Obama to lead fight against climate change: Clinton
Incoming President Barack Obama will lead “a global and coordinated response” toward combatingclimate change, secretary of state designate Hillary Clinton told a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Clean coal: up there with aliens, mermaids and bigfoot
I just had to point this out to my readers because I think it’s a clever, well-targeted campaign. A group called The Reality Coalition is running ads on buses and other public transit points that attempt to debunk industry claims that clean coal will be a cost-effective reality anytime soon. The ads show bigfoot, an alien and a mermaid holding a piece of coal, accompanied by the words: “The coal industry is spending millions advertising clean coal, but not a single clean coal power plant exists in the U.S. today.” The ads are reportedly running in Washington, D.C., just in time for the flood of people heading to the capital for Barack Obama’s inauguration.

T. BOONE PICKENS AND ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. HOST CAPITOL HILL ENERGY POLICY BRIEFING
Washington, DC – January 13, 2009 – T. Boone Pickens and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today provided an energy policy briefing on Capitol Hill for Congressional staff members and the media. Messrs. Pickens and Kennedy addressed the energy crisis, emphasizing the need for renewed and increased investment in domestic and alternative energy sources and the positive impact of these efforts on our economy and the environment.

T. Boone Pickens Launches Monthly Update on Foreign Oil Purchases – US Sent Nearly $20 Billion Overseas and Imported 66.5% of Oil in December 2008
Washington, DC – January 13, 2009 – Highlighting the impact of America’s staggering dependence on foreign on investment in domestic programs and infrastructure development, T. Boone Pickens, at a press conference today in Washington, DC, launched a program that will track monthly the amount of foreign oil imported from foreign countries. Mr. Pickens will continue his campaign for the Pickens Plan in 2009 by providing monthly updates of the United States’ monthly imports of foreign oil and focusing the American people’s attention on the progress the nation is making to reduce foreign oil imports.

Kicking the Fossil Fuel Habit: Germany-US Agree Transatlantic Climate-Energy Pact
Historically reliant on coal, imported oil and natural gas, Germany has become something of a test bed and model for national energy policy, and public and private sector investment and action when it comes to making the transition to a “low carbon” society. Emphasizing the critical importance of the US joining the EU and taking a leadership position if global accords and efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change and energy security are to have any real chance of success, policy makers and political leaders from the US and Germany in December inked an agreement establishing the “Transatlantic Climate Bridge.”

Gulf Oil States Seeking a Lead in Clean Energy
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — With one of the highest per capita carbon footprints in the world, these oil-rich emirates would seem an unlikely place for a green revolution. Gasoline sells for 45 cents a gallon. There is little public transportation and no recycling. Residents drive between air-conditioned apartments and air-conditioned malls, which are lighted 24/7.

China Combating Pollution by Paying People Not to Drive
As Causecast.org recently reported, China is so desperate to get high-polluting cars off the roads of Beijing, the city government is willing to pay drivers $3,600 not to use their cars. 

A Bicycle Evangelist With the Wind Now at His Back
Earl Blumenauer, the founder and proprietor of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus, advocates cycling as a remedy for everything from climate change to obesity.

Warren Buffett-Backed Electric Car Makes Detroit Debut
China’s BYD Auto’s e6 all-electric automobile made its Detroit debut today, with an assist from the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary MidAmerican Energy Holdings… [T]he car [is] described by the manufacturer as a “mid-size five passenger crossover vehicle” with a range of about 250 miles on a single charge. 

Solar reaches low-income Indians
Social venture SELCO India clears the financial hurdles for renewable energy technologies, already securing power for 100,000 homes and businesses.

Smallest Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Use in Tiny Portable Gadgets
The smallest hydrogen fuel cell of just 3mm diameter was created by US chemical scientists and could replace batteries in portable electronics devices.

Japanese Company Making CD/DVD Cases With Rice-Based Plastic
In a first for the CD industry, Victor Creative Media Co Ltd. has begun taking orders for CD/DVD cases made with rice-based plastic . While rice accounts for less than 10% of the material, the composite plastic uses significantly less fossil fuel than traditional plastic. Victor’s product has previously been used in paper fan handles and benches.

Ecosystem Markets Take Off
While global financial markets crumble, a new form of markets is on the rise. Ecosystem markets, exchanges of nature’s various services, are adding new dimensions to conservation. In addition to using regulation to restrict development, more countries are turning to the invisible hand of the market to protect biodiversity, clean waterways, and fight climate change.

Schools going green with paperless fliers; Online notices save kids’ backpacks for academic purposes
Schools have long relied on one emissary to deliver paperwork into parents’ hands: students’ backpacks. But driven by environmental and economic concerns, many schools now are posting notices online, instead, to remind parents of next week’s dance recital or alert them to a new program at the local library.

New digital map of Africa’s depleted soils to offer insights critical for boosting food production
Nairobi, Kenya (13 January 2009)—Responding to sub-Saharan Africa’s soil health crisis, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) announced today an ambitious new effort to produce the first-ever, detailed digital soil map for all 42 countries of the region. This project combines the latest soil science and technology with remote satellite imagery and on-the-ground efforts to analyze thousands of soil samples from remote areas across the continent to help provide solutions for poor farmers, who suffer from chronically low-yielding crops largely because of degraded soils.

Mapping the Sea and Its Mysteries
“Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas,” details how surprising discoveries are illuminating the sea, its immense impact on the planet and its habitability.

Removing cats to protect birds backfires on island
Decision to eradicate feral cats from Macquarie island to save seabirds allowed the rabbit population to explode and, in turn, destroy much of its fragile vegetation that birds depend on.

Tests show algae toxin in some sick pelicans
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A toxic chemical produced by algae has been detected in some sick California brown pelicans that are being found in record numbers along the West Coast, though researchers don’t believe it’s the primary cause of their widespread illness, wildlife experts said Friday.

Tasmanian tiger’s die-off explained
Until recently, little was known about the mysterious Tasmanian tiger, but new DNA sequences of the dog-like marsupial shed light on the striped creature’s surprising family tree and its extinction 73 years ago.