A conference has been discussing the role of Irish local authorities in combating climate change. Environment minister John Gormely and experts from the Environment Protection Agency were present at the conference which addressed the implementation of national and regional climate change policy and the need for energy efficiency and emissions management. According to Kilkenny county manager Joe Crockett, the four main areas responsible for CO2 emissions in Ireland were industry, agriculture, energy and transport.

Environmental campaign group WWF has denounced the latest round of the EU's Emissions Trading System, saying its heart is in the right place but 'design faults' mean it rewards those burning the most coal. The scheme, designed to cut the continent's carbon emissions, will perversely provide a windfall for the biggest emitters, says the WWF. The conservation charity asked carbon market analysts Point Carbon to estimate the windfall profits in five European countries - the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland - over the current five year phase of the scheme.

The amount of plastic littering British beaches is at its highest level since records began, according to the Marine Conservation Society. Nearly 4,000 volunteers scoured Britain's beaches as part of the survey (Copyright T Fanshawe) The organisation's Beachwatch 2007 Report shows that plastic litter on beaches has increased by 126% since the annual survey began in 1994. MCS campaigners say the rise is threatening marine wildlife which mistakes the plastic litter for food or becomes entangled in the debris.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has published a report of its efforts to reduce the company's environmental impact in 2007. The report focuses on emissions to air and water, waste management, land stewardship and climate change. The report and a summary of Rio Tinto's CSR strategy can be found on the company's website.

An agreement which defines acceptable use of water from North America's Great Lakes has been thrashed out by farmers, industrialists, environmentalists and politicians. The Great Lakes in Northeast America are a huge natural resource but fears have been raised that piping the water to parched areas of the USA would lead to ecological disaster in the long term. The Great Lakes Compact aims to strike a balance between the needs of the region's industry and ecology.

Severn Trent Water faces a

The haze which annually envelops huge swathes of Southeast Asia could be worse than ever this year, according to the region's environment ministers. The problem occurs when smoke from forest fires combines with industrial pollution to create and acrid smog. As well as being an environmental issue, the smog costs the region's countries billions of dollars each year through lost working days and tourism.

The water industry has a lot of work to do to prepare for the introduction of a new UK carbon trading scheme. That was the message for the industry from consultants and regulators speaking at a one-day conference organised by environmental consultancy and training firm Aqua Enviro. Organisations were warned that they need to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions ready for phase one of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), which begins on January 1, 2010.

Scientists at two UK universities have produced evidence to debunk a popular alternative theory to explain climate change. The scientists were unable to find a link between cosmic rays and cloud cover Following a year long study, emeritus professors Terry Sloan, of Lancaster University, and Arnold Wolfendale, of Durham University, said they could find no link between cosmic rays and global warming.

Bloggers have increasingly switched the focus of their online musings to environmental sustainability - and are taking a particular interest in companies' actions. Consumers are increasingly using the internet to voice their greenwash concerns A report from US market research firm Nielsen Online shows the online buzz about sustainability grew 50% in 2007. Consumers were quick to use the web to condemn greenwashing and voice their scepticism about corporations, researchers found.