The nation could start to see the walls of its offices, businesses and homes become smarter as a two-year University of Michigan research-and-development project starts bearing fruit, participants say.

The Ogoniland region of Nigeria has long been badly polluted by decades of oil production that has fouled the delta and contaminated drinking water. A United Nations report last year recommended a massive recovery initiative, but so far the Nigerian government has shown few signs it will agree to the cleanup project.

Mild mannered though they seem, plants are extremely competitive, especially when it comes to getting their fair share of sunlight. Whether a forest or a farm, where plants grow a battle wages for the sun's rays.

Concerned that wild populations of marine species are becoming depleted, researchers are trying to crack the code of how to raise them in captivity.

Chickens will be farmed at 20,000 birds a hectare - 13 times more crowded than the current Australian code - and still qualify as ''free range'' under changes to egg industry standards to be introduced this month.

Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies – and using some of the savings to help the poorest cope with rising energy prices – could curb climate change and energy waste, cut government costs and reduce social inequality, a report on sustainable development suggests.

A new study has found that some plant systems may thrive initially in a warmer climate but then deteriorate over the long term.

The ashram is a clean and tranquil place where natural resources are utilised in a sustainable manner and both administrators and beneficiaries try to incorporate the concept of sustainability into their lifestyles.

Climate scientist Michael Mann, who has faced years of attacks from climate-change skeptics, explains why he believes bad-faith assaults on science have no place in a functioning democracy and why the truth about global warming will inevitably gain wide acceptance.

As corporate sustainability becomes an ever more integrated part of daily operations, the positions that make it possible are also expanding. Here are some of the forces shaping the job market for current and aspiring sustainability pros.