Rio+20: Indigenous peoples march to deliver Kari-Oca Declaration to world leaders

Rabble: Indigenous peoples are gathered at the Kari-Oca 2 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, as the governments and corporate profiteers attempt to place a price on nature as a commodity at the United Nations Rio+20 Conference on Sustainability. The Kari-Oca 2 Declaration will be delivered to world leaders today during a march from the Kari-Oca encampment to the Rio+20 Summit. The declaration states, in part: "We see the goals of UNCSD Rio+20, the 'Green Economy,' and its premise that the world can only...

URL: http://rabble.ca/news/2012/06/rio20-indigenous-peoples-march-deliver-kari-oca-declaration-world-leaders
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Carbon credit scam would have cost Britain £2bn

Independent: The Attorney General was ill in bed when British customs investigators turned up demanding urgent legal advice on a tax matter. But the matter wouldn't wait and they refused to go away. Without the Government's senior law officer's immediate legal opinion, they warned, Britain faced being scammed out of £2bn. Baroness Scotland was roused from her sickbed and confirmed that the trade minister, Stephen Timms, had the power to zero-rate VAT. Within 48 hours, investigators had blocked a loophole...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/carbon-credit-scam-would-have-cost-britain-2bn-7878760.html

Rio climate change summit takes baby steps

New York Times: Burdened by low expectations, snarled by endless traffic congestion and shunned by President Obama, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ended here as it began, under a shroud of withering criticism. The anti-poverty organization CARE called the meeting "nothing more than a political charade," and Greenpeace said the gathering was "a failure of epic proportions." The Pew Environment Group was slightly more charitable. "It would be a mistake to call Rio a failure," the group...

URL: http://www.startribune.com/world/160138845.html
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Under-fire UN summit issues environment, poverty blueprint

Agence France-Presse: The biggest UN summit on sustainable development in a decade approved a strategy on Friday to haul more than a billion people out of poverty and cure the sickness of the biosphere. But critics branded the plan a cruel failure, saying it had been gutted of ambition by national interests. The gathering of 191 UN members crowned a 10-day forum marking 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit, where leaders vowed the world would live within its environmental means. In a sprawling 53-page statement,...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/un-summit-approves-strategy-poverty-environment-034751793.html

Rio ends with corporates warning

BBC: The UN sustainable development summit in Brazil has ended with world leaders adopting a political declaration hammered out a few days previously. Environment and development charities say the Rio+20 agreement is too weak to tackle social and environmental crises. Gro Harlem Brundtland, author of a major UN sustainable development report 25 years ago, said corporate power was one reason for lack of progress. Nations will spend three years drawing up sustainable development goals. They...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18561223#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

United Kingdom: Great northern mop-up begins after a month of rain falls in just one day

Guardian: Northern England began mopping up after a month's rainfall falling in 24 hours saw waist-high water flowing down streets and families forced to flee their homes. Cumbria bore the brunt, with almost 10cm of rain overnight on Friday. Scores of homes were evacuated in Croston and Darwen, near Chorley in Lancashire, after rivers burst their banks, while people had to be rescued from their homes by boat in Wigan. Those flooded out should be able to recoup the cost of temporary accommodation, according...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/24/flooding-northern-england-river-calder
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Guyana to soon receive US $40M from Norway

Demerara Waves: Prime Minister of Norway Mr. Jens Stoltenberg has reaffirmed the country's support for the implementation of Guyana's Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which continues to be hailed as a model for sustainable development, according to the Government Information Agency (GINA). Mr Stoltenberg gave this assurance to President Donald Ramotar in Brazil today where many countries' leaders and climate change experts have gathered for the Rio+20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Norwegian Prime Minister...

URL: http://www.demerarawaves.com/index.php/201206214028/Latest/guyana-to-soon-receive-us-40m-from-norway.html

'Rio+20 Has Become the Summit of Futility'

Spiegel: Twenty years ago, the United Nations summit held in Rio de Janeiro paved the way for landmark agreements on the climate and the environment. This year's meeting, on the other hand, has been widely criticized for its lack of vision in the face of accelerating degradation of the planet. German commentators are critical as well. "Let me be frank. Our efforts have not lived up to the measure of the challenge." That is the verdict handed down by none other than United Nations Secretary General Ban...

URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/widespread-criticism-of-rio-environment-summit-a-840181.html
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Sea Level Rise Will Hit Calif. Harder than Rest of West

Climate Central: By 2030, sea levels on most of California's coast will be 5 inches higher than 10 years ago. By 2100, it will be 3 feet higher. That's according to a new report by the National Research Council. The study arrived at numbers that aren't far from previous projections of sea level rise, but other research has been on a global scale, and this one focused specifically on the West Coast. "What was surprising to me was Oregon and Washington being so different,' Robert Dalrymple told me; he's a professor...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/sea-level-rise-will-hit-calif-harder-than-rest-of-west/

Climate refugees – today’s new reality

TerraViva: The continued exodus of Somalis to Kenya and Ethiopia has fuelled the debate on a new issue of global concern: climate refugees, driven from their homes and across borders by extreme weather events. Massive displacement of people in some parts of Africa, especially the eastern part of the continent, is caused by lengthy periods of drought, famine and armed conflict. One illustration of this is the flood of people leaving Somalia since late 2010. The issue has caused deep concern in the Office...

URL: http://www.ips.org/TV/rio20/climate-refugees-todays-new-reality/
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Sea level to rise higher in California due to global warming, geology

San Jose Mercury News: As the world continues to warm from climate change, most of California -- including San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay -- will see a greater rise in sea level than other parts of the planet, according to a prominent national study released Friday. The report, from the National Academy of Sciences, found that the impacts of melting ice and warming, expanding oceans will hit California harder because most of the state's coast line is slowly sinking due to geological forces. Ocean levels south...

URL: http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_20922197/sea-level-rise-higher-california-due-global-warming?source=rss

Rio+20 Doesn't Get Further Than Vague Declaration

National Public Radio: The Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development was the biggest United Nations conference ever, but it may be one of the biggest duds. It produced no major agreements - just a vaguely worded declaration that has been widely derided. More than 45,000 people registered for the event in Rio de Janeiro, but diplomats couldn't even agree about the meeting's objective until 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday, just before heads of state and other high-level delegates started arriving in Rio. They finally agreed...

URL: http://www.npr.org/2012/06/23/155619036/rio-20-doesnt-get-further-than-vague-declaration?ft=1&f=1025
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As politicians sidestep action at Rio+20, others prepare to take the lead

AlertNet: Rio+20, envisioned as a visionary gathering designed to wrest the world onto a more sustainable development path, ended Friday with a tepid agreement even the UN Secretary General had earlier admitted was not "up to the measure of the challenge.' The deal simply affirmed concerns about poverty, food security, deforestation and other issues - though the meeting produced promises of half a trillion dollars in spending on efforts from improving energy efficiency to building more sustainable transportation....

URL: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/as-politicians-sidestep-action-at-rio20-others-prepare-to-take-the-lead
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Citing drought, Wyoming governor seeks disaster declaration

Reuters: Wyoming's governor, citing drought conditions, has asked for a federal disaster declaration after dwindling runoff from meager winter snowpack combined with an especially dry spring and early summer hit ranchers hard, his office said on Friday. The request, if successful, could help farmers qualify for federal assistance based on poor grass and hay production that has driven many to sell off cattle in the face of persistent dry weather. "Wyoming farmers and ranchers are struggling to work through...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/23/us-usa-drought-wyoming-idUSBRE85M01S20120623

Study: Sea-level rise two or three times higher than expected

Agence France-Presse: Global sea levels could rise two to three times higher over the next century than previously estimated, according to a study released Friday by the US National Research Council. A committee of experts evaluated that latest UN estimates and updated them with new data on polar ice-cap melting that is believed to be speeding up sea level rise around the world. By 2100, the NRC estimates that global sea levels will rise between 20-55 inches (50 and 140 centimeters). The UN Intergovernmental...

