Stage set for credit sale THE UN appointed last month German consultancy firm tuv sud to verify the authenticity of clean energy projects in developed countries. The firm will certify if the project did indeed reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Once a project is certified by an accredited agency, every tonne of greenhouse gas not emitted becomes an emission reduction unit (eru).

As the world tries to forge a new treaty to slow global warming, care must be taken not to spark trade conflicts between rich and developing countries, a key U.S. lawmaker said on Thursday.

"We clearly we do not want to trigger a trade war," Ed Markey, a Democrat who heads the House climate change committee, told reporters in a teleconference.

The Japanese government has almost completed planned purchases of emissions offsets from abroad in a scheme under the Kyoto Protocol to supplement domestic efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Close your eyes. Picture white sands and turquoise waters, rows of palm trees cocooning you under the balmy sun. Then, imagine this pristine picture wiped away not simply from your mind, but from reality. The Maldives face an actual and potent risk of extinction.

Europe

Barack Obama is keen to curb greenhouse-gas emissions with a cap-and-trade scheme. Can Congress come round to his way of thinking?

Until recently, the idea that the world's most powerful nations might come together to tackle global warming seemed an environmentalist's pipe dream.