News Archive: 2001

Conoco to spend up to $110 mln at oil refineries top

USA: December 21, 2001

WASHINGTON - Conoco Inc. reached an agreement with the U.S. government to spend between $95 million and $110 million on pollution control equipment at the company's oil refineries, the Justice Department said yesterday. Full Story

Fortum declines comment on oil spill report top

FINLAND: December 20, 2001

HELSINKI - Finnish energy group Fortum on Wednesday declined to comment on local media reports that an oil spill off Finland's west coast had been traced to the company's Naantali refinery. Full Story

Royal Dutch/Shell makes major oil find off Brazil top

19/12/2001

Royal Dutch/Shell group announced the discovery of a large oil deposit in the Santos basin south of Rio de Janeiro. Full Story

Governor seeks more oversight of Alaska oil wells top

USA: December 14, 2001

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles announced on Wednesday a plan to boost enforcement of environmental protection and worker-safety rules at the state's oil and gas fields. Full Story

Halliburton Expands Its Relationship With Vanco Energy Company for Growing Deepwater Exploration Projects top

DALLAS and HOUSTON, Dec 12, 2001

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) continues to build upon its relationship with Vanco Energy Company with the signing of an agreement for the provision of engineering and consulting services in several deepwater regions offshore West Africa. The agreement comes as Vanco, the largest holder of deepwater exploration licenses in Sub- Saharan Africa, prepares for a major drilling program offshore West Africa, commencing in late 2002. Full Story

British Columbia still seeks offshore oil drilling top

CANADA: December 7, 2001

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - British Columbia still wants to develop energy reserves off its pristine Pacific coast and said yesterday it believed environmental and Indian rights issues could be overcome. Full Story

Health & Science: Environmentalists protest opening of bids for Gulf of Mexico drilling top

NEW ORLEANS (December 5, 2001 3:51 p.m. EST)

The federal government opened bids for offshore petroleum leases off the Florida coast on Wednesday, but environmentalists promised to "consider every option" to keep the sites from being developed. Full Story

UPDATE - Senate vote on Alaska oil drilling bill blocked top

USA: December 5, 2001

WASHINGTON - A sharply divided U.S. Senate failed this week to adopt legislation to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling, a key part of the Bush administration's plan to boost domestic energy supplies. Full Story

Alaska oil-search plans favor western North Slope top

USA: November 30, 2001

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the search for new oil on Alaska's North Slope, west is best, at least this winter. Full Story

Global Warming Is Nothing New, Ocean Project Indicates top

Wednesday, November 28, 2001

Global warming may be a more common occurrence than scientists previously believed, according to the findings of a deep-sea drilling expedition recently completed in the western Pacific Ocean. Samples extracted from the ocean bed show evidence of global warming dating as far back as 135 million years ago. Scientists believe the data will provide important new information about the causes of global warming and its effects on the earth. Full Story

Russian, U.S. officials officially open Caspian pipeline top

Wednesday, November 28, 2001

ANAPA, Russia — Energy officials from Russia, Kazakstan, and Oman joined international oil company executives Tuesday for the official opening of the pipeline connecting Kazakstan's Tengiz oil field with an export terminal in this southern Russian port. Full Story

New urgency in the battle to save Mediterranean ecology top

November 23, 2001 By Zafrir Rinat

Representatives of the Mediterranean countries, including Israel, this week met in Monaco to seek ways of improving the ecology of the sea off their shores. The conference was held under the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea. Full Story

Brazil Petrobras gets 1st ok to install new big rig top

BRAZIL: November 22, 2001

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras was preparing to install its new platform yesterday after receiving an environmental license after long delays which had affected its production plans. Full Story

US senators to push oil drilling in stimulus bill top

USA: November 15, 2001

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans said yesterday they will try to move through Congress a comprehensive energy bill that would allow drilling in an Alaskan refuge by attaching the measure to a pending multibillion-dollar economic stimulus package. Full Story

FEATURE - Life extended for Cook Inlet oil and gas fields top

USA: November 9, 2001

KENAI, Alaska - New-found oil promises to extend the life of a world-class Alaska oil field. New seismic work suggests a giant deposit of yet-untapped natural gas. And oil and gas companies, encouraged by favorable exploration results, are boosting their spending here. Full Story

Exxon Valdez appeals ruling stuns Alaskans top

USA: November 9, 2001

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Exxon Mobil Corp.'s reprieve this week from a $5 billion punitive fine stunned and angered Alaskans who had sued the energy giant for punitive damages from the 1989 Valdez oil spill disaster. Full Story

Appeals Court Throws Out Exxon Valdez Penalty top

SAN FRANCISCO, California, November 8, 2001

A federal appeals court has overturned a $5.3 billion punitive damages award against Exxon stemming from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The court called the amount, which was determined by a jury in Alaska, excessive, and ordered a judge to set a lower penalty. Full Story

OCEANS AT RISK IF POLICY TOOL NOT RESTRICTED top

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, October 19, 2001 (ENS)

a policy tool key to arresting global warming could wreak havoc on the oceans if instituted with no restrictions, warn an MIT professor and colleagues in the October 12 issue of the journal "Science." Full Story

French judge probes TotalFinaElf on Erika oil spill top

FRANCE: October 18, 2001

PARIS - French oil company TotalFinaElf is to be placed under judicial investigation over the sinking of its oil tanker Erika, which caused huge marine and coastal pollution in 1999, the company said this week. Full Story

Northern European Marine Environment Gets Official Attention top

GOTHENBORG, Sweden, October 16, 2001

To reduce the effects of radioactive contamination, marine litter, and oil pollution from shipping on coastal communities in northern Europe, Swedish Environment Minister Kjell Larsson has offered to host an intergovernmental ministerial meeting as early as 2003. Full Story

Alaska drilling would win in Senate vote - Murkowski top

USA: October 11, 2001

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leaders abruptly stopped work on a broad U.S. energy supply and conservation bill partly out of concern it would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, the Republican leader on the Energy Committee said yesterday. Full Story

Oil spill in Sydney top

October 11, 2001

A TONGAN flag of convenience ship has spilled oil into a Sydney Harbour bay.

