Climate & Pollution

Analysis: Green States See Fewer Rewards in Climate Bill (Reuters) The U.S. climate bill would give states that are heavily reliant on greenhouse-gas emitting fuels, like coal, more carbon credits on a per capita basis than those that use clean fuels, an analysis from the Georgetown Climate Center and World Resources Institute says. McKinsey: $520B Invested in Efficiency Could Save $1.2T (New York Times) A new McKinsey report on energy efficiency finds the United States could save $1.2 trillion through 2020, by investing $520 billion in improvements like sealing leaky building ducts and replacing inefficient household appliances with new, energy-saving models. Senate Passes Energy Spending Bill, Supports Closing Yucca Mtn (AP) The Senate passed a $34.3 billion energy spending bill that backs up President Obama's promise to close the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility in Nevada. Beijing Closing Thousands of Coal Plants in Environmental Move (AP) China has taken advantage of a drop in electricity demand to speed up a campaign to close small coal-fired power plants and improve its battered environment, an official said today. Authorities have closed power plants with a total of 7,467 generating units. Sub-Arctic Timebomb: Warming Speeds CO2 Release from Soil (AFP) Climate change is speeding up the release of carbon dioxide from frigid peatlands in the sub-Arctic, fueling a vicious circle of global warming, according to a study released today. A 1 degree Celsius increase would more than double the CO2 escaping. UK Considers Tying University Funding to Emissions Reductions (BBC) Under new proposals, the funding universities in England receive could be linked to their reductions in carbon emissions from 2011.