Are American homes more energy efficient? Not exactly. The amount of energy that the average American requires at home has changed little since the early 1970s - despite advances in technology that have made many home appliances far more energy efficient. [News Source]

The road to more fuel-efficient cars is the one less taken by consumers AND automakers. A car purchased today can extract nearly twice as much power from a gallon of gas as it did 25 years ago. The trouble is that over the same period, cars have become bigger and more powerful. So the average mileage of these cars has barely budged since 1985. [News Source]

Calif. bill could generate billions to help cope with climate change. A bill currently on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk could give Californians, especially those in low-income communities, greater respite from heat waves like this week's record-shattering heat. [News Source]

U.S. needs national strategy for adapting to warmer climes. The federal government is way behind on efforts to develop effective strategies to adapt to a changing climate, a new report to the White House says today. [News Source]

Climate change exposes more tropical diseases. Public health professionals from a number of countries assembled in capital Dhaka to discuss the magnitude of health problems posed by climate change and give future directions to face climate-induced health challenges. [News Source]

Ontario to shut 4 power plants in coal phase out. Ontario will shut about 2,000 megawatts of coal-fired power generation on Friday to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions to combat global warming and improve health. These plant closures mark nearly a decade of effort to close the province's coal plants and move toward a cleaner energy future. [News Source]

Obama promises to push climate policies ‘in chunks’ next year. President Obama's newest pledge to resume an "urgent priority" on climate change next year could mark a new direction by Democrats that veers away from the politically hazardous effort to cut the bulk of national carbon emissions in one sprawling measure. [News Source]

Obama tries to galvanize greens. Faced with the prospect of sagging turnout this November, President Barack Obama is waging a green charm offensive designed to amp up support for Democratic congressional candidates. [News Source]

Royal Society’s climate change guide cuts confusion out of the hard science. The Royal Society, the UK's leading scientific establishment, today publishes its own layman's guide to the science of climate change, in the hope of countering the confusion and inaccurate claims that continue to surround the topic. [News Source]

Glacier found to be deeply cracked. Pressure and stress can lead to a crack-up, or several, if you are a glacier. Researchers have discovered a system of deep cracks extending from the ground up into the overlying ice of southern Alaska’s Bench Glacier. [News Source]

In search of lasting farming solutions to climate change. In the semi-arid Laikipia district of Kenya’s Rift Valley province, research scientist Sarah Ogalleh Ayeri travels from one village to another, documenting methods used by peasant farmers as they attempt to adapt to changing climatic conditions. [News Source]