Polar bears will now be listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
Climatology was once a small and often overlooked branch of science. But important discoveries made as early as the 19th century have contributed to what is the most important field of scientific study in the world today. Listed below are some key dates in climate change history.
We rely on it to power our everyday lives, and it drives the economy worldwide, but oil faces an uncertain future in the 21st century. Black gold is increasingly expensive, environmentally damaging and, in the view of some experts, increasingly scarce.
Indiana Jones managed to retrieve the trinket he was after in the opening moments of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He pretty much wrecked everything else in the ancient South American temple where the little gold idol had rested for millennia.
Ever since he was an architecture student in London during the 1990s, Cameron Sinclair has been committed to providing solutions to some of the world's most impoverished and disaster-hit communities.
Koalas are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on, a researcher said Wednesday.
She has been named Beauty, though this eagle is anything but.
For eight years, Tony and Sam Bayaoa have grown thousands of bright red, yellow and pink protea flowers on their farm. Then in March, Kilauea volcano opened a new vent and began spewing double the usual amount of toxic gas.
It's a tale of homeland security concerns blocking wildlife management, and the hue and cry that ensues.
Of all the power supplies in the energy mix, nuclear has historically been the most criticized and controversial. But this most unpopular of power sources has recently resurfaced in political and economic dialogue.
Polar bears will now be listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
Climatology was once a small and often overlooked branch of science. But important discoveries made as early as the 19th century have contributed to what is the most important field of scientific study in the world today. Listed below are some key dates in climate change history.
We rely on it to power our everyday lives, and it drives the economy worldwide, but oil faces an uncertain future in the 21st century. Black gold is increasingly expensive, environmentally damaging and, in the view of some experts, increasingly scarce.
Indiana Jones managed to retrieve the trinket he was after in the opening moments of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He pretty much wrecked everything else in the ancient South American temple where the little gold idol had rested for millennia.
Ever since he was an architecture student in London during the 1990s, Cameron Sinclair has been committed to providing solutions to some of the world's most impoverished and disaster-hit communities.
Koalas are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on, a researcher said Wednesday.
She has been named Beauty, though this eagle is anything but.
For eight years, Tony and Sam Bayaoa have grown thousands of bright red, yellow and pink protea flowers on their farm. Then in March, Kilauea volcano opened a new vent and began spewing double the usual amount of toxic gas.
It's a tale of homeland security concerns blocking wildlife management, and the hue and cry that ensues.
Of all the power supplies in the energy mix, nuclear has historically been the most criticized and controversial. But this most unpopular of power sources has recently resurfaced in political and economic dialogue.
It appears that the scale and seriousness of climate change is at last being grasped. In 2008, we stand on the brink of a historic consensus, not only between scientists, but in the corridors of political power and in boardrooms across the globe.
One gray squirrel, its bushy tail twitching, barked a warning as another scrounged for food nearby.
Whilst the energy grids we rely on to provide us with cheap and reliable electricity may have been fit for purpose in the 20th century, it is now abundantly clear that the design of 21st century energy networks will have to be very different. In Europe, the foundations for a secure, flexible and more energy efficient future are already being laid.
The New York Botanical Garden may be best known for its orchid shows and colorful blossoms, but its researchers are about to lead a global effort to capture DNA from thousands of tree species from around the world.
Experts are mystified by a "swarm" of earthquakes hitting Reno, Nevada.
A pile of dinosaur dung 130 million years old sold at a New York auction Wednesday for nearly $1,000.
Scientists studying the carcass of what they call the heaviest squid ever found have discovered it has eyes as big as soccer balls -- reportedly the largest in the world.
A federal judge has ordered the government to decide within 16 days whether polar bears should be listed as a threatened species because of global warming.
Federal researchers say they have developed a human identification test that's faster and possibly cheaper than DNA testing.
In the coming years we face an unprecedented challenge -- to provide the means for global prosperity, growth and stability from a radically different set of energy sources.
What's black and white and warm all over? A penguin in a wetsuit, naturally.
David Crane is a man who isn't afraid of a challenge. When he took the helm at NRG Energy in the winter of 2003, the company was mired in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings -- just one of many companies caught in the meltdown of the U.S. power generation industry, instigated by the scandalous collapse of Texan power giant Enron in 2001.
Rosemary Lowe scoops up a shovel of dirt and dumps it into a hole around the base of a slender cottonwood tree.
Major greenhouse gases are accumulating in the air faster than they had been despite efforts to curtail the growth.
Those battling global warming by promoting biofuels may unintentionally be adding to skyrocketing world food prices, creating what one expert calls "a silent tsunami" in developing nations.
A coalition of conservation and animal protection groups on Monday sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to force it to extend federal protection to Canada lynx in New Mexico.
A new U.S. call for curbing greenhouse gas emissions shook up climate talks Thursday in Paris among the world's biggest polluters.
NASA says it is extending the international Cassini mission that is touring Saturn and its moons for another two years.
