AFP
Science - AFP

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (seen here in May), told The Observer that people should start to help combat climate change by having one meat-free day per week then cut back further.(DDP/AFP/File/Sebastian Willnow)

Eat less meat to fight climate change: UN expert

Sun Sep 7, 2:50 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - People should cut their consumption of meat to help combat climate change, a top United Nations expert told a British Sunday newspaper.

  • Visitors are reflected on the glass case surounding the spacesuit of astronaut Nie Haisheng who took part in China's Shenzhou VI manned space flight mission in 2005, at an aerospace exhibition in China's southwestern city of Chengdu, in 2006. China's third manned space flight, which will feature China's first attempted space walk, will blast off in late September, state media reported.(AFP/Liu Jin)
    China space mission set for late September: report Sat Sep 6, 10:37 PM ET

    BEIJING (AFP) - China's third manned space flight, which will feature China's first attempted space walk, will blast off in late September, state media reported.

  • An aerial view of a flooded Gonaives, Haiti after the passing of Tropical Storm Hanna. In Haiti a humanitarian crisis was unfolding as flooding from Hanna left more than 500 people dead and thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter.(AFP/Thony Belizaire)
    Hurricane Ike ravages Caribbean islands as Hanna hits US Sun Sep 7, 3:14 AM ET

    MIAMI (AFP) - Hurricane Ike lashed the Turks and Caicos Islands early Sunday and threatened to unleash its fury on the Bahamas, Cuba and the US Gulf Coast, as Tropical Storm Hanna continued to batter the US East Coast.

  • US Senator Edward Kennedy. US scientists have unveiled the most complete genetic profile ever attempted of glioblastoma, a common and deadly form of the brain cancer that Kennedy is battling.(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)
    Genome analysis used to decode brain cancer: study Sat Sep 6, 12:09 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - US scientists have unveiled the most complete genetic profile ever attempted of glioblastoma, a common and deadly form of the brain cancer that US Senator Edward Kennedy is battling.

  • An artist's impression of the European Space Agency (ESA) probe Rosetta with Mars in the background. European scientists were jubilant on Saturday after the pride of their space fleet, racing towards a rendezvous with a comet in 2014, enjoyed a close encounter with an asteroid likened to a "diamond in the sky."(AFP/ESA/File/C. Carreau)
    European space probe sees 'diamond in the sky' Sat Sep 6, 3:25 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - European scientists were jubilant on Saturday after the pride of their space fleet, racing towards a rendezvous with a comet in 2014, enjoyed a close encounter with an asteroid likened to a "diamond in the sky."

  • An illustration of the ATV spacecraft which is positioning itself for a fiery, suicide descent into Earth's atmosphere.(AFP/Graphic)
    European freighter detaches from space station Sat Sep 6, 12:07 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - A European robot freighter decoupled from the International Space Station (ISS), positioning itself for a fiery, suicide descent into Earth's atmosphere.

  • An aerial view of the Haitian city of Gonaives after the passing of Tropical Storm Hanna. More than 500 people were found dead in Haiti as international aid trickled Saturday to desperate residents who have not eaten in days since the latest in a battery of severe storms crushed the country, and yet another storm posed a grave threat.(AFP/File/Thony Belizaire)
    In storm-battered Haiti, humanitarian crisis as 500 are killed Sat Sep 6, 10:11 PM ET

    PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - More than 500 people were found dead in Haiti as international aid trickled to desperate residents who have not eaten in days since the latest in a battery of severe storms crushed the country, and yet another storm posed a grave threat.

  • This photo released by Greenpeace shows a local land owner/activist protesting as the environmental group attempts to stop the shipping of illegally logged trees from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea on September 3, 2008. Armed police have removed four activists from a timber cargo ship on Papua New Guinea, ending a three-day protest against logging, environmentalists said.(AFP/GREENPEACE/File)
    Armed police end Greenpeace timber export ship protest Sat Sep 6, 3:21 PM ET

    PORT MORESBY (AFP) - Armed police have removed four activists from a timber cargo ship on the South Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, ending a three-day protest against logging, environmentalists said Saturday.

  • A handout image obtained on September 1, 2008 from Gabrielle Shaw Communications (GSC) shows British explorer and adventurer Lewis Gordon Pugh. Pugh declared Friday he had kayaked further to the top of the world than anyone else ever has, as his bid to reach the North Pole failed -- much to his delight.(AFP/HO GSC/File/Jason Roberts)
    Explorer highlights melting Arctic ice cap Fri Sep 5, 6:47 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - British explorer Lewis Gordon Pugh declared Friday he had kayaked further to the top of the world than anyone else ever has, as his bid to reach the North Pole failed -- much to his delight.

