Obama Gets 56% Job Approval Amid Deficit Concerns, Poll Shows - Bloomberg.com

The poll also probes attitudes on climate change, finding that 40 percent of Americans view it as a major threat, compared with 31 percent who say it’s a minor threat and just 27 percent who say it’s no real threat at all.

One year on, Garnaut's glass half full - Eureka Street

Garnaut stressed his commitment to the mainstream science view that man-made global warming is real and urgent. He described climate change denialism as 'a grasping of straws from people on the outer fringes of science'. He said he had heard out the views of Australia's leading exponent of such views, a person of scientific background, and concluded that he could not prudently accept such arguments, as the risks are too great.

Australia's best economic statisticians have reviewed the global average temperature data since 1950. They are in no doubt that a 60-year global warming trend is evident, despite an appearance of slowdown since the peak El Nino year 1998.

Rise in benefits may be payback for emissions support | Otago Daily Times Online

It appears the Maori Party is going to push for an increase in welfare benefits as part of its deal to back an emissions trading scheme (ETS).