The European Commission has outlined its vision of a UN
climate change deal, set to be signed off this December in Paris.
Governments should target greenhouse gas emission cuts of ‘at
least’ 60 per cent on 2010 levels by 2050, the report says, with
countries belonging to the G20 taking the lead. Europe’s own
initial contribution will be 40 per cent carbon cuts on 1990 levels
of by 2030, a decision backed by member states last October and set
to be confirmed in March. But the proposals could ‘severely
undermine’ efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, UK climate and
energy chief Ed Davey has warned, reports RTCC. This is because they allow
naturally-occurring carbon sinks like forests and wetlands to be
used to meet the EU’s target, which wasn’t the case in previous
drafts. BusinessGreensums up the
reaction.

British shale gas firm Cuadrilla hit another obstacle to
getting the gas out of the ground when Lancashire County Counci
refused it a permit for a site where it wanted to take geological
measurements. Last month, council officials also last month
recommended two other Cuadrilla shale gas applications should be
rejected. BusinessGreenalso has the
story.

Scientists have witnessed carbon dioxide trapping heat in
the atmosphere above the US, showing human-made climate change ‘in
the wild’. The new study demonstrates in real-time field
measurements what scientists already knew from basic physics, lab
tests, numerous simulations, temperature records and dozens of
other climatic indicators. Carbon Briefalso covered the
research.

The big six energy companies undermined the government’s
flagship programme to upgrade the energy efficiency of Britain’s
housing stock, according to the former climate minister who is now
David Cameron’s climate envoy. Tory MP Greg Barker told an audience
in London that large energy companies had feigned enthusiasm but
never seriously tried to sell the green deal to consumers. Ed
Davey, secretary of state for energy and climate change, who was
also on the panel, said he agreed with Barker.

Democratic lawmakers in Washington are demanding information
about funding for scientists who publicly dispute widely held views
on the causes and risks of climate change. Prominent members of the
United States House of Representatives and the Senate have sent
letters to universities, companies and trade groups asking for
information about funding to the scientists.

Governments across the world should make reducing food waste
an urgent priority, says a new report from the UK government’s
waste advisory body Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) for
the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Reducing food
waste worldwide can make a significant contribution to tackling
climate change, the report says. Food waste is responsible for
around seven per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions globally.
The New York Timesalso has the
story.

With Rajendra Pachauri’s resignation as head of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United
Nations’ science body on climate change must now find a
replacement. Scientific American looks back at Pachauri’s tenure
and the hopes for a ‘strong replacement’.

One of the world’s most iconic sites has become the latest
high profile venue to embrace onsite renewables, after the Eiffel
Tower installed two vertical axis wind turbines as part of its high
profile renovation project. Two turbines, capable of delivering
10,000kWh of electricity annually, have been installed. The company
say the turbines are ‘virtually silent’ and have been painted to
match the rest of the tower.

The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years
as a result of global warming, warns a leading climate change
expert. Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov says there
is evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the
frozen region than the rest of the planet, which could leave just
open water in the polar region by the 2050s.

World leaders would be handing the planet a ‘death certificate’ if
they fail to agree a global deal on climate change later this year,
says the Prince of Wales. He says there would be a ‘vanishingly
small’ chance of avoiding a dangerous temperature rise unless the
summit being held in Paris in December sets tough targets on
emissions.

A speech by the Prince of Wales on climate change addresses
the frequently ignored aspect of human health, says an Evening
Standard editorial. London is a good example of how more
environmentally friendly transport systems can improve health and
well-being, it says, gradually making our air less polluted at the
same time as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

After President Obama vetoed the Keystone pipeline, John
Abraham says this his cements legacy as the first climate-aware
president. Much of Obama’s actions have gone with little public
notice, says Abrams, but the decision highlights how important the
coming election is for climate change policy in the
US.

Rising concentrations of aerosols over the continental
Indian region are causing the monsoon rains to weaken, according to
new research. Aerosols cause cooling, which reduces the contract in
temperature between the land and sea. This leads to a weakening of
the monsoon overturning circulation and a reduction in the amount
of rainfall it carries.

The climatic influence of carbon dioxide has been well
understood for more than a century but a new study is the first to
directly measure the amount of warming taking place at a given
point in time on earth’s surface. The researchers monitor two
locations in the US for 11 years, calculating that greenhouse gases
– primarily carbon dioxide – are responsible for 0.2 watts of
heating per square metre.

BusinessGreen