The Tavakeoma is believed to have been involved in an incident overnight in which a crack formed between the ballast and the fuel tank. Full Story

Energy giant Shell prepares for end of oil era top

USA: October 4, 2001

NEW YORK - Big Oil must prepare itself for the end of the hydrocarbon age as alternative energies win over consumers in coming decades, chairman of world No. 2 energy firm Royal Dutch/Shell said yesterday. Full Story

Alaska drilling not put in Senate defense bill top

USA: October 3, 2001

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate voted yesterday to limit debate on the multi-billion-dollar Defense Department spending bill, blocking an attempt to attach an amendment that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Full Story

US senator pushes for drilling in Alaskan refuge top

USA: October 1, 2001

WASHINGTON - A leading Republican lawmaker last week welcomed OPEC's decision to maintain production levels, but said the U.S. needs to boost its own energy supplies by opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. Full Story

FEATURE - Panel taking stock of Alaska's ocean health top

USA: September 28, 2001

ANCHORAGE - Environmental strains ripple on the oceans that border Alaska.

In rural stretches of the state, global warming has thinned Arctic pack ice, making travel dangerous for Native hunters. Full Story

UPDATE - Bubbles stop diesel spilling into UK canal top

UK: September 28, 2001

LONDON - A diesel leak from a barge into a canal dock at a Shell refinery in northwest England was stopped by a barrier made of air, a company spokesman said yesterday. Full Story

Canada urges against hasty U.S. move on Arctic oil top

CANADA: September 25, 2001

OTTAWA - Canada urged the United States yesterday not to take a "hasty and ill-considered" decision to start drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge, something which Ottawa implacably opposes. Full Story

Nation: Texas ship channel reopens after weekend oil spill top

HOUSTON, September 24, 2001, USA

A weekend oil spill caused by a collision between a ship and a barge closed the ship channel that services the nation's second-largest port. Full Story

Canada still opposes drilling in Arctic refuge top

CANADA: September 24, 2001

OTTAWA - Canada said last week that despite the previous week's attacks and Washington's concerns about the security of its energy supplies, it still opposed U.S. plans to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling. Full Story

Red Alert on Oil Spill as Ships Collide top

Emergency measures have been taken to prevent oil leaking from a stricken Chinese oil tanker which collided with a Greek container carrier early Thursday morning near Xiamen, a coastal city in Southeastern China, according to today's China Daily. Full Story

Petrobras halts one offshore rig after small spill top

BRAZIL: September 20, 2001

RIO DE JANEIRO - A relatively small oil spill at one of the offshore rigs owned by Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras forced the company to shut the rig in the Campos Basin yesterday. Full Story

US seeks comment on oil drilling in Alaska waters top

USA: September 20, 2001

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Interior Department asked for public comment yesterday on a government plan to lease tracts in Alaska's Beaufort Sea to energy firms for oil and natural gas drilling. Full Story

Poor management of Nigeria's environment costs $5 billion per year top

NIGERIA: September 19, 2001

ABUJA - Poor management of Nigeria's environment is costing Africa's most populous country around $5 billion a year in ruined land and lost forests, an ecology expert said yesterday. Full Story

Coral reefs are shrinking fast - UN report top

UK: September 12, 2001

LONDON - The world's coral reefs are far smaller than scientists thought and are shrinking fast under a deadly combination of pollution, climate change and dynamite fishing, according to a U.N. study released yesterday. Full Story

Coral reefs 'much rarer than thought' top

Tuesday, 11 September, 2001

Scientists who have compiled the first world atlas of coral reefs say they cover a far smaller area of the globe than they had thought. Full Story

Oil Spills Pollute Far-Flung Waters top

WASHINGTON, DC, September 10, 2001 (ENS)

A Vietnamese oil tanker and a Liberian registered cargo ship collided early Friday in the Vung Tau Sea spilling thousands of tons of oil spill, about 75 miles southeast of Ho Chi
Minh City, official news reports said Saturday. Full Story

Baltic Sea Ministers Launch Strict Pollution Rules top

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, September 10, 2001 (ENS)

At an "extrordinary" meeting today in Copenhagen, ministers of Baltic Sea countries who are responsible for maritime transportation and the environment agreed on a
package of measures to prevent pollution in their common sea. Full Story

Government to Evaluate Oil Reserve top

The Guardian (Lagos) September 10, 2001

PREPARATORY to a fresh round of bidding scheduled to hold next year, plans are afoot by the federal government to evaluate the level of hydrocarbon reservoir in unallocated oil blocks in deep offshore areas. Full Story

Energy Conferences ... click here

US Senate panel delays action on Alaska drilling top

USA: September 10, 2001

WASHINGTON - The Senate Energy Committee resumes debate this week on a broad U.S. energy bill, but will postpone until later this month any action to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, a panel spokesman said last week. Full Story

UPDATE - Taiwan tanker collides with Vietnam ship top

VIETNAM: September 10, 2001

HANOI - A Taiwanese-owned tanker collided with a stationary Vietnamese tanker while entering an anchorage off Vietnam's southern coast last week, causing a spillage of several thousand tonnes of diesel oil, officials said. Full Story

World coral reefs to die by 2050, scientist warns top

UK: September 7, 2001

GLASGOW, Scotland - The world's coral reefs will be dead within 50 years because of global warming and there is nothing we can do to save them, a scientist warned this week. Full Story

UPDATE - Norway suspends oil exploration in Barents Sea top

NORWAY: September 6, 2001

OSLO - Norway has suspended exploration for oil and gas in the Arctic Barents Sea after complaints about possible pollution, suspending Norsk Agip's exploration of the region's first major oil find. Full Story

Gas field development in Thai- Malaysian waters goes ahead top

September 6, 2001

The development of the first gas field in the once disputed Thai-Malaysian waters is moving into top gear in spite of uncertainties about whether the offshore gas will be piped to Thailand or Malaysia. Full Story

