Greenhouse Effect

A new ranking of cities measures quality of life based on environmental factors that reduce global warming. Excellent public transportation, bikeways and neighborhood retail get workers and consumers out of cars. Food produced locally eliminates the energy consumption of long-distance transportation. Based on these and other categories, the top five cities for 2006 were Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; Seattle; Chicago; and Oakland, according to SustainLane (www.sustainlane.

Amid the perennial topics of geopolitics, production challenges and supply and demand, the world's energy leaders have descended on this oil town for a weeklong conference with a surprising new focus: using less oil. Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Rex Tillerson acknowledged the dangers of global warming but sounded skeptical about alternative fuels. Chevron Corp.

UNLESS you've been living under an air-conditioned rock for the last couple of decades, you may have noticed signs that the world seems to be getting warmer. It's been widely reported that the trend is likely to wreak some interesting havoc upon California's wine regions in the not-too-distant future, leaving Napa and parts of Sonoma with conditions that resemble the Central Valley.

Corporate CEOs do not usually come to Capitol Hill to lobby for more government regulation. But that's what a group of executives did Tuesday, urging Congress to cap emissions blamed for global warming. Peter Darbee, chairman and chief executive officer of PG&E Corp. -- parent of California's largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. -- called for the United States to be "at the forefront of addressing global climate change" by approving a mandatory program to reduce greenhouse gases.

THE growth in lowfare air carriers flying in Europe coincides with a growing awareness of the environmental effects of air travel. The amount of carbon dioxide (which many scientists link to global warming) generated per passenger on short-haul flights is about four times that generated by a train trip, according to the Carbon Neutral Co. The company, based in Britain, helps businesses and individuals mitigate their contribution to global warming.

European Union environment ministers agreed Tuesday on an ambitious effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 1990 levels, a goal likely to lead to mandatory limits for cars. The ministers said the target could be pushed to 30% if other industrialized countries sign on to a global effort. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that during the talks, many European colleagues spoke of a moral duty toward future generations.

GLOBAL warming has a taste in this village. It is the taste of salt. Only a few years ago, water from the local pond was fresh and sweet on Samit Biswas' tongue. It quenched his family's thirst and cleansed their bodies. But drinking a cupful now leaves a briny flavor in his mouth. Tiny white crystals sprout on Biswas' skin after he bathes and in his clothes after his wife washes them.

Global warming will worsen drought and reduce flows on the Colorado River, a key water source for Southern California and six other Western states, according to a report released Wednesday. The study, prepared by a National Research Council committee, paints a sobering picture of the future as the water needs of a rapidly expanding population test the limits of a river system further strained by the effects of climate change.

Impatient with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's leadership in combating global warming, leaders of the Democratic-controlled state Senate plan to unveil a sweeping legislative package today that would impose new regulations on industries and government agencies. The measures reflect long-standing tensions between Schwarzenegger and the Legislature over how best to reduce greenhouse gases produced by vehicles, electricity suppliers, landfills and other sources.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was anything but subtle Wednesday as he took swipes at the Bush administration during a meticulously staged appearance with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the bustling docks of Los Angeles Harbor. President Bush's record on global warming? "Terrible," McCain declared. His pursuit of the Iraq war? "A train wreck."