Climate campaigners say EU carbon trading program may allow polluters avoid emissions cuts

October 11th, 2009 Climate-change protesters scale UK ParliamentLONDON — Several dozen environmental activists scaled Britain's Parliament building Sunday to draw attention to climate change. Greenpeace said 55 of its members were atop the building, where they could be seen holding yellow banners reading "Change the politics, save the climate." One flew a giant flag from a turret in the shadow of the Big Ben clock tower.

October 11th, 2009 LONDON - An Indian was among some 60 environmental campaigners who climbed on to the roof of the British parliament Sunday evening to urge rich nations to take the lead on climate change action. We are here on the roof because we want to tell British MPs that it is the rich countries who must lead by example and announce binding cuts on their carbon emissions, Brikesh Singh of Greenpeace India told IANS on mobile telephone.

October 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - A strict global carbon budget between now and 2050 based on a fair distribution between rich and poor nations has the potential to prevent dangerous climate change and keep temperature rise well below two degrees Celsius, a new WWF report shows. The report, called 'Sharing the effort under a global carbon budget' and released worldwide Friday, is based on research, calculations and analysis by the consultancy Ecofys and shows different ways to cut global emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 and by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

September 24th, 2009 Calif. clean-air program designed to boost forestsSACRAMENTO, Calif. — California air regulators Thursday expanded the state's carbon-offset program to include forests across the country, creating the most far-reaching effort of its kind in the nation.

September 22nd, 2009 NEW YORK - US President Barack Obama Tuesday promised a serious US effort to curb greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change and called on all major polluters to make concessions to reach a new global climate treaty. In a speech at the start of a one-day climate summit at UN headquarters in New York, Obama acknowledged the US has been slow to respond to global warming in the past.

September 10th, 2009 EU offers €15 billion in climate aidBRUSSELS — The European Union proposed Thursday to offer up to €15 billion ($21.8 billion) a year in aid to poor developing countries to persuade them to sign a new global climate change agreement. However, development and environmental campaigners blasted the offer as insufficient because it assumes that poorer nations will bear most of the costs of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

September 10th, 2009 EU offers poor nations billions in climate aidBRUSSELS — The European Union proposed Thursday to offer up to euro15 billion ($21.8 billion) a year in aid to poor developing countries to persuade them to sign a new global climate change agreement. However, development and environmental campaigners blasted the offer as insufficient because it assumes that poorer nations will bear most of the costs of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

September 10th, 2009 EU offers euro15 billion in climate aidBRUSSELS — The European Union proposed Thursday to offer up to euro15 billion ($21.8 billion) a year in aid to poor developing countries to persuade them to sign a new global climate change agreement. However, development and environmental campaigners blasted the offer as insufficient because it assumes that poorer nations will bear most of the costs of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

August 20th, 2009 Australian Parliament sets renewable energy targetCANBERRA, Australia — Australia's Parliament passed a law Thursday requiring that 20 percent of the country's electricity come from renewable sources such as the sun and wind by 2020, matching European standards and up from about 8 percent now. The law would quadruple the renewable energy target set by the previous government in 2001 and provide enough clean electricity to power the households of all 21 million Australians.

August 10th, 2009 New Zealand sets greenhouse gas emissions targetWELLINGTON, New Zealand —New Zealand announced on Monday that it will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, the country's climate change minister said. The target, confirmed by the Cabinet, will be presented later Monday at an international climate change meeting in Bonn, Germany, Nick Smith said.

July 27th, 2009 SYDNEY - The changing climate could generate 75 million refugees in the Asia-Pacific region in the next 40 years, a report released Monday said. The report, by the aid agency Oxfam Australia and the think tank the Australia Institute, said the consequences of unbridled greenhouse gas emissions should be discussed next week when Pacific leaders convene in Australia for the annual Pacific Island Forum.

July 9th, 2009 Big polluters want to help poorer countries adaptL'AQUILA, Italy — The world's industrialized countries are looking to provide "significant financial resources" to the developing world to help them combat global warming and will ask a September meeting of the world's 20 major economies to take up the issue, U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday.

July 2nd, 2009 EU: China, India must make emissions cutsSTOCKHOLM — The chances of concluding a new global climate change pact remain dim unless China, India and Brazil make significant cuts in carbon dioxide emissions as well a senior Swedish climate change official said Thursday. Lars-Erik Liljelund, special climate change adviser to the Swedish government, said cuts from richer countries in the 27-nation bloc or planned cuts in the United States will not be enough to meet aims to cut at least 25 percent of emission from 1990 levels.

June 26th, 2009 EU: we want US climate bill to succeedBRUSSELS — The Europe Union wants a U.S. climate change bill to succeed so the United States can move swiftly to curb greenhouse gas emissions, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Friday.

June 5th, 2009 UN report: Nature best controls climate gasesAMSTERDAM — Nature's way is best for controlling the gases responsible for climate change, the U.N. Environment Program said in a report Friday.