The executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, predicted that China would become a world leader in fighting global warming.

President Hu Jintao of China and President Obama are due to address a gathering of more than a hundred world leaders at UN headquarters in New York today in an effort to agree on cuts in global emissions at a crucial Copenhagen conference in December.

Mr de Boer said that Chinese officials promised to unveil an “impressive suite of actions [that] will take China into a leadership position”.

One of Europe’s rarest bats has been found at a site in Wales further west than ever before recorded.

The Bechstein’s bat is an elusive creature that likes to hide in the undergrowth of ancient woodland.

It lives in a number of countries in western, central and southern Europe, but is rare throughout its range.

Now a researcher from the University of Bristol has identified a solitary male specimen in Pembrokeshire, 100km west of earlier recorded sites.

University of Bristol researcher Matt Zeale found the bat while pursuing another species in woodland owned by The National Trust at Colby in southern Pembrokeshire.

The move follows British Cadbury’s ensuring that all Dairy Milk in Britain and Ireland is sold under the Fairtrade logo by the end of the 2009 summer, which is now in process.

The move to Fairtrade produce comes at no extra cost to the consumer, and the expansion of this policy to Australia and New Zealand means that about a quarter of Cadbury Dairy Milk global sales will be Fairtrade certified in 2010.

Cadbury’s increasing international commitment to Fairtrade, securing fair minimum prices for developing world producers on a range of products such as coffee and chocolate, transforms Fairtrade chocolate from a niche product to a mainstream staple, making the decisons landmark steps.

In a world increasingly concerned with global warming, there is a growing turn towards more renewable sources of energy. Xinsheng Zheng and colleagues in China have noticed the importance of renewable fuels like biodiesel.

Current biodiesel production processes produce large amounts of waste water, and the catalysts required to speed up the chemical reactions that transform plant oils into diesel fuel cannot be reused. This new research suggests that a catalyst derived from shrimp shells converted canola oil to biodiesel more efficiently, and quickly than some traditional catalysts, and additionally can be reused.

Their study is scheduled for release in the Aug. 20 issue of ACS’ Energy & Fuels.

Unlike traditional development indices, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Happy Planet Index takes sustainability into account – looking at life expectancy along with a country’s ecological footprint. Evaluating human well-being along with environmental impact determines where people live long and happy lives.

Out of the 143 nations included, Latin American countries filled nine of the top ten places, with developed nations such as Britain and the US ranked much lower, 74th and 114th respectively.

If you are heading to Costa Rica then make sure you take out travel insurance in case of any emergency situations you may find yourself in as health can be expensive.

The 310m Pearl River Tower is going to be off the electricity grid of China, in one of it’s most polluted cities, and will be run on a combination of wind turbines, solar panels and fuel cells. The building is expected to be finished in late 2010.

Other energy efficient features include a double-layer curtain-wall system to reduce heat absorption and slab concrete vaulted ceilings that enhance natural daylight. Chilled water will run through metal panels in the ceiling, helping to cool the building.

Hopefully China is finally waking up to the threat of global warming and can lead the world in sustainable building.

The reserve will save some of the region’s last pristine forests: ensuring the survival of the embattled bonobo—the least-known of the world’s four great ape species—and protecting a wide variety of biodiversity from the Congo peacock to the dwarf crocodile.

However, the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is worth attention for another reason: every step of its creation—from biological surveys to reserve management—has been run by the local Congolese NGO and villages of Kokolopori.

About 2 billion people in developing countries worldwide lack electricity, which in turn impacts the health, ecology and safety of rural households. Many are forced to rely on inefficient and environmentally damaging kerosene lamps.

Developing nations alone burn 470 million barrels of oil and release about 400 billion pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as a result of using kerosene. Other sources of light fuel include cow dung, precious forest firewood or crop residue.

But in a massive new study carried out in Gujarat, one of Western India’s poorest states, hit hard by drought in recent years, researchers have proposed that solar photovoltaic lanterns could represent a solution for rural communities with insufficient lighting.

This is particularly true in India, where the average number of sunny days ranges from 250 to 300 per year, generating a solar energy equivalent greater than the country’s total energy consumption. With India’s large and growing population, solar lanterns, using the country’s abundant sunlight, could be the cleanest and most practical energy alternative available.

From GoodNewsStories.org

Believe it or not, climate change could be the best thing that ever happened to the amazing array of animal and plant species that make up the Earth’s biodiversity.

Climate change is still the most serious environmental threat we have ever encountered, and it is already taking a terrible toll on species, as well as people, all over the world.

However, there is a silver lining to this rather acidic cloud. Climate change has triggered an international wake up call and never before have so many sectors of society been equally concerned and motivated to combat an environmental threat.

Some pessimists say it’s too late, but consider the positive results of the latest meeting of the WCC in Spain that brought together representatives from governments, indigenous peoples, industry and environmental groups are meeting to present innovations and create partnerships. The fact this type of meeting took place is a big positive stride for protecting the world and it’s inhabitants.

Regardless of whether you believe in climate change or not, it cannot be denied that the whole subject has highlighted many global issues and brought about a and positive change in attitude and to the environment and our rich biodiversity.