Japan urges workers to take the stairs. Staff at Japan's Health Ministry are being asked to ditch the elevator and take the stairs as the ministry strives to conserve energy and reduce the risk of obesity and health-related problems among its employees. [News Source]

The FDA awaits a cure for its malaise. The Food and Drug Administration has been without a permanent leader for more than two-thirds of President Bush's tenure, and major unresolved problems are piling up at a time of huge medical and scientific change. [News Source]

Insurers retreat from coasts. Alarmed at the sharply rising cost of hurricanes and other disasters, insurers are pulling back from some U.S. coastal markets, warning of gathering financial storms over how the U.S. pays for the damage of catastrophe. [News Source]

Communities, people working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Both local and state government, as well as community activists, are coming up with novel ways to address global warming. [News Source]

Gibbons’ critics seize on report. Environmental issues have entered Nevada's race for Governor, with criticisms of the Republican candidate's report on mercury. [News Source]

10 states sue EPA over global warming (Lake Sun Leader) WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten states fired a new legal salvo at the federal government Thursday in a long-running court battle over global warming and pollution from power plants. [News Source]

Scientists breed rice to defy climate change (SeedQuest) Scientists are developing new flood-and drought-prone rice varieties to combat the threat of global warming to Asia's food staple but more work is needed, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said. [News Source]

Al Gore Talks to Eleanor Clift on Global Warming (Newsweek) Al Gore on why America—and even George Bush—is close to a tipping point on global warming. [News Source]

World Aware of Global Warming Threat (Angus Reid) (Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in 30 countries express concern about climate change, according to a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes. [News Source]

The gas price adjustment. Politicians of both parties, particularly Republicans, are scrambling to deal with the voter pain of $3-a-gallon gasoline. [News Source]

Ad for climate film takes inconvenient tack. The producers of the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" are running a Web ad that starkly connects human behavior and climate change. [News Source]