Science association joins in climate change concern: The world’s largest general scientific society has joined the concern over global climate change, calling it a “growing threat to society.” It is the first consensus statement of the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on climate change. It comes just weeks after the IPCC issued its most recent report on human-induced warming. Houston Chronicle 

Turnbull gives tick to McKibbin carbon trading model: As business and green groups scramble to complete submissions for the Prime Minister’s Task Group examining whether Australia should set up a carbon emissions market, new federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated support for a proposal at odds with the Kyoto Protocol. The Age

Climate change debate heats up but Howard’s unflappable: Watching the Federal Government duck and weave on climate change is like watching afternoon television – mind-numbingly repetitive. So, if you were wondering where the greenhouse debate is headed, the best guide lies in the events of the past. Canberra Times

Germany plans to tax cars on emissions: Germany’s government plans to tax cars based on emissions instead of engine size to help tackle climate change, Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said. Tiefensee told a news conference late on Saturday that German and other European carmakers had to do more to protect the environment, after the head of the UN Environment Programme had chided Europe for complacency over climate change. Reuters

Whales saved by fire on Japanese vessel: Japan’s controversial whaling operation in the Antarctic is facing collapse as its most important vessel wallows helplessly off the coast of the icy continent. The country admitted yesterday that this year’s hunt – due to kill 945 whales by mid-March – will probably have to be abandoned as a result of a fire that has crippled its fleet’s mothership, the Nisshin Maru, and raised fears of an oil spill into the area’s pristine waters. Independent

Americans want action, but not as a priority: Most Americans believe global warming is real but a moderate and distant risk. While they strongly support policies like investing in renewable energy, higher fuel economy standards and international treaties, they strongly oppose carbon taxes on energy sources that put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Science Daily