Obama continues Thanksgiving turkey pardon tradition
By James G. Robertson The day was dark and dreary in Washington, D.C., as men in dark suits guarded the prisoner awaiting his fate. Bleachers were set up for the public to watch the scene unfold. Then a voice boomed over the loudspeaker: "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." The mood turned lighthearted as President Obama came out of the White House with his daughters, Sasha and Malia, and addressed the crowd gathered to watch him save "Courage," a 45-pound (20 kilogram) turkey from Goldsboro, North Carolina, from becoming someone's Thanksgiving dinner. "That's a good lookin' bird," Obama said.

Greenhouse gas curbs would make us healthier, study finds
If you require still more evidence about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, here's another finding to consider: Cutting emissions will have a beneficial impact on human health, medical experts say. Researchers say cost savings realized from improving health will offset the cost of addressing climate change and, therefore, should be considered as part of all policy discussions related to climate change, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) said in a statement today. NIEHS pointed to case studies on four climate change topics--household energy, transportation, electricity generation, and agricultural

Obama offers 17% cut in U.S. emissions by 2020
President Obama is prepared to put on the table a U.S. emissions reduction target in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020, the White House said in a statement today. The White House also announced today that Obama will travel to Copenhagen on December 9 to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, "where he is eager to work with the international community to drive progress toward a comprehensive and operational Copenhagen accord." The President has worked steadily on beh

Siberian tigers in steep decline, survey sample suggests
The last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to poaching and habitat loss, The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said today. A report released by the Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program, which is coordinated by WCS in association with Russian governmental and non-governmental organizations, suggests a 40 percent decline in the cat's numbers from a 12-year average. A Siberia

Brazil's major victory in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
As part of its target to cut emissions from land-use changes by 80 percent by 2020, Brazil aimed to reduce annual deforestation in the Amazon to no more than 7,000 square kilometres by 2013. Environment Minister Carlos Minc explained today that his country is four years ahead of schedule with that plan. By Stuart L. PimmSpecial Contributor to NatGeo News Watch The flight from anywhere in the eastern USA to Rio de Janeiro is about to become very different--at least for those of us who look out of the window. Much of it is over the Amazon. That's a landscape that for hours can be unbroken forest and huge winding rivers--but