Tony Knowles Aims to Kick-Start Dialogue on Curbing Oil Use - NYTimes.com

In this year’s State of the Union address, Mr. Obama proposed a different approach: a federal standard requiring 80 percent of the nation’s electricity to come from “clean energy” sources by 2035.

But Democrats concede that Congress won’t pass one anytime soon — not while such ideas remain vulnerable to the charge that they will make a weak economy weaker. “The term ‘job killer,’ ” observed James Carville, President Bill Clinton’s onetime strategist, “kills anything.”
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That leaves advocates of more far-reaching change, like Mr. Knowles, struggling to keep the issue alive. Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, who backed energy and climate legislation that failed in 2010, is also exploring a campaign to raise awareness.

But barring some major political shift, “we’re not going to get the big thing,” said Kathleen Frangione, a former Kerry adviser on climate change. “And that’s a disappointment.”

Funds Boost Bullish Agriculture Bets for Third Week as Crops May Decline - Bloomberg

Climate change will cause more droughts and have “major impacts” on food production for decades, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said on June 9.

Vietnam plans to build 90 coal plants

Vietnam's government has announced plans to build 90 coal-fired plants over the next 15 years even while being listed as among the top 11 most vulnerable nation's to climate change in the world, according to Eco-Business.
...The government has stated it will put in $83 billion to build the coal plants, which will double Vietnam's energy production by 2020, altogether providing over 100,000 megawatts.

In March 2010, the World Bank, Denmark, France, and Japan pledged $790 million to Vietnam for climate change mitigation.

SA 'pleased' with progress at climate change talks

Pretoria - South Africa says it is impressed with progress being made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.
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The department said the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) have started with work on the more mature aspects of the future climate change.