Nick Clegg has blocked a proposal by David Cameron to
restrict the construction of onshore windfarms. The Prime MInister
is coming under increasing pressure from some within his party to
make a manifesto commitment on wind energy, through a cap on the
onshore turbines’ output, lower subsidies or tighter planning
restrictions, reports Rowena Mason for The Guardian. But capping the number of
onshore wind turbines would mean resorting to more expensive
alternatives, saysthe Guardian’s Damian
Carrington. The BBC’s Today Programme featured a short discussion
on the Tory party stance on renewable energy ahead of the 2015
general election.

Reuters looks at what the IPCC’s Working Group Three report –
due in a couple of weeks – says about the scale of emissions cuts
needed to stay below two degrees warming above preindustrial
levels. Unlike the previous report in 2007 which only set targets
for industrialised nations, the new report says China and India
would have to limit emissions to around 2010 levels by
2030.

Hot on the heels of the new IPCC report on climate change
impacts, Exxon has said all of its fossil fuel assets will be
needed to meet global demand for energy. A new reportfrom the world’s largest oil
and gas company acknowledges the need to address climate change
climate but says policies are “highly unlikely” to curb the sale of
fossil fuels far into the future. BusinessGreenalso
reports.

Talking more about climate change’s impact on crop production
and food security could be a way to better connect with public on
climate change, say academics and campaigners. Food offers an
immediate and personal connection, says Rachel Kyte, the World Bank
vice-president for climate change.

Peter Mandleson says a single, joint purchasing agreement
with Europe would strengthen the UK’s position with respect to
Russian gas imports. Speaking at the the British Chambers of
Commerce annual meeting, the labour peer said “We pay more because
Russia and Gazprom play divide and rule”. Backed by cabinet
minister Ken Clarke, Mandelson said the UK would be “bonkers” to
leave the EU as it would leave us handicapped in trade
negotiations.

It’s essential that the UK does more to adapt to the climate
risks identified in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change report. The view that adaptation should be the sole focus of
our response to climate risk is a “seductive view, but ultimately,
a naively mistaken one”, Lord Deben adds.

John Vidal meets Yeb Sano, who he says is an “unlikely
climate justice superstar” after the young Filipino diplomat wept
during Un climate talks in Poland last year following the
devastation super-typhoon Haiyan caused to his country.

Bob Ward, communications director at the London School of
Economics, details his ongoing struggle to correct errors in the
report relating to the work of Richard Tol, a professor economics
at the University of Sussex. Ward claims Tol’s work contains “a
number of errors”, wrongly plotting studies which had found net
negative impacts as if they were positive benefits.

In giving evidence to the cross-party Science and Technology
Committee, both the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail have admitted
they believe climate change is happening and humans play a role,
reports the Guardian. The Huffington Postalso picks up the
story.

A new study uses flood prediction models to examine building
damage for five historic flood events in two different regions of
Germany. Increasingly complex models aren’t always good news for
overall reliability, the researchers find.