Global warming could lead to more arctic energy

Reuters reports that, according to the European Union, 'the Arctic offers new energy and fishing resources as a result of global warming and new technology' (Photo: Reuters).

Bush to relax endangered species regulations

The USA Today reports that 'Animals and plants facing possible extinction could lose the protection of government experts who make sure that dams, highways or other projects do not pose a threat, under rules the Bush administration is set to put in place before President-elect Barack Obama can reverse them' (Photo: Reuters)

Auction of land in U.S. national parks for oil upsets environmentalists

The International Herald Tribune reports that 'late on election day, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced a Dec. 19 auction of more than 50,000 acres of oil and gas parcels alongside or within view of Arches National Park and two other redrock national parks in Utah: Dinosaur and Canyonlands'. (Photo: Reuters).

California to plan climate change strategy

The International Herald Tribune reports that California governor 'Arnold Schwarzenegger has instructed state agencies to prepare for climate change, especially rising seas, as they plan to replace, upgrade and repair the system of pipelines that distributes water around sewage treatment plants and low-lying airports, among other things'.

Future of coal burning plants uncertain

The Associated Press reports that 'the fate of scores of new coal-burning power plants is now in limbo over whether to regulate heat-trapping greenhouse gases' after 'an Environmental Protection Agency appeals panel on Thursday rejected a federal permit for a Utah plant, leaving the issue for the Obama administration to resolve' (Photo: Reuters).

Setback for carbon-trapping technology in EU talks

Reuters reports that 'Plans to put billions of euros of public funds behind cutting-edge technology to trap and bury global warming gases suffered at setback in European Union talks on Friday' (Photo: Reuters).

EPA Advisers Seek Perchlorate Review

The Washington Post reports that 'the Environmental Protection Agency's scientific advisers have warned the agency that it should delay final action on its decision not to set a federal drinking-water standard for perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel, because the computer model underlying the decision may have flaws' (Photo: New York Times).

US officials to address security implications of warmer planet

The New York Times reports that "As a new administration committed to addressing climate change takes office, intelligence and defense officials are laying plans to address the national security implications of a warmer planet" - having discussed in recent months "the impact on personnel, equipment and installations of extreme weather events, rising ocean temperatures, shifts in rainfall patterns and stresses on natural resources" (Photo: Reuters).

US Sugar to sell Florida 181,000 acres to save everglades

The New York Times reports that "United States Sugar Corporation has agreed to sell 181,000 acres of farmland to the State of Florida for $1.34 billion in a slimmed-down deal intended to rescue the Everglades while letting the company stay in business" (Photo:Reuters)

Alaska's North Slope holds one of nation's largest recoverable natural gas deposits

The Washington Post reports that "federal scientists have concluded that Alaska's North Slope holds one of the nation's largest deposits of recoverable natural gas in the form of gas hydrates, a finding that could open a major new front in domestic energy exploration" (Photo: Reuters).

Results may come soon in test of tree response to warming

AP reports that "for more than a decade, the federal government has spent millions of dollars pumping elevated levels of carbon dioxide into small groups of trees to test how forests will respond to global warming in the next 50 years" and "scientists think they are on the cusp of receiving key results from the time-consuming experiments" though the "Department of Energy, which is funding the project, has told the scientists to chop down the trees, collect the data and move on to new research." (Photo: Reuters)

Bush's vision for protecting Pacific hits resistance

"President Bush's vision for protecting two vast areas of the Pacific Ocean from fishing and mineral exploitation, a move that would constitute a major expansion of his environmental legacy, is running into dogged resistance both inside and outside the White House," the Washington Post reports. (Photo: Associated Press)

Financial crisis has lessons for climate fight

Reuters reports that, according to a top carbon expert, 'the world still has the funds and ability to fight climate change and nations should not use the financial crisis to delay policies on tackling global warming' (Photo: New York Times).

"Carbon army" hopes to grab slice of New Deal cash

Reuters reports that 'A growing "carbon army" of environmentalists, bankers and investors has seized on official backing last week for major public spending announced in Britain and the United States' (Photo: Reuters).

China wants rich to pay for cleanup

The Wall Street Journal reports that 'China issued a major policy on climate change Wednesday, acknowledging its own growing contribution to the problem and its increased vulnerability to a warming planet, but arguing that rich nations should pay poorer countries for the giant costs of cleaning up' (Photo: Reuters).

How parked cars could power the future

LiveScience reports that before too long you might actually earn money from parking your car, as stationary electric vehicles could provide electrical storage for the nation's power grid (Photo: CNET).

Bush to loosen power plant pollution controls

"The Bush administration is moving to adopt rules that would loosen pollution controls on power plants, by judging the plants on their hourly rate of emissions rather than their total annual output, people familiar with the matter said," the Wall Street Journal reports.

