"Apart from water and air, humble sand is the natural resource most consumed by human beings. People use more than 40 billion tons of sand and gravel every year." There’s so much demand that riverbeds and beaches around the world are being stripped bare. The demand is so strong that islands are disappearing and organized crime often controls production."
"California is suffering from 'second-hand smog' drifting in from Asia and other places, researchers said on Tuesday, even as the state's prolonged drought has made air quality worse."
"Yosemite National Park is bracing for its driest year on record, with visitor bureaus downplaying the allure of the park's most famous waterfall and instead touting the park as a destination for hiking, bicycling and photography."
"Oil giant says area is making a rapid recovery but evidence mounts that wildlife is still struggling to rebound, five years after Deepwater Horizon spill".
"Iran hopes to bring an additional 1 million barrels of oil per day back online in the coming months if a deal can be signed, a volume that would crush oil prices."
"U.S. regulators will put new restrictions on the world's most widely used herbicide to help address the rapid expansion of weeds resistant to the chemical, Reuters has learned."
"RENO, Nev. -- Todd McNeal, chief of Twain Harte Fire and Rescue, spoke before his fellow firefighters and foresters last week with the tone of an evangelist. 'There is fundamental change that has occurred around us,' said McNeal, his voice rising to fill a dimly lit casino resort conference hall."
"The surge that's scheduled to hit the American coastline Wednesday isn't coming from a hurricane, but it could still leave a feeling of helplessness in its wake. Flood insurance rates are set to skyrocket when a new bill goes into effect on April 1."
"The Obama administration's plan for U.N. climate change talks encountered swift opposition after its release Tuesday, with Republican leaders warning other countries to 'proceed with caution' in negotiations with Washington because any deal could be later undone."
"The Obama administration reaffirmed a 2008 government auction of Arctic drilling rights on Tuesday, delivering a major victory to Shell Oil Co. as it aims to resume exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea this summer."
