“Whilst there may be trivial benefits [from climate change] insome parts of the world for some of the time, the long-termdirection for all of us is a negative direction,” the UK’s chiefscientific advisor has told a committee of MPs. Sir Mark Walportalso described climate skeptic Matt Ridley’s optimistic assessmentof climate change as “completely wrong”.

“Commodities investors and farmers are on alert”, the FT says,after US scientists say they believe there is a fifty per centchance of an El Nino event developing this summer. The naturalweather pattern leads to warmer global temperatures and changes inrainfall.

The coming weeks will see the publication of the next two volumesin the IPCC’s fifth assessment report. IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauritells the FT that “if you want to stabilise temperature increasesto no more than 2C – 2.4C at the least cost, then 2015 is the yearwhen CO2 emissions will need to peak.”

According to the Mail, wind farms are receiving £1.2 billion ayear in subsidies paid for by a supplement on consumer energybills, amounting to £25 a year. Anti-wind MPs claim this will riseand have criticised what they call the “exorbitant cost” ofrenewables. Trade body Renewable UK counters that windfarms’ shareof the energy mix continues to increase and that the industry hascreated 16,000 jobs.

A deal last December between the government and energy companiesto cut £50 from household bills could see more than 50,000 homesmissing out on planned insulation and 20,000 job losses in theinsulation industry. That’s according to new figures in separatereports from thinktank IPPR and the Labour party.

No “serious voice” in government questions climate change orBritain’s stringent green targets, Conservative climate changeminister Greg Barker has said. Before MPs on the energy and climatechange select committee, he acknowledged “lively debate” over thebest ways of tackling climate change but insisted there wasconsensus in government over the causes of global warming – despiteaccusations that some of his Conservative colleagues are climatesceptics.

Tiny Pacific island nations – among the hardest hit by climatechange – are being pushed out by larger states in the race to getUN climate adaptation funds, according to Kiribati’s agricultureminister at a meeting. Elisala Pita criticised the UN’s fundingmechanisms, arguing the criteria involved are too complicated forcountries with lower capacity to fulfil.

Europe relies on Russia for nearly a third of its gas needs, whileGazprom gets 80 per cent of its profits from selling to the EU. Thecrisis in Ukraine is “focusing minds” on how Europe can reduce itsdependency on Russian gas, with politicians hoping that easiertrading with the US will allow more gas exports to Europe. A usefulsummary piece from Reuters.

A new study suggests that estimates of climate sensitivity whichrely only on observational evidence (and tend to produce lowerestimates of how much the planet will warm because of greenhousegas emissions) are likely to be underestimating the value. Futurewarming is “likely to be towards the high end of our estimates”,the paper’s author says.

Environmental objectives are often set on the basis of what istechnically achievable, but that limits vision to what is feasiblenow, argues the CEO of a design company. He urges Europe to setambitious carbon targets – quoting Lloyd George, who said “Don’t beafraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can’t cross achasm in two small jumps.”

About 30 Senate Democrats wrapped up nearly 15 hours of speecheson climate changeon Tuesdaymorning in “a very public embrace”of the climate change cause. The event was carefully orchestrated,says the Guardian. The blog

Environmentalists are racking their brains over how best tocommunicate with the public about climate change because “mostpeople just aren’t interested”, argues the editor of onlinemagazine Spiked. People are turned off because they see it as “anelitist mission to convince us that our material desires aredestroying the planet”.

The Environment Agency is recruiting for a new chair, as itscurrent head Lord Smith nears the end of his term. The agency isthe principal regulator of the onshore energy industry, responsiblefor environmental impact assessments and setting environmentalimpact assessments and setting standards for everything from waterquality to noise. It needs someone who can stand up to “all thelobbyists, loud-mouthed backbenchers, ministers and on occasion themedia” writes Nick Butler – and protect the agency from fundingcuts.

A new paper reviews the information scientists have been able toglean about changes in the Arctic using satellite technology,available since the late 1970s. Among the startling statistics are:the Arctic has been warming 3.5 times faster than the globalaverage, summer sea ice extent is diminishing at a rate of 11.5 percent per decade, the rate of ice loss from the Greenland ice sheetincreased six fold between 2002-2011 compared to 1992-2011 andglacier retreat is accelerating.

Livestock are responsible for 12 per cent of global emissionslinked to human activity. But since livestock provides the basis ofmillions of peoples’ diets and livelihoods – especially indeveloping countries – mitigation policies that involve livestockmust be designed extremely carefully, according to a new paper. Theresearchers look at the policy options, concluding the mosteffective would be those targeting emissions from land usechange.