China, India, Brazil to Meet Jan. 31 Deadline in Climate Accord (Bloomberg)
China, Brazil, South Africa and India will meet a deadline set during international talks for disclosing the voluntary steps they plan to take to mitigate climate change.
France Wants ‘G28’ to Guide Climate Change Talks (Reuters)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed creating a "balanced, representative" group of 28 countries to guide climate negotiations and avoid a repetition of the chaos of Copenhagen.
EU to Stick with Lower Climate Offer to UN (Reuters)
The EU will stick with its lowest offer of cutting emissions by 20% by 2020 under a UN climate accord, rather than 30%, fulfilling the wishes of industry, a draft letter shows.
UN Panel to Strengthen Climate Research Systems, Pachauri Says (Bloomberg)
The Nobel prize-winning UN climate panel said it will use more rigorous research systems after being forced to re-examine its estimate of how fast Himalayan glaciers are melting.
Warming Alarms Louisiana Scientists (The Times-Picayune)
Over 30 scientists — including many working on coastal restoration efforts — sent a letter to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal stating that there is a direct link between the rising sea levels eroding the state’s coastline and CO2 produced by the state’s industries.
New Mexico Governor Takes Aim at Coal (AP)
Gov. Bill Richardson called out New Mexico’s coal plants during his State of the State speech, saying they provide a major source of electricity in the state but pump far too much pollution into the air.
US to World Bank: Don’t Fund Coal Plants (Times of India)
The U.S. government has stepped up pressure on the World Bank not to fund coal-fired power plants in developing countries, in a letter sent to the bank from the U.S. representative, Whitney Debevoise.
Oil Company Paid $100K to Conservationists in Deal (AP)
An oil company agreed to pay several anti-drilling groups $100,000 in exchange for their willingness to lobby for a proposal to expand drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., according to a confidential agreement.
A-Power Texas Project Costs Up; China May Fund (Reuters)
Chinese wind turbine company A-Power said cost overruns at its 600-MW wind project in Texas could reach $500 million and it was talking to Chinese state banks about funding the project.
California Nuclear Revival? A French Company Rolls the Dice (Greenwire)
Areva SA, a power developer whose majority shareholder is the French government, signed an agreement last month with the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group to build new reactors in California’s Central Valley, despite the state’s nuclear ban.
Quarter of US Grain Ends Up at the Biofuel Pump (Business Green)
A quarter of all the grain crops produced in the U.S. in 2009 ended up being used to make biofuel, according to a study by the Earth Policy Institute that could reignite the debate over using crops for fuel.
Fewer Temperature Reports Could Mean Warming Underestimated (CanWest)
Environment Canada says climate scientists who track global temperature trends may be underestimating the amount of warming in the Canadian Arctic because they are working with data from a declining sample of weather stations across the region.
Chinese Firm to Invest Billions in Solar Battery Plant (Reuters)
Chinese car and battery maker BYD — 10% owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway — will invest $3.3 billion over five years to build China’s largest solar battery plant, a report in the South China Morning Post says.
Nike Dumps Carbon Offsets (GreenBiz)
Nike has brought its greenhouse gas emissions back to 2007 levels and has abandoned purchasing carbon offsets in favor of efficiency strategies, the firm said in its latest corporate responsibility report.
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