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Europe’s biggest onshore wind farm, capable of powering 320,000 homes, was given approval by the Scottish government yesterday. It will be built on the hills of South Lanarkshire, straddling the M74 Glasgow-Carlisle motorway.

The 152-turbine development is said to make it “virtually certain” that Scotland will meet its target of generating 31 per cent of the country’s energy from renewables by 2011 and 50 per cent by 2020. for more click here

As forecasters take that possibility more seriously, they describe fundamental shifts in the way we work, where we live and how we spend our free time. for more click here

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Africa produces a tiny fraction of the world’s greenhouse gases but is particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, U.N. environmental experts said Tuesday at a conference of African environment ministers here.

Some of those present had harsh words for the developed world, in particular the United States, the largest producer of greenhouse gases. They said industrialized nations are pressing Africans to reduce gas emissions while not doing enough themselves. for more click here

Billions of pounds are being wasted in paying industries in developing countries to reduce climate change emissions, according to two analyses of the UN’s carbon offsetting programme. for more click here

Dramatic evidence of the break-up of the Arctic ice-cap has emerged from research during an expedition by the Canadian military.

Scientists travelling with the troops found major new fractures during an assessment of the state of giant ice shelves in Canada’s far north.

The team found a network of cracks that stretched for more than 10 miles (16km) on Ward Hunt, the area’s largest shelf. for more click here

The number of people in England and Wales has shot up by a million in only three years in a population boom of a scale not seen for a century.

And the dramatic increase – mainly fuelled by immigration – is rapidly gathering speed, according to estimates made public yesterday. for more click here

More than 100,000 people may have been killed in the cyclone in Burma, a US diplomat said, citing information diplomats were receiving from the devastated Irrawaddy delta region of the Southeast Asian country. for more click here

Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN’s top humanitarian official warned yesterday after two days of rioting in Egypt over the doubling of prices of basic foods in a year and protests in other parts of the world. for more click here

With climate change not merely the ‘hot topic’ of the 20th Edinburgh International Science Festival but of everyone and their granny’s breakfast table, it was no great surprise Professor Chris Rapley, former Director of the British Antarctic Survey, took Great While It lasted; Now What? as the title and theme of his Edinburgh Medal Address on the subject. for more click here

On a clear day, the view from the top will take in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Ocean – providing you’ve a head for heights.Plans for a mile-high tower in the Saudi Arabian desert have been unveiled by the billionaire owner of London’s Savoy Hotel. for more click here