China’s climate change performance worsening: China has slid down the annual Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), a measure of a country’s climate protection efforts, due to its rising emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). China ranked 29th out of 53 countries in 2006 but has since dropped to 54th out of 56 in the 2007 update. Worldwatch Institute

Unilateral action an climate change could ruin economy: The government will put jobs and investment at risk if it adopts a go-it-alone approach to tackling climate change, says the new director general of the Confederation of British Industry. The Guardian

Climate change storms to impact reefs: Increasingly violent storms under global climate change will have major effects on coral reefs and their future management, experts said today. A scientific team from the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) at James Cook University produced a paper on the subject in the international scientific journal Nature. Daily Telegraph

US “will miss” window of opportunity: US senator Jeff Bingaman has warned that the US will not be able to take sufficient action to curb its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the timeframe scientists say is necessary … Earlier this week, NASA scientist James Hansen – who said that White House officials were censoring climate change warnings from the space agency – told Reuters: “We have to be on a fundamentally different path within a decade.” Environmental Finance

Hot and heavy a deadly air combination: Soaring temperatures and heavy pollution are a deadly mix for asthmatics and people vulnerable to heart problems, a study of hospital admissions has found. New research has found that the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and respiratory problems skyrocket on days that are both hot and polluted. NZ Herald

Thinktank gives doomsday scenario: A local think-tank examining the possible effects of global warming painted a doomsday scenario Thursday for Hong Kong’s MTR system with thousands of passengers left stranded for hours at a time. In a 45-page report on climate change, Civic Exchange also warned sudden storm surges and rising sea levels could destroy roads and flood the runway at Hong Kong International Airport. The Standard