Wal-Mart Plans Eco-Rating Labels

(NEWSER) - A fundamental shift is going on in the consumer product world as retailers decide that less is more, the Wall Street Journal reports. Big national retailers are expected to slash selection by at least 15%, analysts say. Gone will be 30% of Kroger’s cereals, 20 of the 24 tape measures Wal-Mart sells, and so on. It’s a big curveball for manufacturers accustomed to cranking out variations on their top products. More»

Cutting back on traditional livestock in favor of native fare better for environment: report

(NEWSER) - The Australian government's chief climate-change adviser says emissions could be drastically reduced if farmers and consumers switch from beef and lamb to kangaroo meat, the Australian reports. The marsupials emit much less methane than sheep and cows, the professor argues, and, as Australia heats up, are much better able to thrive in parched rangelands. More»

Researchers now able to distinguish new, old sources of methane

(NEWSER) - There are huge quantities of methane locked in ice sheets around the world, threatening to speed up climate change as they get released in melting ice. But determining which methane is the ancient kind and which is much younger and hails from, say, plant life that has decayed in lakes hasn't been easy—until now. The BBC reports that researchers have been able to ID the former by logging the ratio of different isotopes of carbon found in the methane molecules. Scientists were then able to test some of the 150,000 sites in Alaska and Greenland where methane is seeping into the atmosphere, and found that some are indeed releasing ancient methane. More»

Canada gov't says fines huge, no real environmental help

(NEWSER) - Countries and environmentalist groups around the world are slamming Canada for pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty on Monday, reports the Guardian . "Preposterous" and "an excuse to shirk responsibility," was how the withdrawal was described by China, the world's largest carbon dioxide producer . The UN climate chief was more polite but just as unhappy with the move, saying, "I regret Canada's withdrawal and am surprised over its timing." Even Japan—which doesn't plan to sign the next phase of the Kyoto treaty—called Canada's withdrawal "disappointing." More»

Carbon dioxide emissions take biggest jump on record

(NEWSER) - Carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases continued to build in the atmosphere last year, a federal report finds: Between 2009 and 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s yearly index of greenhouse gases—which measures said gases' combined heating effect—jumped 1.5%, to 1.29. It has climbed 29% since 1990, the Los Angeles Times reports. That number isn't the equivalent to a change in our temperature in degrees, but as it rises, so too does our warming potential, says a NOAA director. More»