The UNFCCC’s international climate negotiations continue in Lima,Peru. The BBC has a video summarising the talks in 60 seconds.TheFinancial Timessays “a sense of pressurehas been hard to detect among the thousands of delegates”present.NGOs agree, they say negotiators “seem to haveforgotten they are here to solve a planetary emergency”. Australiais insisting that any new deal contains legally binding targets tocut emissions. While that may sound like progress, such a clausewould likely drive away China and the US and ensure thenegotiations fail, theGuardiansays. Prominent economist, LordStern, says designing a deal in such a way would be a “bigmistake”,BusinessGreen reports. There are a number ofsticking points for negotiators to address in the next five days,from how much funding will be offered for climate adaptation, tohow often countries’ climate targets may be reviewed,Associated Presssays. Falling oil pricesshow why policymakers need to act to cut fossil fuel useimmediately,another Financial Timesarticle argues.If countries do come to an agreement to cut emissions and phase outfossil fuels, ExxonMobil and Shell would cease to exist in theircurrent forms in 35 years,a final Financial Times articleclaims.Oil companies have dismissed fears that climate regulations willdent demand, however,RTCC reports.

The fossil fuel industry is looking at ways to delay theimplementation of President Obama’s clean power plan in the hope anew Republican president may overturn it. Lobbyists at the AmericanLegislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an industry-financedconservative state policy group, are planning ways to derailObama’s flagship climate policy with Republican congressmen, manyof whom ALEC donated to in the recent midterm elections. In aseparate piece, the Washington Post’s wonkblogfinds young Republicansare much more likely to favour action on climate change. That meansthe Republican leadership opposing climate policies couldincreasingly find themselves out of step with their voter base, itconcludes.

Labour is planning on putting froward a number of amendmentsto “close key loopholes” in legislation regulating the shale gasindustry. Labour will seek to discourage fracking in areas ofoutstanding natural beauty, and call for more transparency aboutwhich fluids are used to fracture the rock. “Despite clear flaws inthe existing framework, David Cameron’s government have repeatedlysidelined genuine and legitimate environmental concern, and seemprepared to accept shale gas at any cost,” Labour’s shadow energyminister Tom Greatrex says. The news comes as scientists in the USfound that many of the 750 or so chemicals that are pumped into theground at high pressure to fracture shale rock were associated withfertility and developmental problems, the Guardianreports.

A combination of record high temperatures and sparserainfall during California’s three-year drought have produced theworst conditions in 1,200 years, according to a study accepted forpublication by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The droughthas led to tremendous economic costs in the state, including anexpected $2.2 billion and 17,000 farming jobs this year alone,according to a report from the University of California, Davis.It’s also expected to increase food prices across thecountry, Time Magazinereports. “One thingis clear, drought is going to continue to happen”, the scientistssay.

The BBC reports on new research suggesting Peru’s glaciersare melting at an alarming rate, threatening the survival of anestimated 30 million people. Experts warn the glaciers have lostmore than one-fifth of their mass in just three decades due toglobal warming.

The US’s shale gas boom may tail off by 2020 and not persistuntil 2040 as previous projections suggested, a number of new USreports find. It’s a similar story in the UK, with academicswarning that shale gas is unlikely to significantly contribute tothe country’s energy mix. A Harvard University fellow calls forpolicymakers and experts to be more transparent about whatuncertainties remain.

Climate skeptic Telegraph columninst Christopher Bookertakes aim at the World Meteorological Organisation’s announcementlast week that 2014 is likely to be one of the warmest years sincerecords began. Global temperatures have shown no significant risefor 18 years, he claims. We reported the WMO’sannouncement, here. We’ve taken a look at whytemperatures sometimes increase and sometimes remainstable, here.

What’s the main difference between the international climatenegotiations currently underway in Peru and previous years’ talks?Countries are starting to promote a “soft” approach to addressingclimate change, the New York Times’ Andy Revkin argues. Previousnegotiations have been defined by efforts to get legally bindingtargets in place. This time, led by the US and China, countries arecoming round to the idea on non-binding and flexible targets to cutemissions. Richard Black, Director of the Energy & ClimateIntelligence Unit, says the talks have changed in three importantways over the years for RTCC: low carbon technologies are nowmore attractive, the science on climate change has become clearer,and the world’s largest emitters – the US and China – are nowcommitted to cutting emissions.

China, the US and Germany are all making efforts to cut coaluse – could this be the beginning of the end for the world’s mostcarbon intensive fossil fuel? Under China’s new policy, Beijingwill have to slash its use by 99 per cent by 2030, according to theChinese state’s Energy Research Institute. The US EnvironmentalProtection Agency has given its backing to the plan,the Financial Timesreports. Coal’sfuture may be uncertain, but many countries are still committed tothe fuel, such as India and Australia. Telegraph columnist GeoffreyLeans says that means it is “far from game over” forcoal. Geoffrey Lean, TheTelegraph

A new study extends the observational record of Antarcticsea ice extent from 30 to 50 years by recovering satellite-basedestimates from the 1960s. The findings broadly support thesuggestion that there has been an increase in Antarctic sea ice isdue to internal variability, though the reasons why climate modelshaven’t predicted the increase is not yet well understood.

Policies to reduce emissions from international shipping andaviation are woefully inadequate to avoid a two degree temperaturerise, according to a new paper. In the former, complexity is itsgreatest barrier to change whereas the latter is pinning too muchhope on emissions trading to deliver carbon dioxide cuts in linewith two degrees, the research concludes.