By John Parnell
– The day’s top climate change stories as chosen by RTCC
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– Updated from 0830-1700 BST (GMT+1)
Friday 11 January
EU: The EU has reacted with caution to speculation that President Obama intends to dramatically step up efforts to combat climate change in the wake of record temperatures and the impact of Hurricane Sandy. “You will remember that there was once a hurricane called Katrina that also led to big discussions [about climate change] so only time will tell. A single swallow doesn’t make a summer,” an EU source told the EurActiv news agency. (EurActiv)
China: The Chinese economy has cleaned up a little with the government announcing that carbon intensity, the volume of greenhouse gases per dollar of GDP, fell 3.5% during 2012. The country is aiming to reduce intensity by 40-45% by 2020 compared to 2005 levels as it shifts away from a manufacturing-based economy. (China Economic Review)
Canada: Indigenous people in Canada have vowed to “bring the economy to its knees” if the government does not halt plans to build an oil pipeline across western Canada. The Idle No More campaign, which has already been blocking railways, says native Canadians are unhappy with the proposal to connect the country’s Alberta tar sands to ports on the west coast, where it would be exported to Asia. (Reuters)
UAE: The UAE is to complete its greenhouse gas emissions inventory this year having already completed the work for the two most populous of its seven emirates, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. At the UN climate change conference in Doha last month, it pledged along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar that it would make a commitment to cut emissions through the UN in the near future. (The National)
US: Google has invested $200m in a wind farm in Texas. The figure put Google’s total investment in renewable energy at $990m. (EarthTechling)