China could be $1 trillion a year market for green technologies, report says. China potentially could be a $500 billion to $1 trillion a year market for environmentally sustainable "green technologies," a group of businesses and experts said in a report Thursday that urges governments to ease the way for such initiatives. [News Source]

US and China to unveil joint plan to ‘take over’ cleantech market. A joint US-China plan to "take over the world" in low-carbon technology will be revealed tomorrow at a meeting of Davos' World Economic Forum in Dalian. But accusations of protectionism threaten the collaborative vision. [News Source]

Asian governments pledge shift to greener industry. Asian governments pledged Wednesday to push to make factories in their nations more energy efficient and less polluting, but a senior United Nations official worried that falling investments in "green energy" would make it more difficult to fight climate change. [News Source]

Preparation key to cut climate insurance cost. Developing and maintaining infrastructure to cope with climate change is the only way to keep insurance premiums at an affordable level, said the head of Swiss Re's Sustainability and Emerging Risks division. [News Source]

Gardens of 2050: January cherry blossom and winter buttercup blooms. A new study on the impact of our warming climate has found that across most low-lying, coastal areas of the globe, spring will begin for many plants at least a month earlier than it does now and will end several weeks later in 40 years time. [News Source]

Arctic ice meltdown greater than average again in 2009. The Arctic sea ice has retreated to the third-lowest level in recorded history — the fourth time in the past five years that the annual summer meltdown has been far greater than average. [News Source]

New report not so hazy on climate change. This week's NOAA report on aerosals is likely to give ammunition to both the majority consensus that says human-forced accumulation of greenhouse gases is causing global warming -- and the vocal minority claiming that the planet is actually cooling. [News Source]

UK public won’t give up flights: environment minister. The British public do not want to give up their holiday flights, said deputy energy and climate minister Joan Ruddock on Wednesday, responding to a letter from the government's adviser on the emissions impacts of aviation. [News Source]

California favors efficiency over alt energy. California's chief climate change official on Wednesday sees a big need for small-scale clean energy like rooftop windmills and neighborhood solar power plants, but the state will gain more from efficiency than renewable power. [News Source]

Enbridge lawsuit result of failed opposition, says company. While an environmental coalition prepares to challenge a cross-border pipeline in a U.S. district court, an Enbridge spokeswoman says the lawsuit simply echoes opposition comments of procedural hearings prior to approval. [News Source]

No immediate increase in flight taxes, transport secretary says. The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, today ruled out immediate tax rises for airline passengers despite calls from the government's advisory body on climate change for radical cuts in aviation industry emissions. [News Source]