Australia rules out barring ships from Barrier Reef top

AUSTRALIA: September 6, 2001

CANBERRA - An Australian maritime report ruled out yesterday stopping ships using transport routes inside the Great Barrier Reef off the country's northeast coast. Full Story

Caspian environment polluted by oil pipeline leak top

Moscow, Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Despite word from Makhachkala, that the Caspian sea was no longer threatened with an oil leak pollution, oil has flown into the river Achesa and the Caspian sea, Itar-Tass learned from the duty officer at the Russian fuel-and- energy sector headquarters. Full Story

Senate Democrat vows filibuster on Alaska drilling top

USA: September 4, 2001

"I will follow through on my promise to filibuster, yes. Whether or not the votes are there, we're going to have to see," Kerry of Massachusetts said on the NBC television program "Meet the Press." Full Story

United Nations Restates Support for Environmental Protection top

Lagos, August 28, 2001

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has pledged renewed support to the African process for the Development and Protection of the Coastal and marine Environment in Sub-Sahara Africa and Nigeria in particular. Full Story

Sea Shepherd Ship Seized by the Ecuadorian Navy top

PUERTO AYORA, Galapagos, Ecuador, August 27, 2001 (ENS)

The Ocean Warrior, flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was seized today by the Ecuadorian Navy in the Galapagos Islands. Full Story

UPDATE - Coastguards scoop up half Baltic oil slick top

SWEDEN: August 24, 2001 STOCKHOLM

Rescue boats have scooped up almost half of an oil slick in the southern Baltic Sea, coastguards said. Full Story

Coastguards hope to scoop up Baltic oil slick top

SWEDEN: August 23, 2001 STOCKHOLM

Rescue boats were converging on a long slick of thick oil in the southern Baltic Sea this week evening to try to scoop up as much as possible before it disperses, coastguards said. Full Story

UPDATE - US seeks $7 mln to pay for 1999 freighter spill top

USA: August 22, 2001 WASHINGTON

The U.S. Justice Department said this week it is seeking more than $7 million in costs from the owner of a Panamanian-registered oil freighter that ran aground off Oregon in 1999. Full Story

Oil Exploration Possible Near Great Barrier Reef top

CANBERRA, Australia, August 21, 2001 (ENS)

In Parliament today, Australian Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill left open the option of future oil drilling near the Great Barrier Reef, raising fears that the environment of world's longest reef might be damaged. Full Story

Pollution alert after oil spill on Dublin's Liffey top

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: August 20, 2001 DUBLIN

A major cleanup swung into action on Dublin's River Liffey last week after thousands of litres of oil spilled into the waterway. Full Story

EU aims to achieve Kyoto through energy efficiency top

EU: August 20, 2001 BRUSSELS

Forget nuclear power, hydrogen-fueled cars and carbon "sinks" - the low-cost, low-tech way to cut greenhouse gas emissions is loft insulation and double glazing, European Union lawmakers are claiming. Full Story

Tiny Pacific isles seek meeting with Bush on Kyoto top

NAURU: August 20, 2001 AIWO, Nauru

Six of the world's smallest island nations said last week they want to meet U.S. President George W. Bush to try to win his support for the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and prevent what they call a modern holocaust. Full Story

White House confident Senate will okay Alaska drilling top

USA: August 16, 2001 WASHINGTON

The White House is confident its plans to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil and natural gas production will win approval in the Senate in September, an administration official said yesterday Full Story

US oil industry pushes for easing of gasoline rules top

USA: August 14, 2001 NEW YORK

The U.S. oil industry has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to back the elimination of oxygen-content rules in clean-air gasoline as a way to lower pump prices, the American Petroleum Institute (API) said Yesterday. Full Story

Niger Delta Records 4,835 Oil Spills in 20 Years top

This Day (Lagos) August 3, 2001

A member of the governing council of the National Human Rights Commis-sion (NHRC) Mr. Ray Ekpu, has disclosed that the Niger Delta region recorded a total number of 4,835 oil spills from 1976 to 1996. Full Story

NZ sets September 2002 target to ratify Kyoto pact top

NEW ZEALAND: August 10, 2001 WELLINGTON

New Zealand aims to ratify the Kyoto pact on fighting climate change by September next year, the government said yesterday. Full Story

UPDATE - OECD calls for Australia to adopt pollution taxes top

AUSTRALIA: August 10, 2001 SYDNEY

The OECD has urged Australia to introduce taxes and charges to deal with the environmental problems of salinity, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Full Story

Iran team to clear up slick from sunken Gulf ship top

BAHRAIN: August 8, 2001 MANAMA

A ship that sank in the Gulf this week while apparently smuggling Iraqi crude oil is still leaking and an Iranian team has been sent to clean up the spill, a regional marine organisation said on Tuesday. Full Story

Statoil's clean ships could offset NOx emissions top

UK: August 8, 2001 LONDON

Norwegian energy firm Statoil said on Tuesday savings in acid-rain-causing nitrogen oxide (NOx) from two new low-emitting ships would allow it to meet its NOx emissions reduction targets from one new power station. Full Story

Sunken ship leaks fuel into Prince William Sound top

USA: August 7, 2001 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

A fishing ship that sank last week and is leaking diesel fuel has caused the biggest spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound since the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, posing a threat to the area's wildlife, state environmental officials said yesterday. Full Story

Ship with Iraq oil sinks in Gulf fleeing patrol top

UAE: August 7, 2001 DUBAI

A ship apparently smuggling Iraqi oil sank in the Gulf, with all 12 crew rescued, after it was intercepted by a U.S.-led naval force monitoring U.N. sanctions against Baghdad, a force spokeswoman said yesterday. Full Story

Japan, Australia agree US entry vital to Kyoto pact top

JAPAN: August 6, 2001 TOKYO

Japan and Australia agreed last week that it was vital to push forward with efforts to bring the United States back to the Kyoto climate change treaty for the pact to be effective. Full Story

