France to Reboost Climate Momentum (COP15)
President Nicolas Sarkozy intends to invite countries that signed the Copenhagen Accord to a meeting next spring. One purpose will be to reinstall the goal to halve global emissions by 2050.
How China Wrecked the Copenhagen Deal (Guardian)
As recriminations fly post-Copenhagen, a writer who was attached to a delegation describes what happened in the room. “I saw Obama fighting desperately to salvage a deal, and the Chinese delegate saying ‘no’, over and over again.”
Obama on the Copenhagen Climate Talks (PBS)
"People are justified in being disappointed about the outcome in Copenhagen," President Obama says in a News Hour interview.
Ecuador to be Paid to Leave Oil in the Ground (Mongabay)
Ecuador will establish a trust fund for receiving payments to leave oil reserves unexploited in Yasuni National Park, one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforest reserves, the UN Development Program reports.
Brazil Sets Aside Vast Tracts for Indigenous Reserves (AFP)
The zones, amounting to 50,000 square kilometers, will enjoy protected status for the 7,000 indigenous Brazilians living in them, according to the decree signed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Voluntary CO2 Offset Market Ends Year on Down Note (Reuters)
Demand for voluntary carbon offsets declined in December, traditionally one of the market’s busiest months, as a slow year meant retailers did not face the usual scramble to square their books, market players said.
Gauging the Velocity of Climate Change (Scientific American)
A new study in the journal Nature, aims to paint a clearer picture of how species’ climates are changing by uncovering the variable velocity of climate shifts around the globe.
RGGI Lawsuit Ends in $7.7M Settlement (Times Union)
The state of New York announced a $7.7 million settlement with three natural-gas power plant owners who sued over elements of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Airlines Turn to Alternative Fuels (Wall Street Journal)
The latest move to reduce their oil dependence involves 15 major airlines and air-cargo companies negotiating to buy billions of gallons of fuels made from vegetable oil, coal and petroleum coke, a byproduct of refining petroleum.
Florida Environment for PV Improving? (Greentech)
Despite the approval of a solar photovoltaics deal in Tampa, Fla., PV and other alternatives still have a pricing disadvantage.
Major US Automakers Looking at Hybrid, Electric (Green Car Congress)
The United States Advanced Battery Consortium, an organization whose members are major automakers, is seeking requests for proposal information for four projects related to advanced battery development for hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and electric vehicles.
NYC: Catskills Gas Drilling Risks Too High (AP)
New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection called on state officials to ban natural gas drilling in the Catskills watershed, saying it would pose too great a risk to the city’s upstate drinking water system.
Global Warming Denial Is Part of Movement to Deny Science (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Science denial goes beyond the skeptical questioning that is part of the scientific process and attacks the legitimacy of science itself. The Discovery Institute, for example, which usually uses over-the-top language to attack evolution, has branch out to climate change denial.
