Today's Climate: January 25, 2010

China to Rich Nations: Hand Out Climate Money Now (AP)

Brazil, China, India and South Africa have called on rich countries to begin handing over the $10 billion pledged in Copenhagen to poor countries to help them deal with the effects of climate change.

Bill Gates Worries Climate Money Robs Health Aid (Reuters)

Bill Gates, the world's richest man and a leading philanthropist, said spending by rich countries aimed at combating climate change in poor nations could mean a dangerous cut in aid for health issues.

BASIC Countries Won't Let Copenhagen Push Kyoto Away (Indian Express)

The ministers of India, China, South Africa and Brazil have reaffirmed their commitment to a global climate regime that has both the Kyoto Protocol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change at its center.

Climate Talks Threaten Saudi with Anti-Oil Bias: Official (AFP)

Global climate talks are biased against oil and pose a "scary" threat to Saudi Arabia's economy, the country's top climate negotiator said.

China Admits to 'Open Attitude' on Global Warming Debate (Financial Times)

China appears to be casting doubts on the scientific consensus on the causes of global warming, with a senior official saying that Beijing has an "open attitude" towards what he called "disputes in the scientific community" on the issue.

Poll: Governments, Business Seen Too Slow to Save Climate (Reuters)

About two thirds of people in 23 nations believe their government and business leaders are not taking the right steps to slow global climate change, according to a joint Reuters/Ipsos poll.

World Economic Growth at Odds with Climate Targets (Guardian)

A new report by the New Economics Foundation warns that global economic expansion is not possible if the world is to restrict the temperature rise to 2 degrees – the agreed political objective in the Copenhagen Accord.

Shell to Look Beyond Tar Sands (Financial Times)

Royal Dutch Shell's expansion in Canada's controversial tar sands will be "very much slower" than in recent years, the company's new CEO Peter Voser said.

Copenhagen Dampens Banks' Green Commitment (Guardian)

Banks and investors are pulling out of the carbon market after the failure to make progress in Copenhagen on reaching new emissions targets after 2012.

Cape Wind's Fate Unclear, Even in Obama's Hands (AP)

Pres. Obama's silence on Cape Wind, the controversial offshore wind plan on Nantucket Sound, is adding to the project's uncertainty. He has never mentioned the project while talking publicly about clean energy, despite his enthusiasm for the topic.

Electric Car Firm Better Place Raises $350 Mln (Reuters)

Better Place, an infrastructure provider for electric cars based on the concept of battery-swapping stations, has raised $350 million in fresh equity as part of a second round of financing, with HSBC leading the way.