Risk of disease rises with water temperatures

The Washington Post reports that scientists now believe 'it is a near-certainty that global warming will drive significant increases in waterborne diseases around the world' (Photo: Reuters)

European Nations Seek to Revise Agreement on Emissions Cuts

The New York Times reports that the rising fears 'of a sharp worldwide economic slowdown are threatening a hard-won European plan on climate change that European leaders hoped would set an example for the rest of the world' (Photo: New York Times).

EU steps up battle to halt deforestation by 2030

Reuters reports that 'EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said he wanted to reduce gross tropical deforestation by at least 50 percent by 2020 and halt global forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest'.

Doubt, Anger Over Brazil Dams

The Washington Post reports that 'Brazil's plan to build dams in order to create a new energy source for the growing population is being widely criticized by social and environmental groups for its potential damage to the environment, river residents and nearby indigenous tribes' (Photo: Washington Post).

Green credits potential boon for emissions markets

Reuters reports that, according to the head of a New Zealand-based carbon trading market, 'tradeable credits from saving forests, wetlands and endangered species is set to be a growth area for investors seeking to fight climate change' (Photo: Reuters).

EPA Places Stricter Regulations on Airborne Lead

The Washington Post reports that the Environmental Protection Agency has 'tightened the regulatory limit on airborne lead for the first time in 30 years, lowering the legal maximum to a tenth of what it was on the grounds that it poses a more serious threat to young children than officials had realized' (Photo: Washington Post)

Arctic air temperatures climb to record levels

Reuters reports that 'fall air temperatures have climbed to record levels in the Arctic due to major losses of sea ice as the region suffers more effects from a warming trend dating back decades' (Photo: Reuters).

Regional alliances enlist cap-and-trade approach to curtail greenhouse gases

The Chicago Tribune reports that 'clusters of states on the East and West Coasts and in the Midwest are setting up marketplaces for electric utilities and other companies to buy and sell credits to emit carbon dioxide and other gases responsible for global warming' - an effort that will likely serve as 'blueprints for a national effort to fight climate change'. (Photo: Associated Press)

Indian Tribes See Profit in Harnessing the Wind for Power

The New York Times reports that Native American tribes like the Rosebud Sioux in South Dakota are seeking to claim the wind as their inheritance by 'building turbine farms to harness some of the country’s strongest and most reliable winds' - creating in the process 'a new economic underpinning for the 29,000 tribal members whose per capita annual income is about $7,700, less than a third the national average'. (Photo: New York Times)

Pint-Size Eco-Police

The New York Times reports that, according to experts, there is 'a growing army of “eco-kids” — steeped in environmentalism at school, in houses of worship, through scouting and even via popular culture — who try to hold their parents accountable at home'. (Photo: New York Times)

Economic woes may give planet a breather

Reuters reports that, according to Nobel Prize winning atmospheric scientist Paul J Crutzen, 'a slowdown in the world economy may give the planet a breather from the excessively high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions responsible for climate change'. (Photo: Reuters)

25% of Wild Mammal Species Face Extinction

The Washington Post reports that, according to a new comprehensive global assessment by '1,700 experts in 130 countries,' 'at least a quarter of the world's wild mammal species are at risk of extinction.' (Photo: Washington Post)

Studies Lift Hopes for Great Lakes Wind Turbine Farms

The Washington Post reports that we may soon see '100,000 wind turbines rising from the Great Lakes off Michigan's shores...producing electricity for the entire Upper Midwest', as 'wind power advocates think a new study by the 'Michigan State University Land Policy Institute' might be 'a starting point for development of the world's first freshwater, offshore wind farms.' (Photo: Reuters)

Feds to mark out polar bear area

USA Today reports that 'the federal government will designate 'critical habitat' for polar bears off Alaska's coast, a decision that could add restrictions to future offshore petroleum exploration or drilling,' as 'Federal law prohibits agencies from taking actions that may adversely modify critical habitat and interfere with polar bear recovery.' (Photo: Reuters)

Google search for cleaner energy unveiled

Reuters reports that Google 'aims to do for the power grid what it did for the Web' by 'funding green technology and using its brand power to lobby for policy change'. (Photo: Reuters)

U.S. could create 4.2 million green jobs by 2038

Reuters reports that 'the U.S. economy could generate 4.2 million new "green" jobs in the next 30 years, about 10 percent of all the jobs created'. (Photo: Reuters)

Bush's environment program draws fire

Reuters reports that loose regulation, which has been blamed for 'ills ranging from the U.S. financial crisis to imports of tainted Chinese goods, is drawing increasing fire from opponents of the Bush administration's environment program'. (Photo: Reuters)

Harsh review of restoration in everglades

The New York Times reports that 'the eight-year-old, multibillion-dollar effort to rescue the Everglades has failed to halt the wetlands' decline because of bureaucratic delays, a lack of financing from Congress and overdevelopment, according to a new report'. (Photo: New York Times)

