International

The peatlands of Indonesia, formed over thousands of years, used to be a vast reservoir of carbon. But now deforestation has dried them out, and they are burning, releasing back into the atmosphere as much carbon dioxide as all the cars and trucks in the U.S. The question is how economic incentives to save the peatlands can outweigh the incentives for destroying them.

"An African has taken over as director of Greenpeace, bringing experience honed as a teenage opponent of white rule in South Africa and a network of powerful contacts to the battle against global warming."

"COPENHAGEN -- Environment ministers made progress on Tuesday toward a scaled-down climate deal in Copenhagen next month, with Washington facing pressure to promise deep cuts by 2020 in greenhouse gas emissions."

As U.S. chlorine plants convert to cleaner technology, they are leaving behind large stocks of mercury. There is a danger that mercury will find its way to dangerous and polluting uses on the global market. Efforts to ban mercury export have not been effective.

"President Barack Obama says the United States and China are looking for a comprehensive deal during next month's climate change summit that will 'rally the world.'"

"MÉRIDA, Mexico -- Connectivity is a message reverberating in multiple work sessions as the week-long 9th World Wilderness Congress concludes. A new declaration, The Message of Mérida, demands that the UN climate conference next month make the connection between climate and wilderness and 'recognize that it is necessary to address both the climate change and biodiversity extinction crises.'"

"At little noticed talks last week in Port Ghalib, Egypt, climate advocates were hoping to seal a global agreement for the phase down of super greenhouse gases and give next month's Copenhagen climate talks a can-do running start. But the annual meeting of the 198 nations of the Montreal Protocol began on a note of contention that five days of discussions could not overcome."

"President Obama and other world leaders have decided to put off the difficult task of reaching a climate change agreement at a global climate conference scheduled for next month, agreeing instead to make it the mission of the Copenhagen conference to reach a less specific 'politically binding' agreement that would punt the most difficult issues into the future."