Congress abandoning Obama clean energy goals. Congress is all but abandoning President Barack Obama's goal of producing fully one-quarter of the nation's electricity from renewable sources -- wind, solar and the like -- by 2025, though a push for at least some increase is making headway. [News Source]

China leads escalation of coal consumption. Coal consumption is continuing to grow more quickly than other traditional sources despite high prices and the dangerous impact it will have on carbon emissions, new statistics released by oil giant BP show. [News Source]

Congress abandoning Obama clean energy goals. Congress is all but abandoning President Barack Obama's goal of producing fully one-quarter of the nation's electricity from renewable sources -- wind, solar and the like -- by 2025, though a push for at least some increase is making headway. [News Source]

China leads escalation of coal consumption. Coal consumption is continuing to grow more quickly than other traditional sources despite high prices and the dangerous impact it will have on carbon emissions, new statistics released by oil giant BP show. [News Source]

Population and sustainability: Can we avoid limiting the number of people? Slowing the rise in human numbers is essential for the planet--but it doesn't require population control. [News Source]

How to measure vulnerability to climate change? A complex but critical issue is being raised at the UN climate change talks in Bonn, Germany: finding a scale that determines how vulnerable developing countries are to climate change, which will help in allocating funds to adapt fairly. [News Source]

Full climate deal unlikely in Copenhagen, warns UN’s de Boer. The UN's top climate official on Wednesday voiced doubt about the prospects for completing a new pact on global warming in Copenhagen by its much-touted December deadline. [News Source]

Biggest emitters fail to show the way forward. China and the US failed to achieve a breakthrough at their latest round of climate talks on Wednesday, raising the stakes in the global effort to fight global climate change. [News Source]

No one pleased with Japan’s emission targets. Environmentalists say Japan’s goal to reduce emissions 8% from 1990 levels is insufficient, but business leaders say the economy is not strong enough to handle such changes yet. [News Source]

Cap-and-trade faces ag foes. A climate-change bill that won approval from the House Energy and Commerce Committee isn't getting the same reception from rural lawmakers, who claim the measure is driven by urban interests. [News Source]

Australia opposition accuses government of “blackmail”. Australia's opposition accused the government on Thursday of "legislated blackmail"after tieing millions of dollars in business compensation for new renewable energy laws to a doomed scheme for carbon emissions trading. [News Source]