California global warming bill clouded by multiple lawsuits
(Fort Worth Star Telegram) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday is expected to sign into law the United States' first state cap on greenhouse gas emissions, after striking a deal with legislative Democrats that brought California and the governor global notoriety. But even before the bill is signed, the law's future is in doubt. Federal lawsuits related to greenhouse gas issues, involving California, Vermont and Massachusetts, could cloud California's latest attempt to be a leader in the fight against global climate change.

Thinner ozone brings fiery sun to spring
(New Zealand Herald) Ultraviolet levels in the north of the country will still be at summer-time levels this morning as a layer of thin ozone slowly moves off the country. As much of the country basked in the spring sun, the filament of depleted ozone moved slowly over New Zealand yesterday, bringing record UV levels for this time of the year.

On brink of worst fire season ever
(Melbourne Herald Sun) With the Bureau of Meteorology reporting the hottest, driest August on record, these extreme conditions, teamed with a severe drought across most of the country, is posing a major threat to people living in bush areas, Kevin O'Loughlin from the Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre, in Melbourne, said today.

It's hot, but don't blame the Sun; religion, the weight of ...
(Times Online) One of the last refuges of climate-change sceptics is looking as sturdy as a bivouac in a hurricane. While most scientists believe that global warming is a man-made phenomenon, a minority have clung to the belief that the fluctuating energy output of the Sun is to blame. Indeed, Tim Hames aired the possibility on these pages that evidence for this intuitively pleasing idea may be uncovered by the Stereo probes, a Nasa mission to document flaming ejections from the solar surface.

Environment Canada predicts another mild winter
(CTV.ca) Environment Canada is predicting a milder than normal winter in the months ahead, but considering the weather patterns of the last 10 years, it should come as no surprise. Of the last 37 seasons, only two were colder than normal, and it's been a decade since a winter season wasn't unseasonably mild compared to historical averages, said Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.