International

An Indian company that produces endosulfan -- a pesticide banned in Europe because of suspicions it causes birth defects and death -- is pushing to keep the U.N. from restricting its use.

"As the world warms, sea levels could easily rise three to six feet this century. But increases will vary widely by region, with prevailing winds, powerful ocean currents, and even the gravitational pull of the polar ice sheets determining whether some coastal areas will be inundated while others stay dry."

"China overtook the United States for the first time last year in the race to invest in wind, solar and other sources of clean energy, according to a comprehensive new report that raises questions about American competitiveness in a booming global market."

"India and Bangladesh have been trying to snatch from each other a tiny landmass that first surfaced in the 1970s in the Bay of Bengal. It has resubmerged, an apparent casualty of climate change."

"Lord Oxburgh, former non-executive chairman of Shell, will head up a team of leading scientists looking at claims fossil fuels cause global temperatures to rise."

Bisphenol A, an estrogen-mimicking building block of polycarbonate  plastics and food-can coatings, is being found in beach sand and coastal seawater around the world. A Japanese chemist reported the findings, and he suspects the source may be certain resins used in marine paint.

"With climate change transforming the Arctic, biologists are scrambling to understand the impact on gray whales and other creatures living in the region."

Delegates at a meeting in Doha, Qatar, of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) neared the March 25 close of the 13-day meeting. They rejected proposals to regulate trade in three shark species, but accepted regulation of a fourth shark species. They held off sales of stockpiled elephant ivory for another three years. They rejected  ban on trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna and polar bears.