  • A solar thermal electric power plant in Sanlucar La Mayor in February 2008. The world must speed up the deployment of solar power as it has the potential to meet all the world's energy needs, the chairman of an industry gathering which wrapped up Friday in Spain said.(AFP/File/Cristina Quicler)
    Solar energy can meet all the world's energy demands: expert Fri Sep 5, 2:57 PM ET

    MADRID (AFP) - The world must speed up the deployment of solar power as it has the potential to meet all the world's energy needs, the chairman of an industry gathering which wrapped up Friday in Spain said.

  • A crew member from North Carolina Department of Transportation removes a tree downed by Tropical Storm Hanna in Wilmington, North Carolina. Tropical Storm Hanna barreled across the southeastern United States on Saturday, battering the coast with waves, rain and wind and prompting thousands of people to seek refuge inland.(AFP/Getty Images/Logan Mock-Bunting)
    Hanna hits US coast with Hurricane Ike looming Sat Sep 6, 3:35 PM ET

    MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical Storm Hanna raced across the southeastern United States on Saturday, battering the coast with powerful waves, rain and wind as Florida and Cuba kept a wary eye on a dangerous hurricane.

  • View of the Pyrenees from Toulouse, France. Climate change will melt the 21 remaining glaciers in the Pyrenees mountains before 2050, a group of Spanish researchers has said.(AFP/File/Pascal Pavani)
    Pyrenees glaciers will melt by 2050: Spanish study Fri Sep 5, 9:52 AM ET

    MADRID (AFP) - Climate change will melt the 21 remaining glaciers in the Pyrenees mountains before 2050, a group of Spanish researchers said Friday.

  • Greenpeace activists during an underwater protest at the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's chief climate advisor Friday urged a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 but conceded this may not save the country's natural assets such as the Great Barrier Reef(AFP/File/Dean Miller)
    Australian climate advisor urges 10 percent emissions cuts Fri Sep 5, 3:37 AM ET

    SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's chief climate advisor Friday urged a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 but conceded this may not save the country's natural assets such as the Great Barrier Reef.

  • European probe swings past asteroid while en route for comet Fri Sep 5, 5:51 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - A European spacecraft racing through the asteroid belt skimmed past a 10-kilometre (six-mile) space rock on Friday to carry out its first scientific work in a decade-long trek into the Solar System, mission controllers said.

  • Iraqis ride their canoes in the waters of the marshlands near the southern city of Nasiriyah in 2007. The United Nations has launched a bid to designate Iraq's famed marshlands, which were ravaged by Saddam Hussein, a World Heritage site after a four-year restoration project.(AFP/File/Ali al-Saadi)
    Iraq seeks Heritage status for restored marshlands Fri Sep 5, 11:59 AM ET

    TOKYO (AFP) - The United Nations on Friday launched a bid to designate Iraq's famed marshlands, which were ravaged by Saddam Hussein, a World Heritage site after a four-year restoration project.

  • The wooden "Globe" at the entrance of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN, near Geneva. People who fear a powerful atom-smashing machine, due to start operations next Wednesday, will cause Earth to be gobbled up or reduced to grey goo can rest assured, according to a study(AFP/File/Fabrice Coffrini)
    Apocalypse Not: Atom-smasher won't doom planet, says study Thu Sep 4, 8:33 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - People who fear a powerful atom-smashing machine, due to start operations next Wednesday, will cause Earth to be gobbled up or reduced to grey goo can rest assured, according to a study released Friday.

  • An Orangutan stands by a river in Nyaru Menteng, Central Kalimantan in 2006. A decision by Indonesian palm oil companies to reject a moratorium on land clearing is threatening to wipe out more than 8,000 orangutans in the next three years, activists said Thursday.(AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo)
    Palm oil firms' moratorium rejection threatens orangutans: activists Thu Sep 4, 12:00 PM ET

    JAKARTA (AFP) - A decision by Indonesian palm oil companies to reject a moratorium on land clearing is threatening to wipe out more than 8,000 orangutans in the next three years, activists said Thursday.

  • South Korean researchers say Snuppy (centre) -- the world's first cloned dog -- has become a father after the world's first successful breeding involving only cloned canines.(AFP/Seoul University/Str)
    World's first cloned dog fathers puppies: researchers Thu Sep 4, 6:01 AM ET

    SEOUL (AFP) - Snuppy, the first cloned dog, has become a father after the world's first successful breeding involving only cloned canines, South Korean researchers said Thursday.

  • Hong Kong is considering banning fishing trawlers in its waters to save fish stocks, a report said Thursday. The drastic proposal comes as annual catches were estimated to be 30 percent above sustainable levels, the South China Morning Post said, citing a consultation paper from the Food and Health bureau.(AFP/File/Richard A. Brooks)
    Hong Kong considers ban on fishing trawlers: report Thu Sep 4, 12:10 PM ET

    HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong is considering banning fishing trawlers in its waters to save fish stocks, a report said Thursday. The drastic proposal comes as annual catches were estimated to be 30 percent above sustainable levels, the South China Morning Post said, citing a consultation paper from the Food and Health bureau.

