Scientists investigating the icy waters of Antarctica have revealed they have collected some strange creatures from the waters.

Australian researchers are currently taking part in an international program to take a census of marine lift in the Antarctic ocean up to 6,500 feet below the surface. The main aim of the research is to map marine life in the Antarctic Ocean and to study the impact of climate change on the area.

Resaerchers have found several creatures which have never been seen before. Some of these weird and wonderful creatures include giant sea spiders and huge worms. Some animals that live in the sea do grow to very large sizes, a phenomenon named gigantism which scientists do not yet fully comprehend.

Did you know it takes about seven litres of water to make a single one-litre plastic bottle? And we throw away around ten billion plastic bottles a year. So is it time we opt for tap water over bottled water?

In some countries, it is almost a faux-pas to ask for tap water rather than bottled water as you seem like a cheap-skate however more and more people are shunning the water bottle in favour of tap water. It almost seems absurd, the amount of resources used to transport water hundreds of miles and using up precious resources to manufacture the water bottles, when all we have to do is turn on our taps.

According to a new report by New Energy Finance, by 2020 there will be a carbon trading market worth $1 trillion a year. Another report released this week by Point Carbon has estimated that the US may be trading $600 billion in ‘pollution credits’ by 2015. Point Carbon also estimated that the European carbon trading scheme was worth $42 billion in 2007.

The reports came after both companies reviewed climate-change bills currently being discussed in US congress. The discussions strongly feature a trading system to regulate greenhouse gas emissions known as ‘cap and trade’ with all four main candidates for the White House backing this scheme.

Every year, an area of ocean around the size of New Jersey ‘dies’ at the mouth of the Mississippi. Now, new research has shown that the main culprit for the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone is the farming industry.

It’s not news to many – we’ve already reported on how there is concern about water quality near farms which use a lot of fertilizers and pesticides, so it is little shock to discover that the fertilizers from corn and soy, and the animal waste from farms around the Mississippi, and in Indiana and Ohio along the Ohio river, are causing problems in their local rivers.

The Japanese Space Agency JAXA is planning a high-tech way of harnessing solar power – JAXA are hoping to build a space-based solar array that beams power back to Earth.

The space agency are hoping to start testing their microwave power transmission system later this month and are looking to beam enough power back over a 2.4 GHz band to power a household heater at 50 metres (164 feet).

Thousands of street lamps in the UK are being switched off after midnight in a bid to cut energy bills and meet climate change targets. It has been said that a council can save up to £100,000 a year by switching off street lights, and reduce carbon emissions by up to 600 tonnes per year.

However there has been much backlash at the new scheme - a Police leader has said that good street lighting reduces crime and helps the public to feel safe whilst also reducing the risk of road accidents therefore although switching off the lights may be great for en environment, a close eye needs to be kept on local crime and accident rates to ensure that the scheme does not have a detrimental effect on the local community.

The Philippines have announced that they will be following the lead of countries such as Canada and Australia and will be phasing out incandescent bulbs by 2010 in favour of more energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs in a bid to help reduce their carbon emissions and household costs.

The plan is the first of it’s sort in Asia and many are pleased with the decision. The plan is said to be the most effective way to reduce electricity demands whilst also using energy more efficiently and cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

The US Energy Department have announced the cancellation of funding for a ‘clean coal’ power plant due to rising costs for the project.

The program started around four years ago and was hailed by many as a step towards a pollution-free energy future – FutureGen was hoping to show how to use coal without adding to climate change, and was also intending to provide hydrogen for fuel-cell cars.

A sea of rubbish twice the size of the United States has been found in the Pacific Ocean. The rubbish mainly consists of plastic products such as footballs, Lego and carrier bags, and is kept together by underwater currents. The rubbish stretches from 200 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. The rubbish sits just below the water line therefore is not picked up in satellite photos.

Some have warned that more needs to be done to stop plastic debris being washed into our oceans and unless action is taken, the size of the rubbish expanse could double over the next ten years.

It’s not a new warning – in fact, environmentalists have been warning about it for the past decade and it seems the advice has gone unheeded as our rainforests are being eroded at a higher rate than ever.

A generation ago, it was estimated that 50 acres of tropical forest were being chopped down every minute. U.N. specialists have estimated that around 60 acres of tropical forest are currently being felled every minute.