Are rising gas prices driving some people to the brink? Late last week, a station attendant in Alabama was run over and killed while trying to stop a dude from stealing $52 worth of gas. (The driver just turned himself in.) And today, on my new favorite web feature "Gas Gripes," a woman reports that her credit card was stolen and used to buy not a TV or a diamond ring, but -- you guessed it -- gas. I was going to be all delicate and say you couldn't draw a trend from such isolated events. But behold, the glory …

Freezing AC is status symbol at some Asian offices In some tropical Asian cities, it's become a symbol of luxury to keep offices at an arctic chill. Hong Kong may be the world's coldest city when you're indoors, say researchers, who found the average office temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (72 to 78 is considered the optimum human-comfort range indoors). Workers in one office contend with 64-degree summer cooling -- so cold they do yoga in the bathroom to warm up. Patricia Shiu, who actually uses a space heater under her desk to stay warm at her …

U.S. government sued over climate impacts of overseas energy projects U.S. efforts to find fossil-fuel supplies overseas will create significant climate disruption, harming not only people in those countries but folks at home, according to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by a coalition of green groups and U.S. cities. Ranging from Greenpeace to the city of Oakland, Calif., coalition members want fossil-fuel development projects in developing nations on five continents to be halted while their impacts are assessed under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Bush administration tried to have the suit dismissed, but U.S. District Judge Jeffrey …

Japan will encourage office workers to bundle up for the winter Japan's summer "Cool Biz" campaign, which encourages office workers to shed their coats and ties and wear lighter clothing so less energy need be spent on air conditioning, has proven such a success that now the nation's Environment Ministry is plotting to follow it up with a "Warm Biz" campaign for fall and winter. Businesses will be asked to keep the heat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the cooler seasons, and employees will be asked to dress cozily. The "Cool Biz" campaign has been a boon to men's clothing …

Northeast states crafting plan to cut CO2 emissions from power plants The cantankerous Northeast -- last seen suing the U.S. EPA over mercury regulations -- is at it again. Fed up with the feds, nine states in the region have preliminarily agreed to reduce their carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants. The coalition -- organized by New York Gov. George Pataki (R), whose presidential ambitions are no secret -- proposes to cap annual CO2 output from the region's power plants at 150 million tons beginning in 2009, then cut that figure 10 percent by 2020. Each state's legislature would have to …

Russian skeptics bet British scientist $10K that earth will cool Guess this counts as putting your money where your mouth is: Two Russian climate-change skeptics have bet a U.K. climate scientist $10,000 that the earth will cool over the next decade. Solar physicists Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtsev believe that changes in sunspot activity are a more significant factor in climate shifts than greenhouse-gas emissions. Since the sun is expected to be in a less-active phase over the next few decades, they believe global temperatures will drop, and they're willing to wager against Brit climatologist James Annan. The three scientists …

I remember when real environmentalists drove smoking VW vans with bumper stickers that said stuff like, "You can't call yourself an environmentalist if you eat meat." They didn't get the best gas mileage, but hey, you could do worse. They were replaced by the forest-green Subaru Outback (Eddy Bower edition if you were really cool), seen by the dozens in any REI parking lot. These are presently being eclipsed by the ubiquitous Prius. But, there is stiff competition from the diesel Jetta replete with biodiesel stickers all over the butt end. As we all know by now, biodiesel can be …

The Road to Detroit campaign is run by 11 student organizers from around the U.S., one big, beautiful biodiesel and veggie-oil bus, and many friends and allies. Road to Detroit is a campaign of Energy Action, a student and youth clean-energy and global-warming coalition. Friday, 19 Aug 2005 DETROIT, Mich. We know you know about fuel-efficient cars. You may even own one. Peak oil, the rising price at the pump, and new car technology have made headlines from coast to coast and back again; you've probably even considered naming your first born "Prius." This summer, a group of student organizers …

Northwest burger chain switches to pure wind power Fans of Pacific Northwest fast-food purveyor Burgerville will soon be noshing on burgers and onion rings cooked up with clean energy. The Holland Inc. -- parent company of both the Burgerville and Noodlin' regional chains -- has announced that all of its restaurants will use regionally produced wind power for 100 percent of their electricity needs. The move may increase the company's overall energy costs, but will reduce its carbon-dioxide contributions by about 17.4 million pounds a year -- the equivalent of taking 1,700 cars off the road. Burgerville has long felt …

Americans get creative at saving gas as price per gallon soars Ever since dinosaurs walked the earth, died, and decayed under high subterranean pressures to become the fossil fuels we so depend upon today, Americans have carried on a brontosauric love affair with gasoline. But with prices climbing toward $3 a gallon, that may change. Well, at least a little. More folks seem to be telecommuting and participating in car- and vanpools. Car-sharing firm Flexcar has reported a recent uptick in inquiries; it's been able to control fuel costs by making heavy use of hybrids. Some drivers are being more …