"Herpes has devastated 26 percent of France’s oyster production since the summer of 2008. Halfway around the world in Australia, the virus killed 10 million oysters in three days."

"China's appetite for coal, even in the face of international pressure for reducing carbon emissions, will help push the world to a consumption record of 9 billion tons by 2019, according to new projections released this morning by the International Energy Agency."

"A stark depiction of the threat hanging over the world’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians and other life forms has been published by the prestigious scientific journal, Nature. A special analysis carried out by the journal indicates that a staggering 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face extinction while 26% of mammal species and 13% of birds are similarly threatened."

"LIMA -- About 190 nations agreed on Sunday the building blocks of a new-style global deal due in 2015 to combat climate change amid warnings that far tougher action will be needed to limit increases in global temperatures."

"Americans eat more seafood than just about anyone else. Most of it is imported from abroad. And a lot of it — perhaps 25 percent of wild-caught seafood imports, according to fisheries experts — is illegally caught."

"The American benchmark price for crude oil broke the symbolically important $60 a barrel mark on Thursday for the first time in over five years, underscoring a remarkable drop of over 40 percent since early June."

"Better protecting the world's fast-disappearing mangroves could have big economic, social and environmental benefits, experts said at the U.N. climate talks in Lima this week."

Pope Francis told the Lima climate conference that they had a "serious ethical and moral responsibility" to the poor and future generations.

"U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an impassioned plea [Dec. 11] for all nations to work for an ambitious U.N. deal next year to fight climate change, saying time was running out to reverse a course 'leading to tragedy'."

"LIMA, Peru -- A funny thing happened on the way to a 2015 climate deal: The wall dividing developed and developing countries crumbled."