‘Clunkers’ to Close Monday After Fueling Sales, Dealer Anger (Bloomberg)
The U.S. "cash for clunkers" program will stop accepting applications on Aug. 24, bringing to a close an effort that helped revive auto sales and drew the ire of dealers for slow repayments.
Bus Tour Crosses Coal States to Oppose Climate Bill (Climatewire)
The American Energy Alliance has begun a four-week bus tour to county fairs, sporting events and public meetings in several coal-reliant states to oppose the climate bill under debate in the Senate.
IBM-Sponsored Report: Utilities Not Ready For Climate Change (Dow Jones)
A report sponsored by IBM says that 90% of utilities around the world know they are at risk from climate change but fewer than a third said they have performed any financial review of the possible impacts on their business.
Massachusetts Pushes Waste-Based Biofuels, Holds Off on Corn, Algae, Switchgrass (Scientific American)
In a decision that environmentalists are praising and biofuel producers are fuming about, Massachusetts has announced that waste-based biofuels are the only ones guaranteed to meet the state’s renewable fuel standards.
Election Likely to Reset Japan Climate Target (AFP)
The man who is likely to replace Prime Minister Taro Aso in Japan’s top job, Yukio Hatoyama, has promised a far more ambitious CO2 emissions target — a 25% cut by 2020. That’s compared to the 8% endorsed by Aso.
No New Coal-Fired Power Stations for Queensland (Brisbane Times)
No new coal-fired power stations will be built in Queensland, Australia, unless they use the world’s best emissions technology and are ready to store and capture carbon, the state government has announced.
Australia, NZ Consider Single Carbon Trading Market (Carbon Positive)
Australia and New Zealand have discussed harmonising their emerging emissions trading schemes at talks in Sydney today.
Big Benefits Seen in Adapting to Climate Change (Reuters)
A total of $10 trillion spent on helping nations to adapt to climate change would provide $16 trillion of economic benefits over the coming century, according to a study by controversial author Bjorn Lomborg.
Commerce Secretary Approves Arctic Fisheries Plan (AP)
America’s secretary of commerce has approved a plan that would prohibit an expansion of commercial fishing in the Arctic, at least until more is known about the area, which has seen a substantial loss of sea ice from global warming.
Federal Endangered Species List Could See 29 Additions (Los Angeles Times)
The Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would move forward on a review of 29 plant and animal species to assess their inclusion on the endangered species list. Climate change was considered an issue with a handful of species.
Carbon Traders Arrested for Tax Fraud (Green Inc.)
British customs officials arrested seven people near London this week who are suspected of dodging taxes that should have been paid for selling large amounts of CO2 permits — the main currency in the EU’s Emissions Trading System.
ReneSola Lands $706M Solar Project, Shares Jump (AP)
Shares of ReneSola Ltd. jumped on Thursday on news that the Chinese solar maker scored an exclusive right to develop a $706 million, 150-MW solar plant in China.
N. Korea-US Talks Shift to Clean Energy (AFP)
A North Korean delegation held talks Thursday on renewable energy in New Mexico after pushing hard in earlier discussions for one-on-one nuclear talks with the United States.
Miners Find Climate Change Adversely Affects Their Operations (National Post)
Climate change is already having an impact on Canadian mining operations, according to a new study by the David Suzuki Foundation, which also points to ways the industry can adapt to changing conditions.
Plug-In Buick, We Hardly Knew Ye (Wired Autopia)
Remember the plug-in hybrid Buick that General Motors announced two weeks ago? The one that was basically a re-badged Saturn Vue? GM just killed it.
