EU hails climate deal as example for the world
BRUSSELS, Belgium – European nations on Friday dared the United States, Russia and China to follow their lead on global warming after agreeing on a plan to meet the so-called “20-20-20″ targets: reducing greenhouse emissions by 20 percent and ensuring that 20 percent of energy comes from wind, sun and other renewable sources by 2020.

Russia may not join global deal on climate change
POZNAN, Poland (Reuters) – Russia may not join a new global deal to fight climate change if it is against Moscow’s interests and will set a national mid-term target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions next year, an official said on Friday. “If the conditions for the international agreement are not favorable for us we may not join such an agreement,” Alexander Pankin, deputy head of the Russian delegation at U.N.-led December 1-12 climate negotiations in Poland, told Reuters.

Australia to cut pollution 5 to 15 percent by 2020
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Australia said Monday it plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by as little as 5 percent by 2020 – a reduction that critics say undermines international efforts to reach an effective global pact next year to avert dangerous climate change.

Greenhouse gases warming North America unevenly
Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is warming the United States, though unevenly, government researchers said Thursday.

USA’s warming due to both man-made and natural causes
Climate change due primarly to human-produced greenhouse gases but also because of natural variability is the cause of most of the temperature increases observed in the USA since 1951, according to a new report released Thursday by the federal U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

California adopts the most sweeping curbs on greenhouse gas emissions in U.S.
The state air board orders a 15% cut in emissions over the next 12 years, bringing them down to 1990 levels. Reporting from Sacramento — California regulators adopted the nation’s first comprehensive plan to slash greenhouse gases Thursday and characterized it as a model for President-elect Barack Obama, who has pledged an aggressive national and international effort to combat global warming.

Australia fast-tracks renewable energy funding
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia will bring forward millions of dollars in funding for solar and other renewable energy sources, in part to help boost the economy, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Sunday.

New York Sets Green Purchasing Guidelines for Traffic Cones and More
ALBANY, N.Y. — A state committee has approved tentative green purchasing specifications for office printers, refrigerators, motor oil, traffic cones and 14 other products.

Northwest lawmakers seek bigger, greener power grid
WASHINGTON — Seventy-five years ago, during the height of the Great Depression, one of the largest public works projects of the New Deal began to take shape on the banks of the Columbia River in eastern Washington.

Los Angeles Seeks to Add 1.3 Gigawatts of Solar Power by 2020
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently announced plans for Los Angeles to supply 10% of its electricity generation from solar power. Dubbed “Solar LA”, the ambitious plan would create the largest installed base of solar power of any city in the world. Mayor Villaraigosa told reporters at the plan’s unveiling last month, “Our solar initiative is the largest of any kind anywhere in the world. When it takes full effect, LA will have 1,280 megawatts more capacity — more than exists in the entire United States today.”

Duke Wants to Rent Rooftops for Solar Power
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina businesses, homeowners and schools would be able to rent their rooftops to Duke Energy Carolinas for solar power installations, if the utility’s plan wins regulatory approval.

Up on the Roof, New Jobs in Solar Power
Even in the recession, the solar industry is growing, and many jobs are available.

Cheaper Plastic Solar Cells In the Works
Unlike the vast majority of today’s solar cells, which are expensive because they are made from silicon-based, or inorganic, semiconductors, the solar cell we are creating will be less costly as it will be made from organic, or carbon-based, semiconductors made from polymers.

Waste Coffee Grounds Offer New Source Of Biodiesel Fuel
ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2008) — Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks.

U.K. Aviation Will Grow but Emissions Expected to Level Off
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — The United Kingdom aviation industry could see its passenger counts increase threefold through 2050, but carbon dioxide emissions are expected to sink to 2000 levels, according to an industry group.

DHL, FedEx Improve Climate Records
MANCHESTER, N.H. — New Climate Counts scores show most major shippers are striding toward better measurement, reduction and communication of their climate impacts.

IBM, Tesco and Dell Earn Top Marks for Climate Change Governance
BOSTON, Mass. — IBM, Tesco and Dell are among a select group of major consumer and technology companies taking active steps toward addressing the risks and capitalizing on the opportunities posed by climate change, according to a new report from the nonprofit Ceres.

Twilight of the Dustcart — Wembley to Nix Bin Collections
WEMBLEY CITY, UNITED KINGDOM — A massive mixed development at Wembley in the U.K. will do away with the need for curbside collections thanks to Swedish technology that pipes waste away with a giant vacuum.

Vending Machine for Crows
In June, Josh Klein revealed his master’s-thesis project to a flock of crows at the Binghamton Zoo in south-central New York State. The New York University graduate student offered the birds … peanuts from a … vending machine he’d created… The Binghamton crows quickly learned that dropping nickels and dimes into the slot produced peanuts, and the most resourceful members of the flock began looking for more coins. Within a month, Klein had a flock of crows scouring the ground for loose change… Someday, [Klein] hopes, similar techniques may allow us to train rats to sort our garbage for us.

Corals Indicate Another Sumatra Quake Is Likely
Scientists are forecasting that in the next several decades there will be another major earthquake off Sumatra like the one that spawned the tsunami in 2004.

Freezing vaults guard Earth’s flora
The ultramodern facility in the tranquil English countryside looks like a perfect lab for a James Bond villain, but it doesn’t hide anything sinister. The only thing kept here are seeds, lots of them.

Areas near parks dropped from oil drilling plan
SALT LAKE CITY – The Bureau of Land Management has dropped more than half the parcels it originally proposed for an oil and gas lease sale next week, many of which were criticized because of their proximity to southern Utah national parks.

You Can’t Go Green Without Adding a Little Blue
In the face of increasing scarcity and rising costs, companies are beginning to realize that water, like energy and carbon, should be a key pillar of a corporate sustainability strategy.