fuels. Although this atmospheric deposition has long been considered the key vector for the widespread contamination of freshwater and coastal ecosystems, some scientists are focusing on another potential source: subterranean flows of terrestrial groundwater.

"A swirling 'soup' of tiny pieces of plastic has been found in the Atlantic Ocean, and something similar may be present in other ocean areas as well."

"The European Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed today to implement new higher energy-efficiency specifications for computers, copiers and printers under the EU-US Energy Star Programme."