NASA deletes planet-protecting phrasing from mission statement The phrase "to understand and protect our home planet" was quietly deleted from NASA's mission statement in February; the agency's mission now is "to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research." NASA's 19,000 employees were neither consulted nor informed ahead of time of the deletion. The planet-protection phrase had been added to the mission statement in 2002; scientists say it shaped research priorities, and the deletion will reduce incentive for research on phenomena like -- oh, to pick one at random -- climate change. Agency spokesflack David Steitz said …

Heat wave causing deaths, power outages North America and Europe are suffering under a sweltering heat wave that's caused deaths, widespread irritability, and a powerful thirst. So far, some 21 deaths are reported in France, two in Spain, and at least 29 in the U.S. In southern England, they're facing what may be the worst drought in a century. On the upside, the U.K. bottled-water industry reports record high sales. Back on the downside, utility Consolidated Edison chose this felicitous moment to preside over a massive power outage in Queens, N.Y. Around 100,000 New Yorkers, normally so soft-spoken and courteous, …

Picture Al Gore standing in a modest auditorium deep in America's heartland before an exultant crowd of Wal-Mart employees, comparing their campaign to lighten the company's environmental footprint to the Allies' righteous struggle in World War II. This after Rev. Jim Ball, head of the Evangelical Environmental Network, likened the giant retailer's greening efforts to the work of Jesus Christ. Al Gore. Photo: Amy Tierney / WireImage.com This strange scene unfolded last week in Bentonville, Ark., and Muckraker was there to witness it. The occasion was an environmental strategy meeting of some 800 Wal-Mart execs, managers, suppliers, and partners, where …

BP shuts down wells on North Slope after whistleblowers report leaks Oil giant BP is voluntarily shutting down 12 oil wells on Alaska's North Slope after employees alleged they were leaking. Whistleblowers told London's Financial Times that in some places, insulating material used to keep pipes from freezing -- usually crude oil or diesel -- had spilled onto the tundra. BP spokesflack Daren Beaudo said the company's daily monitoring had identified potential leaks in 57 wells, all but 12 of which had already been shut down, and insisted that the tundra had not been touched. "Even though we have no …

Heat wave leads to record power use in U.S. Many areas of the U.S. broke record highs for power use yesterday, as a coast-to-coast heat wave caused sweaty citizens to crank up the AC. Power grid operators are calling for conservation, and the utility industry is declaring a national need for more power plants and transmission lines. California used 46,561 megawatts of power yesterday, breaking last year's one-day record high of 45,431 MW. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) ordered state offices to reduce power use during peak hours for the rest of the week by turning off unneeded lights, adjusting thermostats …

This sounds cool: MOUNT ALBION - University of Colorado biologists began installing an alarm system atop this craggy summit Friday, near the Continental Divide west of Boulder. Like the alarm systems in your car or home, this one is designed to detect intruders. But in this case, the invaders are tundra plants moving up from lower elevations in response to global warming. The alarm system is a cluster of mountaintop vegetation plots that will be monitored periodically for decades to come. (Via Digg)

(from SFGate via Groovy Green)

2006 is already setting heat records January to June 2006 was the warmest first half of the year in the continental U.S. since record-keeping began in 1895, and the sixth-warmest in the world as a whole, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Alaska, far eastern Europe, and parts of Russia posted cooler-than-average temperatures, but the rest of the Northern Hemisphere was right toasty. The U.S. average temperature in the first half of 2006 was 51.8 degrees, 3.4 degrees above the 20th-century average. And heeere's summer: Excessive heat warnings have been issued in many cities across the country as temperatures …

G8 leaders dither on energy issues The G8 industrial nations met in St. Petersburg this weekend, focusing on energy security. They agreed to ... nothing. Said the group statement: "We recognize that G8 members pursue different ways to achieve energy security and the goals of climate protection." You could say that. The U.S. and U.K. are strongly pro-nuclear power, and Germany is strongly anti, leading to this bizarre formulation: "We are committed to further reduce the risks associated with the safe use of nuclear energy." (Can't be too safe!) On climate change, the nations will pursue "our shared ... objectives …

In 2001, around the time Dick Cheney's secret-recipe energy plan made its debut, Jeff Goodell went to West Virginia to report on coal's rising fortunes. He'd been sent to do a story for The New York Times Magazine, but the material spilled over into a book, Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future, published this summer. It's a journey from the mines of Wyoming, across the plains by rail car, into the belly of the turbines in the east, and all the way to China, following the tale of the black rock that still, after all these years, …