A summary of today’s top climate and clean energy stories.
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Algae biofuels have been produced in Spain (pic: Mark Sadowski)
Spain: A European Union-backed project to produce biofuels from algae moved a step forward on Thursday by producing its first crop of algae biomass at its site in southern Spain, the main company behind the scheme said on Thursday. (Reuters)
Tanzania: Mathew Matimbwi, the Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Renewable Energy Association, revealed that demand for solar energy has increased, with users saving about 60 per cent of the costs of using electricity from the national grid. (All Africa)
Cameroon: A biological survey of forests slated for destruction for a palm oil project in Cameroon has uncovered 23 species of large mammals, including the world’s most endangered chimpanzee subspecies, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. (Monga Bay)
Research: Forests in Earth’s northern latitudes have been thickened by migrating plant species and younger growth, driving a stronger gyration in the amount of carbon that cycles between land and the atmosphere each year, a new study suggests. (LA Times)
Australia: A bipartisan warning over the dangers of climate change has pierced the electioneering, with a Senate committee pointing to the rising threat posed by extreme weather events and former Liberal leader John Hewson forecasting severe financial pain from unchecked carbon emissions. (Guardian)
Japan: Laos has reached a bilateral cooperation agreement with the Japanese government for a Joint Crediting Mechanism in a low carbon growth partnership after both sides consulted last year. (Asia News Network)
US: According to a report released on Thursday, coastal waters off California are getting more acidic: fall-run chinook salmon populations to the Sacramento River are on the decline while conifer forests on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada have moved to higher elevations over the past half century. (Arizona Daily Star)
UK: A conference at York St John University is focusing on how the Yorkshire upland could play a vital role in tackling global warming. Experts say how we cope with unprecedented challenges facing this lofty terrain and its people, wildlife and archaeology has become a major issue. (York Press)