Tag: environment

  • Washington state sues Monsanto over PCB damages, cleanup costs

    (Reuters) – Washington state filed an environmental lawsuit on Thursday against agricultural company Monsanto Co seeking damages and cleanup costs associated with the company's production of PCBs, the state's attorney general said. Monsanto produced the polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, “for decades while hiding what they knew about the toxic chemicals' harm to human health and…

  • Canada plans new fuel rules, aims 30-megatonne emissions cut by 2030

    Canada will require reduced carbon footprints for all fuels so that the country can achieve a 30-megatonne cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the country’s environment department said on Friday. Precise steps are to be determined after consultations, including with Canada’s provinces and relevant industries, and the government will release a discussion paper in…

  • U.S. closer to testing engineered mosquitoes that could fight Zika

    By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. health regulators have cleared the way for a trial of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida that can reduce mosquito populations, potentially offering a new tool to fight the local spread of Zika and other viruses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that a field trial…

  • U.S. closer to testing engineered mosquitoes that could fight Zika

    By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. health regulators have cleared the way for a trial of genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida that can reduce mosquito populations, potentially offering a new tool to fight the local spread of Zika and other viruses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that a field trial…

  • Correction: Zika-Vaccine story

    NEW YORK (AP) — In a story Aug. 4 about vaccines being developed to fight Zika virus, The Associated Press misspelled the name of the institute where one of the vaccines is being developed. It is the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, not Walter Reade Army Institute of Research.

  • GM mosquito trial will not significantly impact environment: FDA

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that a field trial testing Intrexon Corp's genetically engineered mosquitoes, meant to be used in the battle against Zika, would not have a significant impact on the environment. The company wants to conduct a trial in the Florida Keys to assess the effectiveness of the genetically…

  • Teen marijuana use in Colorado found lower than national average

    By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) – Marijuana consumption by Colorado high school students has dipped slightly since the state first permitted recreational cannabis use by adults, a new survey showed on Monday, contrary to concerns that legalization would increase pot use by teens. The biannual poll by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment…

  • Teen marijuana use in Colorado found lower than national average

    By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) – Marijuana consumption by Colorado high school students has dipped slightly since the state first permitted recreational cannabis use by adults, a new survey showed on Monday, contrary to concerns that legalization would increase pot use by teens. The biannual poll by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment…

  • China citizens protest ChemChina-Syngenta deal amid GMO worries

    Around 400 Chinese citizens have signed a letter to protest the purchase of Swiss-based seeds and pesticides company Syngenta by state-owned ChemChina, saying the deal would eventually lead to genetically modified crops being sown across swathes of the country. Critics of genetically modified organisms argue the technology poses risks to public health and the environment,…

  • Denmark environment minister to step down, bringing coalition crisis to a head

    Danish Environment and Food Minister Eva Kjer Hansen said on Saturday she will step down having lost support in parliament, potentially bringing to a head a crisis threatening the minority government after only eight months in office. The Conservatives, one of the ruling Liberal party’s coalition partners, said they could no longer support Hansen, who…