Obama gets real, maybe: Obama’s entire environmental team may be leaving, but the Administration insists that the President's stance on environmental issues will stand strong during his second term. Obama has pledged to increase renewable energy sources and reportedly promised to address climate change, after admitting he may have overlooked the issue during his first term. Really? We didn't notice... Associated Press, Rolling Stone

Black diamond, blue square, yellow...?: It won’t be getting a winter blizzard anytime soon, but that hasn’t stopped an Arizona ski area (those exist apparently) from blanketing its slopes with the white stuff this season. One problem: the snow, which was made from wastewater, has a yellow tinge to it. In response to environmental and health concerns over the off-color slopes, citizens are demanding an investigation, as well as better warning signage to alert folks and young children that the snow should not be ingested. (That sounds fair, but c'mon parents, your kids, even when spawned in Arizona, should already know not to eat yellow snow.) New York Times

Drilling delay: Royal Dutch Shell's plans to drill the Arctic for oil are now in the hands of the federal government, which is making inquiries into the company's safety management. Can't imagine why... Oh right! There was that rig set adrift in stormy waters for five days around New Year's that only miraculously didn't start leaking its oily payload into the sea... New York Times

Peepshow planet: In space, everyone can see you frack. You read that right. OnEarth

Not kosher: The recent discovery that beef patties from the British supermarket giant Tesco were actually only 71 percent beef -- and um, 29 percent horsie -- has both burger eaters and horse lovers reeling. The burgers, which also contained pig meat, have been pulled from the market, and despite the company's profuse apologies, its stock has plummeted, hemorrhaging hundreds of millions of dollars. Health officials say the meat is perfectly safe for human consumption, but everyone is now questioning how food is controlled in the United Kingdom. [Insert British cuisine joke here.] BBC

Land of the rising wind: Japan plans to construct the biggest offshore wind farm ever, with 143 turbines. (And to think, we don't even have a small one yet.) The country has been re-thinking its energy strategy, following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and meltdowns that led to the shuttering of 54 nuclear reactors. Fukushima prefecture wants to be self-sufficient and rely only on its own renewable energy come 2040. New Scientist

Post-Olympic blues (and grays): Photos of Beijing have flooded news sites this week, as its smog has gotten so bad that even the Chinese media are covering it. For those of us remembering the clear blue skies China showed off during the 2008 Olympics, this graphic explains what’s causing the air pollution now. Turns out, you can clean up a city, but you can't ignore all the other cities and towns across the country that are spewing their soot at you. Climate Desk

Zooborn: There is a new gibbon, a baby one, in the Bronx. Oh, and there’s video. Go on ... it’s Friday. NBC

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