UN climate head welcomes Marshall Plan climate fund
Reuters, January 16, 2008
U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer praised news that the U.S. will set up a multi-billion dollar fund to help developing nations acquire clean power technologies. The "clean technology fund" would help the developing nations meet the estimated $30 billion cost of acquiring expensive low carbon emission power technologies in place of cheaper, but far dirtier, old technologies.

HSBC fund seeks firms tackling climate change
Reuters, January 17, 2008
HSBC Holdings launched a climate change fund to give investors a chance to turn a threat into an opportunity by investing in the increasing number of firms trying to tackle global warming. It will invest in three areas: producers of low carbon energy including renewables, gas and nuclear; firms with energy-efficient products such as fuel cells and insulation; and companies dealing with water, waste and pollution control.

EU sets emissions targets to fight climate change
Assoc. Free Press, January 23, 2008
The European Commission set targets for EU member states to cut carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. Their strategy calls for EU members to ratchet up their use of renewable energy (20% of all energy use) and biofuels (10% of transport fuels) and make industry pay for the right to pollute.

Israel Is Set to Promote the Use of Electric Cars
NY Times, January 21, 2008
The Israeli government will announce its support for a broad effort to promote the use of electric cars, embracing a joint venture between an American-Israeli entrepreneur and Renault and its partner, Nissan Motor Company. The new initiative will aim to sell electric car transportation to reduce concerns about the fluctuating price of gasoline. Gasoline is currently $6.28 a gallon in Isreal.

Dutch plan for flooding: Higher ground
NPR, January 29, 2008
In the Netherlands, 60% of the population lives below sea level, thanks to dikes and pumps. But global warming is making it harder to keep up. Now the Dutch government is considering "terps," acres-wide man-made hills to protect their low lying farming communities. The livestock graze on the lowlands. During floods, both humans and animals can move up to the terps and out of harm's way.

E.P.A. Chief Defends His Decision on California
NY Times, January 25, 2008
Defending his refusal to let California set limits on the emissions of automobiles, the head of the EPA, Stephen L. Johnson, insisted before a Senate committee that climate change posed no “compelling and extraordinary” risk to the state. Describing such change as “not unique to” and “not exclusive to California,” he called it “a global problem requiring a global solution or, at least at a minimum, a national solution.” But internal agency documents cited by members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works listed climate change effects specific to California, including wildfires and species loss.

Hundreds of Profs Hold Green 'Teach-In'
Associated Press, January 31, 2008
More than 1,500 universities participated in global warming educational events for "Focus the Nation," the nation's largest-ever "teach-in." The goal was to reach a captive audience of students in many fields who might not otherwise tune in to climate change issues.

UAlbany looking at constructing a zero-energy building
The Business Review, January 21, 2008
The Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC) at the University at Albany is expected have laboratories located in the newest building on the $4.2 billion Albany NanoTech complex, currently under construction. The building will demonstrate many types of energy efficiency concepts as well as wind and solar power. The New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) is funding $3.5 million of the project, which should be on display at the end of the year.

New York Town Chooses LEED for New Standards
GreenerBuildings.com, January 28, 2008
The Town of Monroe in Orange County, NY has proposed that all new residential and commercial construction meet green building guidelines, according to Daily Commercial News and Construction Record. The new law would require that new housing be built to meet ENERGY STAR standards, while new office, commercial and apartment construction over 4,000 square feet meet LEED standards.

Islip unveils Clean Energy Action Plan
Newsday, January 30, 2008
In its first-ever Clean Energy Action Plan, Islip town officials outlined a dozen initiatives they say could save the town hundreds of thousands of dollars this year. They range from printing town documents on both sides of the page to replacing burned-out streetlamps with high-tech "induction" lights. A new Town Energy Committee is considering other ideas, including biodiesel-powered town vehicles and a field of solar panels. Islip is the seventh Long Island town to create a Clean Energy Action Plan.

Trees Lost to Katrina May Present Climate Challenge
NPR All Things Considered, January 21, 2008
Hundreds of millions of Gulf coast trees were destroyed or badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina and have become an unexpectedly large contributor to global warming, according to new research. In fact, trees killed by Katrina will release about as much greenhouse gas into the air as all the trees across the nation soak in in one year, according to a study by a Tulane University biology professor.

The Preservation Predicament
NY Times, January 29, 2008
More and more conservationist organizations are beginning to believe they must do more than identify biologically important landscapes and raise money to protect them. They must peer into an uncertain future, guess which sites will be important 50 or 100 years from now, and then try to balance these guesses against the needs of the present.