TOP STORY

China Far Outpaces U.S. in Building Cleaner, Coal-Fired Plants

"China has emerged in the past two years as the world’s leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants, mastering the technology and driving down the cost...Without doubt, China’s coal-fired power sector still has many problems, and global warming gases from the country are expected to continue increasing. China’s aim is to use the newest technologies to limit the rate of increase."  [New York Times]

FUNNIES

[Tom Toles - Washington Post]

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Jesusita Fire Likely a Sign of Things to Come

"The wildfire crackling over dry chaparral and engulfing homes in Santa Barbara is an ominous sign for the Bay Area, which experts say is ready to burn after two years of drought...[The fire] is an example of how dry shrublands are throughout California, which is enduring a third straight year of drought conditions,  [San Francisco Chronicle]

Species Act Won't Be Used to Force Lower Emissions

"The federal bureaucracy that safeguards endangered species isn't equipped to tackle climate change, Interior Department officials said yesterday -- declining to protect Alaskan polar bears by cracking down on polluters in the Lower 48." [Washington Post]

Energy Venture Capital Shifts to Efficiency from Production

"Venture capital is starting to move away from its infatuation with alternative energy and returning to one of its traditional strengths: applying information technology to improve the efficiency of energy consumption."  [New York Times]