Prince Charles sends veiled message to White House on climate change Britain's Prince Charles has made it clear he views global warming as the direst problem facing the world community. The $6 million question has been: Would he say as much to the notoriously intransigent George Bush during a state dinner this week at the White House? You could cut the diplomatic tension with a fine silver butter knife! Well, he did -- but in a distinctly British way: slightly veiled, scrupulously polite, but unmistakably sharp. Said Charles at the conclusion of his remarks to the 100 or so assembled …

The campaign to keep oil drills out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has just been dealt what could be a fatal blow. Yesterday, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced an amendment to drop refuge-drilling language from a filibuster-proof federal budget bill; today, the Senate voted down that amendment, 48 to 51. "This is too important a question to slide into the budget bill," Cantwell said yesterday. "We are setting a very, very dangerous precedent." But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is psyched. "America can't afford $3-a-gallon gasoline and we can't afford to depend on sources hostile to the United …

Matthew Simmons: he's more radical than he looks. Matthew Simmons has been stirring up a lot of angst in energy circles this year. This well-connected industry insider has concluded that some of the world's largest oil beds may be on the verge of production collapse -- and he's willing to bet his much-vaunted career on it. Author of the recently published Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy, Simmons is founder of Simmons & Company International, an investment bank that handles mergers and acquisitions among energy companies, and counts among its clients Halliburton, General …

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 …