‘DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — With heat-trapping carbon at record levels in the atmosphere, U.N. climate negotiations opened Monday with pressure building to salvage the only treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions.’

via Divergent Views Signal Tough Climate Talks Ahead : NPR.

‘(Reuters) – Heads of China’s solar industry on Tuesday said they strongly oppose an investigation by the U.S. into Chinese-made solar panels and asserted that competitive advantages alone explained their success on the global market.’

via China solar executives aim to avoid trade war with U.S. | Reuters.

‘“Our study shows that very high climate sensitivities are virtually impossible, suggesting that we still have enough time to deal with the problem and reduce carbon emissions, which could avoid the most severe impacts,” said Andreas Schmittner, a climate scientist at Oregon State University and the study’s lead author. ‘

via Study Finds Limited Sensitivity of Climate to CO2 – NYTimes.com.

‘Now comes a new entry in the effort to specify the value known as “climate sensitivity,” and it falls on the low side of the existing estimates. The paper, in the journal Science, calculates that a doubling of carbon dioxide will most likely lead to a warming of 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, though the number could be as low as 3 degrees or as high as 4.7 degrees.’

via How Much Will the Earth Warm Up? – NYTimes.com.

‘WASHINGTON — With intensifying climate disasters and global economic turmoil as the backdrop, delegates from 194 nations will gather in Durban, South Africa, starting Monday to try to advance, if only incrementally, the world’s response to dangerous climate change.’

via Nations Meet to Address Problems of Climate Change – NYTimes.com.

‘BEIJING — With global climate talks set to begin next week, China on Tuesday issued the most comprehensive document yet on its plans and negotiating positions on emissions.’

via China Outlines Cuts in Carbon Emissions – NYTimes.com.

‘(Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, struggling with an ambitious agenda on clean air regulations, said it will delay proposing the country’s first-ever greenhouse gas limits on oil refineries.’

via EPA delays carbon limits on oil refineries | Reuters.

‘(Reuters) – Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 could rise more than forecast to between 6 billion and 11 billion tons above what is needed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report showed on Wednesday.’

via Emissions cuts off course to halt global warming: UNEP | Reuters.

‘…After years of recycling, carbon offsetting and light bulb changing, it is obvious that individual action will never be an adequate response to the climate crisis. Climate change is a collective problem, and it demands collective action. One of the key areas in which this collective action must take place is big-ticket investments designed to reduce our emissions on a mass scale.’

‘…Government budget deficits are not nearly as dangerous as the deficits we have created in vital and complex natural systems.’

via Capitalism vs. the Climate | The Nation.