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Many Countries Reaching Diminishing Returns in Fertilizer Use

January 8, 2014

The big three grain producers -- China, India, and the United States -- account for more than half of world fertilizer consumption. In the United States, the growth in fertilizer use came to an end in 1980. China's fertilizer use climbed rapidly in recent decades but has leveled off since 2007. In contrast, India's fertilizer consumption is still on the rise, growing 5 percent annually.

As Sea Ice Shrinks, Arctic Shipping Options Expand

December 19, 2013

On October 7, 2013, the Nordic Orion bulk carrier ship completed its journey from Vancouver, Canada, to Pori, Finland, having traveled northward around Alaska and through the Northwest Passage. It was the first large commercial freighter ever to make the voyage through these typically ice-covered Arctic waters. Avoiding the longer journey, through the Panama Canal, reportedly saved $80,000 in fuel costs and five days in travel time. Taking a deeper route than the Panama Canal also allowed the ship to carry a heavier load of its cargo: coal.

Less Than 3 Percent of Oceans in Marine Parks Despite Recent Growth

December 11, 2013

With oceanic resources more threatened than ever, the world is far from that envisioned MPA network. Although coverage has doubled since 2010, just 2.8 percent of the ocean surface -- some 10 million square kilometers (4 million square miles), roughly the size of the United States -- is now in designated MPAs. And the level of protection varies.

2013 to be Record Year for Offshore Wind

October 30, 2013

Offshore wind power installations are on track to hit a seventh consecutive annual record in 2013. Developers added 1,080 megawatts of generating capacity in the first half of the year, expanding the world total by 20 percent in just six months. Fifteen countries host some 6,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. Before the year is out, the world total should exceed 7,100 megawatts.

U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Down 11 Percent Since 2007

October 2, 2013

Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in the United States peaked at more than 1.6 billion tons of carbon in 2007. Since then they have fallen 11 percent, dropping to over 1.4 billion tons in 2013, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Emissions shrank rapidly during the recession, then bounced back slightly as the economy recovered. But shifting market conditions, pollution regulations, and changing behaviors are also behind the decline.

U.S. Nuclear Power in Decline

September 10, 2013

Nuclear power generation in the United States is falling. After increasing rapidly since the 1970s, electricity generation at U.S. nuclear plants began to grow more slowly in the early 2000s. It then plateaued between 2007 and 2010 -- before falling more than 4 percent over the last two years. Projections for 2013 show a further 1 percent drop. With reactors retiring early and proposed projects being abandoned, U.S. nuclear power's days are numbered.

U.S. Bike-Sharing Fleet More than Doubles in 2013

August 28, 2013

The United States is now home to 34 modern bike-sharing programs that allow riders to easily make short trips on two wheels without having to own a bicycle. With a number of new programs in the works and planned expansions of existing programs, the U.S. fleet is set to double again by the end of 2014, at which point nearly 37,000 publicly shared bicycles will roll the streets.

World Solar Power Topped 100,000 Megawatts in 2012

July 31, 2013

The world installed 31,100 megawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) in 2012 -- an all-time annual high that pushed global PV capacity above 100,000 megawatts. There is now enough PV operating to meet the household electricity needs of nearly 70 million people at the European level of use.

Fossil Fuel Use Pushes Carbon Dioxide Emissions into Dangerous Territory

July 23, 2013

Increasing global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a heat-trapping gas, are pushing the world into dangerous territory, closing the window of time to avert the worst consequences of higher temperatures, such as melting ice and rising seas. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have grown exponentially.

Farmed Fish Production Overtakes Beef

June 12, 2013

The world quietly reached a milestone in the evolution of the human diet in 2011. For the first time in modern history, world farmed fish production topped beef production. The gap widened in 2012, with output from fish farming -- also called aquaculture -- reaching a record 66 million tons, compared with production of beef at 63 million tons. And 2013 may well be the first year that people eat more fish raised on farms than caught in the wild.

China's Growing Hunger for Meat Shown by Move to Buy Smithfield, World's Leading Pork Producer

June 6, 2013

Half the world's pigs -- more than 470 million of them -- live in China, but even that may not be enough to satisfy the growing Chinese appetite for meat. While meat consumption in the United States has fallen more than 5 percent since peaking in 2007, Chinese meat consumption has leapt 18 percent, from 64 million to 78 million (metric) tons -- twice as much as in the United States. Pork is by far China's favorite protein, which helps to explain the late-May announced acquisition of U.S. meat giant Smithfield Foods Inc., the world's leading pork producer, by the Chinese company Shuanghui International, owner of China's largest meat processor.

Dozens of U.S. Cities Board the Bike-Sharing Bandwagon

May 14, 2013

At the start of 2013, the United States was home to 22 modern public bike-sharing programs. By spring 2014, that number will likely double as a flurry of cities joins the more than 500 bike-sharing communities worldwide.With the expansions of current programs and new openings in larger markets like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the nationwide fleet of shared bikes is poised to quadruple in the next couple of years, from nearly 9,000 to above 36,000. And with a growing list of American communities exploring the possibility of setting up bike shares, this number is expected to continue to climb.