US Looks for Side Deals at Climate Summit (Politico)
The U.S. is attempting to cut secretive deals at the international climate talks in hopes of shaping any final agreement that could come out of the United Nation-sponsored conference.
AP Analysis of E-Mails: Science Not Faked, But Not Pretty (AP)
E-mails stolen from climate scientists show they stonewalled skeptics and discussed hiding data — but the messages don’t support claims that the science of global warming was faked, according to an exhaustive review by The Associated Press.
Africa Calling for 5% of GDP for Adaptation (COP15)
According to a draft text, 50 African countries are considering demanding five percent of rich nations’ GDP for developing countries, plus deep emission cuts, Danish daily Politiken reports.
UN: Coral Climate Crisis Puts 250M People at Risk (Reuters)
More than 250 million people risk losing their livelihoods because of dying tropical coral reefs in what a senior U.N. environmental economist said on Saturday was part of a double climate crisis facing the world.
CEOs Join Ranks Calling for Climate Action in Copenhagen (Los Angeles Times)
Corporate leaders, the rarest of commodities at the first climate talks nearly two decades ago, have staked a claim to the title of biggest player in Copenhagen aside from the official negotiators.
Business Giants Pledge Emissions Cut (Financial Times)
Unilever and Coca-Cola launched a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the $1 trillion global consumer goods industry by changing the behavior of customers and suppliers. Other multinationals, including PepsiCo, Kimberly Clark and Alcoa, are expected to join.
New EPA Rules Further Reduce HCFCs to Protect Ozone Layer (Green Car Congress)
The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced two final rules that will further reduce the availability and use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are primarily used as refrigerants and harm the ozone layer.
Mikhail Gorbachev: We Have a Real Emergency (New York Times)
Policy compromises agreed to by negotiators so far virtually guarantee a temperature increase of around 4 degrees Celsius — well into the catastrophic risk range, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev writes.
US Agriculture Secretary Calls for Climate Rewards for Farmers (Reuters)
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in Copenhagen, says farmers worldwide must be rewarded for fighting global warming, for example using carbon markets which would add to public climate cash.
Germany Shows Government Role Key to Thriving Solar Industry (Los Angeles Times)
Germany, home to some of the world’s largest solar parks and dozens of solar companies, proves you don’t have to be blessed with Hawaii’s weather to grow a thriving solar industry. What you do need is a government willing to foster the development of renewable energy.
As Green Car Loan Funds Dwindle, What’s Plan B for Startups? (Earth2Tech)
The backup plans that have emerged so far include outsourcing manufacturing, pursuing more private equity investment and establishing less capital-intensive sources of revenue. We may start to see more strategic alliances, as well.
Senate Bill Taps Negative Mood Toward Wall Street (Wall Street Journal)
A new climate bill proposed by Sens. Maria Cantwell and Susan Collins is a lot simpler to explain to voters than proposals that have advanced so far in Congress. It also plays off the anti-Wall Street mood that’s popular among members of both parties these days.
Copenhagen Police Arrest Hundreds Amid Climate Rally (New York Times)
The main demonstration — which brought together environmental groups, human rights campaigners, climate activists and others — was mostly peaceful. But in other parts of the city, window breaking by radicals resulted in at least 950 arrests, the police said.
Pachauri: UN Faces ‘Major Setback’ If Climate Talks Fail (AFP)
The head of the Nobel-winning UN panel of climate scientists warned on Saturday that failure at the Copenhagen talks on tackling global warming would deal a heavy blow to the nation-state system.
