This year may eclipse 2010 as the hottest since records began
in the 19th century, according to data for January to October from
the three major global temperature datasets. Though the period is
already among the warmest ever recorded, natural variability and
the effects of recent volcanic eruptions mean the final rankings
are hard to predict, scientists explain. The World Meteorological
Association will announce this year’s preliminary ranking on
Wednesday next week during annual UN climate talks taking place
this year in Peru.

The BBC imagines some of the “nightmare scenarios” of what
might go wrong if we intervene with our climate through
geoengineering. What if India tried to head off a rise in
temperatures only to find that Pakistan suffered from massive
flooding, for example. Geoengineering ideas – ranging from blocking
the Sun’s rays with sulphur particles in the upper atmosphere to
artificial trees soaking up carbon dioxide – seem so outlandish
that many refuse to take them seriously, says the BBC’s David
Shukman. But of all the challenges with geo-engineering – the
technological hurdles, the enormous gamble with weather patterns,
the dangers of conflict – perhaps the greatest is diplomatic, he
surmises.

A senior official has said the European Union will push hard
for a legally binding deal to cut carbon emissions at next year’s
talks in Paris. Countries’ claims that they could not impose
economy wide targets were “disingenuous” and liable to stall the
negotiating process, the anonymous official added. The US has
tabled a ‘buffet option’ for discussion that would contain some
legally binding elements but allow countries to determine the scale
and pace of their emissions reductions.

Indonesia’s new president has announced plans to strengthen
legal protection for the country’s diminishing forests and
peatlands. Clearing land for palm oil and timber plantations – of
which an estimated 80 per cent is done illegally – has made
Indonesia the world’s third largest emitter of carbon dioxide. The
Guardian calls the move by president Joko Widodo “a significant
change of direction” for the country.

In the first half of 2014, energy produced by wind farms,
hydro power plants and other clean technologies provided the single
largest source of electricity in Scotland. New analysis by the
trade body Scottish Renewables shows renewables produced nearly a
third more power than nuclear, coal or gas in the first six months
of the year. This marks a “historic” moment for the Scottish
government’s plans to generate 100 per cent of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2020, says chief executive Niall
Stewart.

A team of scientists has developed an ultra-reflective mirror
that could offer a less energy intensive alternative to air
conditioning units. The super-mirrors, which are thinner than
aluminium foil, bounce infrared light from the sun back into space
at precisely the frequency required to pass through the atmosphere
without warming the air. Positioned on roofs, the mirrors would
reflect 97 per cent of sunlight, keeping buildings around five
degrees cooler than their surroundings, reports the
Mail. The Economistalso covers the new
research.

Even before the crisis unfolded in Ukraine, Moscow maintained
an isolated role in international negotiations. The question for
talks beginning in Lima next week is whether the Russian delegation
continues with negotiations as usual, or whether the strain will
slip into the climate change arena, says RTCC.

Observations show an increase of Antarctic sea ice over the
past three decades, yet global climate models tend to simulate a
sea-ice decrease for that period. A new study explores the
discrepancy, pinning the increase in sea ice to changing winds as a
result of stratospheric ozone depletion.