Lawmakers move to restrain EPA on climate change. As climate change legislation stalled in the Senate, the Obama administration noted that it had a workable Plan B. If Congress wouldn't cap U.S. emissions, officials said, the EPA would do it instead. Now, even Plan B may be in trouble. [News Source]

Study says undersea release of methane is under way. Climate scientists have long warned that global warming could unlock vast stores of methane that are frozen into the Arctic permafrost, setting off potentially significant increases in global warming. Now researchers say this change is under way. [News Source]

Florida Keys residents confront rising sea levels. Waters around the Florida Keys are nine inches higher than a century ago. Efforts to battle rising sea levels make the Keys 'a canary in the coal mine,' an indicator of what other areas might need to prepare for. [News Source]

Arctic melt to cost up to $24 trillion by 2050: Report. Arctic ice melting could cost global agriculture, real estate and insurance anywhere from $2.4 trillion to $24 trillion by 2050 in damage from rising sea levels, floods and heat waves, according to a report released on Friday. [News Source]

Pacific Northwest forests act as massive carbon banks. The forests of the Pacific Northwest are the carbon storage powerhouses of the U.S. - they store more than 1-1/2 times as much carbon as the entire amount of carbon dioxide burned in fossil fuels throughout the country each year. [News Source]

Future’s not looking sunny. The results are in and, going by the official projections, it's not looking encouraging for the penetration of renewable energy into the Australian market over the next 20 years - particularly solar. [News Source]

Expert: Australia like drug dealer of coal. A climate scientist often referred to as the "godfather of climate change" said Australia's massive coal exports are almost equivalent to being a drug dealer to the world. [News Source]

Lawmakers seek EPA delay. Coalfield legislators closed ranks Thursday and simultaneously introduced legislation in both houses of congress aimed at delaying the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing additional regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources. [News Source]

Japan rift risks watering down climate bill. A rift within Japan's government over legislation to fight climate change has raised the risk of it watering down plans for an emissions trading system that is at the core of its drive for greener policies. [News Source]

Polar bear fossil traces origin to brown bears. A scientific analysis of a rare polar bear fossil indicates that the large, white-coated mammals' ancestors migrated toward the North Pole in response to global warming thousands of years ago, and adapted quickly to their new Arctic habitat. [News Source]

Saving sea turtles, one nest at a time. Global warming and coastal development are decimating Pacific sea turtle populations. In Costa Rica, a group of one-time poachers is giving baby sea turtles a chance at survival. [News Source]