Carbon Market Looks Past G8 to U.S. Election (Reuters)

Carbon market traders and backers of clean energy projects aren't holding their breath for a climate breakthrough at this week's G8 summit. They're far more focused on who wins the US election.

American Energy Policy, Asleep at the Spigot (New York Times)

Outside the thriving oil patch, soaring gas prices make for a bleak economic picture. But it didn’t have to be this way. Over the last 25 years, opportunities in Washington to head off the current crisis were ignored, missed or deliberately blocked.

Renault CEO Makes Plans To Mass Produce Electric Cars (Wall Street Journal)

Renault SA Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn has said the company is gearing up to mass produce electric cars to offset skyrocketing oil prices.

EU Ministers 'Discover' Biofuels Not an Obligation After All (AFP)

EU ministers have "discovered" that their 2007 climate plan requires 10% of transport needs to come from renewable energy, not 10% from biofuels, as previously thought.

Ireland and Scotland Unite in Green Energy Plan (The Times)

The Irish and Scottish governments and the Northern Ireland executive have reached a deal to share an offshore wind-power grid linking all three jurisdictions.

Heatwaves Coming, Climate Scientists Say (AAP)

Australia is in for a tenfold increase in heat waves from climate change, with exceptionally hot years -- which used to happen once every 22 years -- to occur every one or two years, according to a new report by the nation's top climate scientists.

EU Considering Making Energy Efficiency Legally Binding (Deutsche Welle)

EU energy ministers are considering making energy efficiency legally binding across the Union, according to the environment minister of France, which assumed the rotating EU presidency on July 1.

Germany Wants to Build 30 Wind farms (AFP)

The German government wants to build up to 30 offshore wind farms in the Baltic and North Seas in a bid to meet its clean energy targets, with the goal of producing 25,000 megawatts of wind power by 2030, an official has said.

Secret Report: Biofuel Caused Food Crisis (Guardian)

Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% -- far more than previously estimated -- according to a confidential World Bank report completed in April and obtained by the Guardian.

Texas Regulators Approve New 600 MW Coal Plant (Reuters)

In a 2-1 vote, Texas utility regulators have approved AEP's proposal to build a $2 billion, 600-megawatt coal plant in Fulton, Arkansas, but expressed concern about the risks to ratepayers if CO2 becomes a regulated pollutant.

Utah is Going to a 4-Day Workweek to Save Energy (AP)

In a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state's energy costs and commuters' gas expenses, Utah is about to become the first state to switch to a four-day workweek for thousands of government employees.

Senator Asks if Nation's Drivers Should Slow Down (AP)

Sen. John Warner (R-Va) has asked Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to look into what speed limit would provide optimum fuel efficiency, suggesting that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gas.

Japan Sees a Chance to Promote Its Energy-Frugal Ways (New York Times)

Japan is hoping to use its energy efficiency record to take a global leadership role on energy conservation -- and to export its power-saving technology at next week’s meeting of the G8 nations.

Pictured: The Floating Cities that Could One Day House Climate Change Refugees (Daily Mail)

Award-winning Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has designed a new place to live for those whose homelands have been wiped out by rising seas -- floating, zero-carbon "lily pad cities," each with enough space to house 50,000 inhabitants.

Congressional Nudge for Test of Floating Wind Turbines (The Green Blog, Boston Globe)

The Massachusetts Congressional delegation has urged the feds to lease a portion of federal waters to Blue H USA for a test of deep-water wind technology off the state's coast using a floating wind turbine.

US Midwest Floods Show Impact of Global Warming (Reuters)

Floods like those that inundated the US Midwest are supposed to occur once every 500 years, but this is the second since 1993, suggesting flawed forecasts that do not take global warming into account, climate scientists have said.

City of Houston Gives Wind Power a Turn (Wall Street Journal)

Houston, Texas -- the heart of the US oil patch -- has begun using wind power for about a fourth of its municipal power needs at a lower price than it is paying for power produced from coal and natural gas, city officials have said.

Brazil Leader: Poor Countries Should Set Climate Targets (AFP)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged developing countries, including his own, to join rich nations in setting targets to reduce emissions blamed for global warming.

Clean Energy Spending on the Rise (BBC News)

Spending on clean power last year hit $148 billion, up 60% from '06, the UN Environment Program has said in a new report. Wind energy got the most investment, while solar grew fastest as a sector.

Lobbyists Push for Sway Over Fuel-Economy Rules (Wall Street Journal)

US lobbyists are bombarding federal regulators to tailor the nation's proposed auto efficiency standards to their liking, with automakers arguing the rules are too aggressive and consumer advocates saying they're far too weak.

Agassi Presents Congress with US Electric Car Figures (Globes)

For the price of two months worth of oil, some $100 billion, America can put in place the infrastructure needed to power the nation’s cars and end its oil dependence, Project Better Place CEO Shai Agassi has told the US House during a hearing.

Climate More Urgent than Economy, Say Voters (Guardian)

Over half of UK voters think that taking action against climate change matters more than tackling the global economic downturn, according to a Guardian poll published today.

U.S. Solar Energy Industry Blasts Government Move (Reuters)

Leaders in the US solar energy industry have blasted the US government for the freeze on applications for new solar projects on public land in six Western states.

Georgia Judge Cites Carbon Dioxide in Denying Coal Plant Permit (New York Times)

A judge in Georgia has thrown out an air pollution permit for a new coal plant because it did not set limits on CO2 emissions, relying on last year's decision by the US Supreme Court that said CO2 could be regulated as a pollutant.