It's been 30,000 years since Neanderthals walked the earth, but now we can hear what they sounded like, according to a Florida anthropologist.
During centuries of isolation on the Carolina sea islands, the short-legged, sway-backed marsh tacky horses became perfectly suited for toiling long hours in the swamps and oppressive humidity.
It is a familiar refrain to hear the earth and its resources being described as precious and that climate change is, and will, prove extremely costly.
With more than 1,000 member organizations and over 10,000 experts, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps develop conservation science and manages field projects all over the world. Every year they publish a list of the world's most endangered species. Click on the gallery to sample just a fraction of the species at risk. For full details see the IUCN Red List.
A frog has been found in a remote part of Indonesia that has no lungs and breathes through its skin, a discovery that researchers said Thursday could provide insight into what drives evolution in certain species.
The gray wolf was officially removed from the Endangered Species Act's "threatened" list Friday after three decades -- a decision that has stoked controversy among environmentalists and ranchers.
Since it became a viable energy resource around 20 years ago, wind power has emerged as a leading renewable technology.
A team of Purdue University students concocted a 156-step recipe for preparing a hamburger to win Saturday's annual national Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.
Olafur Ragnar Grimsson is currently enjoying a third term as President of the Republic of Iceland. Since first being elected in 1996, Grimsson has been a passionate advocate of international cooperation in combating climate change.
Dr Joseph Adelegan is the Founder and the Executive Chairman of the Global Network for Environment and Economic Development Research -- a front-line African non-profit and non-governmental organization involved in environment and sustainable development issues.
Peter Head is Director of urban design and development at Arup, the global design and business consulting firm.
Marine biologists studying wild octopuses have found a kinky and violent society of jealous murders, gender subterfuge and once-in-a-lifetime sex.
The legendary 20th century architect, Frank Lloyd Wright once described his profession as the "mother art". In the 21st century, architects and designers are increasingly turning their attentions to Mother Nature as a source of inspiration for their creations.
It's easy to overlook the impact buildings have on greenhouse gas emissions, but the places where we live and work contribute over 30 percent of global greenhouse emissions.
Jeremy Rifkin is an internationally renowned economist, social critic and author. Since 1977 he has been president of the Foundation on Economic Trends (FOET). For the last 14 years he has been a fellow at the Wharton School's Executive Education Program. He has written 17 highly successful and thought-provoking books including "The End of Work" (1995), "The Hydrogen Economy" (2002) and most recently "The European Dream" (2004).
Daniel Libeskind is one of the greatest architects of the modern era. Prior to his involvement in the design of New York's Freedom Tower, he was best known for designing the Jewish Museum in Berlin.
Texas may be best known for "Big Oil." But the oil that could some day make a dent in the country's use of fossil fuels is small. Microscopic, in fact: algae. Literally and figuratively, this is green fuel.
Former Vice President Al Gore on Monday launched a three-year, multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign calling for the U.S. to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
From krill to king crabs, the collapse of a 160-square-mile portion of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica could mean many changes for wildlife at the bottom of the world.
A college student has apologized for causing a scare on a subway train when his science project short-circuited and started smoking in his backpack.
California regulators have drastically cut the number of zero-emission vehicles required to be sold in the state by the year 2014, a decision that frustrated environmentalists but came as a relief to auto manufacturers.
Some 220 square miles of ice has collapsed in Antarctica and an ice shelf about seven times the size of Manhattan is "hanging by a thread," the British Antarctic Survey said Tuesday, blaming global warming.
A chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday.
Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish.
An explosion atop the long-erupting Kilauea volcano rained gravel-size rocks onto a tourist lookout, road and trail before dawn Wednesday, injuring no one but forcing parts of a national park to close.
The X Prize Foundation, best known for its competitions promoting space flights, is offering $10 million to the teams that can produce the most production-ready vehicles that get 100 miles per gallon or more.
Using tiny brushes and chisels, workers picking at a big greenish-black rock in the basement of North Dakota's state museum are meticulously uncovering something amazing: a nearly complete dinosaur, skin and all.
Some Florida amusement park visitors may enjoy space-themed roller-coasters, but the first vehicle they board at Orlando International Airport may be the most futuristic ride of their vacation.
The troubled Smithsonian Institution says it has chosen Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough as its new leader.
Nearly all of today's Native Americans in North, Central and South America can trace part of their ancestry to six women whose descendants immigrated around 20,000 years ago, a DNA study suggests.
Nearly all of today's Native Americans in North, Central and South America can trace part of their ancestry to six women who lived around 20,000 years ago, a DNA study suggests.
It's happened to all of us: You print something from the Web, and all you get is a sheet of paper with nothing but a URL or something equally useless.
A research project aimed at weasels has turned up a bigger prize: a picture of a wolverine, an elusive animal scientists feared may have been driven out of the Sierra Nevada long ago by human activity.
The white killer whale spotted in Alaska's Aleutian Islands sent researchers and the ship's crew scrambling for their cameras.
