Coast Guard cites Southern Scrap. The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday concluded that Southern Scrap was responsible for about 70 vessels that got loose in the Industrial Canal during Hurricane Gustav--and began a formal investigation into whether the company followed a plan for securing ships and barges before a dangerous storm. [News Source]

Nagin sees response to Gustav as success. Mayor Ray Nagin signaled the end of New Orleans' face-off with Hurricane Gustav on Monday, lifting the remaining night curfews and declaring a victory for the city's flood-protection system and storm managers. [News Source]

Local levees in good shape. The first look at East Jefferson's hurricane protection system since Gustav indicates it weathered the storm without major damage, a levee official said Monday. [News Source]

Katrina readied officers for Gustav. First responders, who went on alert the week before Gustav's Monday arrival, said the experience and knowledge gained during Katrina allowed them to focus on their duties immediately prior to the storm. [News Source]

Microbial life moves in as soon as glacier ice retreats in mountains. A University of Colorado at Boulder team has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants. [News Source]

Climate change threatens irrigation. An official of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water resources yesterday said climate change would pose problem to irrigation schemes, if not managed. [News Source]

Pensions face climate change risks. Funds that employ carbon-efficient investment strategies could maintain returns and portfolio diversification under a proposed emissions trading scheme, according to new research. [News Source]

Global warning: Fossilised rainforest reveals how climate change can devastate the planet. Prehistoric rainforests which grew on earth more than 300 million years ago were wiped out in the first known case of global warming, according to a new study. [News Source]

Rainforest fossils show how climate change could look. A series of fossilised forests the size of small cities have provided prehistoric evidence of how tropical rainforests are destroyed by global warming. [News Source]

Conference on Bangladesh climate change to be held in London. Britain and Bangladesh will jointly organize the conference to have increased international focus on the adverse effect of global warming in Bangladesh, a statement was quoted as saying. [News Source]

Google sees energy solution in the math. Google CEO Eric Schmidt outlined an energy plan Monday to reduce America's dependence on oil and create green jobs. [News Source]