Millions raised in greenhouse gas auction

The Washington Times reports that 'power companies were the biggest spenders in the nation's first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction, raising nearly $40 million that will be spent by Northeast states on renewable and energy efficient technologies'. (Photo: Associated Press)

Lawmakers at Impasse on Incentives for Renewable Energy

The New York Times reports that the House and the Senate are 'in a stalemate over proposals to provide tax incentives for the production and use of renewable energy, leaving the future of the nascent industry in limbo', as tax credits for 'investing in solar energy and producing wind energy will expire at the end of the year unless Congress resolves the impasse' (Photo: New York Times)

Bottled water at issue in Great Lakes

The Washington Post reports that 'even as a 10-year campaign to block wholesale export of Great Lakes water came to a successful conclusion in Congress last week, some legislators and environmentalists vowed to continue their fight to close a 'bottled-water loophole,' a campaign that taps into a national debate over sales of H2O in disposable containers'. (Photo: Washington Post)

First US cap-and-trade emissions market opens

Reuters reports that ten states in the U.S. Northeast have 'kicked off the country's first cap-and-trade market on greenhouse gas emissions', 'gaining accolades from environmentalists and many businesses but also eliciting concerns about how the states will spend the money the plan raises'. (Photo: Reuters)

Cities get too much blame for global warming

Reuters reports that, according to a study published on Friday, 'cities often blamed for producing most of the world's greenhouse gas emissions actually generate just two-fifths or less' (Photo: Reuters)

China now world's biggest carbon polluter

Agence France-Presse reports that according to a newly released study, 'China has leapfrogged the United States as the world's biggest carbon emitter and India is heading for third place', while 'global greenhouse-gas levels were scaling record peaks'. (Photo: Reuters)

Cambodia eyes nuclear plant

The Associate Press reports that 'impoverished Cambodia hopes to build a nuclear power plant to meet its future energy needs and help offset its dependence on imported oil'

Palestinians protest against West Bank dumping plans

Agence France-Presse reports that 'around 300 Palestinians protested on Friday in the West Bank against what they say is an Israeli plan to reopen a controversial toxic waste dump near important underground springs'. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

Wal-Mart aims to curb plastic bag use

Reuters reports that 'Wal-Mart Stores Inc will give out fewer plastic shopping bags, and encourage shoppers to reuse and recycle them, as the retailer aims to slash its plastic bag waste by a third worldwide by 2013'. (Photo: Reuters)

Chrysler enters the race to build green cars

The New York Times reports that 'after seeming to fall behind in the race for alternative-fuel vehicles, Chrysler' has said 'it would produce an electric car for sale in 2010 and follow it up with a broad lineup of battery-powered vehicles" (Photo: Associated Press)

Burying CO2 could pay for itself by 2030

Reuters reports, according to a new study, 'trapping and burying carbon dioxide from power plants could become viable without public funding by 2030, helping nations reduce their dependence on energy imports and meet climate goals'. (Photo: Reuters)

Birds decline seen sign of biodiversity crisis

Reuters reports that, according BirdLife International, 'many of the world's most common birds suffered steep population drops over recent decades, a sign of a deteriorating global environment and a biodiversity crisis'. (Photo: Reuters)

EPA unlikely to set perchlorate drinking waters standard

The Washington Post reports that 'the Environmental Protection Agency, under pressure from the White House and the Pentagon, is poised to rule as early as today that it will not set a drinking-water safety standard for perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel that has been linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and young children across the nation'. (Photo: Reuters)

New system could help avert collapse of fisheries

Reuters reports that U.S. researchers have proposed guaranteeing individual fishermen a share of the catch in order to help avert a global collapse of fisheries. (Photo: Reuters)

Euro climate exchange saw significant growth

The Guardian reports that 'trading on European Climate Exchange increases by 150% in first six months of 2008, despite credit crunch'. (Photo: Reuters)

States Accuse Pentagon Of Threats Over Base Cleanup

The Washington Post reports that, according to environmental officials from several states that have tried to force the Pentagon to clean up polluted military sites, the 'Defense Department has retaliated by reducing or withholding federal oversight dollars due them'. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

Chicago outlines plan to slash greenhouse gases

The Associated Press reports that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has announced a 'plan to dramatically slash emissions of heat-trapping gases, part of an effort to fight global warming and become one of the greenest cities in the nation'. (Photo: Associated Press)

Australia to launch ambitious global carbon capture institute

Agence France-Presse reports that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that his country will launch a multi-million dollar international carbon capture and storage institute to fight global warming. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)

UN chief appoints two new special envoys on climate change

The Agence France-Presse reports that UN chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed two new special envoys on climate change, one of his top priorities. (Photo: Agence France-Presse)