"SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. -- A fine layer of gray dust coats nearly every surface in the parts of this Southwest Indiana town nearest the Bear Run Mine, the largest surface coal mine east of the Mississippi."

"A Spanish pledge of 120 million euros ($150 million) to a fund to help poor nations cope with global warming has raised the total close to the $10 billion U.N. target before a U.N. meeting in Peru next week to work on a climate deal."

"The scientific case has been building for how a smoggy summer afternoon in North Texas might harm a child playing outdoors, a person with asthma or, on the worst days, perhaps even a healthy adult."

"Russia's ruble hit a new all-time low on Monday, dropping about 5 percent as declining oil prices and the conflict in eastern Ukraine weigh on the country's economic prospects."

"UN climate negotiations opening in Lima on Monday have the best chance in a generation of striking a deal on global warming, diplomats say."
 

"The proportion of American adults who smoke cigarettes has hit a new low, new federal data show. And among those who do smoke, fewer are lighting up every day, and even they are smoking fewer cigarettes."

"FAIRBANKS -- The city of North Pole [AK] filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the two most recent owners of the oil refinery within its borders over sulfolane contamination that has spread into residents' groundwater."

"HONOLULU — A Hawaii County law restricting genetically engineered crops is invalid, a federal judge said in an order issued Wednesday."

"The American mining industry is asking a federal appeals court to overturn a ban on new uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon in a legal battle with environmentalists over impacts on the premier U.S. park."

"This year may eclipse 2010 as the hottest since records began in the 19th century, a sign long-term global warming is being stoked by rising greenhouse gas emissions, scientists said."