URL: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/22/study-sea-level-rise-two-or-three-times-higher-than-expected/
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Climate change activists scale the gates of Buckingham Palace in protest

Associated Press: Four climate change activists scaled gates at Queen Elizabeth II's Buckingham Palace home on Saturday and locked themselves to railings in a protest demanding more urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The group, from the Climate Siren environmentalist movement, wore T-shirts with the slogan "Climate emergency. 10 percent annual emission cuts' and chanted through a loud hailer. London's Metropolitan Police said the four had climbed up a gate at the front of the palace and secured themselves...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/climate-change-activists-scale-the-gates-of-buckingham-palace-in-protest/2012/06/23/gJQAlLroxV_story.html

United Kingdom: Worry for homeowners who face the threat of fracking

Guardian: Fracking has already caused small earthquakes in the north-west, but homeowners in the vicinity of shale gas extraction could face an even worse aftershock: falling house prices. John Johnson, manager of estate agent Farrell Heyworth in the Lancashire town of Poulton-le-Fylde, near one of the main drilling sites, says: "There are a lot of properties coming on to the market, and some of the owners are saying they want to get out before prices start dropping." Fracking involves drilling a well...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jun/23/fracking-undermine-value-home
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Climate change protest at Buckingham Palace

ITV: A group of climate change activists scaled the gates of Buckingham Palace and secured themselves to the railings. Four protesters from the Climate Siren group locked themselves to the south centre gate just after 2pm today, wearing t-shirts bearing the words "climate emergency. 10% annual emission cuts" and wielding megaphones. The group said they were calling on the Queen to follow her son's example in speaking out about "the escalating threat of catastrophic climate change". A Metropolitan...

URL: http://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-06-23/climate-change-protest-at-buckingham-palace/
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Smoky Haze Over Malaysia Signals a Regional Problem

New York Times: For much of the year, the Petronas Towers, the world's tallest twin buildings, are gleaming landmarks visible far from the city center here. But last weekend, the 88-story structures were shrouded in a smoky haze that prompted doctors to warn people with respiratory problems to wear masks. The haze, attributed mostly to fires burning on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, has become a recurring summer blight, engulfing parts of Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore, and leaving a litany of health...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/world/asia/smoky-haze-over-malaysia-signals-a-regional-problem.html

Florida Worries as Growth Threatens Its Freshwater Springs

New York Times: Of Florida's 700 artesian springs, Silver Springs shimmered the brightest. Its fresh water was so translucent that the white sand and tiny shells at the bottom glistened, giving the river and springs a beautiful blue tint from above. Glass-bottomed boats grew famous here as did underwater photography. Even Tarzan was lured to the springs; six of the movies in the 1930s and '40s were filmed here. Tourists arrived in droves to these springs, just outside Ocala. The riverscape — with anhingas drying...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/us/florida-worries-as-growth-threatens-its-freshwater-springs.html
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Cost of Minnesota Flood Estimated at $100 Million

New York Times: The waters in Duluth are receding, but the damage is done: the northeastern Minnesota city estimates more than $100 million will be required to repair utilities, streets, parks and trails in the city and surrounding county of St. Louis, said Pakou Ly, a spokeswoman for Duluth. The State Department of Transportation estimates its roads have sustained $20 million worth of damage. Flash floods tore through the city this week after seven inches of rain came down on ground already saturated by previous...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/us/millions-in-damage-from-duluth-flooding.html
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Rio+20 Earth Summit results in nonbinding declaration with moderate goals

Washington Post: The global environment summit concluding Friday, which drew nearly 100 world leaders and more than 45,000 other people to Rio de Janiero and cost tens of millions of dollars, may produce one lasting legacy: Convincing people it's not worth holding global summits. The U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, a once-a-decade meeting aimed at reconciling economic and environmental aspirations, has produced a nonbinding declaration, committing the world's politicians to modest goals. The proposals...

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/rio20-earth-summit-results-in-nonbinding-declaration-with-moderate-goals/2012/06/22/gJQA7kpMvV_story.html

Great Lakes cities smash long-time heat records

Great Lakes Echo: The first five months of 2012 were the warmest on record for many Great Lakes cities. "The Midwest and upper Midwest just experienced a spring that was literally off the charts," said Deke Arndt, chief of the climate monitoring branch at the National Climatic Data Center. "We literally had to rescale some of our charts to accommodate the warmth we saw this spring." Thirty-eight cities in the Great Lakes region knocked out serious long-standing heat records, according to the National Oceanic...

URL: http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/06/21/great-lakes-cities-smash-long-time-heat-records/
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Belo Monte, An Announcement of War

Intercontinental Cry: Belo Monte, An Announcement Of War is an independent, crowd-funded, feature-length documentary about the largest ongoing construction project in Brazil and the permanent struggle to stop it. The entire film has been uploaded to the internet for anyone who wishes to view it. Visit the film's official website: www.BeloMonteoFilme.org Synopsis "BELO MONTE, AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF WAR" A Documentary about the largest ongoing construction project in Brazil, where both OPINIONS/DEPOSITIONS for and against...

URL: http://intercontinentalcry.org/belo-monte-an-announcement-of-war/
Enclosure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRhavupkfw&feature=player_embedded

Biodiversity loss, climate change to cause increase in refugees

Business Mirror: NO one chooses to be a refugee. This is the resounding theme for World Refugee Day, which was held annually on June 20 to recognize the plight of refugees and their valuable contribution to the countries that they eventually choose to call home. Millions of people worldwide have left everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror, and have to start from scratch and rebuild their lives in new environments. Today, because of impacts from environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate...

URL: http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/biodiversity/28917-world-refugee-day-biodiversity-loss-climate-change-to-cause-increase-in-refugees
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Did global warming set stage for Duluth flooding?

Climate Central: As the people of Duluth, Minn. -- a community of about 86,000 tucked away at the southwest corner of Lake Superior -- try to recover from the record flooding of the past week, it's reasonable for them to ask whether global warming may have played a role in the floodwaters that so heavily damaged their city. Given the unusual nature of the rainfall, and the prevalence of extreme weather in Minnesota and other states so far this year and during recent decades, the answer, according to the scientific...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/global-warming-may-have-set-the-stage-for-duluth-flooding/

Climate change activists scale gates of Buckingham Palace and chain themselves to railings

Daily Mail: Climate change activists scaled the gates of Buckingham Palace and chained themselves to the railings today. Four protesters from the Climate Siren group locked themselves to the south centre gate just after 2pm, holding megaphones and wearing T-shirts that read: 'Climate emergency. 10% annual emission cuts'. Two held a banner carrying a quote from the Prince of Wales reading: 'The doomsday clock of climate change is ticking ever faster towards midnight. We are simply not reacting quickly enough.'...

URL: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2163634/Climate-change-activists-scale-gates-Buckingham-Palace-chain-railings.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
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Evangelicals stand up for the EPA on climate change

Paramus Post: This Sunday morning the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) will be running TV spots in key states — VA, TN, NC, OH, PA, MO and in DC — asking viewers to tell their Senators "that defending the EPA's ability to reduce carbon pollution is the right thing to do." On Monday, EEN's President, the Rev. Mitch Hescox, will meet with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, play the TV spot for her, and hand-deliver more than 40,000 messages of support from pro-life Christians....

