September 2012 - Environment

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Plaintains: A new source of electricity? 

Photo: luigig_http-//flic.kr/p/4A7VBS

About a quarter of all people worldwide live without electricity. For them, evenings and nights are spent by candlelight or kerosene lamp.

But some scientists in Sri Lanka say they have found a way to bring simple 
electric lighting to rural people in that part of the world. And surprisingly,
this new method starts with plantains. 

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Weather Gone Wild 

Photo: http-//flic.kr/p/6JKp2A

Rains that are almost biblical, heat waves that don’t end, 
tornadoes that strike in savage swarms—there’s been a change
in the weather lately. 

What’s going on?
Slideshow of weather photos

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Ocean Health Index

Oceans hold 97% of the planet's water, produce more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere, and regulate the earth’s climate. They are also the primary source of food for over 1 billion people. 

But how healthy is the ocean? And will it be sustainable if we continue to pollute and overfish?

For the first time, there is now a new index which measures biological, physical, economic and social factors that generate an objective and accurate snapshot of the health of the ocean in 171 countries around the world. 

Find out the top threats to the ocean and more here.