Scientists plan emergency summit on climate change | Environment | The Guardian

Scientists are to hold an emergency summit to warn the world's politicians they are being too timid in their response to global warming.

Climate experts from across the world will gather in Copenhagen next month to agree a stark message to policy makers, which they hope will break the political deadlock on efforts to curb rising temperatures. The meeting follows "disturbing" studies that suggest global warming could strike harder and faster than expected.

It comes ahead of a year of high-level political discussions on climate change, which climax with international negotiations in Copenhagen in December, where officials will try to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto protocol.

Katherine Richardson, a marine biologist at the University of Copenhagen, who is organising next month's event, said: "This is not a regular scientific conference. This is a deliberate attempt to influence policy."

Can Crazy Techno Schemes Actually Save Us from Climate Change? | Environment | AlterNet

Temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, seas are swelling and if we don't do something soon (yesterday?), we're sure to find ourselves huddled together on a mountaintop in Utah, a little place we will lovingly refer to as "dry land."

Clearing the air with China - Los Angeles Times

A smart way of addressing that problem was presented last week in a report by a multi- disciplinary team of experts, who proposed that Obama convene a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao to outline a plan of action against global warming and create high-level councils in both countries to develop ways to implement it. What makes this project, a joint effort of the Asia Society and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, different from the usual think-tank fodder is that it was co-chaired by Steven Chu, who as the new secretary of Energy presumably has Obama's ear when it comes to climate policy.

Tens of thousands of elderly people could die of cold, council leaders warn - Telegraph

In 2007/8 there were 25,000 more deaths in the winter compared with the summer months and this year is expected to be worse.

The Local Government Association said the coldest winter in the last 20 years was in 1995/6 when 40,000 more people died than during the summer, and there are fears the death toll could be similar this year.