UK poorly prepared for impact of global warming, climate watchdog warns | Environment | The Guardian

The committee's first report on adaption since it was formally set up a year ago under the previous Labour government said that climate change was "already having an impact on the UK", with average annual temperatures 1C higher than in the 1970s, and seasons [all of them?] arriving on average 11 days earlier.

How science will shape climate adaptation plans | Vicky Pope | Environment | guardian.co.uk

I have been involved in developing climate models for the last 15 years and despite their limitations we are now able to assess the probability of different outcomes for the first time. That means we can quantify the risk of these outcomes happening. These projections – the UK climate projections published in 2009 - are already forming the backbone of adaptation decisions being made in the UK for 50 to 100 years ahead.
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All too often uncertainty in science offers a convenient excuse for delaying important decisions. However, in the case of climate change there is overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing — in part due to human activities — and that changes will accelerate if emissions continue unabated.
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• Vicky Pope is the head of climate science advice at the Met Office Hadley Centre

Chinese solar firm lands big airport deal | Grist

Carbon neutral jumbo jets may be a long way off but some airports are making strides in cutting their greenhouse gas emissions.

Denver International, for instance, announced Tuesday that it will install a 4.4-megawatt solar array, more than doubling the 2 megawatts' worth of photovoltaic panels the airport built in 2008. Earlier this year, Denver signed a deal for a third array, which will generate an additional 1.6 megawatts of electricity.

Yingli Green Energy is providing the 19,000 panels for the 4.4-megawatt project. A Yingli spokesperson told me that altogether, the photovoltaic arrays will supply on average about 6 percent of the airport's electricity demand.

The limits and potential of plant-based energy | Grist

The more research is done on liquid biofuels, the less attractive they become.