International

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."

"Plans to resume the hunting of humpback whales, protected by a moratorium introduced more than 40 years ago, came under fire from environmentalists Tuesday."

"The United Nations on Tuesday raised the prospect of 'megadisasters' affecting millions of people in some of the world's biggest cities unless more is done to heed the threat of climate change."

A new report says that climate change is already causing widespread human migration.

"The world's richest countries and those that are developing fastest need to lead the transition to an energy-efficient and low-carbon economy to stave off the worst effects of climate change, science academies from these nations said on Thursday."

"The World Health Organization declared an influenza pandemic on Thursday and called on governments to prepare for a long-term battle against an unstoppable flu virus."