URL: http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20120621110800466

Environmental Activists ‘Killed at Rate of One a Week’

Guardian: The struggle for the world's remaining natural resources is becoming more murderous, according to a new report that reveals that environmental activists were killed at the rate of one a week in 2011. The death toll of campaigners, community leaders and journalists involved in the protection of forests, rivers and land has risen dramatically in the past three years, said Global Witness. Brazil -- the host of the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development -- has the worst record for danger...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/environmental-activists-being-killed-at-rate-of-one-a-week?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
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China leads the way on cleaner coal even as it burns more

Fast Company: China fires up an average of one new coal-fired plant each week to fuel its blistering economic growth. In the U.S., despite growing opposition and the flood of cheap "fracked" natural gas, the Department of Energy says coal "will continue to provide the majority of our Nation's baseload generation capacity" in the near future. As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels soar beyond 400 parts per million, the highest levels in at least 800,000 years, and beyond what some scientists believe may be a safe...

URL: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680067/china-leads-the-way-on-cleaner-coal-even-as-it-burns-more

Federal judge halts gas drilling plan on Colorado plateau

Reuters: A U.S. district judge ordered the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Friday to re-assess its plan to allow drilling on some 50,000 acres on the Roan Plateau, which the energy industry says contains one of the largest natural gas fields in the continental United States. Only on msnbc.com Jerry Sandusky convicted of child sex abuse Juror: Sandusky's lack of emotion was 'confirmation' EPA Suu Kyi's fight against oppression had high cost Donations for bullied bus monitor soar past $500,000 Privacy...

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47931868/ns/us_news-environment/

Rio+20 Conference Ends, With Some Progress on the Sidelines

New York Times: Burdened by low expectations, snarled by endless traffic congestion and shunned by President Obama, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ended here as it began, under a shroud of withering criticism. The antipoverty organization CARE called the meeting "nothing more than a political charade," and Greenpeace said the gathering was "a failure of epic proportions." The Pew Environment Group was slightly more charitable. "It would be a mistake to call Rio a failure," the group said,...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/world/americas/rio20-conference-ends-with-some-progress-on-the-sidelines.html

Arctic ice caps may be more prone to melt

ClimateWire: Today, the Arctic is synonymous with "cold." But a new study suggests the polar region has experienced periods of intense warmth over the past 2.8 million years that may have been hot enough to melt the Greenland ice sheet. Scientists already knew that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average. But the new study, based on a sediment core drilled from a Russian lake, suggests the far north's climate is even more sensitive than researchers suspected. "There are really big surprises...

URL: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=arctic-ice-caps-may-be-more-prone-melt
Enclosure: http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/arctic-ice-caps-may-be-more-prone-melt_1.jpg

Climate-smart agriculture to reduce vulnerability

Inter Press Service: Agroforestry is gaining ground as a tool for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Central America, a region where global warming could generate losses equivalent to 19 percent of gross domestic product. "Agroforestry is our only alternative to mitigate and adapt to climate change," Alberto Chinchilla, executive director of the Central American Coordinating Association of Indigenous and Peasant Community Agroforestry (ACICAFOC) told Tierramérica. A side event of the United Nations Conference...

URL: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/06/climate-smart-agriculture-to-reduce-vulnerability/
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Rio green summit dismissed as 'hoax that achieved nothing'

Independent: The UN's Rio Plus 20 summit on sustainable development ended yesterday amid a torrent of criticism from environment and development campaigners, who said the colossal, three-day international meeting had achieved nothing. More than 50,000 policymakers, environmentalists and business leaders from around the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro for a conference to mark the 20th anniversary of the celebrated "Earth Summit". But in contrast to the 1992 meeting, which saw the signature of the important UN...

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/rio-green-summit-dismissed-as-hoax-that-achieved-nothing-7876762.html

Boulder scientists: Declining Antarctic sea ice may affect penguin populations

Daily Camera: The population of hardy emperor penguins -- which breed on the open Antarctic sea ice during the long, dark winter -- could be severely reduced as the climate continues to warm, according to a study by a team of scientists that included several Boulder researchers. Pairs of breeding penguins could shrink by as much as 80 percent by the end of the century, according to the study, published in the journal Global Change Biology. "Our best projections show roughly 500 to 600 breeding pairs remaining...

URL: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_20902582/boulder-scientists-declining-antarctic-sea-ice-may-affect

Rising sea levels to hit California hard by 2100

Reuters: Seas could rise higher along the California coastline this century than in other places in the world, increasing the risk of flooding and storm damage, dune erosion and wetland destruction, the U.S. National Research Council reported Friday. Rising sea levels have long been seen as a consequence of climate change, because as the world warms, glaciers melt and contribute water to the Earth's oceans. At the same time, ocean waters tend to expand as they heat, pushing sea levels higher. The report...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-climate-sealevel-california-idUSBRE85L1H920120622?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Eurozone crisis and US presidential race 'damaged Rio+20 prospects'

Guardian: Building a global consensus on sustainability is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of economic crises and a US political climate that is increasingly hostile to action on climate change, according to Gro Harlem Brundtland, one of the chief architects of the first Rio Earth summit in 1992. The former Norwegian prime minister lamented the absence of Barack Obama, David Cameron and many other leaders from the follow-up Rio+20 conference currently taking place in Brazil, but said they faced...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/21/eurozone-crisis-us-election-rio-20
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Rio+20 seen as last chance for rainforest

Financial Times: When Greenpeace accused Brazil's JBS, the world's largest beef exporter, of sourcing cattle from illegally deforested parts of the Amazon this month, the company's response was swift. An angry JBS immediately filed a lawsuit against the environmental activist group and won a court injunction last week restricting dissemination of Greenpeace's report. Round one may have gone to JBS but Greenpeace's timing could hardly have been more strategic. Its attack on the meatpacker came as a long-running...

URL: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d5708806-b871-11e1-a2d6-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1yPH8hrs9

Study: Climate change likely to hit California unless pollution is cut worldwide

Bunsen Burner: The City of Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles, along with other organizations, have released a report on a new study modeling potential future climate conditions in the Southern California area, which could provide climate scientists with never-before-seen data. In a release from the office of Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor says that the climate report is the "first of its kind" and makes predictions "down to a neighborhood level." Whereas previous studies...

URL: http://www.thebunsenburner.com/news/study-climate-change-likely-to-hit-california-unless-pollution-is-cut-worldwide/
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Rio+20 Earth Summit is a washout

Telegraph: Even the skies wept. Glorious weather bathed Rio de Janeiro for the week running up to the Earth Summit, while some hope remained that it might produce even minor measures to tackle the world's escalating environmental crises. But when the leaders flew in on Wednesday to rubber-stamp an agreement shorn of commitments to action, the rain started falling -- and didn't let up, culminating in a thunderstorm on the final morning. It is always a bad sign when a UN conference ends on time: if anything...

URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9349274/Rio20-Earth-Summit-is-a-washout.html
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California faces more serious risk of sea level rise than other areas

San Jose Mercury News: As the world continues to warm from climate change, oceans will rise up to 8 inches in the next 20 years, 19 inches by 2050, and up to 4 feet by 2100, causing increasing threats from flooding, according to a new study released Friday from the National Academy of Sciences. But California will see even more sea level rise because much of the state's coastal area is subsiding due to geological forces. South of Cape Mendocino -- areas including San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles -- will see ocean...

URL: http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_20917927/california-faces-more-serious-risk-sea-level-rise?source=rss

India: Impact of climate change on Luni river basin to be studied

Times of India: The Department of Environmental Science at Central University of Rajasthan and Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Sweden has jointly received a grant of Rs 1.6 crore for an Indo-Swedish collaboration project entitled 'Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in the Luni River Basin, Rajasthan, India. The project proposal was submitted to Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) under Partner Driven Cooperation (PDC) programme in collaboration...

URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Impact-of-climate-change-on-Luni-river-basin-to-be-studied/articleshow/14348215.cms

Rio+20: Many “mays” but few “musts”

Economist: A DEAL is one thing. A deal that means progress another. By the end of the three-day UN environment summit due to end on June 23rd in Rio de Janeiro, a hundred-plus national leaders and representatives were expected to approve a 283-point agreement negotiated in advance by their envoys. The gathering was called Rio+20, in reference to an important environment conference in the city in 1992. But the agreement this time was filled with weasel words and compromises. Hidden among the caveats and hobby-horses...

URL: http://www.economist.com/node/21557314?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/many_mays_but_few_musts_

Ocean Advocates Find Silver Linings After Rio+20 Disappointment

National Geographic: In an email to National Geographic News from Rio de Janeiro, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle said of the ongoing UN Conference on Sustainable Development, "Concerning oceans, there is reason to suggest that the outcomes could be characterized as Rio+20 minus 40." (National Geographic News is owned by the National Geographic Society.) Earle's words sum up the buzz in the halls of Riocentro-the massive suburban conference center that has hosted tens of thousands of delegates,...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/06/120622-rio-20-oceans/
Enclosure: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/554/cache/rio-plus-20-oceans-bycatch_55438_600x450.jpg

U.S. extends time for public feedback on fracking rules

Reuters: The Obama administration is extending by 60 days the deadline for the public to comment on a proposal expanding oversight of fracking drilling on federal lands, as both industry and environmental groups seek changes. The Interior Department unveiled draft regulations in early May that would require companies to get approval before using fracking and to reveal the chemicals they would use in the process after they finish drilling. "To ensure that the public and key stakeholders, including industry...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-usa-fracking-regulations-idUSBRE85L1DQ20120622?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

A Hybrid Approach to Solar Power

New York Times: When photovoltaic cells make electricity from sunlight, they collect a lot of heat along the way. And they don't work as well warm as they do cold. Four years ago I wrote about a hybrid system that was intended both to make electricity and gather usable heat on residential rooftops. That company, now called Echo Solar, is offering its product around the country. But the market for such hybrids goes beyond homes, especially if the second product is hot water, which can make steam and then electricity....

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/a-hybrid-approach-to-solar-power/?partner=rss&emc=rss
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/06/22/business/water/water-blog480.jpg

Brazil: Declaration of Kari-Oca II adopted by five hundred Indigenous representatives in sacred ceremony

Climate Connections: Over five hundred Indigenous Peoples from Brazil and throughout the world gathered at Kari-Oca II, an encampment seated at the foot of a mountain near Rio Centro, to sign a declaration demanding respect for Indigenous Peoples' role in maintaining a stable world environment, and condemning the dominant economic approach toward ecology, development, human rights and the rights of Mother Earth. "We see the goals of UNCSD Rio+20, the "Green Economy", and its premise that the world can only 'save'...

URL: http://climate-connections.org/2012/06/19/declaration-of-kari-oca-ii-adopted-by-five-hundred-indigenous-representatives-in-sacred-ceremony/

Rio+20 Summit Ends With Little Faith in Government Solutions

Yale Environment 360: Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro promised an era of aggressive action on biodiversity loss and global warming, the United Nations Rio+20 sustainability summit ended Friday with recriminations and a growing sense that international institutions will play an increasingly diminished role in solving environmental problems. World leaders — with the notable absence of the heads of the U.S., U.K, Germany, and Russia — approved an agreement that lacked specifics, commitments, and measurable...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/rio_20_summit_ends_with_little_faith_in_government_solutions/3521/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

Report: Cities worldwide taking action on climate change

TG Daily: Not so long ago, the view of the political right (and even many centrists) was that a focus on the environment and climate change would hurt jobs and the economy in general. According to a recent report from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), more and more cities worldwide are turning that line of thinking on its head by tapping into the potential for growth offered by climate change adaptation. But here's the bad news: that trend could change soon, without outside funding. Measurement for...

URL: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGLC7SeaY-lFoV7OqQKzp1Spnb8PQ&url=http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/64226-report-cities-worldwide-taking-action-on-climate-change
Enclosure: http://c276521.r21.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/nyc-shutterstock-e13375415463851.jpg

Report: Calif. to get seas rising 6 inches by 2030

Associated Press: The West Coast will see an ocean several inches higher in coming decades, with most of California expected to get sea levels a half foot higher by 2030, according a report released Friday. The study by the National Research Council gives planners their best look yet at how melting ice sheets and warming oceans associated with climate change will raise sea levels along the country's Pacific coast. It is generally consistent with earlier global projections, but takes a closer look at California,...

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47924836/ns/us_news-environment/

WBCSD president says the future of the planet rests on business

Guardian: Peter Bakker, the president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Business (WBCSD), believes that the corporate sector currently offers the best opportunity for saving the world. Following the disappointing political outcome of Rio+20, he is on a mission to encourage business to move away from visioning the future and writing glossy reports to implementing change at scale. Like other business leaders at Rio, he recognises that global solutions are unlikely in times of economic and financial...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/rio-20-business-sustainable-development

Rio+20 ending with weak text, emboldened observers

Reuters: Global leaders ended a U.N. development summit on Friday with what was widely considered a lackluster agreement, leaving many attendees convinced that individuals and companies, rather than governments, must lead efforts to improve the environment. Nearly 100 heads of state and government gathered over the past three days in efforts to establish "sustainable development goals," a U.N. drive built around economic growth, the environment and social inclusion. But a lack of consensus over those goals...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-un-climate-idUSBRE85H19320120622?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29
Enclosure: http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20120622&t=2&i=622089181&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=300&r=CBRE85L1PC500

Rio+20: Biggest ever UN summit ends with faint glimmer of hope

Telegraph: More than 150,000 people crowded into hotels on the famous Copacabana strip and even paid for space in converted office and 'love motels' for the eagerly anticipated conference 20 years on from the original 1992 Earth Summit. The jamboree cost the Brazilian Government pounds 134million and each country hundreds of thousands to pay for flights and accommodation. The 50 strong UK delegation will have cost at least pounds 100,000. The UN, that is paid for by taxpayers around the world, will have...

URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9350184/Rio20-Biggest-ever-UN-summit-ends-with-faint-glimmer-of-hope.html
Enclosure: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02256/rioafp_2256555b.jpg

Heat Wave Continues for One More Day in East

Climate Central: The heat is on for one more day in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, before scattered thunderstorms are forecast to usher in cooler air for the weekend. The hot weather represents the last gasp of a heat wave that began in the West on June 16-17, moved eastward, breaking records in Chicago as well as contributing to the record flooding in Duluth, Minn., and finally roasting residents of the eastern seaboard. During the period from June 15-21, 443 daily high maximum temperature records were set or...

URL: http://www.climatecentral.org/news/heat-wave-continues-for-one-more-day-in-east?utm-source=feedburner&utm-medium=feed&utm-campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
Enclosure: http://www.climatecentral.org/images/uploads/news/06-22-12_andrew_juneheat_warmrecords.png

Is Ocean Energy More Than "A Very Expensive Hobby"?

