In what the FT describes as “the latest Arctic setback foroil companies”, Statoil has called results from exploratorydrilling in the Barents Sea region “somewhat disappointing”, andhas pushed back a decision on how to proceed.

The Renewable Heat Incentive, a government scheme to promotelow-carbon heating, has accredited just 79 homes to install newheating systems since being launched in April. Over 1,000 homeshave successfully applied to get retrospective support foralready-installed heating systems. One expert describes the take-upso far as “dreadful”.

The UK’s electricity capacity margin – the differencebetween supply and demand – may fall as low as two per cent by thewinter of 2015, according to a new report from energy regulatorOfgem. But efforts to secure additional capacity by creating newcontracts with power suppliers will reduce the chances of unplannedblackouts, Ofgem says.

A new study of oil wells in Pennsylvania suggests that newerand unconventional or fracked wells leak more often than older,traditional wells. So-called ‘fugitive’ emissions of methane fromleaking wells push up the amount of pollution gas produces, andconcerns have been raised about the level of fugitive emissionsfracking produces. The new study is the latest in a series fromCornell University in the US that have suggested higher emissionsthan expected from fracking.

Proposals to build a new nuclear power plant in Cumbria havemoved forward, with the announcement that Toshiba and GDF Suez havesigned an agreement to develop the site, next to the current powerplant at Sellafield. The consortium responsible predicts that finalinvestment decisions should be made in around four years, the BBCreports. The proposals are for power plant capacity totalling 3.4gigawatts.

A new satellite will allow scientists to monitor globalcarbon emissions with greater sophistication. The project shouldallow researchers to see where carbon is being absorbed by ‘carbonsinks’, leading to a better understanding of the global carboncycle. A similar satellite was destroyed on launch in 2009.

A sophisticated computer virus targeting energy companieshas been discovered, the Mail reports. It allowed hackers tomonitoring energy consumption, and experts suggest that thesoftware is sufficiently complex to have been developed with thesupport of a state. The Financial Timesalso reports thestory.

Changes in Antarctic sea ice mean climate change could cutAntarctica’s 600,000-strong emperor penguin population at least afifth by 2100, a new study suggests. More sea ice in some areaswould mean the penguins have to travel further to findfood.

The Mail reports that a US professor is offering $30,000 toanyone that can disprove that human activity is warming the planet.Good luck!

A new study finds that changes in ocean temperature may makedroughts happen faster, and make them more intense, by changingrainfall patterns. Long-term warming caused by manmade climatechange, which is warming the oceans, also affects patterns ofdrought, the study suggests.

From the US, a look at European plans to secure a dealbetween member states on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Franceis suggesting that revenues from the European Emissions TradingScheme could be repaid to countries – like Poland – that have lowereconomic productions costs. Poland has taken a notably obstructivestance on efforts to secure agreement in Europe on climatepolicy.

Since climate impacts on crop yields are likely to begreater towards the end of the century, the risks to futuregenerations are usually talked about most. But we may see troubledtimes for food prices and food security in the not too distantfuture, says a new paper. Global warming has already increased theodds of yields halving over a 10-year period, with a roughly 1 in 4chance for maize and 1 in 6 chance for wheat, say theresearchers.

Antarctic ice seems to behave differently in different partsof the continent, but scientists aren’t sure exactly why. A newstudy pinpoints which atmospheric circulation patterns most closelymatch changes in sea ice in different regions of Antarctica, in abid to pin down the mechanisms responsible.