Posted on July 3, 2008 by Dennis Pfaff
- Massachusetts' governor signs a bill promoting renewable energy in that state, including an ambitious goal to require utilities to buy a quarter of their power from renewable sources by 2030, says the Boston Globe.
- A draft of the climate statement to be adopted by the leaders of the Group of Eight nations next week includes medium-term targets for greenhouse emissions, but does not specify what they should be, says this dispatch from Reuters, citing a report in Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
- Floods like those that have recently inundated the Midwest bring into question forecasts that may be flawed because they don't take global warming into account, reports Reuters.
- It hasn't gotten a lot of attention but car buyers can soon begin reading all about it on their prospective new buggy's window sticker -- the automobile's global warming rating. It's a requirement in California that will kick in with the 2009 model year, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
- In a somewhat related vein, the federal government is promoting what it calls the "SmartWay Leaf" campaign, which car buyers can use to select the cleanest and greenest new and used cars, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- China says it is prepared to discuss moderate goals to combat climate change at the G8 summit but in a familiar refrain an official says it's up to developed nations, such as the United States, to take the lead, reports Voice of America News.
- The UN's top climate change official calls record oil prices a positive development for the the environment, citing decreasing demand in Europe and North America, according to AFP.
