Carbon Emissions | featured news

It's become something of a clich in energy-policy discussions: The United States is making headway on global warming and slashing its carbon-dioxide emissions all because of a glut of cheap natural gas that's elbowing out dirty coal power.

Bowing to political reality, the Democrats retreated on curbing carbon emissions, opting for a narrower measure.

Move lays the groundwork for an economy-wide carbon cap even if Congress fails to enact climate legislation, sources familiar with process say.

A key U.S. Senate environment committee approved a Democratic climate change bill on Thursday that would require industry to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases 20 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels.

Efforts to convince rich nations to toughen emissions cuts have failed to make much headway at climate talks in the Thai capital, the U.N. said on Friday.

The global aviation industry has agreed to cut its net carbon emissions to half 2005 levels by 2050 under a plan to be set out on Tuesday by British Airways chief, Willie Walsh.