Canada regrets US vote on oil drilling in Arctic top

CANADA: August 3, 2001 OTTAWA

Canada said yesterday it was disappointed by the U.S. House of Representatives' decision to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling and expressed the hope the Senate would block the move later this year. Full Story

UPDATE - Senate Democrats vow to fight Alaska refuge drilling top

USA: August 3, 2001 WASHINGTON

Democrats in the U.S. Senate said yesterday they would fight any Republican efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, a key plank in the White House's proposed energy policy. Full Story

Valdez mishap slows oil-tanker loading in Alaska top

August 02, 2001 By Reuters ANCHORAGE

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday it temporarily halted oil loading at one berth of the Valdez marine terminal on the trans-Alaska pipeline after a loading arm broke off and fell onto a tanker. Full Story

House Approves Arctic Refuge Drilling top

WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2001 (ENS)

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an omnibus energy bill early this morning that would authorize opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and natural gas exploration. The controversial legislation would also promote so called clean coal technology, and provide tax breaks for the nuclear power industry. Full Story

It's go or bust in Congress for Bush drilling plan top

USA: August 2, 2001 WASHINGTON

The U.S. House of Representatives begins debate yesterday on a comprehensive energy bill that could doom attempts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, destroying a key part of the Bush administration's plan to boost domestic energy supplies and reduce American dependence on foreign oil. Full Story

UPDATE - Bush Alaska drilling plan under threat in Congress top

USA: August 1, 2001 WASHINGTON

A cornerstone of the Bush administration's plans to boost U.S. energy supplies, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, could crumble on Wednesday as the House of Representatives begins debate on a comprehensive energy bill. Full Story

Alaska oil spills raise worries ahead of ANWR vote top

USA: July 27, 2001 NEW YORK

Oil spills on Alaska's North Slope have raised environmental hackles, days before a Congressional vote on the Bush administration's plan to open the nation's arctic refuge to oil drilling. Full Story

More than 300 firms sign up for UN Global Compact top

UNITED NATIONS: July 27, 2001

The Global Compact, a U.N. program intended to help businesses become better world citizens, celebrates its first anniversary yesterday with more than 300 corporate partners, up from 44 at its launch. Full Story

Parties to UN climate change treaty adopt agreement on Kyoto Protocol top

United Nations, 26 July, 2001

Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have formally adopted an operational rulebook for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which sets legally binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Full Story

Hawaiian coral reef reserve under Bush administration review to dismay of environmentalists top

HONOLULU: July 26, 2001

Environmentalists are on edge over the Bush administration's review of a Hawaiian coral reef reserve created during former President Bill Clinton's final month in office. Full Story

ANALYSIS - Obstacles to Kyoto remain - politics and people top

GERMANY: July 25, 2001 BONN

Fresh from saving the planet, ministers from 180-odd governments roared away from Bonn's main conference hotel in fleets of powerful limousines, air conditioners humming against the muggy Rhineside heat. Full Story

Protesters picket Exxon Mobil UK HQ over Kyoto top

UK: July 25, 2001 LONDON

About 25 people picketed the headquarters of U.S. oil company Exxon Mobil's British operations yesterday in protest against the "watered down" Kyoto pact on climate change agreed by countries in Bonn. Full Story

Ruptured pipeline at Prudhoe Bay spills oil top

USA: July 25, 2001 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

A corroded pipeline ruptured and spilled about 420 gallons of crude oil onto the tundra at the eastern side of the Prudhoe Bay field, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said this week. Full Story

Annan welcomes Bonn agreement on Kyoto Protocol rules 23 July top

July 23, 2001

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the broad political agreements reached in Bonn by the 180 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the operational rulebook for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which sets legally binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Full Story

UPDATE - US unveils 5-year oil, natgas drilling plan top

USA: July 23, 2001 WASHINGTON

The U.S. Interior Department on Friday proposed holding 20 oil and natural gas lease sales in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska between 2002 and 2007. Full Story

Oil clean-up begins on beach top

Sunday, 22 July, 2001 UK

A clean-up operation has begun after a mysterious oil was found washed up on 12 miles of north Wales coastline. Full Story

Iran discovers oil field with some 400 mln barrels top

TEHRAN July 22, 2001

Iran on Sunday announced the discovery of an oil field in the south of the country with estimated reserves of "some 400 million barrels," state radio reported. Full Story

Remnants of Valdez Oil Spill Remain in Alaska Environment: Pockets of black crude are still found on beaches, but official cleanup is done. top

KNIGHT ISLAND, Alaska July 22, 2001

Mike Angaiak crouches on his knees on the rocky beach at Snug Harbor, scraping the bottom of a sandy pit with a trowel. Full Story

UPDATE - US House panel OKs oil drilling in Arctic refuge top

USA: July 19, 2001 WASHINGTON

A House committee voted on Tuesday to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling over the objections of Democratic lawmakers who want to keep energy companies out of the pristine wilderness. Full Story

Overturned gas tanker sparks hazard scare top

JERUSALEM (July 19)

In an accident which came close to realizing one of the worst case scenarios for the emergency services, a tanker full of highly inflammable gas overturned yesterday at a major road junction less than 500 meters from the Pi Glilot petroleum and gas storage facility. Full Story

House Set to Review Arctic Drilling Proposal top

WASHINGTON, DC, July 18, 2001

The House Resources Committee has approved legislation that would open a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to energy exploration. The committee's action Tuesday sends the bill to the full House, marking the first time that Congress has voted on the Bush administration's controversial proposal to open the Refuge to drilling. Full Story

Bush stands firm on missile defence and Kyoto top

UK: July 18, 2001 LONDON

President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he would not back down over his plans for a national missile defence system or his opposition to the Kyoto global warming pact. Full Story

Delay calls for unrestricted US oil drilling top

USA: July 18, 2001 HOUSTON

Republican Congressman Tom Delay drew cheers from supporters but jeers from environmental activists Monday by calling for unrestricted domestic oil and gas drilling to reduce US dependence on imported fuel. Full Story

