Egypt and Ethiopia are taking steps to defuse tension over Ethiopia's diversion of the Nile River to construct a massive hydroelectric dam.

The ministers of foreign affairs from both countries held talks in Addis Ababa on Monday and Tuesday. At issue: the tensions that rose after Ethiopia began diverting part of the Blue Nile to advance construction the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
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Cities and coastal areas around the world are preparing to become more resilient to natural disasters and the effects of changing climate. New York City is pushing for a $20 billion system of flood barriers; Miami is working to keep "fresh water inland and salt water away;" and Venice, Italy is planning to build "Moses barriers" to fight floods. Other places, including London, Bangladesh and Bang ... read more >>

Nanomaterials hold the potential to make substantial contributions to the European Union's 2020 climate goals, says Jesus Isoird, who manages research and innovation at the Spanish energy and infrastructure group Acciona. "For example, this would involve improving the coatings of ceramics so that they can be self-cleaning or absorb CO2 emissions," Isoird said. And nanomaterials could be used to m ... read more >>

Lightweight, low-cost wind turbines designed to be flown like kites hold the potential to be significantly more efficient than their ground-based counterparts, according to this article. Startup company Makani Power says its lightweight Airborne Wind Turbine takes advantage of stronger and more consistent winds at higher altitudes while eliminating many of the costs associated with giant ground t ... read more >>

3D scanning has received much less attention than its printing counterpart but has come a long way with many applications ranging from the art world to manufacturing and is often paired with 3D printing. NASA is interested in scanning some of its equipment sent into space so astronauts can print out new parts if needed during a mission. Meanwhile, Luxembourg-based Artec Group says CAD users are t ... read more >>

After the 2011 subsea earthquake and tsunami in Japan, scientists are researching better ways to predict and detect deadly tsunamis. Stanford University scientists suggest that monitoring undersea sound waves from large earthquakes could help provide more advance notice of when a tsunami will hit. "Sound waves propagate through water 10 times faster than the tsunami waves, so we can have knowledg ... read more >>

Australia's hottest days may inspire a green air conditioning system powered by the sunlight. The technology uses a thermal-driven cooling process that uses an absorption cooling machine that turns heat into cold, with the system then distributing the chill via a cool-air or chilled-water mechanism. ... read more >>

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to present today a capital-spending plan involving billions of dollars aimed at reducing flood risk along the city's shoreline, the mayor's office said. "As bad as Sandy was, future storms could be even worse. Because of rising temperatures and sea levels, even a storm that's not as large as Sandy could be -- down the road -- even more destructive," ac ... read more >>

Tens of thousands of acres in Oregon's drought-stricken Klamath Basin will have to go without irrigation water this summer after the Klamath Tribes and the federal government exercised newly confirmed powers that put the tribes in the driver's seat over water use—a move ranchers fear will be economically disastrous.
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The irrigation scam unearthed in the state last year had highlighted the absence of planning in the water resources department. It has now come to light that the crucial 'integrated state water plan', which was to be the guiding principle for the department, is yet to take shape as the state water board that was supposed to draft it has not met even once since its formation in 2005.

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