Environmental News Collage

States Can Sue Utilities Over Emissions
Matthew L. Wald, The New York Times: "A two-judge panel of a federal appeals court has ruled that big power companies can be sued by states and land trusts for emitting carbon dioxide. The decision, issued Monday, overturns a 2005 District Court decision that the question was political, not judicial."

Michael Klare | The Era of Xtreme Energy
Michael T. Klare, Tomdispatch.com: "The debate rages over whether we have already reached the point of peak world oil output or will not do so until at least the next decade. There can, however, be little doubt of one thing: we are moving from an era in which oil was the world's principal energy source to one in which petroleum alternatives -- especially renewable supplies derived from the sun, wind, and waves -- will provide an ever larger share of our total supply. But buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride under Xtreme conditions."

Act Now or Lose Forever, Climate Summit Told
Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service: "The world's small island developing nations, most of which are threatened with environmental devastation, put the international community on dire notice: either accept ambitious and binding emission reduction targets, or humanity is doomed. The one-day UN summit meeting of world leaders Tuesday came out with a clear message demanding urgent action against the growing threats from climate change. Maldives, one of the world's smallest nation states facing extinction, exposed the political hypocrisy of world leaders pontificating on the dangers of global warming but doing little or nothing towards a resolution of the ecological crisis at hand."

Chronically Displaced in NOLA
Fatima Shaik, In These Times: "Four years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the disaster continues ... According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, about a quarter of the city's pre-Katrina population - more than 175,000 people - has not returned."

Going Beyond Kyoto
Paul Hockenos, Foreign Policy in Focus: "International negotiators will gather in Copenhagen, Denmark in December to hammer out a new and possibly historic worldwide treaty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Following up on the expiring Kyoto Protocol, it is widely billed as the last chance to save the planet from a temperature rise of two degrees Celsius or higher. Sascha Maller-Kraenner is the Europe coordinator of The Nature Conservancy, a U.S. environmental group. Paul Hockenos spoke to him in Berlin."

Senators Unveil New Climate Change Bill
Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers: "On a stage in front of the Capitol with a giant American flag behind them, a group of senators Wednesday unveiled a new climate bill that they say will increase jobs and reduce the billions spent on foreign oil. The bill's framework is similar to one that squeaked through the House in June. It orders mandatory reductions of heat-trapping gases by large companies and provides incentives and support for clean energy. It goes further, however, with more support for continued use of coal but with the emissions greatly reduced, and for increased reliance on nuclear power and natural gas."