US House panel oks oil drilling in Arctic refuge top

USA: July 18, 2001 WASHINGTON

A House committee rejected on Tuesday efforts by Democratic lawmakers to block oil and natural gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and instead voted to open the pristine wilderness to energy companies. Full Story

US Senate bans Great Lakes energy drilling for 2 yrs top

USA: July 18, 2001 WASHINGTON

The US Senate voted on Tuesday to ban oil and natural gas drilling in the Great Lakes, underscoring the wave of political sentiment to protect environmentally sensitive areas from energy exploration. Full Story

INTERVIEW - Cutting Gulf lease a mistake - Global Marine chief top

USA: July 16, 2001 NEW ORLEANS

The US government's decision to prevent drilling in a crucial part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico shortsightedly ignores massive oil and gas demand that cannot be met fast enough at current exploration levels, the head of offshore drillers Global Marine Inc. said. Full Story

UPDATE - US has no Kyoto alternative for Bonn meeting top

USA: July 16, 2001 WASHINGTON

The United States, which angered Europe with its decision in March to pull out of the Kyoto pact on climate change, will have no alternative strategy to offer at international talks in Germany next week. Full Story

US oil industry pushes for easing of gasoline rules top

USA: August 14, 2001 NEW YORK

Niger Delta Records 4,835 Oil Spills in 20 Years top

This Day (Lagos) August 3, 2001

NZ sets September 2002 target to ratify Kyoto pact top

NEW ZEALAND: August 10, 2001 WELLINGTON

New Zealand aims to ratify the Kyoto pact on fighting climate change by September next year, the government said yesterday. Full Story

UPDATE - OECD calls for Australia to adopt pollution taxes top

AUSTRALIA: August 10, 2001 SYDNEY

The OECD has urged Australia to introduce taxes and charges to deal with the environmental problems of salinity, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Full Story

Iran team to clear up slick from sunken Gulf ship top

BAHRAIN: August 8, 2001 MANAMA

Statoil's clean ships could offset NOx emissions top

UK: August 8, 2001 LONDON

Sunken ship leaks fuel into Prince William Sound top

USA: August 7, 2001 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Ship with Iraq oil sinks in Gulf fleeing patrol top

UAE: August 7, 2001 DUBAI

Japan, Australia agree US entry vital to Kyoto pact top

JAPAN: August 6, 2001 TOKYO

Japan and Australia agreed last week that it was vital to push forward with efforts to bring the United States back to the Kyoto climate change treaty for the pact to be effective. Full Story

Canada regrets US vote on oil drilling in Arctic top

CANADA: August 3, 2001 OTTAWA

UPDATE - Senate Democrats vow to fight Alaska refuge drilling top

USA: August 3, 2001 WASHINGTON

Valdez mishap slows oil-tanker loading in Alaska top

August 02, 2001 By Reuters ANCHORAGE

House Approves Arctic Refuge Drilling top

WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2001 (ENS)

It's go or bust in Congress for Bush drilling plan top

USA: August 2, 2001 WASHINGTON

UPDATE - Bush Alaska drilling plan under threat in Congress top

USA: August 1, 2001 WASHINGTON

Alaska oil spills raise worries ahead of ANWR vote top

USA: July 27, 2001 NEW YORK

Oil spills on Alaska's North Slope have raised environmental hackles, days before a Congressional vote on the Bush administration's plan to open the nation's arctic refuge to oil drilling. Full Story

More than 300 firms sign up for UN Global Compact top

UNITED NATIONS: July 27, 2001

Parties to UN climate change treaty adopt agreement on Kyoto Protocol top

United Nations, 26 July, 2001

Hawaiian coral reef reserve under Bush administration review to dismay of environmentalists top

HONOLULU: July 26, 2001

Environmentalists are on edge over the Bush administration's review of a Hawaiian coral reef reserve created during former President Bill Clinton's final month in office. Full Story

ANALYSIS - Obstacles to Kyoto remain - politics and people top

GERMANY: July 25, 2001 BONN

Protesters picket Exxon Mobil UK HQ over Kyoto top

UK: July 25, 2001 LONDON

Ruptured pipeline at Prudhoe Bay spills oil top

USA: July 25, 2001 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Annan welcomes Bonn agreement on Kyoto Protocol rules 23 July top

July 23, 2001

UPDATE - US unveils 5-year oil, natgas drilling plan top

USA: July 23, 2001 WASHINGTON

The U.S. Interior Department on Friday proposed holding 20 oil and natural gas lease sales in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska between 2002 and 2007. Full Story

Oil clean-up begins on beach top

Sunday, 22 July, 2001 UK

A clean-up operation has begun after a mysterious oil was found washed up on 12 miles of north Wales coastline. Full Story

Iran discovers oil field with some 400 mln barrels top

TEHRAN July 22, 2001

Iran on Sunday announced the discovery of an oil field in the south of the country with estimated reserves of "some 400 million barrels," state radio reported. Full Story

Remnants of Valdez Oil Spill Remain in Alaska Environment: Pockets of black crude are still found on beaches, but official cleanup is done. top

KNIGHT ISLAND, Alaska July 22, 2001

Mike Angaiak crouches on his knees on the rocky beach at Snug Harbor, scraping the bottom of a sandy pit with a trowel. Full Story

UPDATE - US House panel OKs oil drilling in Arctic refuge top

USA: July 19, 2001 WASHINGTON

Overturned gas tanker sparks hazard scare top

JERUSALEM (July 19)

House Set to Review Arctic Drilling Proposal top

WASHINGTON, DC, July 18, 2001

Bush stands firm on missile defence and Kyoto top

UK: July 18, 2001 LONDON

President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he would not back down over his plans for a national missile defence system or his opposition to the Kyoto global warming pact. Full Story

