Hot climates may create sluggish economies. New research suggests that higher temperatures can have a damaging effect on the economies of poor countries. The study, by economists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found that in years with higher temperatures, poor countries experienced significantly slower economic growth. [News Source]

Utilities scramble to meet power needs of electric cars. By some accounts, the next 10 years will see as many as 1.6 million electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles zipping around California, in what is shaping up to be the nation's e-car proving ground. But utilities are working feverishly to put infrastructure standards in place. [News Source]

U.S. releases unclassified spy images of Arctic ice. The United States released more than a thousand intelligence images of Arctic ice to help scientists study the impact of climate change, within hours of a recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences. [News Source]

Shading the Earth. If we don’t cut fossil fuels fast enough, global warming may get out of hand. Some scientists say we need a plan B: a giant sunshade that would cool the whole planet. [News Source]

U.S. and China agree to study ways to make buildings more energy-efficient. U.S. energy secretary Steven Chu said the two nations had agreed to plan joint studies on ways to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, a major issue in addressing China’s contribution to climate change. [News Source]

Go-ahead for eco-towns in England. The eco-town project was intended to meet housing needs and tackle climate change, with as many as 10 environmentally-friendly settlements built by 2020, but has been dogged by controversy and opposition from local communities. [News Source]

U.S. should pay for carbon content of imported goods: Locke. To address the serious threat of global warming, Americans should be required to "pay" for the carbon content of goods they consume from countries around the world, a top U.S. official said on Friday. [News Source]

New model aims to predict quick climate changes. Scientists are checking advanced climate simulation models against existing data to find that they're running right on track to better predict drastic climate change. [News Source]

Ocean current switch due to warming could be slower than feared. The nightmare global warming scenario which provided the plot for a Hollywood blockbuster -- the Atlantic Ocean current that keeps Europe warm shuts down and triggers rapid climate change -- has long worried scientists. [News Source]

India cannot afford to be a climate sceptic. India’s poor will have an enormous problem in arranging their livelihoods due to climate change, and it will be better if the country stops being a climate sceptic, a government official said Thursday. [News Source]

The corporate climate crusaders. In the lead-up to last month’s vote on the massive Waxman-Markey clean energy bill, American TV viewers were treated to an odd sight. Jim Rogers, CEO of the country’s third-largest energy company, was calling for tough new climate change rules. [News Source]