Lots of talk, no targets at Brit-hosted climate meetings Twenty nations participating in a climate-change confab in London this week vowed to take dramatic action to stop global warming. Hee hee ... we never get tired of pulling your chain, do we? Actually, the energy-hungry attendees -- the G8 industrial nations and up-and-coming economic powers like China, India, and Brazil -- pledged cooperation on deploying clean-energy technologies and mitigation techniques like carbon sequestration. Specific goals and timelines were notably absent from the agreement. On Tuesday night, U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who's recently edged away from his long-standing support for …

Power players in the U.S. are finally sitting up and taking note of climate change. But don't get hopeful just yet. They're not leaping to figure out how to retool our industrial system and stave off disaster. Rather, they're calculating which islands will make the best vacation getaways for the rich and famous in a globally warmed world. Yes, The Wall Street Journal has helpfully published "The Global Climate-Change Island Guide" [subscribers only, alas], informed by the new "Dow Jones Island Index" [PDF; should work even for non-subscribers], which analyzes "12 factors that reflect a range of environmental risks that …

Looks like Oprah and Leo aren't the only celebs concerned about climate change. This week (Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8-9 PM ET/PT), Alanis Morissette will host and narrate a PBS documentary on global warming: International recording artist Alanis Morissette hosts and narrates a one-hour PBS network prime time documentary on global warming, people across America facing the possibilities of grave consequences of a changing climate, and the innovative individuals, communities, and scientists creating new approaches to safeguard our children's future. Filmed across the U.S., Asia, and South America, this accessible, empowering program brings the reality of climate change to life and …

Prince Charles frets over climate change, promotes organic foods Britain's Prince Charles is getting dreadfully worried about climate change. In an interview with the BBC last week, he called it the "greatest challenge" to face humanity. And on CBS's 60 Minutes last night, he said, "You know, if you look at the latest figures on climate change and global warming ... they're terrifying, terrifying." But he was mum on whether he'll raise the subject when he sups privately with President Bush at the White House this week -- wouldn't be proper to comment on a private dinner, old chap. (Man, …

Study predicts major shifts in European climate during next century Europe's mountain and Mediterranean regions will be dramatically altered by 21st century climate change, and suffice to say they will not improve as vacation destinations. In a new study in the journal Science, researchers modeled the impacts of a heating planet -- and human responses to it -- on soil conditions, forest cover, and overall land use in 16 European nations. They forecast drought in the Mediterranean region leading to more forest fires, water shortages, and lost farmland. In the mountains, snow cover will retreat, rain will largely replace snowfall, …

Republicans ask oil firms to "do their part" to ease pain at the pump Oil companies and their GOP backers in Washington face a somewhat awkward situation: The oil industry is awash in record profits, but Republicans continue to shovel them millions in subsidies. Meanwhile, Americans stagger under the weight of soaring gas prices. This has created some unfavorable "optics," as the PR professionals put it. A few congressional Democrats are calling for a windfall-profits tax on oil companies to provide consumer relief, but c'mon, let's not get crazy. Instead, House Republicans opted for ... a stern press conference, calling …

"Hockey stick" climate study largely holds up to collegial scrutiny The dispute over global-warming science has become something of a soap opera in the U.S., and the latest episode portrays a stinging blow to skeptics. Previously, on As the World Burns: In June, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), chair of the House Energy Committee, ordered an inquiry into the famous "hockey stick" study by climatologist Michael Mann, which showed global temperatures spiking in the late 20th century. Many people assumed Barton was just trying to bully scientists whose research bolstered the climate-change consensus, but he did take the time to cite …

Hillary calls for Big Oil to fund a cleaner energy future Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) says the oil industry should pony up for a multibillion-dollar "Strategic Energy Fund" that would invest in clean-energy technologies and help folks struggling with spiking heating costs. At the Cleantech Venture Forum in D.C. yesterday, Clinton called for Big Oil to pay an "alternative energy development fee" to help "reinvest" its record-breaking profits, but stressed, "It's not about new energy taxes on consumers." (God no, not new taxes!) She said the money would underwrite wind and solar projects, development of new technologies, and a major …

Texas planning massive wind-energy project off Galveston coast Texas has proposed what could become the nation's first offshore wind farm, about seven miles off the coast of Galveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The massive project would involve construction of around 50 wind turbines over some five years and would be expected to generate 150 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 40,000 homes. Herman Schellstede, president of Wind Energy Systems Technologies, the company developing the project, thinks the region's energy history lends itself to wind power. "Are Texas and Louisiana in the energy business or the oil business?" …

Oil companies made record profits, and all we got was this moral outrage Pity the poor oil firms: The five largest are expected to reap a record $28 billion in collective earnings this quarter, and all signs point to a lucrative six months to come, but they can't brag about it -- at least not publicly. If they did, people might ask inconvenient questions, like: Why are we making you rich by paying so much for gasoline right now? Or: Why are we facing freezing our heinies off this winter because we'll have to choose between eating and heating our …