![][1] That was the question posed to industry experts at the EnergyOcean International conference and exhibition that took place in Danvers, Mass., this week. Referring to three levels of development — Epoch 1, 2, and 3 — Andrew Tyler, CEO of Marine Current Turbines (MCT), a company now owned by Siemens, gave a few key pointers to companies interested ge

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-is-ocean-energy-more-than-a-very-expensive-hobby.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/is-ocean-energy-more-than-a-very-expensive-hobby?cmpid=rss

BrightSource Wins Bid for Solar Trust's 500-Megawatt Project

![][1] BrightSource Energy Inc., the U.S. solar-thermal developer, was the top bidder at an auction today in Delaware to buy an unbuilt California power plant proposed by the bankrupt Solar Trust of America LLC.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-brightsource-wins-bid-for-solar-trusts-500-megawatt-project.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/brightsource-wins-bid-for-solar-trusts-500-megawatt-project?cmpid=rss

First Major U.S. Solar Project Approved on Tribal Land

![][1] America's push toward large-scale solar took a landmark step in a new direction Thursday when the Obama administration approved a 350-megawatt (MW) PV project on tribal land 30 miles north of Las Vegas.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-first-major-u-s-solar-project-approved-on-tribal-land.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/first-major-u-s-solar-project-approved-on-tribal-land?cmpid=rss

Support for mass transit and 'green' accounting moves ahead

ClimateWire: Bank executives, investors, companies like Wal-Mart and Woolworths, and 57 countries yesterday pledged to measure their levels of wealth by the health of their natural resources. In an agreement spearheaded by the World Bank at the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, the countries and 86 private companies agreed to employ a "green" accounting system that values natural assets like clean air, water, forests and ecosystems along with traditional measures like gross domestic...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/06/21/2

Rio+20 - Expectations High As Negotiations Close

Daily Trust: Expectations to produce a strong outcome document at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) are still high even as negotiators have only one more to conclude, a senior United Nations official said yesterday. "Delegates are sharing feedback on the consolidated text presented by Brazil," Rio+20's Secretary-General, Sha Zukang, said in a statement, adding that he remains optimistic that delegations would reach an agreement before the close of negotiations. In a press briefing,...

URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201206210801.html

Vestas Scraps U.K. Wind-turbine Plant as Industry Seeks Clarity

![][1] Vestas Wind Systems A/S shelved plans to build one of Europe's largest offshore-turbine factories in southeast England as the wind industry calls for clarity on subsidy programs.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-vestas-scraps-u-k-wind-turbine-plant-as-industry-seeks-clarity.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/vestas-scraps-u-k-wind-turbine-plant-as-industry-seeks-clarity?cmpid=rss

High overnight temperatures are the real worry

Philadelphia Inquirer: The temperature could make a run at a record 100 Thursday afternoon, but an endangered record that would be far less attention-getting worries Gary Szatkowski. During the early hours Friday, for a second consecutive day, readings in Philadelphia will have a hard time getting below the upper 70s. That's as uncomfortable as overnights get around here, and health experts warn that warm nights can be at least as dangerous as hot afternoons. Such nights have become ever more plentiful in recent...

URL: http://articles.philly.com/2012-06-21/news/32353183_1_high-overnight-temperatures-excessive-heat-warning-hot-night

Earth Summits Fail Biodiversity in India

Inter Press Service: The Indian government, with its impressive dossier of legislation on conservation and biodiversity, is at the forefront of negotiations on sustainable development, but a closer look at the country's involvement in a largely failed attempt to safeguard the earth's fragile ecosystems suggests that the entire global model is deeply flawed. The Rio summit 20 years ago appeared to be a valiant effort to involve stakeholders in environmental conservation, poverty eradication, and climate change mitigation...

URL: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/06/earth-summits-fail-biodiversity-in-india/
Enclosure: http://ipsnews-net.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/Library/2012/06/Chikka-Sampige-Tree.jpg

United Kingdom: Vestas abandons plans for Sheerness wind turbine factory

Guardian: Vestas, the biggest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, has abandoned plans to build a manufacturing base in Britain that had promised to create 2,000 jobs due to lack of orders. The move is a serious blow for the port of Sheerness in Kent which had been earmarked for the development but will also be seen by some as a vote of no confidence in the government's green policies at a time when subsidy levels are under review and other engineers such as Doosan of South Korea have shelved similar...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/22/vestas-abandons-plans-sheerness-jobs
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Business/Pix/pictures/2012/6/22/1340366175696/An-offshore-wind-farm-in--008.jpg

Who's Paying for the Energiewende?

![][1] It's high time to clarify a few things about the raging debate over the steep electricity prices in Germany. They're being blamed on the Energiewende by its opponents in order to stop or at least slow down Germany's in-progress energy transition. It is not fair. While it is true is that the costs of privileging renewable energy in the overall energ

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-whos-paying-for-the-energiewende.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/whos-paying-for-the-energiewende?cmpid=rss

Will UN Summit on Sustainable Development in Rio make anyone happy?

Mongabay: As world leaders head to Rio de Janeiro for the UN Summit on Sustainable Development, environmental and poverty groups are denouncing the last-minute text agreed on by dignitaries as "pathetic," (Greenpeace), a "damp squib" (Friends of the Earth), "a dead end" (Oxfam), and, if nothing changes, "a colossal waste of time" (WWF). "We were promised the 'future we want' but are now being presented with a 'common vision' of a polluter's charter that will cook the planet, empty the oceans and wreck the...

URL: http://www.enn.com/climate/article/44563?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClimateChangeNews-Enn+%28Climate+Change+News+-+ENN%29

A global shift toward obesity has serious climate consequences

ClimateWire: Expanding waistlines are not just tipping scales but may also push the mercury higher around the world, according to a new study. As humanity becomes more rotund, more resources are needed to cool, nourish and transport the extra weight, a trend that can contribute to climate change by requiring the consumption of more fossil fuels and resulting in more greenhouse gas emissions. Double trouble: Obesity has both health and climate impacts. Photo courtesy of Flickr. Emerging economies are...

URL: http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/06/21/1
Enclosure: http://www.eenews.net/assets/2012/06/21/photo_cw_01.jpg

The Happy Meal of Solar Marketing: Advertising, Social Media, and PR

![][1] When your little angel tears open the box of mostly edible treats known as "The Happy Meal," what she'll find is a package: You get the cheeseburger, the fries, the chocolate milk, the apple slices, plus that toy. It's a successful package, and it works. So too is solar marketing, but like the Happy Meal, it's not often a balanced package. As much

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-the-happy-meal-of-solar-marketing-advertising-social-media-and-pr.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/the-happy-meal-of-solar-marketing-advertising-social-media-and-pr?cmpid=rss

All-carbon Solar Cell Harnesses Infrared Light

![][1] About 40 percent of the solar energy reaching Earth's surface lies in the near-infrared region of the spectrum — energy that conventional silicon-based solar cells are unable to harness. But a new kind of all-carbon solar cell developed by MIT researchers could tap into that unused energy, opening up the possibility of combination solar cells — incorporating both traditional silicon-based cells and the new all-carbon cells — that could make use of almost the entire range of sunlight's energy.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-all-carbon-solar-cell-harnesses-infrared-light.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/all-carbon-solar-cell-harnesses-infrared-light?cmpid=rss

Loss of Antarctic ice could trigger super-interglacial

New Scientist: At least eight times in the last 2.8 million years, the Arctic experienced super-interglacials - periods in which summers there were 5 °C warmer than they are today. Climate models cannot explain these unusually warm spells, but there could be an unexpected cause: the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS), on the other side of the planet. The sheet could collapse again as the world warms, perhaps heralding super-interglacial number nine. The evidence for the super-interglacials comes...

