Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.2.13

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

CLIMATE 

By 2050 much of the Arctic could be green (via Mongabay)

South East Asia food basket facing “shocking” future (via RTCC)

US dominated global disaster losses in 2012: Swiss Re (via Climate Central)

Climate hawks go on offense, but impact uncertain (via InsideClimate News)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

European industry flocks to US to take advantage of cheaper natgas (via Washington Post)

Rumors of a cheap-energy jobs boom from natgas remain just that (via New York Times)

Federal government wants to track PA oil and gas production more closely (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)

Fracking wastewater disposal wells mapped in Texas (via StateImpact Texas)

Illinois proposes fracking tax lower than most states (via Chicago Tribune)

RENEWABLES 

Solar PV demand in emerging Asian countries expected to boom through 2017 (via Solar Industry)

Offshore wind power: huge potential goes largely untapped (via EarthTechling)

Shared renewables could supercharge California’s clean energy economy (via CleanTechnica)

What’s wrong with Pennsylvania solar? (via Greentech Media)

OIL 

Three years after Gulf spill, BP faces big week in court (via Houston Chronicle)

Exxon developing evacuation plan for Pegasus oil pipeline spill (via Bloomberg Businessweek)

TRANSPORTATION 

Hybrid sales up 32% this year, could hit 8% of market by 2020 (via Autoblog Green)

A longer life for lithium-sulfur batteries (via Phys.org)

Tesla’s stock soars over 20% on profit, sales news (via GigaOm)

Tesla cancels lowest-range version of Model S (via New York Times)

ENVIRONMENT 

Air pollution linked to 1.2 million premature deaths in China (via New York Times)

Poll: nearly half say US government too lax on environment (via The Hill)

Texas deploys “rainy day fund” to start long-term fight against drought (via ClimateWire)

ENERGY POLICY 

Japanese cabinet proposes energy sector overhauls (via New York Times)

Citigroup: renewables will triumph and natural gas will help (via Grist)

America gets a D+ in energy infrastructure (via Greentech Media)

COAL 

How Ontario is putting an end to coal-burning power plants (via Yale e360)

Coal opponents say Washington State terminal has derailed (via Seattle Weekly)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Could energy benchmarking rules be useless? (via Greentech Media)

Energy Trust of Oregon saves 71% of 2012 electricity target in Q4 (via Energy Manager Today)

GREEN BUSINESS 

US book industry using 24% recycled paper on average (via Mongbay)

EMISSIONS 

“Global” carbon market goes truly global (via CleanTechnica)

Carbon emissions declined 1.4% in Europe in 2012 (via Bloomberg)

Greenhouse gas emissions from farmland underestimated (via Phys.org)

Soils in newly forested areas store substantial carbon (via Phys.org)

Supreme Court rejects challenge to EPA air pollution rule from oil lobby (via Reuters)

GRID 

More than 400 microgrid projects under development worldwide (via Navigant Research)

Texas grid expansion to double wind capacity, deliver to major cities (via Sustainable Business)

POLITICS 

Bucking administration turnover trend, Sutley may stay at CEQ (via Greenwire)

NASA climate scientist James Hansen to leave government for advocacy work (via The Hill)

OPINION 

Germany’s solar-power success: too much of a good thing? (via Grist)

Seven things you learn driving the length of the Keystone XL pipeline (via Washington Post)