Those beautiful snowflakes drifting out of the sky may have a surprise inside - bacteria.
Treasure hunter Christian Hanisch told CNN Thursday that the hunt for Nazi Gold and possibly the legendary Amber Room will end Friday after the two men leading the expedition had a disagreement.
Digging has resumed at a site in the southeastern German town of Deutschneudorf, where treasure hunters believe there are almost 2 tons of Nazi gold and possibly clues to the whereabouts of the legendary Amber Room, a prize taken from a Russian castle during World War II.
Digging has resumed at a site in the southeastern German town of Deutschneudorf, where treasure hunters believe there are almost 2 tons of Nazi gold and possibly clues to the whereabouts of the legendary Amber Room, a prize taken from a Russian castle during World War II.
Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies are being removed from the endangered species list. The move follows a 13-year restoration effort that led the animal's population to soar.
A frog the size of a bowling ball, with heavy armor and teeth, lived among dinosaurs millions of years ago -- intimidating enough that scientists who unearthed its fossils dubbed the beast Beelzebufo, or Devil Toad.
Valentine's Day is a good time for men and women to attend to their lovers -- just in case anyone else might be looking.
As pterodactyls go, it was small, toothless and had unexpectedly curved toes -- yet scientists are welcoming their new find as another piece in the puzzle of ancient life.
Once derided as a white elephant, the U.S. Marine Corps' tilt-rotor aircraft, the V-22 Osprey, is proving its mettle in Iraq, military officials said.
High oil prices and growing concerns about the environment may drive more than $7 trillion of new investment in so-called clean energy technologies by 2030, an energy research group says.
As people spend more time communing with their televisions and computers, the impact is not just on their health, researchers say. Less time spent outdoors means less contact with nature and, eventually, less interest in conservation and parks.
Perhaps armed with a new loot of electronics now that the holidays are over, consumers might find old cell phones, printers and TVs taking up space in junk drawers and basements. We're used to recycling our paper and plastic but the electronic detritus that surrounds us is harder to deal with. The good news is it's becoming easier.
More than a mile beneath an area of Appalachia covering parts of four states lies a mostly untapped reservoir of natural gas that could swell U.S. reserves.
A meeting on climate change ended without concrete targets for slashing greenhouse gas emissions, but participants praised what they saw as a new willingness by the United States to discuss possible solutions.
The lab rat of the future may have no whiskers and no tail -- and might not even be a rat at all.
Even coral reefs thought to be pristine are facing challenges, researchers said Thursday launching the International Year of the Reef.
The world's rush to embrace biofuels is causing a spike in the price of corn and other crops and could worsen water shortages and force poor communities off their land, a U.N. official said Wednesday.
Conservationists and scientists scrambled Tuesday to determine what has killed at least 50 critically endangered crocodile-like reptiles in recent weeks in a river sanctuary in central India.
Scientists in California say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men, a potential step toward developing scientifically valuable stem cells.
A self-destructing palm tree that flowers once every 100 years and then dies has been discovered on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, botanists said Thursday.
More than 300 miles of struggling salmon runs would be restored along the Klamath River as part of a landmark $1 billion proposal that represents the largest dam removal project in the nation's history.
Scientists have discovered the remains of a rodent the size of a small car which used to forage the South American continent. The 1-ton creature is believed to have been about 3 meters in length and 1.5 meters tall.
Adolescent pregnancy isn't a modern invention, it occurred in dinosaurs millions of years ago.
Cynthia Beal wants to be an Oregon cherry tree after she dies. She has everything to make it happen -- a body, a burial site and a biodegradable coffin.
Cynthia Beal wants to be an Oregon cherry tree after she dies. She has everything to make it happen -- a body, a burial site and a biodegradable coffin.
Cynthia Beal wants to be an Oregon cherry tree after she dies. She has everything to make it happen -- a body, a burial site and a biodegradable coffin.
San Diego's most popular resident finally met her fans, up close and personal: Giant panda cub Zhen Zhen made her public debut Saturday at the San Diego Zoo.
Months after Egypt boldly announced that archaeologists had identified a mummy as the most powerful queen of her time, scientists in a museum basement are still analyzing DNA from the bald, 3,500-year-old corpse to try to back up the claim aired on TV.
Federal marine mammal experts in Alaska studying the effects of global warming on walruses, polar bears and ice seals warn there are limits to the protections they can provide.
Tiny College of the Atlantic, with 300 students and only one major, human ecology, has become the nation's first "carbon-neutral" campus, school officials said Wednesday.
It sounds like a stretch, but a new study suggests that the missing evolutionary link between whales and land animals is an odd raccoon-sized animal that looks like a long-tailed deer without antlers. Or an overgrown long-legged rat.
Coal is almost the perfect fuel. It's cheap and absurdly abundant -- especially in the United States, which has the world's larges reserves. There's just that tiny problem of massive climate-altering carbon dioxide emissions. Or is there?
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