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21959-loss-of-antarctic-ice-could-trigger-superinterglacial.html

Slash meat consumption to save planet, warn scientists

International Business Times: Eating less meat and recycling waste will rebalance the global carbon cycle and will help to tackle global warming, according to a new report. Researchers from the University of Exeter have claimed that people should eat less meat to tackle climate change. The discovery was made when they were studying meat consumption across the world. A new study has found that eating less meat and recycle waste will rebalance the global carbon cycle and it will help to tackle global warming." /> Previous...

URL: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/355150/20120622/eat-less-meat-tackle-global-warming-researchers.htm

Negotiators achieve early agreement at Rio summit

Nature: In the run-up to the Earth Summit taking place in Rio de Janeiro this week, Brazilian officials on 19 June unveiled a text agreed by negotiators that looks set to become the final agreement to emerge from the meeting. The 49-page document, which touches on all of the major issues surrounding sustainable development but requires very little in the way of concrete commitments from governments, will be taken up by world leaders when they gather at the 20–22 June Rio+20 meeting. Environmentalists...

URL: http://www.nature.com/news/negotiators-achieve-early-agreement-at-rio-summit-1.10861
Enclosure: http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.4996.1340187107!/image/online-RTR33NV5.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/online-RTR33NV5.jpg

Tesla Motors: Automaker or Graphic Novel?

![][1] One of the hardest parts of blogging about energy storage and vehicle electrification is the inability of some readers to wrap their minds around large numbers. We throw around numbers like thousand, million, billion and even trillion with surprising alacrity, but many fail to grasp their significance because the underlying realities are too big to comprehend.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-tesla-motors-automaker-or-graphic-novel.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/tesla-motors-automaker-or-graphic-novel?cmpid=rss

Japan Approves Feed-in Tariffs

![][1] Industry Minister Yukio Edano approved Japan's feed-in tariffs for renewable energy on 18 June 2012. The tariffs are among the highest in the world.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-japan-approves-feed-in-tariffs.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/japan-approves-feed-in-tariffs?cmpid=rss

Rio+20 draft text is 283 paragraphs of fluff

Guardian: In 1992, world leaders signed up to something called "sustainability". Few of them were clear about what it meant; I suspect that many of them had no idea. Perhaps as a result, it did not take long for this concept to mutate into something subtly different: "sustainable development". Then it made a short jump to another term: "sustainable growth". And now, in the 2012 Rio+20 text that world leaders are about to adopt, it has subtly mutated once more: into "sustained growth". This term crops up...

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2012/jun/22/rio-20-earth-summit-brazil
Enclosure: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Environment/Pix/columnists/2012/6/22/1340359277465/Rio20--People-protest-aga-008.jpg

Community Solar: Policies that Go the Distance

![][1] Many individuals want to get into the driver's seat by securing solar photovoltaic (PV) power — but how do you get into the pole position? By using Community Solar.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-community-solar-policies-that-go-the-distance.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/community-solar-policies-that-go-the-distance?cmpid=rss

Tesla Delivers First $100,000 Model S on Uncertain Demand

![][1] Tesla Motors Inc. survived a cash crisis in 2008 and tomorrow delivers its first electric car designed and built solely in-house. Co-founder Elon Musk will soon learn if there's enough Model S demand for Tesla to profit.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-tesla-delivers-first-100000-model-s-on-uncertain-demand.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/tesla-delivers-first-100000-model-s-on-uncertain-demand?cmpid=rss

First Solar resumes construction at California power plant

Reuters: First Solar said it had reached an agreement with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, allowing it to resume construction at a giant California solar project. First Solar shares rose as much as 10 percent at $15.98 on Friday on the Nasdaq. The 230-megawatt power plant, which is expected to go online in 2013, will generate enough electricity to power 75,000 homes. Work on the project first began in August 2011 but installation of modules was suspended, while First Solar and...

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-firstsolar-lacounty-idUSBRE85L0QR20120622?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

Solar Software Challenge: Making Solar Databases Accessible

![][1] The market for software for the renewable energy industry has expanded dramatically during the past 20 years. These days it's not good enough to build a power plant in a sunny part of the world and hope for the best.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/15/body-solar-software-challenge-making-solar-databases-accessible.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/solar-software-challenge-making-solar-databases-accessible?cmpid=rss

Melting sea ice could decimate emperor penguins

LiveScience: Emperor penguins depend on the sea ice that rings the continent of Antarctic, so it's no surprise that global warming, which is expected to melt some of that ice, may be bad news for these flightless, 4-foot (1.2-meter) tall birds. Since detailed information on most colonies is not available, the research focused on one well-studied colony of emperor penguins, at Terre Adélie in East Antarctica, to get an idea of what might happen to emperor penguins over the course of this century. Their results...

URL: http://www.livescience.com/21063-emperor-penguin-decline-antarctica.html

Celebrities speak out at Rio earth summit

Associated Press: Hollywood heavyweights threw their star power behind environmental causes on Thursday, advocating for the creation of an Arctic reserve and the protection of animal and plant species. Actor Edward Norton, the United Nations goodwill ambassador for biodiversity, appeared at a news conference at the U.N.'s Rio+20 earth summit to raise awareness of the fight to preserve the planet's rich variety of species at a time when flora and fauna are going extinct at an alarming rate. "Loss of biodiversity...

URL: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Celebs-speak-out-at-Rio-earth-summit-3652721.php

Nanotech Jump For Solar Cells

recOrbit: Solar power cells are limited by the wavelengths of light they can absorb from the sun. Ideally a solar cell would absorb every wavelength, but to date the goal has not been reached. Silicon, today`s photovoltaic industry standard, is limited in the wavelength range it can 'see` and absorb. A possible solution has been found in indium gallium nitride. Using this material, scientists can tune the material`s response so it collects solar energy from a variety of wavelengths. The more variations...

URL: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112643601/nanotech-jump-for-solar-cells/
Enclosure: http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2012/06/science-062212-001-617x416.jpg

The battle over climate science

PopSci: There's no police tape across Michael Mann's office doorway this morning. "Always a good start," he says, juggling a cup of coffee as he slides his key into the lock. Mann, a paleoclimatologist, wears a sport coat over a turtleneck. As he takes a seat at his desk, a narrow sunbeam angles through the window, spotlighting a jumble of books, journals and correspondence. Behind him, a framed picture of his six-year-old daughter rests near a certificate for the Nobel Peace Prize he shared in 2007....

URL: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-06/battle-over-climate-change
Enclosure: http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/climate-sign.jpg

Rio+20 protesters rip up summit text – video

Guardian: Climate campaigners carry out a 'ritual rip-up' of the Rio+20 summit negotiating text that they condemn as a betrayal for future generations. Cam Fenton, a Canadian youth environmental campaigner, says the civil society rejects the attempts of world leaders to solve the world's environmental problems

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2012/jun/22/rio-20-protesters-video
Enclosure: http://cdn.theguardian.tv/brightcove/2012/6/22/120622RioCamFenton-16x9.mp4?videoId=1701462054001&lineUpId=&pubId=281851582&playerId=26396137001&affiliateId=

First Solar's New Research Platform: Big News for Intermolecular

![][1] Two years ago, it seemed like First Solar (NASD:FSLR) could do no wrong. The company could manufacture it's thin film Cd-Te photovoltaic (PV) cells at a fraction of the price of traditional crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells. First Solar was the first company to break the $1/W barrier for manufacturing cost.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/22/body-first-solars-new-research-platform-big-news-for-intermolecular.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/first-solars-new-research-platform-big-news-for-intermolecular?cmpid=rss

Understanding Energy Units

Subtitle:

Energy and power are not the same

Images:

[![][1]][2]

