‘THE decision by the administration of Gov. Chris Christie to settle an environmental lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation for roughly three cents on the dollar after more than a decade of litigation is an embarrassment to law enforcement and good government.’

via Chris Christie’s Exxon Settlement Is Bad for New Jersey – NYTimes.com.

‘…The catastrophic result of all this obfuscation and procrastination is now undeniable. In 2013, global carbon dioxide emissions were 61% higher than they were in 1990, when negotiations toward a climate treaty began in earnest. Indeed the only thing rising faster than our emissions is the output of words pledging to lower them.’

via Don’t look away now, the climate crisis needs you | Naomi Klein | Environment | The Guardian.

‘…The Republican-led Senate failed to override President Barack Obama’s veto of legislation that would have allowed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.’

via GOP-led Senate fails to override Keystone XL pipeline veto – UPI.com.

‘Arctic sea ice — the ice that freezes and floats on Arctic waters — is thinning at a steadier and faster rate than researchers previously thought, a new study finds.’

via Arctic Sea Ice ‘Thinning Dramatically,’ Study Finds – Yahoo News.

‘…in the winters of 2006 and 2012, scientists traveled to this region, sometimes called “the roof of the world,” to see how male and female yaks are coping with the impacts of climate change at elevations over 15,000 feet’

via Yaks May Be Climbing Higher Due to Climate Change.

‘…Through his research on these zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, or ZIFs, Khazeni has synthesized a new subclass of ZIF that incorporates a ring carbonyl group in its organic structure, giving it a vastly greater affinity and selectivity for separating and adsorbing carbon dioxide and a more chemically and thermally stable structure.’

via New material captures carbon dioxide with high capacity.

‘In recent article in Technology Review, author Kevin Bullis dangled the prospect of NiMH cells with as much as 10 times today’s energy density–making them practical for use in plug-in cars of all sorts.’

via Nickel-Metal-Hydride Batteries For Electric Cars? Energy Density Can Rise 10-Fold: Researchers.

‘…If we’re at full capacity, what other oil would be displaced by new Canadian crude delivered through the Keystone XL? And if tar sands oil is going elsewhere, does that mean we have to import even more expensive final product like gasoline, because we’d be refining less for ourselves? How much will that raise gasoline prices?’

via Forget About Climate Change, America’s Refineries Make Keystone XL A Bad Idea.

‘(Reuters) – A significant majority of Americans say combating climate change is a moral issue that obligates them – and world leaders – to reduce carbon emissions, a Reuters/IPSOS poll has found.’

via Most Americans see combating climate change as a moral duty | Reuters.

‘Water officials in Kern County discovered that oil producers have been dumping chemical-laden wastewater into hundreds of unlined pits that are operating without proper permits.’

via Hundreds of illicit oil wastewater pits found in Kern County – LA Times.