Lisa Jackson’s high-wire act on carbon controls. Early in his Presidency, Barack Obama made it clear that if Congress failed to limit carbon emissions, he would use his authority under the Clean Air Act to control greenhouse gases. Now that Congress has pulled the plug on legislation, that task has fallen to Lisa Jackson, Obama's EPA chief. [News Source]

EPA to issue more rules in climate fight. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will roll out more regulations on greenhouse gases and other pollution to help fight climate change, but they will not be as strong as action by Congress, a senior administration official said. [News Source]

Billionaire Koch brothers back suspension of California climate law. A company owned by oil billionaires Charles and David Koch has contributed $1 million to Proposition 23, a November ballot initiative to suspend California’s groundbreaking 2006 global-warming law. [News Source]

Double play for global warming. There's a fight brewing on an issue that seemed settled in 2006. That was when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, flexing his environmental credentials, signed into law a measure that requires a statewide cut in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. [News Source]

Earth ‘facing mass extinction.’ The world is facing a mass extinction event that could be greater than that of the dinosaurs, new Australian research shows. The research shows a combination of human behaviour and climate change could have devastating affects on species across the planet. [News Source]

Report says heat, not smart meters, hiked bills. After Pacific Gas & Electric, the giant California utility, began installing smart meters in the state’s Central Valley, the company was swamped with complaints from residents that their utility bills had increased. But one study attributes the higher bills to the heat, not the meters. [News Source]

Green roofs offer antidote to urban heat island effect, say researchers. Researchers at Columbia University have demonstrated that a layer of plants and earth can cut the rate of heat absorption through the roof of a building in summer by 84% [News Source]

Energy secretary Chris Huhne warned not to cut subsidies for green electricity. A coalition of green, countryside and housing groups has warned energy secretary Chris Huhne not to cut subsidies for green electricity and heating as part of the government's spending review. [News Source]

Powering up. In a world worried about global warming, improving the cleanliness and efficiency of jet engines is a priority for airlines and aircraft manufacturers. It is not just altruism: greener engines also use less fuel, and so cut costs. But incremental improvements over the years have made a difference. [News Source]

Nations meet on climate cash. About 45 nations met on Thursday to seek ways to raise billions of dollars in aid to help the poor combat climate change as the UN warned them of a long haul to slow global warming. [News Source]

Long-term sea level rise could strengthen Earl’s blow. The large waves, storm surge, and flooding that Hurricane Earl will spawn as it strikes Massachusetts tomorrow night comes with an added dollop of trouble; Sea level rise. [News Source]