UN Panel Approves 32 China Wind Farms, Blocks Six (Reuters)
A UN climate panel approved 32 Chinese wind farms for carbon financing under the Kyoto Protocol late last week, but blocked another six after rejecting eight similar projects in December.
Greenland’s Glaciers Disappearing from the Bottom Up (New Scientist)
Water warmed by climate change is taking giant bites out of the underbellies of Greenland’s glaciers, according to a new study in Nature Geoscience. As much as 75% of the ice lost by the glaciers is melted by warm ocean water.
Oceans’ Acidity Rate is Soaring, Claims Study (The Independent)
Rapidly rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere mean that the rate of ocean acidification is up to 10 times faster than 55 million years ago, scientists said in a new study in the journal Nature Genetics.
Climate Scientist Says Himalayan Glacier Report is ‘Robust and Rigorous’ (Guardian)
Martin Parry, a climate scientist who was co-chair of the 2007 IPCC working group on impacts, has broken his silence on the Himalayan meltdown affair to defend his report as "robust and rigorous."
Bangladesh Rejects £60m of Climate Aid from UK (Guardian)
Bangladesh is refusing to accept a £60 million donation from Britain to help it adapt to global warming, because the money will being channelled through the World Bank, which the nation says will attach unfavorable "strings and conditions."
BP in Talks Over $1.2 billion Canadian Oil Sands Deal (Reuters)
BP is in talks to pay about $1.2 billion for a majority stake in a privately held Canadian company with large reserves of oil-rich sand deposits. The deal could anger some BP shareholders who fiercely oppose the oil sands business.
Canada Looks to China to Exploit Oil Sands Rejected by US (Guardian)
Canada, faced with growing political pressure over the extraction of oil from its highly polluting tar sands, has begun courting China and other Asian countries to exploit the resource.
GE Energy Finance Unit May Expand B.C. Wind Farm (Bloomberg)
GE’s energy finance unit said it may double the capacity of a 144-MW wind farm in British Columbia, increasing its bet on renewable power in Canada’s westernmost province.
A New Wire Twist on Silicon Solar Cells (Reuters)
U.S. researchers have devised a way to make flexible solar cells with silicon wires that use just 1 percent of the material needed to make conventional solar cells.
NREL Study: "Dynamic Plug-in" Vehicle Could Be A Promising Technology (Green Car Congress)
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has found that none of the variety of car electrification pathways available today are cost-effective compared to conventional vehicles or hybrids, except for a “dynamic plug-in” hybrid that recharges while moving.
