Oct 11 , 2012

Sep 5 , 2012

* Rising share of chemicals produced in emerging economies

* Poisonings among leading causes of death -UNEP

 September 4 ,2012

Food company chief executive labels biofuels an aberration and expresses concern about potential impact of water wastage

Nestlé chief Paul Bulcke says that without more efficient use of water, the world's food supplies will become severely limited. Photograph: Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images

Drought conditions have been at record levels in the contiguous United States for much of July, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, which began monitoring drought conditions in 1999. The animated map below shows the spread of drought conditions since January 2012.

ASA says new satellite measurements indicate unprecedented recent Greenland ice sheet surface melt. The images above show the extent of surface melt over Greenland’s ice sheet over just a four day period - from July 8 (left) and July 12 (right). Measurements from three satellites showed that on July 8, about 40% of the ice sheet had undergone thawing at or near the surface. This melting dramatically accelerated to an estimated 97% of the ice sheet surface by July 12. On average in the summer, about half of the surface of Greenland's ice sheet naturally melts.