The great drought in East Africa. Across East Africa an extraordinary drought is drying up rivers, and grasslands, scorching crops and threatening millions of people with starvation. [News Source]

Growing population poses a Malthusian dilemma. Agriculture--thanks to deforestation, nitrous oxide from fields, methane from cattle and rice paddies--is responsible for one third of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Pasture is the globe's dominant ecosystem. Ag is now "the main driver of most ecological problems," says Jeffery Sachs. [News Source]

The 9 industries that will be most screwed by global warming. A wide spectrum of industries around the world--wine, fishing, skiing, and insurance, among others--will be significantly affected as global warming continues. [News Source]

1,000 mayors agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Seattle mayor Greg Nickels announced that 1,000 mayors across the country signed a pact to meet Kyoto protocol targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions--urging federal and state government to cut emissions by 2012. [News Source]

Coming refrigerant phase out may cost consumers. The little-publicized phase-out of an environmentally unfriendly refrigerant used in most air conditioning and heat pump units will affect nearly all U.S. homeowners, according to heating and air conditioning contractors. [News Source]

Vanishing Arctic ice shows no sign of returning. Out in the Arctic Ocean, about 200 miles north of the nearest human settlement, the future of the world's climate is written in the patterns of ice patches on the water's surface. Old, "multiyear" ice -- the glue that holds the polar ice cap together -- is slowly disintegrating. [News Source]

Why climate change legislation is turning corporate America green. What's the "green" driving some high-profile corporations to break with the country's largest business lobbyist over climate change? Hint: It's not the environmental kind. [News Source]

Supporters get a whiff of manure’s energy potential. It's no joke. Animal manure, one of Texas' most abundant natural resources, can be converted into electricity and other power sources, and may well have a role in reducing the nation's dependence on fossil fuels. [News Source]

A new way to tackle carbon emissions. In a landmark case, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that carbon dioxide emissions do qualify as a “public nuisance.” The decision means that states and land trusts can sue power companies to make them curb their greenhouse gas emissions. [News Source]

U.S. bill ‘crucial’ for climate talks. Potentially seminal legislation on climate change has finally made it to the floor of the US Senate. Cue bouquets from people who want the US to get intimately involved in tackling the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Cue also brickbats. [News Source]

Proposed U.S. carbon cuts: All bark, no bite? The Kerry-Boxer bill is only one of several pieces of legislation that the Senate will need to consider as it takes on cap and trade, and the chances that any kind of carbon cap will pass seem vanishingly small. [News Source]