‘Large volumes of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – could be locked beneath the ice-covered regions of Antarctica, according to a new study.’

via BBC News – Antarctic may host methane stores.

‘Today, the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced that the annual summer retreat of Arctic Ocean sea ice had reached a new low for the 33-year satellite era of careful monitoring (1.58 million square miles, or 4.1 million square kilometers), and there is still another week or two of melting before the typical summer ice minimum occurs.’

via CLIMATE CHANGE – Dot Earth Blog – NYTimes.com.

‘WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced fuel economy standards Tuesday that would require car makers to almost double the average gas mileage for passenger vehicles to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.’

via Obama administration calls for cars to get almost 55 mpg by 2025 – latimes.com.

‘The Arctic has lost more sea ice this year than at any time since satellite records began in 1979, Nasa says.Scientists involved in the calculations say it is part of a fundamental change.’

via BBC News – Arctic sea ice reaches record low, Nasa says.

‘PITTSBURGH — In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.’

via U.S. Carbon Emissions: 2012 Levels At 20 Year Low.

‘(Reuters) – Parasites look set to become more virulent because of climate change, according to a study showing that frogs suffer more infections from a fungus when exposed to unexpected swings in temperatures.’

via Parasites may get nastier with climate swings: study | Reuters.

‘UBAI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said Wednesday it awarded a total of six leading companies nuclear fuel supply contracts worth 3 billion U.S. dollars, local news agency WAM reported.’

via UAE awards nuclear fuel supply contracts worth USD 3 bn – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

‘The United States will suffer a series of severe droughts in the next two decades, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Moreover, global warming will play an increasingly important role in their abundance and severity, claims Aiguo Dai, the study’s author.’

via Climate models that predict more droughts win further scientific support – The Washington Post.

‘HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s nuclear power plant shut down one of two units on Sunday because seawater used to cool down the plant is too warm.’

via Warm seawater forces Conn. nuclear plant shutdown – Businessweek.