If you've ever been confused by the difference between 500 BtuBritish thermal unit, the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water (about a pint) one degree Fahrenheit in temperature—about the heat content of one wooden kitchen match. One Btu is equivalent to 0.293 watt-hours or 1,055 joules. and 500 Btu/h, you probably can use a handy cheat sheet to explain energy units. As a guide through the thorny thickets of energy, power, and the units used to measure them, I've assembled some questions and attempted to answer them.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Power plant 2.jpg (A photo of a power plant)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/understanding-energy-units

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/understanding-energy-units

Latin America Report: 'Time Is Not On Our Side,' Says U.N. Chief

![][1] The United Nations Earth Summit kicked off this week in Rio de Janeiro, but even before its conclusion, the highly anticipated Rio+20 gathering was beset by a lack of specific goals and a failure to draw world leaders like American President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-latin-america-report-time-is-not-on-our-side-says-u-n-chief.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/latin-america-report-time-is-not-on-our-side-says-u-n-chief?cmpid=rss

Fossil Fuel Subsidies Five Times Higher than Wind Power Subsidies

![][1] UK newspapers have again picked-up on the issue of government subsidies to wind power saying that one Cabinet Office minister — Oliver Letwin — backs an end to subsidies to onshore wind farms by 2020. But the Guardian reported that Mr. Letwin's comments have "irritated" Ed Davey, the UK climate change secretary, who last week set out his backing fo

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/20/body-fossil-fuel-subsidies-five-times-higher-than-wind-power-subsidies.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/fossil-fuel-subsidies-five-times-higher-than-wind-power-subsidies?cmpid=rss

The Pied Piper of Grid Parity

![][1] You'd think that quarter after quarter of losses for PV industry manufacturers along with a steady march of failures would be enough to shake the industry loose from its addiction to the goal of grid parity. Instead, and despite evidence that the current pricing for PV modules is actually damaging the industry's ability to compete, the enthusiastic chorus about grid parity continues to grow louder. Disagree at your own risk, but agree or disagree, promises have been made for consistently lower system prices, and the cost of breaking these promises could be steep. "Hamelin Town's in Brunswick, by famous Hanover city" … so begins the famous poem by Robert Browning, famous more for its point about the danger of breaking promises than for its iambic pentameter.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-the-pied-piper-of-grid-parity.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/the-pied-piper-of-grid-parity?cmpid=rss

ACORE Launches EnergyFactCheck.org.

ACORE's plan to ensure that the complete story around clean and renewable energy is told, and to respond to inaccuracies and misrepresentations with well-founded facts.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12029.html

Wind Developers Look to Ontario in the Midst of PTC Uncertainty

![][1] Planning for wind energy developments in the U.S. for 2013 is literally at a stand-still due to the uncertainty of an extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC). But that isn't stopping some developers from moving forward with new projects for next year. These new builds might, however, pop up not in the U.S., but in a community with a stable gov

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-wind-developers-look-to-ontario-in-the-midst-of-ptc-uncertainty.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/wind-developers-look-to-ontario-in-the-midst-of-ptc-uncertainty?cmpid=rss

Solar Inverter Shakeout: 3 Survivors, 2 Buyers, a Loser and a Wildcard

![][1] The major publicly traded solar inverter companies are Power-One (NASD:PWER), Satcon (NASD:SATC), SMA Solar (OTC:SMTGF), Siemens (NYSE:SI), Advanced Energy Industries (NASD:AEIS), Schneider Electric (OTC:SBGSF) and upstart Enphase Energy (NASD:ENPH). Over the last year the industry has faced eroding margins and an increasingly competitive environment. This parallels the problems of solar manufacturers: the industry has too much capacity for a market that is not growing as fast as many expected.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-solar-inverter-shakeout-3-survivors-2-buyers-a-loser-and-a-wildcard.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/solar-inverter-shakeout-3-survivors-2-buyers-a-loser-and-a-wildcard?cmpid=rss

The Climate Group: LED City Street Lighting Trial Shows Up to 85 Percent Energy Savings.

The report explores the global market status and potential for LEDs and provides guidelines for policymakers and city light managers who want to scale-up large LED retrofits.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12027.html

4th Annual Brinks Innovation Competition.

Entries in the Brinks Innovation Competition must provide solutions to global challenges in such areas as environmental technologies, renewable and alternative energy, infrastructure and community, or green building science or related fields, and must offer competitive returns for investors.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/content/fundopps.html

American Chemical Society Study --- Wind Power Electricity: The Bigger the Turbine, The Greener the Electricity?

Manufacturers now have the knowledge, experience and technology to build big wind turbines with great efficiency. Advanced materials and designs permit the efficient construction of large turbine blades that harness more wind without proportional increases in their mass or the masses of the tower and the nacelle that houses the generator.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12030.html

Trade War Escalates: Chinese Seek Duty on US Silicon

![][1] Chinese polysilicon makers are pressing their government to impose duties on U.S. imports, a move to drive up prices for competing supplies of the material used in solar panels, four people familiar with the issue said.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-trade-war-escalates-chinese-seek-duty-on-us-silicon.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/trade-war-escalates-chinese-seek-duty-on-us-silicon?cmpid=rss

Cheap Coal Is Dead. Long Live Renewable Age (Part 2)

![][1] With oil costing close to $100 a barrel, and most imported Asian coal about $120 a ton, fossil energy costs are crippling emerging economies in Asia and Africa. Although renewable alternatives are far less costly than they were even two years ago, they still can't match the cheap coal and oil that Asia and Africa had counted on.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/21/body-cheap-coal-is-dead-long-live-renewable-age-part-2.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/cheap-coal-is-dead-long-live-renewable-age-part-2?cmpid=rss

UQM Motors Drive Electric Buses in Japan.

As part of this deployment, Hino has placed the new electric city-buses in service at the Hamura City and Tokyo Sky Tree tourist locations. Hino expects to put more buses in service this year as new routes are established in cooperation with Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

URL: http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips612/jun12028.html

Uruguay Boosts Wind-power Estimate to 1,000 Megawatts by 2015

![][1] Uruguay increased the amount of wind-powered electricity it plans to bring online in coming years, saying it wants to capitalize on cheap turbine prices.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/20/body-uruguay-boosts-wind-power-estimate-to-1000-megawatts-by-2015.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/uruguay-boosts-wind-power-estimate-to-1000-megawatts-by-2015?cmpid=rss

Hydro Powers Latin America

![][1] Hydropower is the world's largest source of renewable energy. In Latin America, it is the main source of power generation, accounting for roughly 65 percent of all electricity generated. Altogether, Latin America's installed hydropower capacity totaled 153 GW at the end of 2010.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/20/body-hydro-powers-latin-america.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/hydro-powers-latin-america?cmpid=rss

Competing in the Solar Industry: Delivering Green Jobs While Keeping Energy Costs Low

![][1] The solar industry has come a long way in recent years, but now companies around the world are grappling with a solar photovoltaic (PV) industry in rapid transition, with significant oversupply and prices in rapid decline. Dominant players are struggling; emerging players are seizing market share. Each company is trying to turn the current upheaval into their opportunity to emerge as the new top player.

