An energy plan derailed by events is being retooled. In just over two years in the White House, President Obama has seen the major elements of his energy and climate-change strategy demolished by a succession of economic, political, technical and natural disasters. [News Source]

Taxpayer billions could fall short in creating new jobs, more efficient cars. An Energy Department loan program meant to create jobs and spur development of fuel-saving cars — bestowed with $25 billion in public money — lacks clear benchmarks to ensure taxpayers’ dollars are properly spent or that the goals are achieved. [News Source]

‘Artificial leaf’ might provide easy, mobile energy. An artificial "leaf" that collects energy in much the same way as a natural one could provide a day's worth of power for homes without access to an electricity grid, based on breakthrough technology by MIT's Daniel Nocera. [News Source]

Ethanol industry hoping for surge. Around the country and especially in the Midwest, a number of proposed plants that would turn corn cobs, wheat straw and other plant-based feedstocks into fuel and sell it on the market are working to secure the last stages of financing, and some could become operational in the next few years. [News Source]

Use funds to conserve fittest corals, say ecologists. As climate change intensifies, some species are showing themselves ill-equipped to survive it. Coral ecologists are now arguing that such species should drop down the list of conservation priorities – even if they typify the species-rich hotspots that are the poster children of conservation efforts. [News Source]

GM crops to be grown in Britain. Genetically-modified crops engineered to thrive in unfavourable conditions could be the key to helping Britain cope with climate change, scientist have claimed. [News Source]

Trading pumps for plugs: We aren’t there yet. For electric car enthusiasts, the good news is that the right combination of technology and policy is now in place to ensure that plug-in cars are almost certainly here to stay — in some form. But the promise of an electric car revolution in the United States has come and gone before. [News Source]

Start-ups work to reinvent the combustion engine. In this city where Toyota Priuses clog the roads and battery-powered Tesla Roadsters and Chevrolet Volts can be spotted at the organic farmers market, the engine factory in a gritty industrial neighborhood near San Francisco Bay is a throwback to the automotive past. Or a harbinger of the future. [News Source]

The case of missing models. The "foundation" of climate understanding - missing from mainstream media coverage. [News Source]

West Africa explores ways to mitigate climate change’s effects. From eroding coastline to depleted fish stocks, the effects of climate change are being felt along West Africa's coast – and governments and environmental groups are coming together to talk about what can be done to mitigate its impact. [News Source]

Understanding Earth’s polar challenges. The largest coordinated research project ever undertaken into the Arctic and Antarctic regions yielded a treasure trove of information which will shape our understanding of the polar regions, global oceans, climate and climate change, according to recent research. [News Source]