WASHINGTON, DC, May 21, 2012 (ENS) - Leaders of the world's most developed economies, the Group of Eight, have agreed to phase out government subsidies for coal, oil and gas and pursue sustainable energy and low carbon policies "in order to tackle the global challenge of climate change." President Obama said, "We discussed the importance of pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy for energy security in a safe and sustainable way. Leaders agreed to join a new U.S.-led coalition to address climate change, in part by reducing short-lived pollutants." >>more

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada, May 19, 2012 (ENS) - The Wilderness Committee and the British Columbia Government Employees Union are offering a C$5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for poaching an 800 year-old red cedar in a provincial park on Vancouver Island's southwest coast. This vandalism of protected old-growth forests is a direct result of cuts to the BC Parks budget, say the organizations offering the reward. >>more

BEIJING, China, May 18, 2012 (ENS) - Beijing's new automotive fuel standards in effect as of May 31 are equivalent to the European Union's Euro V standard, the strictest in the world, say city officials. All fuel sold by retailers in the Chinese capital will be required to meet the new standards, which are expected to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from 50 to 10 milligrams per kilogram, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau. >>more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 17, 2012 (ENS) - Institutional investors in the United States, Europe and Australia with nearly $1 trillion in assets under management have united to support a set of best practices for the hydraulic fracturing of shale rock to harvest natural gas. Energy companies engaged in shale gas fracking face growing regulatory uncertainty and increasing opposition from shareholders concerned about health and environmental problems resulting from air, soil and groundwater contaminated by fracking. >>more

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, May 17, 2012 (ENS) - One of New Zealand's major environmental groups will appeal a decision by the Environment Court that stops climate change impacts from being considered under the Resource Management Act. The Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society says its appeal will be heard in the High Court. If the appeal is successful, the contribution to climate change of developments such as coal mining would be considered during the government's permitting process. >>more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 15, 2012 (ENS) - Airlines flying to and from European airports have complied with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and reported their greenhouse gas emissions data for 2011, except for the refusal of aircraft operators from China and India. Carbon emissions from European power plants and factories participating in the EU ETS fell by more than two percent last year while the EU economy was growing, according to official figures released today. >>more

SEATTLE, Washington, May 15, 2012 (ENS) - As the climate heats up across the Western Hemisphere, many animals will not be able to move fast enough to find safe habitats cool enough for their survival. Safe havens may be out of reach for nine percent of the Western Hemisphere's mammals, and as many as 40 percent in some regions, finds new research from the University of Washington. Hardest hit will be primates, including tamarins, spider monkeys, marmosets and howler monkeys, some already endangered. >>more

BONN, Germany, May 14, 2012 (ENS) - Governments met in Bonn Monday to tackle curbing global greenhouse gas emissions and helping developing countries adapt to the unavoidable effects of climate change. During the next 10 days, they will work towards writing a global, legally-binding climate agreement, extending the Kyoto Protocol into a second commitment period, and building funding support for developing nations to US$100 billion a year by 2020. >>more

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 11, 2012 (ENS) - For the first time, an electric vehicle is attempting an unassisted journey from Nairobi to Johannesburg, South Africa - a distance of 4,800 kilometers (2,982 miles). The driver is Xavier Chevrin, who left today after a sendoff news conference Thursday at the Nairobi headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme. Chevrin is an English teacher on the French Ile de la Réunion with a history of long trips in electric cars. >>more

By Muhammad al-Zaidi and Khalid Waleed
BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 10, 2012 (ENS) - While millions of dollars have been spent on clearing the 1,730 square kilometres (667 sq. miles) planted with landmines in Iraq, only a fraction of the work has been done although the 10-year deadline for demining the country expires in 2018. Iraq is among the countries worst affected by landmines and unexploded munitions, according to the United Nations. Government officials blame the lack of maps showing where the mines lie. >>more

By Juan Pablo García Medina
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco, Mexico, May 9, 2012 (ENS) - For over 500 years, the Wixaritari Indians of Mexico have suffered from poverty, malnutrition and racism - today, they are also victims of global climate change. For this ancient indigenous people living in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range of northwestern Mexico, droughts are growing more severe and more frequent, until now many communities have little or no water supply. >>more