[1]: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2012/6/20/body-competing-in-the-solar-industry-delivering-green-jobs-while-keeping-energy-costs-low.jpg

URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/competing-in-the-solar-industry-delivering-green-jobs-while-keeping-energy-costs-low?cmpid=rss

Lawn Mowing Season

Subtitle:

My quest for a greener lawn mowing option

Images:

[![][1]][2]

[![][3]][2]

[![][4]][2]

[![][5]][2]

I've never liked mowing the lawn. And it's not just because of the gasoline used in the process.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Black_and_Decker_SPCM1936.jpg (Black & Decker 36-volt mower)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/lawn-mowing-season
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/ReCharge_G2_LoRes.jpg (ReCharge riding mower)
[4]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Hustler_Zeon_MotherEarthNews-AM09-gazette_hustler_mower.jpg (Hustler Zeon riding mower)
[5]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/MeanGreen_RX-50_DSCF0102.jpg ()

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/lawn-mowing-season

Big UN environmental summit opens in Rio

Associated Press: Leaders from around the globe gathered Wednesday to open three days of talks at the United Nations conference on sustainable development, where a sober, unambitious mood prevailed as negotiators produced what critics called a watered-down document that makes few advances on protecting the environment. Negotiators worked for months to hammer out a document that many hoped would lay out clear goals on how nations could promote sustainable development -- making economic advances without eating up...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/big-un-environmental-summit-opens-rio-160843224.html
Enclosure: http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nXIxayjBSv0W5Ue66IA_UQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MjA7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/eec17d9b51761d11130f6a7067004b96.jpg

Climate change linked to hunger as UN's Rio+20 begins

USA Today: As leaders from more than 130 nations convene a United Nations conference on sustainable development Wednesday, new research shows how climate change will likely exacerbate a key issue: hunger. The number of undernourished women and young children could increase 20% and affect one of every five within a decade because of climate change's impact on food production, according to an analysis by the World Health Organization and other groups. Today, one in seven or 495 million women and children under...

URL: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2012/06/climate-change-exected-to-worsen-hunger-as-rio20-begins/1?csp=34news
Enclosure: http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/green-house/2012/06/20/childx-wide-community.jpg

Rio+20: Agreement reached, say diplomats

BBC: Negotiators have agreed a text to be approved by world leaders meeting this week in Rio in a summit intended to put society on a more sustainable path. Environment groups and charities working on poverty issues believe the agreement is far too weak. The Rio+20 gathering comes 20 years after the Earth Summit, also held in the Brazilian city. The text has yet to be signed off by heads of government and ministers, but it seems that no changes will be made. "We have reached the best possible...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18507602
Enclosure: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61009000/jpg/_61009514_tv015099101.jpg

Fire risk to increase in the Amazon rainforest

Mongabay: The risk of fire could increase across large parts of the Amazon rainforest due to increasing incident of drought, expansion of road networks, and rural outmigration, said a scientist speaking at the annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) in Bonito, Brazil. Maria Uriarte of Columbia University presented research on fire occurrence and frequency in the Peruvian Amazon using data from NASA's MODIS system. She and her colleagues found that fire risk increases...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0620-atbc-uriarte-amazon-fires.html
Enclosure: http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/peru/600/peru_aerial_1328.jpg

Growth of Renewables Is Being Significantly Underestimated, Reports Say

Yale Environment 360: While renewable energy sources still provide a small portion of the world's power needs, several new reports suggest that the global community may be underestimating the growth potential for the green energy sector. The Washington Post cited studies showing that global solar generation nearly doubled in 2011, with consumers worldwide using more than 55 terawatt-hours of solar power, compared with about 30 terawatt-hours in 2010. According to one analyst, solar energy has the potential to provide...

URL: http://e360.yale.edu/digest/growth_of_renewables_is_being_underestimated_reports_say/3515/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

Warm Snap Turned Antarctica Green Around the Edges

National Geographic: An unexpectedly warm period about 15 million years ago temporarily thawed Antarctica, turning the continent green around its edges, a new study says. Antarctica developed its ice sheets about 34 million years ago. But during the more recent warm period, the interior landscape would've resembled tundra found in parts of modern-day Chile and New Zealand, and the coasts would've been lined with beeches and a type of conifer. The surprising evidence comes from "abundant" remains of leaf waxes in...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/06/120620-green-antarctica-trees-global-warming-science-ancient/
Enclosure: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/553/overrides/antarctica-was-once-green-south-island_55303_600x450.jpg

An Energy Boom in Western Pennsylvania

New York Times: From his farm nestled far from the big cities, in the wooded hills above the Monongahela and Cheat Rivers, David Headley has not heard much about the battles in Washington over regulations that Republicans say are stifling a domestic energy revolution. At the ground level of that revolution Mr. Headley, a 53-year-old former body shop owner and unemployed bus driver, does not see any regulations at all. For three years, he and his wife, Linda, have wrestled with the land men, natural gas drillers...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/us/an-energy-boom-in-western-pennsylvania.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/06/21/us/21energy1/21energy1-articleLarge.jpg

Challenges mount as forest carbon payment approaches move from theory to practice

Mongabay: The concept of paying tropical countries to reduce destruction of their forests is succeeding as an idea but suffering from implementation challenges, argues a new review by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), as the U.N.-backed initiative is known, gained momentum as a climate change mitigation approach in the mid-2000s. The concept was widely championed by a variety of stakeholders. But as REDD+ has moved from...

URL: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0620-redd-cifor-rio20.html
Enclosure: http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/indonesia/600/kalbar_0876.jpg

Chilling Effect: In Rising Use of Air-Conditioning, Hard Choices

New York Times: In the ramshackle apartment blocks and sooty concrete homes that line the dusty roads of urban India, there is a new status symbol on proud display. An air-conditioner has become a sign of middle-class status in developing nations, a must-have dowry item. It is cheaper than a car, and arguably more life-changing in steamy regions, where cooling can make it easier for a child to study or a worker to sleep. But as air-conditioners sprout from windows and storefronts across the world, scientists are...

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/asia/global-demand-for-air-conditioning-forces-tough-environmental-choices.html
Enclosure: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/06/21/world/asia/Coolant/Coolant-articleLarge.jpg

Shortages: Metals in demand

BBC: There was an outcry in the UK last month when metal thieves stole a plaque dedicated to two children killed by an IRA bomb attack in Warrington. It was the latest in a pandemic of metals thefts: lead from church roofs, copper from railway cables. Does this mean we're reaching a shortage of these metals? No - it just means they have attained a value that makes a low-risk crime worthwhile. Will we suffer a shortage of metals as the world population grows and gets richer? That's a different...

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18359287#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
Enclosure: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61041000/jpg/_61041499_61041477.jpg

Senate Move to Reverse Mercury Rule Fails

New York Times: A Senate resolution seeking to reverse federal regulations limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic substances from coal-burning power plants failed to win passage on Wednesday. The resolution, introduced by Senator James M. Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, won support from 46 senators; 53 voted against it. The Environmental Protection Agency rules, issued late last year, have been criticized by some utilities, coal producers, Congressional Republicans and other foes as overly broad and potentially...

URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/20/senate-move-to-reverse-mercury-rule-fails/

Rio 20 years later: Pollution up, forests down

Associated Press: Since world leaders last gathered in Rio de Janeiro to talk about the state of the Earth, temperatures have climbed and disasters have mounted. As diplomats discuss climate, sustainability and biodiversity, here is Earth by the numbers since 1992: TEMPERATURES: The average annual global temperature has increased 0.58 degrees Fahrenheit (0.32 degrees Celsius) since 1992 based on 10-year running averages, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Every year since 1992...

URL: http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2012/06/20/rio_20_years_later_pollution_up_forests_down/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news

Activists stage colorful anti-Rio+20 demo in central Rio

Agence France-Presse: With placards, balloons and chain saws, thousands of militants staged a good-natured and colorful protest in central Rio Wednesday against the UN Rio+20 summit on a 'green' economy. The march drew environmentalists, workers, civil servants, black militants, homosexuals, indigenous peoples and feminists on the day world leaders kicked off the UN summit on sustainable development. Organizers said 50,000 people turned up but police estimate the crowd at no more than 20,000. The protesters came...

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/activists-stage-colorful-anti-rio-20-demo-central-235054253.html