Today's Climate: October 10-11, 2009

Republican Senator Signs on to Climate Bill (Politico)

In a major win for climate bill supporters, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina publicly announced his support for global warming legislation in a New York Times op-ed co-authored with Democratic Sen. John Kerry.

18 States Move to Intervene in Auto Emissions Lawsuit (Dow Jones)

New York and 17 other states have moved to intervene in a lawsuit to defend the Obama EPA's decision to grant California the right to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from cars.

China Says Rich Countries Undercut Climate Talks (Reuters)

China has accused rich countries of undermining key elements of an international climate change agreement that nations hope to agree by the end of 2009, adding to a chorus of discord over the negotiations.

Africa Wants $65 Billion to Meet Climate Change Challenges (AFP)

Two months before the crucial UN Copenhagen climate summit, African leaders have said the continent needs $65 billion to deal with the effects of global warming.

Airlines Set Own Emission Targets (AFP)

Members of the airline industry group IATA pledged to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% a year until 2020 and cut their CO2 emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2050.

Melting Glaciers Bring 1980s Pollution Revival (New Scientist)

Melting Alpine glaciers that have been storing banned chemicals for decades, such as pesticides, are generating a revival of toxic organic pollutants, a new study has found.

Indian Environment Minister Urges Pared Down Climate Deal (Reuters)

Nations should scale down ambitions for a global climate deal in Copenhagen rather than have "exaggerated expectations," India's minister for environment and forests said.

Soros to Invest $1 Billion in Clean Energy (Bloomberg)

Billionaire George Soros, looking to address the "political problem" of climate change, said he will invest $1 billion in clean-energy technology and create an organization to advise policymakers on environmental issues.

Canada, Alberta Fund Shell's CCS Project for Tar Sands (Greenwire)

The Canadian and Alberta governments have announced they will spend $822 million to help Royal Dutch Shell build commercial-scale carbon capture and storage facilities for Alberta's tar sands.

Parliament Set to Strip CO2 Caps from EU Air Pollution Law (EurActiv)

European legislators sounded an alarm against controlling CO2 emissions in a revised directive on industrial air emissions, fearing it would doom the draft law.

Russian Climate Goal Weak as 'Methane Bomb' Ticks (Reuters)

Scientists say that Russia, which has permafrost covering 60% of its land, most likely holds the world's biggest methane threat. But they say the nation is in denial over its potential role in global warming.