[China:  Not betting that Holdren's year-round ice-free Arctic will materialize any time soon]

China is set to construct its first icebreaker for polar expeditions, state media said Tuesday, in a move it described as greatly boosting its ability to explore the strategic Arctic.
...
The vessel, which will be designed with the help a Finnish company and will be the first built in China, is set to begin operating in 2014. It will join the already active vessel, Xuelong, which was purchased from Ukraine in 1993.

The 8,000-tonne ship will be able to break through 1.5 meters (five feet) of ice, Xinhua said, citing officials from the State Oceanic Administration.

Congress vote on EU carbon scheme may block US airlines from paying | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Senate committee clears way for US airlines to be ordered to ignore Europe's carbon emissions trading scheme
...
Congress threatened to bring chaos to European Union airports on Tuesday, moving towards a vote on a measure that would ban US carriers from paying for their carbon emissions...
In Washington's deeply divided political climate, opposition to the EU's aviation scheme remains one of the only areas where Republicans and Democrats agree.

Don't fall for comforting illusions of progress on climate change | Andrew Simms | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Now that climate sceptics are emerging from denial it matters that the rest of us don't drop guard
...
Danny Boyle's glorious celebration in the opening ceremony of what humanity can achieve through optimistic, open and collective endeavour, from universal health care to the world wide web, was an Olympic torch to follow. The oil company BP, the Olympics' hilariously chosen sustainability partner, is one to douse.

Greenland again sees widespread melt - World News

"This event was almost as impressive as earlier this month, but didn't have quite as much melt in the north and northwest," Mote told NBC News.