The Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef are competing with 26 other natural landmarks in the final phase of a global poll to choose the "New 7 Wonders of Nature," organizers said Tuesday. The Amazon rain forest, the Dead Sea, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Ecuador's Galapagos Islands are also among the finalists, according to New 7 Wonders, led by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. People can vote by Internet or phone. The winners will be announced in 2011 and share in the glory already enjoyed by the seven man-made wonders chosen two years ago. More than 1 billion people are expected to vote, Weber said. "This campaign should contribute to the appreciation - to the knowledge - of our environment," he said. "If we or our children want to save anything, we should first appreciate it." ...more

July 22, 2009

For decades, Brazil has jealously safeguarded the right to decide the future of its national patrimony, the Amazon rain forest. It has responded to the plea of developing countries to stop the destruction of the rain forest with a defiant cry: "Hands off our Amazon!" Now, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come up with a more practical response to those who want to save one of the most precious environmental resources on the planet: "Put your money where your mouth is!" ...more

September 3, 2008

Sometimes two things look pretty much the same, like a diamond and a cubic zirconia. ...more

May 28, 2008

What does global warming have to do with global peace? The globe may find out sooner than we think, experts say. ...more

October 13, 2007