Diesels are fuel efficient and practical, but they're dogged by a reputation for being about as much fun as a tax audit. VW's worked hard to change that perception with cars like the Jetta TDI, but it might be the sweet Concept BlueSport roadster that finally convinces Americans diesels are cool.

One of the world's top climate scientists has written a personal new year appeal to Barack and Michelle Obama, warning of the "profound disconnect" between public policy on climate change and the magnitude of the problem.

For those who haven’t heard of it, the Aptera 2e is the first vehicle from Aptera Motors, a Carlsbad startup with funding from Idealab, Google, and other sources.(Also for those who hadn’t heard of it: it’ll look great in your cave.)

Dear EarthTalk: This winter is shaping up to be one of the coldest in recent memory where I live. What can I do to reduce my home heating bill now and in the future? - Eric Lenz, Seattle, WA

In 331 days' time, 15,000 officials from 200 countries will gather in the Danish capital with 1 goal: to find a solution to global warming. Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, presents the first in a series of dispatches on the crucial summit

Do you have any information regarding "Derma e Natural Bodycare"?

U.S. scientists say they can turn E.coli, a strain of bacteria present in the human digestive tract, into a fuel that is twice or three times more efficient than ethanol. The scientists, attached to theUniversity of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) managed to create a strain for the first time that generates alcohol with five carbon atoms per molecule instead of the regular two or three.

Every year around this time, I get the itch to move far away from the cold, gray streets of Baltimore. It's not that I dislike Charm City, but when the mercury falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the lure of warmer climates becomes overwhelming. So to ease the pain of last week's cold snap, I decided to browse the real estate listings in California. What I found blew me away.

Nearly one-fifth of the world’s coral reefs have already succumbed to the combined onslaught of global warming, water pollution, and overfishing. Without immediate measures to mitigate climate change and reduce the local pressures on reefs, the world is set to lose another 15% of coral reefs over the next 10−20 years and 20% over 20−40 years. Those are the main conclusions of a new report, produced jointly by a handful of government agencies and nongovernmental organizations from around the world, including the U.S.

In a world first, Japan will attempt to monitor the Earth's "breathing" from space, via satellite, as part of efforts to better understand the greenhouse effect.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)--working in conjunction with the Environment Ministry and the National Institute for Environmental Studies--will launch the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) Ibuki using the H-2A rocket on Jan. 21.