Homeless left for dead – literally – in Beni Mellal | The Observers

A freakish cold spell in the Moroccan town of Beni Mellal has already killed at least ten people this year. Our Observer there condemns the inaction of the public authorities.

Keene officials want more public money blown on Gore's scam

Keene Mayor Philip Dale Pregent and Councilor James P. Duffy are heading to Washington, D.C. today to rally for federal funding to help communities combat climate change.

Pregent and Duffy are attending a two-day conference sponsored by Climate Communities and ICLEI USA, according to W. Andrew Seth, Climate Communities’ deputy director.

The mayor and councilor will be among representatives from 75 cities and counties expected to attend the conference, Seth said.

UK: Trial produces encouraging results for backers of personal carbon budgets

Every person in the UK could have their own carbon budget in just over a decade to encourage individuals to cut their global warming emissions, the head of the most comprehensive trial of the idea has predicted.

Personal carbon allowances set a limit on the emissions that can be produced by an individual's activities, such as driving and heating homes. People could switch to greener products and services or simply do without to meet their allowances. The idea also allows people to sell credits if they do not use the full limit or buy credits if they go over the budget through indulging in highly polluting activities such as flying or simply consuming too much.

The idea has been promoted for years by visionary environmentalists as a way of reducing emissions. But it was given credibility by the support of David Miliband, the former environment and now foreign secretary, and the launch of a three-year study by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). However, critics fear an "Orwellian" future in which every transaction would be watched and judged.