Small islands urge deep CO2 cuts, fear rising seas. Small island states have sharpened their calls for the rich to make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, saying low-lying atolls risk being washed off the map by rising ocean levels. [News Source]

Heat, wildfires to pump pollution, studies say. Longer, more intense heat waves and increased air pollution from smog and wildfires could adversely affect the health of Californians under scenarios for climate change. [News Source]

Europe will suffer despite climate measures: EU. Europe must prepare both for more floods and drought caused by climate change, regardless of the measures taken to combat it, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has warned. [News Source]

Europe readies for effects of climate change. Adapting to the effects of climate change has become a hot topic on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Union has just released a white paper on the topic, one day after U.S. House Democrats unveiled a draft bill focusing on the very same issue. [News Source]

Mercury in seals linked to vanishing sea ice, After more than 30 years of monitoring the seals, the researchers have noticed a disturbing pattern: levels of the dangerous metal mercury in the seals are connected to the state of sea ice on the ocean. [News Source]

Researchers examine effect of carbon dioxide on improving wetlands barriers. Elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide may help some coastal marshes keep up with rising sea level by stimulating plant production and marsh building. [News Source]

Arctic may be ice-free in 30 years. Some 80 percent of Arctic ice may disappear in 30 years, not 90 as scientists had previously estimated, according to a new study on the impact of global warming. [News Source]

England may become more like Portugal in climate-changed future. Parts of Britain may become more like present-day Portugal as global warming takes hold this century and changes weather patterns and landscapes, said Natural England, the government’s environmental adviser. [News Source]

Climate change law will cost, but how much? As Congress begins to turn its attention to climate change legislation, the debate has shifted from a conversation about saving the planet to one about protecting your wallet. [News Source]

Carbon Copying? Six months after Massachusetts and nine other Northeast states launched the country’s first cap-and-trade system for limiting carbon dioxide emissions, the system has succeeded to the point that advocates are hailing it as a national model. [News Source]

EPA delaying biofuels rule, experts say. More than a year ago, Congress passed a law requiring massive increases in the production of ethanol and other biofuels, but with the economy tanking, concerns about the mandate are popping up in every corner. [News Source]