Delay calls for unrestricted US oil drilling top

USA: July 18, 2001 HOUSTON

US House panel oks oil drilling in Arctic refuge top

USA: July 18, 2001 WASHINGTON

US Senate bans Great Lakes energy drilling for 2 yrs top

USA: July 18, 2001 WASHINGTON

INTERVIEW - Cutting Gulf lease a mistake - Global Marine chief top

USA: July 16, 2001 NEW ORLEANS

UPDATE - US has no Kyoto alternative for Bonn meeting top

USA: July 16, 2001 WASHINGTON

Groups Fights Costa Rica Oil Drilling Plan top

WASHINGTON, DC, July 13, 2001

Environmental groups are urging Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodr�guez to fight plans by Houston based Harken Energy to drill off the country's Caribbean coast. Full Story

UPDATE - US Senate backs offshore Florida oil deal top

USA: July 13, 2001 WASHINGTON

The Senate on Thursday backed a White House compromise that drastically reduced proposed oil and natural gas drilling off Florida's Gulf Coast, rejecting a bid by the state's Democratic senators to temporarily block development of the tract. Full Story

Shell Explains Oil Spill Spread top

Lagos, July 12, 2001 Posted to the web

The Management of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has attributed the rapid spread of the recent oil spill at Ogbodo in Rivers State to rainfall and fast flowing rivers along the spill site. Full Story

Exxon global warming boycott gets new push top

UK: July 12, 2001 LONDON

Green protestors widened their boycott campaign against Exxon Mobil on Wednesday and although analysts said retail sales showed no sign of suffering they warned there might be some damage longer term to the oil giant's famous brand. Full Story

US energy companies propose carbon dioxide emission caps top

USA: July 12, 2001 NEW YORK

In an effort to foster investment in coal-fired power plants, US energy companies are backing legislation that would define future limits for carbon dioxide emissions. Full Story

UPDATE - Senate backs drilling ban on national monuments top

USA: July 12, 2001 WASHINGTON

The US Senate on Wednesday joined the House of Representatives in voting to prevent new oil drilling on millions of acres protected as national monuments, showing Congress' skepticism over White House calls for an all-out effort to boost energy production. Full Story

Galapagos Marine Reserve Recommended as a World Heritage Site top

SANTA CRUZ, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, July 11, 2001

Ecuador's Minister of the Environment, Lourdes Luque de Jaramillo, is preparing the country for the likely declaration of the Galapagos Marine Reserve as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This wider ocean area surrounds the 19 Galapagos Islands which were listed as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Full Story

Nigeria Supreme Court to resume oil resource case top

NIGERIA: July 11, 2001 LAGOS

Granting states control over the oil and mineral resources in their territorities is the only way to wean Nigeria's economy off its dependency on oil, the governor of the oil-rich Delta state said yesterday. Full Story

ANALYSIS - Bush drilling a dry hole in US energy output boost top

USA: July 10, 2001 WASHINGTON

President George W. Bush may end up drilling a dry hole when it comes to his much-touted energy policy to boost American oil and natural gas supplies. Full Story

Mobil investigates Australia petrol spill top

AUSTRALIA: July 6, 2001 MELBOURNE

Mobil Oil Australia Ltd said yesterday it was investigating the spill of about 4,000 litres of petrol at the mouth of Melbourne's Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers. Full Story

Hawaiian Coral Protected in New Deep Water Refuge top

HONOLULU, Hawaii, July 5, 2001 (ENS) - The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council has agreed to the establishment of a massive refuge for deep water precious corals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI).
Full Story

Bush Proposes Drilling for Oil in Gulf of Mexico top

Washington, DC, July 5, 2001

The Bush administration has announced it will open a previously untouched 1.5 million acre span of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas drilling - the first new leases offered in more than a decade. The new energy exploration was tailored to avoid Florida waters, heading off conflicts between President George W. Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Full Story

Florida oil spill fears top

4 July, 2001

Environmentalists say there is a greater risk than ever of an oil spill off the Florida coast, despite US President George Bush's scaled-back plan for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Full Story

PanCanadian says Buzzard oil discovery among the best in North Sea Canadian Press top

CALGARY July 4, 2001

PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd. (PCP) says its latest discovery off the coast of Britain has the potential to be a world class oil development, on par with the biggest oilfields in the North Sea. Full Story

Body Shop joins UK Esso boycott over Kyoto stance top

UK: July 4, 2001 LONDON

The Body Shop said yesterday it will become the first company to publicly back a UK boycott of Esso service stations in protest at its parent company's support for the U.S. withdrawal from the Kyoto climate change pact. Full Story

Bush Gulf drilling decision sets up Florida battle top

USA: July 4, 2001 MIAMI

While environmentalists praised and panned the Bush administration's landmark decision to allow oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Democrats yesterday accused the Bush brothers of breaking a promise to Florida voters to protect the state's priceless beaches. Full Story

Japan may propose Kyoto pact changes to lure US top

JAPAN: July 3, 2001 TOKYO

Japan has not abandoned hope that the United States can be lured back to the Kyoto climate treaty and might propose changes to make the pact more palatable to Washington, Tokyo's top government spokesman said yesterday. Full Story

Oil tankers face safety inspection rethink top

UK: July 3, 2001 LONDON

Shipping's myriad safety inspections are facing a radical overhaul after high level meetings between the United Nations agency that regulates them, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and oil industry officials. Full Story

UPDATE - Interior says Florida coast off-limits to drilling top

USA: July 3, 2001 WASHINGTON

The Bush administration will lease about 1.5 million acres of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil companies, but in a nod to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, no drilling will be allowed near that state's shoreline, the Interior Department said yesterday.
Full Story

U.S. to offer new oil leases in Gulf of Mexico top

July 2, 2001

The Bush administration will propose to offer new oil leases for offshore drilling in an area covering about 1.5 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico, two senior administration officials said Monday. Full Story

Akwa-Ibom needs N30b to check erosion top

Lagos, July 2, 2001

The Akwa Ibom State government requires a whooping N30 billion to effectively control the menace posed by marine, gully and coastal erosions in 10 out of the 31 local government areas of the state by the Atlantic Ocean. Full Story

Bush climate change programs fuel dispute top

June 28, 2001

The White House says it will turn over a 50-page budget-related report on climate change to Congress, but only after House Democrats demanded a full accounting. Full Story

