Ministers from across the European Union have agreed towithhold 900 million permits from the carbon market. The decisionsis the latests in a long line of reforms the EU wants to implementto boost the carbon price.

Consumers are still paying more for their energy than theywere this time last year, consumer group Uswitch finds. The newscomes as all the big six energy companies trim their energy billhikes for 2014.

Reuters says there are signs Britain’s wind energy markethas reached a “tipping point”, as companies cancel and sellprojects amid rising costs.

Npower becomes the last of the big six energy companies toannounce it will raise bills slightly less than it was intending tothis year, after the government changed the way it funds energyefficiency schemes. SSE also confirmedits plans to ‘cut’ billsyesterday.

Increased output from West Texas windfarms allowedauthorities to avoid an emergency scenario as the state is grippedby freezing weather.

Obama’s science advisor posts a video on the White Housewebsite saying “If you’ve been hearing that extreme cold spells,like the one we’re having in the United States now, disprove globalwarming, don’t believe it”.

The European Commission has dismissed claims it has calledfor the UK to end windfarm subsidies by 2020, as the DailyTelegraph previously claimed.

Are there ‘votes in flood protection’? BusinessGreen editorJames Murray argues there could be, if the public start to make thelink between floods and worsening climate change.

A Reading University climate science professor explains howthe UK’s recent storms were caused by contrasting temperatures overnorth America, and warmer temperatures further south.

The Columbia Journalism Review summarises the range UScoverage linking the polar vortex to climate change – either asproof ‘global warming’ is happening, or evidence itisn’t.

A new study reports that as a result of increasing use ofnatural gas, carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. fossil-fuel powerplants were 23% lower in 2012 than they would have been otherwise -emitting on average 44% of the carbon dioxide compared with coalpower plants.

A new modelling analysis suggests hitting a long termclimate target, like keeping atmospheric carbon dioxideconcentration below 550 ppm, can only be reached with full globalparticipation. A more ‘fragmented’ approach would see unabatedemissions from non-participating countries tip the balance too farin the wrong direction.