Corals, already in danger, are facing new threat from farmed algae
>>Source: The New York Times
Off the palm-fringed white beach of Butaritari, a remote Pacific atoll, corals are being covered and smothered to death by a bushy seaweed that is so tough even algae-grazing fish avoid it. This equatorial island of 4,000 people is the latest victim of a 30-year global effort to encourage poor people in the coastal areas of the tropics to grow seaweed that, while not edible, produces carrageenan, an increasingly sought-after binder and fat substitute used in the food industry, notably in ice cream.
China says key pollution levels down slightly
>>Source: Reuters
Two key measures of pollution in China have fallen slightly in what the country's environmental regulator has cast as a victory in the fight for more sustainable development, state media reported on Tuesday.
NYC to spend billions to cut greenhouse gases
>>Source: Reuters
New York City will spend $2.3bn (£1.16m) to cut greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings and operations by 30% in 30 years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday. The city aims to cut 1.68m tonnes of CO2 equivalents a year from 2006 levels by 2017, with measures ranging from improved heating and cooling systems to fixing methane leaks at water treatment plants and using that gas to run electric generation equipment.
