"A planet that is warming at extraordinary speed may require extraordinary new food crops. The latest great agricultural hope is beans that can thrive in temperatures that cripple most conventional beans. They're now growing in test plots of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, or CIAT, in Colombia."

"America's oil in storage just hit another record after rising for the 11th consecutive week."

"Vanuatu's government has launched a flash appeal to help thousands of people in urgent need of humanitarian aid in the wake of Cyclone Pam."

"Scientists are looking for -- and finding -- little bits of plastic in a lot of places lately: ice cores, deep sea sediments, coral reefs, crab gills, the digestive system of mussels, even German beer. Now, new research suggests they need not actually be searching for the man-made material to discover it."

"SENDAI, Japan – Death, injury, displacement and destruction following natural disasters could be reduced by 2030 under a new framework adopted by countries attending the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, in Sendai."

A newly published study suggests climate change may be weakening the thermohaline circulation of the North Atlantic (responsible for the Gulf Stream). Scientists (and Hollywood screenwriters) have long feared that such a scenario could bring sudden climate shifts and unpleasant surprises.

"One of the world's most popular weed-killers — and the most widely used kind in the U.S. — has been labeled a probable carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer."

"Sorry bacon lovers, we've got some sad news about your favorite meat."

"Arctic sea ice this year is the smallest in winter since satellite records began in 1979, in a new sign of long-term climate change, U.S. data showed on Thursday."

"The Amazonian rainforest has lost much of its ability to absorb climate-altering greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, scientists reported on Wednesday."