Researcher creates fireproof concrete out of waste ashJuly 8th, 2009 SYDNEY - A researcher has converted waste ash, a by product of coal-fired power stations, into fireproof concrete. The concrete could be used to build fireproof bunkers in rural areas, and could prevent tonnes of fly ash from being dumped.
Australian forests best in the world at locking up carbonJune 17th, 2009 SYDNEY - A new study has found that mountain ash forests in Australia are the best in the world at locking up carbon. According to a report by ABC News, the study has been carried out by environmental scientist Professor Brendan Mackey of the Australian National University and colleagues.
Wild elephant kills two in Darjeeling hillsMay 22nd, 2009 SILIGURI - A wild elephant killed two people in West Bengal's Darjeeling district Friday, a forest department official said. Sobha Chetri, 60, and Pradip Kishan, 22 were killed by the animal in Garidhura area in Kurseong sub-division of the district early Friday.
13 Nepal Army soldiers feared dead in forest fireApril 23rd, 2009 KATHMANDU - As the fate of Nepal's beleaguered army chief Gen Rookmangud Katawal hung in limbo with the Maoist government unable to fire him summarily due to growing pressure at home and from the international community, the army suffered another setback Thursday when at least 13 soldiers were feared to have been killed in a forest fire. The soldiers had been called out to combat a forest fire in Ramechhap district, east of capital city Kathmandu.
Fire breaks in forest area in PunjabApril 19th, 2009 PATIALA - A major fire broke out in the forest area of Bhadson in this Punjab district Sunday, spreading over a two km area, police said. 'Six fire brigade vans were pressed into service to control the blaze that was spreading very rapidly due to strong winds.
Climate change may make forests carbon emitters than absorbersApril 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new report has warned that climate change may make forests release huge quantities of carbon and create a situation in which they do more to accelerate warming than to slow it down. The report, titled "Adaptation of Forests and People to Climate Change - A Global Assessment", will be formally presented at the next session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) taking place 20 April-1 May 2009 at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
Biofuels could hasten climate changeApril 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that biofuels can hasten climate change, and it will take more than 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost when biofuel plantations are established on forestlands. If the original habitat was peatland, carbon balance would take more than 600 years.
Fire near Taj Mahal causes alarmMarch 28th, 2009 AGRA - A fire that broke out near the Taj Mahal caused widespread alarm before it was doused after an hour, officials said Saturday. Fire brigade officials said more than a dozen trees were charred in the blaze, which occurred Friday evening at the Diwanji ka Teela, hardly 50 feet away from the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal.
Three guerrillas killed in KashmirMarch 21st, 2009 SRINAGAR - Three separatist guerrillas were killed Friday when army troops surrounded a forest in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara area. The operation began early Friday in Rangwar forest area near Chowkibal in Kupwara district, about 120 km from here.
WTO chief criticises protectionismMarch 6th, 2009 WELLINGTON - The director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy, has rejected the 'food miles' campaign of some European farmers who say consumers should buy local produce instead of imported foods, according to a news report Friday. Their argument says buying food from countries like New Zealand is environmentally unfriendly because of the carbon emissions involved in transporting it to consumers over long distances.
NASA to launch carbon dioxide tracking satellite TuesdayFebruary 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists hope to get a clearer picture of how the Earth reacts to carbon dioxide with the launch Tuesday of a new spacecraft designed to collect data on the climate-changing gas. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is set for launch early Tuesday from California and will take about eight million measurements every 16 days for the next two years.
Another arson suspect charged in AustraliaFebruary 17th, 2009 SYDNEY - A second Australian was charged Wednesday with arson following forest fires north of Melbourne that claimed over 201 lives, razed 1,830 homes and left 7,500 homeless. Police allege the 38-year-old man was spotted Tuesday throwing lighted cigarettes into dry grass near Myrtleford, where two people died in the Feb 7 blaze.
Indian, Chinese power plants speeding global warming: expertFebruary 14th, 2009 LONDON - An upsurge in coal-based power generation in India and China is likely to speed up global warming and cause more environmental damage than previously feared, a leading expert has warned. Chris Field of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said higher temperatures could ignite tropical forests and melt the Arctic tundra, releasing billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
Australia's forest fire toll rises to 166February 9th, 2009 SYDNEY - The body count reached 166 Tuesday, more than doubling the death toll from Australia's previous worst forest fires in 1983. Authorities in the south coast city of Melbourne warned the death toll would continue to climb as army bulldozers cleared a path for forensic teams to enter hamlets cut off by Saturday's inferno.
Rural community shows how renewable heating oil is viable optionFebruary 8th, 2009 LONDON - Local schools and homes in small Georgian town of Reepham in Norfolk are showing how renewable heating oil remains a viable option. Like two million homes across Britain and Ireland, the properties depend on heating oil for warmth and hot water, and the aim of the University of East Anglia (UEA) trial is to prove that reusing the oil is a viable option.
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