McCain's Energy Record is On/Off (Los Angeles Times)

On energy and climate issues, Sen. McCain has swerved from one position to another over the years, taking often contradictory stances. That record of inconsistency shows little of the clear direction he has said would come from a McCain White House.

Promise of Biofuel Clouded by Weather Risks (New York Times)

The Midwest floods have brought into sharp relief a new economic hazard. As America grows more reliant on corn for fuel, it's becoming far more vulnerable to the hazards that can damage crops, from droughts to plagues to storms.

Stern Optimistic U.S. Will Act on Climate (Reuters)

Climate expert Nicholas Stern has said he's confident the US will move to regulate greenhouse gases in the first half of next year, providing leadership that will help the world reach an agreement in late 2009 on slowing climate change.

Tax Breaks Keep Electric Car Maker in California (Los Angeles Times)

Tesla Motors, the company that built the first mass-produced, all-electric car, will keep its manufacturing plant in California, thanks to a new tax break worked out by Gov.Schwarzenegger and the state treasurer.

Penguin Woes Signal Sea Problems (AP)

The dwindling march of the penguins is a sign that the world's oceans are in trouble from global warming, ocean oil pollution, depleted fisheries and tourism and development, according to a new scientific review paper.

Detroit's Mood Grim as Automakers Face the Brink (Reuters)

GM, once an emblem of US economic might, is being driven to the brink by dwindling sales that are expected to test cash reserves and the nerves of investors. Crosstown rivals Ford and Chrysler LLC face similar pressures.

Portugal to Join Renault-Nissan Electric Car Project (Thomson Financial)

Portugal PM Jose Socrates will soon sign an agreement for his nation to join the Better Place electric car project backed by Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co, Diario Economico has reported.

San Antonio Looking to Dip Into Solar Pool (AP)

San Antonio's CPS Energy has set a goal of producing 100 megawatts of solar energy by 2020 for the first time ever, while it plans to seek suitors for a new, giant solar plant in the next few months.

Opinion: The World's Will to Tackle Climate Change is Irresistible (Rajendara Pachauri, Guardian)

There is growing concern that the economic slowdown will cause a parallel slowdown in climate progress, with governments less willing to advocate for reducing CO2 emissions. A valid worry. And yet, there are reasons to believe the exact opposite will occur.

Western Guvs Discuss Balancing Energy, Wildlife (Los Angeles Times)

Governors from several Western states have agreed to form a council that will study ways to protect wildlife habitat in the face of ever-increasing demand for energy development in their region.

Aluminum Supply in Deficit on Coal Shortage (Reuters)

The world aluminum market is headed for a 200,000-ton deficit this year and in 2009, as coal supplies turn scarce and producers are forced to cut output, the banking group UBS has announced.

Tax-Free Financing for Coal Power Plants Under Attack (Reuters)

Green groups and others are opening a new frontier in the fight against new coal plants in America by questioning the use of tax-exempt bonds to help fund such projects.

Senators Ask for Congress-White House Energy Summit (Reuters)

US Senators have asked for a national summit between Congress and Pres. Bush to end a partisan stalemate and develop a plan for solving America's ongoing energy crisis.

Army Base Tracks Its Carbon 'Bootprint'  (Los Angeles Times)

Ft. Carson, Colo., has become the first army base in the US to implement a system for monitoring its greenhouse gas emissions. The findings: 200,000 tons last year. The next step: reducing that by nearly a third.

Spanish PM Firm on Phasing Out Nuclear Power (AFP)

Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has announced that he will not extend the life of Spain's ageing nuclear power plants, echoing his government's commitment to a total nuclear power phase-out.

G8 May Invest $10 Bln/Year in Technology to Cut CO2 (Reuters)

The G8 nations are looking to invest more than $10 billion a year in technologies to cut carbon pollution, and also to set country-by-country medium-term goals to slash emissions by 2020-2030, a Japanese daily has reported.

Global Warming Expert Calls on CA to Do More to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Los Angeles Times)

Rajendra K. Pachauri, head of the UN's IPCC, has praised California's blueprint for addressing climate change but reminded the state's public officials that Europe is moving far more quickly to address the issue.

Emission Curbs Could Close New Coal Plants (Guardian)

Fresh doubts have been raised over plans for new coal plants in the UK after the environment regulator said it expects that those not fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment will have to close.

Geothermal-Rich SE Asia Struggles to Tap Earth's Power (Reuters)

Faced with looming energy crises in their developing economies, Indonesia and the Philippines are looking to tap the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area peppered with volcanoes and home to the world's biggest reservoir of geothermal power.

Court Says No Deadline for EPA on Global Warming (Guardian)

A federal appeals court refused Thursday to make a resistant Bush administration speed up a decision on whether greenhouse gases and global warming threaten public health and welfare.

Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects (New York Times)

Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, expected to take two years.

Companies that Mass Marketed PCs Turn to Photovoltaics (Scientific American)

Although solar cell technology for converting the sun's power into electricity has improved steadily in recent years, high costs and inefficiencies have kept it from being a serious replacement for fossil fuels.

Hawaii: Solar Water Heaters Become a Legal Requirement (New York Times)

Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, has signed into law a bill requiring the solar water heater
systems in homes starting in 2010.

EU Reaches Landmark Deal to Cap Airline Emissions (International Herald Tribune)

The European Union reached a landmark agreement Thursday to cap emissions from aircraft, raising the stakes in an increasingly ferocious battle with the United States over how to regulate global greenhouse gases.

Harness Volcano Power, Energy Experts Say (London Daily Telegraph)

Volcanoes and hot springs could supply up to 25 per cent of America's power needs, energy experts have said.