Climate News Roundup

Rising Demand for Oil Provokes New Energy Crisis – New York Times. This isn’t your father’s oil shock: “This is the world’s first demand-led energy shock,” said Lawrence Goldstein, an economist at the Energy Policy Research Foundation of Washington.

World must be careful on food miles issue – diplomat – Reuters. One popular personal strategy to fight global warming — buying local food to reduce transportation emissions — has unintended consequences on development: “Ending imports of fresh food from Africa under the pretext of combating climate change risks destroying entire communities that have become dependent on the trade, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Britain said on Wednesday.”

N. America emits far more CO2 than it absorbs – msnbc.com. “North America released 1,856 million metric tons of carbon into the air in 2003 — 85 percent from the United States, 9 percent from Canada and 6 percent from Mexico. At the same time, growing vegetation and other sources took in about 500 million metric tons of carbon.” Full scientific report here.

L.A. Auto Show: How Green Is My Valley? – New York Times. Good piece with interesting comments on whether the auto is really going green, or just greenwashing.

Governors Join in Creating Regional Pacts on Climate Change – New York Times. “Frustrated with the slow progress of legislation in Washington on energy and global warming, the nation’s governors have created regional agreements to cap greenhouse gases and are engaged in a concerted lobbying effort to prod Congress to act.” For now, the real action is in the states.