Today's Climate: July 7, 2009

Push and Pull in Senate May Recast Climate Bill (Washington Post)

President Obama's climate-change legislation begins a daunting march through the Senate today, with supporters acknowledging they are as many as 15 votes shy of victory and well aware that deals to attract more votes could erode the bill's environmental objectives.

India: Developed Nations Responsible for Climate Change (Bloomberg)

Developed countries must bear “historic responsibility” for industrial emissions of greenhouse gases they have produced, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said ahead of climate change talk at the G8 meeting this week.

Plan Floated to Target Individual Carbon Emitters (AFP)

U.S. researchers have proposed a new strategy to tackle the global climate dilemma: Target the biggest polluters in a country, who also tend to be the wealthiest individuals, and get those individuals living beyond the cap to reduce their carbon footprint.

Coal Industry Sees Life or Death in Senate Climate Debate (New York Times)

Industry advocates and independent analysts say coal has few options for a sustainable future. "Unless they come up with a breakthrough technology to capture carbon and store it, coal is dying," said Kenneth Green of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Cello Energy Leaves 50M-Gallon Gap in Feds’ Ethanol Targets (Earth2Tech)

What’s bad for Cello Energy, the Khosla Ventures-backed startup that an Alabama jury last week decided made fraudulent claims about its biofuels technology, could in a way be good for cellulosic ethanol — or at least open up new incentives for the fuel.

Auditing Firms Among Climate Bill Winners (Climate Wire)

Having helped companies explore Europe's labyrinth of greenhouse gas regulation, the Big Four auditing and accounting firms are moving quickly to build climate and carbon shops in the U.S. that could one day rival tax compliance and financial disclosure.

Study: Tropics Expanding Due to Climate Change (AFP)

Climate change is rapidly expanding the size of the world's tropical zone, threatening to bring disease and drought to heavily populated areas, an Australian study has found. The study finds the tropics widened by up to 310 miles in the past 25 years.

Ban Ki-Moon’s Message to G8 Leaders (Guardian)

The summit in Italy is the start of a crucial 12 months, writes UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Political co-operation is no longer a mere nicety, but a necessity.

Europeans Seek G8 Pledge to Halve Greenhouse Gases (Reuters)

Italy, France and Britain are calling for major developing economies like China and India to sign up for a goal of halving the world's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at this week's G8 summit in Italy.

Duke Energy Files Plans for Carbon Storage Study (Business Journal)