  • Residents make their way through a flooded street in Gonaives, Haiti, after the passing of Tropical Storm Hanna on September 5. After ravaging the Turks and Caicos Islands, Hurricane Ike headed toward the Bahamas, Cuba and the US Gulf Coast, as Tropical Storm Hanna continued to batter the US East Coast.(AFP/File/Thony Belizaire)
    Hurricane Ike threatens further misery, as Hanna hits US Sat Sep 6, 10:05 PM ET

    MIAMI (AFP) - The latest devastating storm to lash the Americas swelled into a massive hurricane threatening to inflict more misery on Haiti, Cuba and the US Gulf Coast, as Tropical Storm Hanna battered the US east coast.

  • More than 500 killed by storm in Haiti Sat Sep 6, 2:04 PM ET

    PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - Hundreds of people were found dead in Haiti as international aid trickled Saturday to desperate residents who have not eaten in days since the latest in a battery of storms crushed the country.

  • An aerial view on September 5 of Gonaives after the passing of Tropical Storm Hanna. The European Commission launched "fast-track" aid action for Haiti, after the storm-hit Caribbean island appealed for international help.(AFP/Thony Belizaire)
    Aid slowly reaching hurricane-battered Haiti as toll mounts Fri Sep 5, 9:43 PM ET

    PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - International emergency aid was providing a tentative lifeline to hundreds of thousands of displaced Haitians without food or water who faced "catastrophic" conditions after a trio of fierce storms devastated the impoverished nation.

  • European probe heads towards asteroid encounter Fri Sep 5, 4:00 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - A European spacecraft was on course to skim past a rock in the asteroid belt on Friday, carrying out its first scientific work on a 10-year trek into deep space, mission controllers said.

  • Artist's impression of the European Space Agency (ESA) probe Rosetta with Mars in the background. The pride of the ESA, Rosetta, has been ordered out of hibernation four and a half years into a 10-year trek that will take it into the dark chill of deep space.(AFP/ESA/File/C.Carreau)
    Billion-dollar European probe set for asteroid encounter Fri Sep 5, 6:34 AM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - Far from Earth, a robot spacecraft has been prodded from deep slumber to make a rare encounter with an asteroid, the intriguing orbital debris that could offer clues into the making of the Solar System.

  • A Perseid meteor streaks towards the horizon during the annual Persied meteor shower in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, August 12, 2008. Perseids meteors are bits of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle which burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.      REUTERS/Doug Murray  (UNITED STATES)
    Unusual asteriod orbit sheds light on comets' birth: researchers Thu Sep 4, 2:16 PM ET

    MONTREAL (AFP) - Canadian, French and US astronomers have found a strange asteroid with an odd orbit which could help explain the origin of comets, the National Research Council of Canada reported Thursday.

  • This photo released by Greenpeace shows a local land owner/activist protesting as the environmental group attempts to stop the shipping of illegally logged trees from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea on September 3, 2008. Greenpeace said that its activists had boarded a logging ship in Papua New Guinea to stop it exporting timber to China.(AFP/GREENPEACE)
    Greenpeace says has occupied timber export ship in PNG Thu Sep 4, 10:04 AM ET

    PORT MORESBY (AFP) - Greenpeace said Thursday that its activists had boarded a logging ship in Papua New Guinea to stop it exporting timber to China, in a move labelled a smear campaign by the company involved.

  • A resident of Sahasifotra village, 1200 kms north of Mdagascar's capital Antananarivo, walks past windmills used to generate electricity at the remote village. Sub-Saharan Africa is missing out on investments from industrialised countries to develop clean energy projects in the region, participants at Africa's first "carbon market" said Monday in Dakar.(AFP/File/Gregoire Pourtier)
    Subsaharan Africa is missing out on clean energy: forum Wed Sep 3, 5:03 PM ET

    DAKAR (AFP) - Sub-Saharan Africa is missing out on investments from industrialised countries to develop clean energy projects in the region, participants at Africa's first "carbon market" said Monday in Dakar.

  • Activists portraying Japanese fishermen spear "dolphins" during a protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC. Environmental and animal rights activists dressed as dolphins Wednesday staged a die-in in Washington to protest what they called the "horrific butchering" of thousands of dolphins by Japanese fishermen every year.(AFP/Karen Bleier)
    Activists stage dolphin die-in at Japanese embassy in US Wed Sep 3, 4:25 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - Environmental and animal rights activists dressed as dolphins Wednesday staged a die-in in Washington to protest what they called the "horrific butchering" of thousands of dolphins by Japanese fishermen every year.

  • This NOAA satellite image shows Tropical Strom Ike (L) followed by Tropical Strom Josephine (R). Global warming is likely to boost the power of the strongest tropical cyclones, a study released on Wednesday says.(AFP/NOAA)
    Global warming likely to stoke more powerful hurricanes: study Wed Sep 3, 2:39 PM ET

    PARIS (AFP) - Global warming is likely to boost the power of the strongest tropical cyclones, a study released on Wednesday says.