More good news on the renewables front today: Al Gore has challenged the US to produce 100 per cent of its power from renewable sources in 10 years.

Gore has pitched his plan as the solution to not only climate change but also to high oil prices and energy insecurity - and as a way to keep the US economy healthy and to ensure national security.

A few of my favourite bits (the full text is here):

Avedore CHP plant in Denmark

Remember how we said last month that industrial combined heat and power (CHP) plants could save us money, increase our energy security and help slow climate change?

Well, we've just heard that plans are afoot for just such a plant in Scotland. The Tullis Russell paper mill plans to reduce its annual carbon emissions by around 250,000 tonnes a year by switching to biomass CHP for its electricity and steam.

An excellent film from The Ecologist exposing the tactics used against environmental protestors - from espionage and legal threats to news manipulation and violence:

Via Plane Stupid.

What happens when a dirty energy utility pretends to care about climate change? Well, the Greenwash Guerillas declare open season on the toxic company and set about informing the public that they are being greenwashed. This morning, I joined them outside the E.ON sponsored Guardian Climate Change Summit at the Business Design Centre in London.

When the G8 announced a 50 per cent cut in emissions by 2050, the obvious question that popped up was ‘50 per cent cut in comparison to when?' Even Yasuo Fukuda, the prime minister of Japan where the G8 is being hosted was thrown and answered the cuts would be in comparison to present levels. This is just an example of how ambiguous and indefinite the G8 is on tackling climate change.

Canada's Tar Sands project has been suffering from a bit of a PR problem, what with it being one of the most ludicrous and environmentally catastrophic schemes ever to have occurred to humankind and all.

(If you haven't heard of it yet, the plan is to extract crude oil from bituminous sand and clay in Northern Alberta. To produce one barrel of oil, up to four tonnes of rock and soil - plus the pristine boreal forest on top of it - need to be removed and four barrels of surface and ground water need to be used. The process is so energy intensive that tar sands produce up to five times more greenhouse gases than conventional oil.)

Today's G8 announcements on climate change set the bar too low, writes Greenpeace's John Sauven for Comment is free.

The informal annual gathering of the world's most powerful leaders emerged after the oil crisis and the subsequent recession in the 1970s. The vested interests of this group in the global economy and access to the world's resources are obvious. The eight countries now forming the group represent between them the bulk of the world's economic activity; they also own most of the world's firepower and consume most of the world's resources.

Read more »

Special Conference on July 26th 

In recent news: The Arctic sea ice melt began significantly earlier this year than last year. UK's CO2 emissions higher than official figures, government admits. CO2 emissions up by nearly a fifth in 12 years. Avoiding climate change is affordable, says PWC.

And yet, still, the government plans to build new coal plants and, of course, new runways.

This week's been busy for me, what with two demonstrations on two different campaigns. After the protest outside the Japanese Embassy, it was the Department of Transport's turn to welcome us. The government wasn't listening when we said NO to Heathrow's third runway last month. So this morning, we flashmobbed the Department of Transport and launched paper planes saying ‘NO AIRPORT EXPANSION' at transport secretary Ruth Kelly's office.

We received an email from Harvey Parkes, one half of the film production company Balti and Havana, promoting their new short Scott of the Antarctics so I'm giving it a plug here. Not merely because they've kindly given Greenpeace a mention at the end (thanks guys!), but because it's a rather gorgeous little piece about penguins, swimming pools and the antarctic ice cap.

It's been entered for the Virgin Media Shorts competition, so if you feel inclined you can cast your vote or just enjoy the film.