Oil Companies Grapple With How To Dispose of Abandoned Platforms top

By THADDEUS HERRICK Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL HIGH ISLAND A-548, Gulf of Mexico

Over its lifetime, this enormous drilling platform has produced enough natural gas to supply 250,000 American homes for a decade. Full Story

First offshore gas discovery under NELP-I top

NEW DELHI, June 27

A significant deep water gas discovery in the Krishna-Godavari basin, in offshore Andhra Pradesh, has boosted the government�s efforts to raise indigenous natural gas production. Full Story

What To Do With Old Oil Drilling Platforms? top

June 27, 2001

As some of the oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere play out, drilling companies are left with the problem, what to do with those multimillion dollar oil platforms? Full Story

Americans threaten to derail Timor oil talks top

June 26, 2001

A United States company is stepping up efforts to settle a 25-year dispute over the oil and gas riches of the Timor Gap, announcing yesterday it would launch legal proceedings to validate its claims. Full Story

Little environmental risk from oil spill - Cameroon top

CAMEROON: June 25, 2001 YAOUNDE

Fuel that spilled from a tanker at Cameroon's main port of Douala this week poses little threat to animal and plant life thanks to a speedy response from port officials, authorities said on Friday. Full Story

UPDATE - Federal judge halts oil, gas exploration off Calif top

USA: June 25, 2001 SAN FRANCISCO

A Federal judge on Friday halted all oil and natural gas exploration off the central California coast, a blow to oil companies which hoped to ramp up new offshore oil drilling operations after years of legal wrangling. Full Story

Brazil oil rig sinking probe ends top

June 25, 2001 By Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil � Federal oil giant Petrobras closed its investigation into the sinking of its biggest offshore oil rig without discovering what caused it. Full Story

UPDATE - Protesters jeer tankers in Bosphorus straits top

TURKEY: June 22, 2001 ISTANBUL

A flotilla of small boats assembled in the narrowest section of one of the world's narrowest waterways yesterday to draw attention to the environmental threat posed by growing oil traffic in Istanbul's Bosphorus Straits. Full Story

Natives fail to sway Norton from ANWR oil stance top

USA: June 22, 2001 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Interior Secretary Gale Norton said this week a visit to an Alaska Native community this week had not changed her opinion about oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but had given her a "better appreciation" for local concerns.
Full Story

UPDATE - Lawmakers vote to block drilling in Fla. waters top

USA: June 22, 2001 WASHINGTON

The U.S. House of Representatives Yesterday voted to temporarily block drilling for oil and natural gas in Florida's offshore Gulf waters. Full Story

Burning could clean up oil spills top

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania, June 19, 2001 (ENS)

Penn State researchers have shown in laboratory experiments that some oil spills in open waters that were thought to be incombustible may be cleaned up by burning them. Full Story

Norton names oil lobbysit as special assistant for Alska top

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 19, 2001 (ENS) - Interior Secretary Gale Norton has named Camden Toohey, an oil lobbyist, as her Special Assistant for Alaska. Full Story

Coral Reef Survival top

June 19, 2001

In recent years, conservation biologists have become alarmed about the bleaching of coral reefs around the world. A reef becomes bleached when its symbiotic algae die because of warmer water temperatures or some other environmental shock. Without its algae, the coral too can die. Full Story

Fear of explosion delays Malaysian spill clean-up top

MALAYSIA: June 19, 2001 KUALA LUMPUR - Fear of an explosion or further leaks has delayed the transfer of a toxic chemical from a ship that capsized between Malaysia and Singapore last week, a Malaysian official said yesterday.
Full Story

Greenpeace says protest targeted legitimate rig top

NETHERLANDS: June 19, 2001 AMSTERDAM

Greenpeace insisted yesterday that it had legitimately targeted an oil rig in a weekend protest against U.S. President George W. Bush's rejection of the Kyoto climate change pact. Full Story

Alaska drilling supporters get key Interior posts top

USA: June 19, 2001 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

The head of a group campaigning for oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and an Alaska lawmaker who has promoted North Slope oil development were named to key Interior Department positions. Full Story

SPECIAL REPORT - Gulf oil drilling a Bush dilemma in Florida top

USA: June 19, 2001 MIAMI

Already frothing over the election that put George W. Bush in the White House, Florida Democrats see a potential political gusher in a Bush brothers' rift over oil drilling off the Sunshine State's sandy shores. Full Story

Greenpeace boards "wrong" oil rig in Bush protest top

NETHERLANDS: June 18, 2001 AMSTERDAM

Greenpeace activists on Saturday boarded a North Sea rig they said was operated by U.S. oil major Conoco, in protest at President George W. Bush's rejection of the Kyoto climate change pact. Full Story

Wrecked Indonesian Tanker Spills Phenol Diesel top

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 15, 2001

A tanker that capsized in the straits between Malaysia and Singapore has spilled a large amount of diesel fuel and the industrial solvent phenol. The spill has poisoned seafood farms and breeding grounds along the shores of the Tebrau Straits. Full Story

Toxic spill kills fish after Indonesian tanker capsizes off Malaysian coast top

JAKARTA June 15, 2001

An Indonesian-registered vessel has capsized off southern Malaysia, spilling an unknown quantity of a toxic chemical into a fish-farming ground, authorities said on Thursday. Full Story

Australia to end commercial coral harvest on Reef top

AUSTRALIA: June 15, 2001 CANBERRA

Australia is to phase out commercial coral harvesting on the Great Barrier Reef in a bid to protect the world's largest living reef formation. Full Story

What East Africa Can Learn From Baltic Sea States top

African (Nairobi) June 14, 2001

The three East African countries bordering Lake Victoria could benefit from studying the co-operation between the Scandinavian countries who share the Baltic Sea's borders, according to environmental experts. Full Story

New Greenpeace action against export of Nowegian oil to the US, "Kyoto with or without Bush" top

