Fright night

U.N.: Global Warming Gases on Rise Again "'This means that industrialized countries will need to intensify their efforts to implement strong policies which reduce greenhouse gas emissions,' said Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. climate treaty secretariat, referring to taxes on carbon-based fuels, energy-efficiency regulations and other steps." (AP)

Budgets Falling in Race to Fight Global Warming "...research into energy technologies by both government and industry has not been rising, but rather falling." (New York Times)

Warned of costs, world seeks way to fight warming "On Monday, the most comprehensive review of the economics of climate change warned that costs of inaction in fighting global warming could cause an economic downturn on a scale associated with world wars or the 1930s depression...The White House Council on Environmental Quality called the report 'another contribution' to an 'abundance of economic analysis' on the issue of climate change. And OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said the report had 'no foundations in either science or economics.'" (Reuters)

Damage to Coral Reefs Threatens Tourism "'You cannot separate the environment and the economy. They are one,' said Billy Causey, a regional director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine sanctuaries...Studies show greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels are increasing the ocean's acidity, making it harder for coral to grow and reproduce." (AP)

Meanwhile...

GAO Chief Warns Economic Disaster Looms "If the United States government conducts business as usual over the next few decades, a national debt that is already $8.5 trillion could reach $46 trillion or more, adjusted for inflation. " (AP)