Sustain-a-Links #20

The weekend was long and little sleep was had. I’d just embarrass myself if I tried to opine. But, there’s always good stuff about the environment and sustainability flying around in cyber space. Here’s what I’ve been reading.

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Climate Change | Climate change institute created | “Climate change has become such a major issue that a leading UK university is to create a dedicated institute to study the subject. A £12m private donation is to fund the Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London. It will research the consequences and causes of such environmental change.” | BBC News

Corporate Responsibility | Texas Pacific and KKR to drop coal plant plans if deal succeeds | “KKR and Texas Pacific Group, two of the world’s biggest private equity firms, will drop controversial plans to build eight coal-fired power stations if their planned $44 billion (£22 billion) acquisition of TXU Corp is successful. The Times has also learnt that Goldman Sachs Equity Partners, the private equity arm of the US investment bank, will co-invest with KKR and TPG. Confirmation of the deal could come as early as today. ” | Siobhan Kennedy and Tom Bawden, The Times

Entertainment | Oscars go green as Gore issues environmental rallying cry |  “Oscars gold turned green on Sunday as Hollywood pledged allegiance to the anti-global warming crusade waged by environmental globe-trotter Al Gore. From the environmentally friendly cars dropping off stars on the red carpet to Gore’s acceptance speech rallying cry against the perils of climate change, the 79th Academy Awards will be remembered as the green Oscars. Heart-throb Leonardo DiCaprio set the mood for the evening by arriving for the red carpet parade at the Kodak Theatre in a Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid car on the US market which is powered by electricity and gasoline. | Rob Woollard, AFP

Housing | NYC’s largest homeless shelter closing | “The 1,001-bed Camp LaGuardia is New York City’s biggest homeless shelter – and the only one surrounded by farms and trees – but its very existence is probably a surprise to many lifelong New Yorkers. . . . With a homeless population estimated at 35,000, the city wants to spend LaGuardia’s $19 million budget on longer-term solutions such as subsidized housing with social services.” | Michael Hill, Associated Press

Renewable Energy | Global warming worries to boost renewables | ‘Three decades after former U.S. President Jimmy Carter experimented with solar panels on the White House roof, grim U.N. warnings about climate change may kick-start wider global use of renewable energy. “The political willingness to act is now significantly higher,” Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP), told Reuters. Governments from Japan to Germany are already subsidizing energies such as wind, hydro, biofuels, geothermal, solar or tidal power, spurred by worries about security of supply, climate change and high oil prices at about $60 a barrel.’ | Alister Doyle, Reuters