New Book Puts Cost of Saving Planet at $190 Billion   [archive]
from Reuters, 3/7/2008
What would it cost to wipe out world poverty, guarantee universal health care, stabilise population growth and roll back the ravages of global warming? About $190 billion a year, or the equivalent of a third of US annual military expenditure, a prominent environmental economist says in a new book.

Oceans to Fall, Not Rise, Over Millions of Years   [archive]
from Reuters, 3/7/2008
Sea levels are set to fall over millions of years, making the current rise blamed on climate change a brief interruption of an ancient geological trend, scientists said on Thursday.

Record Warm Winter for Northern Europe   [archive]
from AP, 3/4/2008
Winter ended before it started in Europe's north, where record-high temperatures have people wondering whether it's a fluke or an ominous sign of a warming world. "It's the warmest winter ever" recorded, said John Ekwall of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

Science

New Research Confirms Antarctic Thaw Fears [archive]
by Markus Becker, Spiegel Online, 3/7/2008
New research confirms that ice sheets in West Antarctica are thinning at a far faster rate than in past millennia. Although scientists are divided as to the cause of the melt, many feel it is directly related to climate change.

Current Generation of Biofuels Cannot Save the Planet [archive]
by Camilla Cavendish, 3/7/2008
This article argues that the current generation of biofuels cannot save the planet. In individual cities and towns, they can make a difference. But at any scale, the dream dwindles.

Carbon Market

Canada Environment Groups Ask Government to Double Carbon Price  [archive]
by Greg Quinn, Bloomber, 3/7/2008
Canada's government should double the price companies pay to exceed limits on greenhouse gases because the current cost won't slow pollution enough, the country's leading environmental activist groups said.

Greener Cars in Spotlight as Carmakers Change Gear  [archive]
from Reuters, 3/7/2008
The makers of $400,000 supercars and flashy sports utility vehicles find themselves trying to keep up with tiny, fuel efficient new models at this week's Geneva auto show as toughening pollution laws put the focus on small, light and thrifty.

GE Lands Another $1 Billion Wind Contract  [archive]
from Reuters, 3/7/2008
General Electric Co said Thursday that it had obtained a $1 billion contract to supply electricity-generating wind turbines to Invenergy Wind LLC, its second billion-dollar contract with that company this year.

No Way to Fix Climate Without Private Sector - UNDP  [archive]
from Reuters, 3/9/2008
The private sector must be encouraged to help developing countries combat climate change now, before it becomes too severe to handle, the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said.

Politics/Legislation

MPs Call for Rise in Green Taxes  [archive]
from BBC, 3/5/2008
The UK Treasury has "continually demonstrated a lack of ambition and imagination" when it comes to green taxes, a report by MPs has concluded.

Confessions on Climate (Editorial)  [archive]
from the New York Times, 3/4/2008
The Bush administration has now provided the rationale for its lamentable decision to deny California permission to develop its own stricter rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The explanation was full of holes, but it was not a total setback for those who want urgent action on global warming.

Sweden Aims for Renewable Sources for Half Its Energy  [archive]
from Reuters, 3/5/2008
Sweden will aim to get nearly half its energy from renewable sources by 2020 as part of an EU-wide plan, Energy and Enterprise Minister Maud Olofsson said on Wednesday.

Italy Approves EU Requested C02 Cut Plan 2008-2012  [archive]
from Reuters, 3/6/2008
Italy has given its final approval to a plan to cut annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2008-2012 by the full amount the European Commission has requested, the Environment Ministry said on Tuesday.