14 June 2001 Mongstad/Norway

While US President George W. Bush meets European Union leaders in Gothenburg to discuss the Kyoto protocol, 15 Greenpeace activists protested the arrival of the super tanker "Patris", which is loading Norwegian oil for export to the United States. Greenpeace demands that both Norway and the EU make it clear to Bush that they will ratify the Kyoto Protocol with or without him, and that no other alternatives will be accepted. Full Story

Bush faces Kyoto backlash top

Thursday, 14 June, 2001

President George W Bush is likely to face further criticism over his environmental policy on Thursday as he arrives in Sweden on the latest stage of his first presidential visit to Europe. Full Story

Greenpeace boards second oil tanker in Bush protest top

Wednesday, June 13, 2001 By Reuters AMSTERDAM

Greenpeace activists boarded an oil tanker in Norway Tuesday in a bid to stop it sailing for the United States, in their second such protest this week against President Bush's rejection of the Kyoto pact on cutting greenhouse gases.
Full Story

UN warns of growing environmental threat posed by industrialization in Arctic top

12 June

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned today that by the year 2050, up to 80 per cent of the Arctic would be affected by mining, oil exploration, and other man-made impacts if the industrialization of one of the world's last wilderness areas continued at current rates. Full Story

Bush Will Continue to Oppose Kyoto Pact on Global Warming top

Washington, June 12, 2001

President Bush made clear today that he had no intention of reversing his opposition to a global warming accord supported by the European leaders he will meet with this week. And he strongly suggested that any new accord would have to bind developing nations, especially China and India, to the kind of commitments that would be made by the United States. Full Story

Greenpeace raids tanker in anti-Bush protest top

FRANCE: June 11, 2001 PARIS

Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace boarded an oil tanker off the French coast on Sunday, preventing it from delivering a cargo of U.S. oil to the nearby port of Le Havre, maritime authorities said. Full Story

Bush seeking to assure Europe on global warming top

USA: June 11, 2001 WASHINGTON

President George W. Bush will outline steps on Monday to advance research into global warming as he tries to assure Europeans of his concern about climate change just before his first visit to Europe as president, aides said on Friday. Full Story

Alaska seen as big oil supplier for 15 more years top

USA: June 11, 2001 WASHINGTON

Alaska's North Slope could contain enough oil to keep production in the region at about 1 million barrels per day for about 15 more years, according to a U.S. government report released on Friday. Full Story

Chilean oil spill damages birds, salmon farm top

CHILE: June 8, 2001 SANTIAGO, Chile

An oil tanker that ran aground in a remote southern Chilean fjord in late May spilled 92,600 gallons (350,528 litres) of crude, leaving an oil slick 70 miles (112 km) long and damaging wildlife and a salmon farm, the Chilean Navy said this week. Full Story

Warming report pressures Bush - environmentalists top

USA: June 8, 2001 WASHINGTON

Environmentalists yesterday said a scientists' report that found global warming was worsening should prod President George W. Bush to change his energy policy and focus on addressing climate change. Full Story

New England Republicans say no to offshore oil drilling top

USA: June 8, 2001 WASHINGTON

The five U.S. Republican senators from New England yesterday said they sent a letter to President George W. Bush urging him to maintain a ban on offshore oil and natural gas drilling near their states, noting any move to lift the ban would cause them "grave concerns." Full Story

UPDATE - No Kyoto alternative seen from Bush on Europe trip top

USA: June 8, 2001 BEDFORD, Va.

U.S. President George W. Bush is likely to give his views on international efforts to fight global warming when he visits Europe next week but is unlikely to offer a detailed alternative to the Kyoto climate treaty he rejected, U.S. officials said this week. Full Story

Oil leak feared as foreign vessel hits reef off Pattaya top

Pattaya, June 7, 2001

A foreign cargo vessel has struck a reef two nautical miles off Pattaya, sparking fear of an oil spill. Full Story

Sea pollution controls needed top

TIAN XIUZHEN 06/06/2001 SHANGHAI

China needs to work out a compensation scheme for sea pollution caused by shipping, according to experts at a seminar held in Shanghai yesterday. Full Story

Opinion: Bush Energy Policy - Fuels Rush In top

SAN FRANCISCO, California, June 6, 2001

Lobbyists for the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries can congratulate themselves on a job well done. The Bush administration's energy plan reads as if it were drafted by a second GOP - gas, oil and power interests. Full Story

U.N. environment Official Urges Ratification of Kyoto Protocol top

Rome, June 6, 2001

Contrary to President Bush�s opinion that the Kyoto protocol in damaging to economic progress, Klaus Topfer, director of the United Nations Environment Program said in Turin Tuesday, (6/5/2001) �On the contrary, it is an opportunity and creates possibilities for integration of developing countries." Full Story

Bush Moves on Global Warming Initiatives to Reduce Emissions Seek to Assure U.S. Allies top

Wednesday, June 6, 2001

President Bush, seeking to convince America's allies that he takes global warming seriously, plans to announce efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States at a meeting with European Union leaders next week, an administration official said yesterday. Full Story

Pollution killing Australia's Barrier Reef - report

AUSTRALIA: June 6, 2001 SYDNEY

The Great Barrier Reef's inshore coral and seagrass meadows are choking under a blanket of mud laced with toxic pesticides being washed off farmlands and many reefs are unlikely to survive the next five to 10 years. Full Story

Environment Bush Will Not Overturn Clinton Marine Protections top

WASHINGTON, DC, June 4, 2001

The Bush administration has decided to retain an executive order passed by former President Bill Clinton, which authorized a new nationwide system of marine conservation areas. The announcement comes as President George W. Bush works to win over skeptical environmentalists amid a storm of criticism of his environmental policies. Full Story

Vulnerable Caribbean Nations Prepare for Global Warming top

KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 4, 2001

Global warming is predicted to hit the Caribbean islands with natural disasters of increasing number and severity, regional climate change experts are warning. Governments and inter-governmental agencies, community groups and scientists are mobilizing to deal with the danger. Full Story

Global warming melts Australia's glaciers top

AUSTRALIA: June 4, 2001 SYDNEY

Australia's glaciers are melting. In the land of outback deserts this is not as strange as it sounds. Full Story



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