A blueprint to streamline the scoping, planning and consenting of offshore renewables developments has been published by the Scottish Government today. The report, prepared by a task force comprising Marine Scotland, environmental regulators, renewable developers and The Crown Estate, was welcomed by Alex Salmond as he co-chaired the first 2012 meeting of the Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB).

The task force recommendations include:

With the European Union facing global flak over imposition of a green tax on all aircraft flying in its skies, world airlines’ body IATA has warned European airlines of “retaliatory action” by non-EU nations if a global solution was not arrived at soon.

With European Union (EU) facing global flak over imposition of a green tax on all aircraft flying in its skies, world airlines’ body IATA has warned European airlines of ‘‘retaliatory action’’ by non-EU nations if a global solution was not arrived at soon. ‘‘Time is not on our side. Airlines from Europe may face some retaliatory action.

Kazakhstan believes the international community's first nuclear fuel bank can be up and running on Kazakh soil by late next year, potentially supporting the Obama administration's broader efforts to combat the spread of nuclear weapons.

Kazakhstan is the world's largest producer of uranium ore and has been in consultations with the U.S., European Union and United Nations to host a facility initially capable of storing 60 tons of low-enriched uranium for export.

The United States remained the primary backer of biotech crop technology in 2011, but adoption spread internationally as the total global planted area of genetically modified seeds grew 8 percent from a year ago, according to a report issued Tuesday.

Roughly 160 million hectares, or 395.2 million acres, were planted with biotech crops in 2011, up 8 percent from 2010, said the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) in its annual report on biotech seed use.

Doing so has major implications for public health but moving to a market-linked fuel pricing policy makes more sense.

Anumita Roychowdhuryanumita Roychowdhury
Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment*
“The additional taxes on diesel cars can generate resources to produce clean diesel for all segments to meet public health objectives”

Israel has approved the construction of the first rail link between its Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, offering a new Asia-Europe trade route to compete with the Suez Canal, a project in which India is also said to have evinced interest.

The so called proposal for Red-Med train link was unanimously approved by the Israeli cabinet and its construction is likely to take about five years from the time of start at a cost of approximately $ 2.3 billion.

Renewable energy has become vital, says Farooq Abdullah

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah has urged the wind energy sector to focus on research. Wind machines were essential as they did not pollute. Renewable energy had become vital. India needed to have energy from different sources, such as fossil fuel and nuclear power.

Talk of a Middle Eastern green energy boom is likely to prove no more than a mirage with little hope of the region saving clean technology companies from the shrinking project pools of Europe.

Instead India, China and Latin America offer some hope for green energy companies struggling in a European market drowning in debt and a North American market awash with gas.

The European Commission has unveiled a new set of water pollution rules, which will for the first time include certain pharmaceutical products. The Commission is proposing to add 15 chemicals to the list of 33 pollutants that are currently monitored and controlled in EU surface waters. The popular pain-relieving drug Diclofenac is one of three pharmaceuticals to be put on the European water watch-list, which law-makers say is another step towards improving the quality of rivers, lakes and coastal waters.