Rainforest razed so cattle can graze. Brazil's attempt to double its share of the global market for beef will carry a heavy environmental cost, report warns. [News Source]

Third of new homes failing to meet energy standards, warns expert. Almost a third of new homes in some areas are failing to meet the required energy saving standards, an expert has warned. [News Source]

EU, China sign cooperation agreements. Europe was to push Beijing to join the fight against climate change ahead of critical international talks in Copenhagen, in December. China is one of the world's leading polluters, while the European Union is at the forefront of reducing heat-trapping carbon emissions. [News Source]

Davos plea: Don’t forget poor during crisis. Political and corporate leaders at the World Economic Forum heard fervent appeals Friday not to forget the bottom billion, the poorest of the world's poor, in the rush to rescue the global financial systems. [News Source]

China, Europe and climate demands. While significant parts of a meeting concerned the global financial crisis and human rights, the two sides also signed agreements on forestry and clean power in a further sign of how energy and environment are key components of the global agenda. [News Source]

Obama urged not to backburner climate change. Don't put off action on global warming just because times are lean — that's the message Al Gore, world environmental leaders and U.S. executives sent Friday to President Barack Obama. [News Source]

Resist industry pressure to dilute green reform: U.N. Industries are pressing governments worldwide to dilute policies on climate change, but the world must not slacken the fight for a "structural shift" to a green economy, the U.N. climate panel chief said on Friday. [News Source]

Professor Gore’s climate change lecture warmly received by Senate. The Senate's choice of Gore as star witness was layered with political symbolism, highlighting the priority that congressional Democrats, bolstered by their enlarged majority and new White House support, are giving to climate change issues. [News Source]

Czech president attacks Al Gore’s climate campaign (AFP via Yahoo! News) Czech President Vaclav Klaus took aim at climate change campaigner Al Gore on Saturday in Davos in a frontal attack on the science of global warming. [News Source]

What’s emitted in Tahoe, stays in Tahoe. Pollutants from San Francisco and Sacramento contribute to our local pollution, but our own cars are mostly to blame. [News Source]

Campuses focus on climate change with lectures, teach-in (The Ithaca Journal) Global warming and climate change will be under extensive discussion next week on college campuses in and near Ithaca, as Cornell University begins a lecture series and Ithaca College and other schools join a national teach-in day on the topic. [News Source]