Irish scientists have discovered that adding just a small amount of fish oil to the diet of cattle can vastly reduce the amount of methane produced by, ahem…cow farts.

Climate scientists have long known that, pound for pound, methane is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping the suns rays, making it a highly potent greenhouse gas. An incredible 900 billion tonnes of the noxious fumes are produced each year by methanogen bacteria that live in the digestive systems of ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats.

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US Scientists have revealed how natural gas locked up in frozen water crystals could provide massive amounts of energy, and claim that it could even be totally emissions-free.

The astonishing claim was made by Tim Collett of the United States Geological Survey at last weeks national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Collett told the gathering that, to the naked eye, clathrate hydrate (CH) looks like everyday ice but, as well as being partly made of water, the molecules are also organised into “cages”, which trap individual molecules of methane.

Remarkably, a new method of extracting the methane and ’swapping’ it with carbon dioxide could turn the substance into a revolutionary carbon-neutral fossil fuel.

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China has announced plans to take on the US head-to-head in the race to develop low emission vehicles, with a massive $2.2 billion investment in electric cars over the next three years.

The news comes hot on the heels of President Obama’s announcement of a whopping $2.4 billion investment in electric vehicles in the United States.

The Chinese government hopes that the investment will help the country to make 500,000 all-electric and hybrid vehicles a year by 2011 - and encourage organizations like city governments and airport taxi firms to enjoy subsidies of more than $70,000 on fleets of new vehicles.

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Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have suggested a plan to drastically reduce global warming, by painting the world white.  If implemented successfully, it would be the equivalent of taking the world’s 600 million cars off the road for 18 years.

Hashem Akbari and Surabi Meno, along with Art Rosenfeld, California Energy Commissioner and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, are so convinced that their idea will work, that they have proposed a “Cool World” plan that would use white roofs, and solar-reflective roofs of other colors, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help delay atmospheric heating effects.

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Now, the outgoing government of Korea has passed new legislation to combat this pollution and join in the international battle against climate change.

The aptly named “Act on Climate Change” will establish an emissions trading market, raise the bar for renewable energy, assist in reducing industrial, home, and vehicle emissions, and increase carbon capture.

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Loreme is a company based in Munich, Germany and if I had only three words to describe them I would choose "Simple, Clever & Fun". With their latest invention "Loremeo" they created a really beatiful and affordable car with a starting price of $14,976.

Concept:

How expensive will petrol become? How valuable is the environment to us, really?
Why do we need 1.5 tons of steel to get an 80 kg person from A to B?

While trying to answer these questions we developed a concept which ensures mobility for everyone also in the future: Loremo = low resistance mobile!

The cars of the future will have to be more efficient, which means less consumption of resources during production and operation. Loremo stands for this efficiency.

It's a simple idea: Weight and air resistance are decisive for fuel consumption of vehicles. Reducing these factors will reduce consumption. And the more you reduce the more efficient you will drive.
Lightness instead of mass: a principle which has proven reliable for generations in the fields of sports.

Simple:

Loremo offers functionality in a most confined space, versatility and simple handling. And with a consumption of 1.5 litres per 100 km Loremo is not only friendly to the environment but also good for your purse.

Clever:

As a sports car, Loremo offers the pleasure of driving with "added value" and defines a pioneering - because sustainable - philosophy of life - and all this at a sensationally nice price!

and finally: FUN!

Link: Loremo

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