Man-made hurricanes. The record number of hurricanes and tropical storms in the North Atlantic over the past decade can be linked directly to rising temperatures caused by global warming, a study has found. Scientists at the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder Colorado has found that natural variability cannot explain the increase. Instead, they have attributed the rise to warmer sea-surface temperatures caused by greenhouse gases. The conclusion runs directly counter to the official position of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). — The Independent

Powered on sugar. Fructose could supplant ethanol as a fuel additive thanks to a new chemical process that transforms it into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). DMF is superior to ethanol in several important ways: it releases 40% more energy on combustion … and, unlike ethanol, it does not absorb water from the atmosphere … The combustion of fuels which are made from plants, adds no net carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and therefore does not contribute to global warming, as fossil fuels do. — Nature

Bonuses flood in. Senior executives at the beleaguered Environment Agency received five-figure performance bonuses shortly before the recent floods, it has been disclosed. The Sunday Times reported that the agency’s chief executive, Baroness Young, received a 15% bonus of £24,000 on top of her £163,000 salary. Eight other executives, including the director of water management, received awards averaging 10% of their salaries. — The Guardian

The call to recycle more mobiles. Australians might like to think of themselves as good recycling citizens, but they are positively toxic when it comes to mobile phones. An undercover survey by the Total Environment Centre has found just 3% are being recycled. — ABC News.

A Friend of the planet. Jennifer Aniston is saving the environment in a very interesting way- by brushing her teeth in the shower … “I take a three-minute shower. I even brush-wash — brush my teeth while I shower,” she says. “Every two minutes in the shower uses as much water as a person in Africa uses for everything in their life for a whole day.” — Gone Hollywood