Singapore: The country’s prime minister has warned that the haze engulfing the city-state could last for weeks, as air pollution soared to record levels. The haze is the result of forest fires started by farmers clearing land on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. (BBC)
Logging and agribusiness have cut Indonesia’s vast rainforest by half – some experts believe it could disappear in 20 years (Pic: flickr/vincentraal)
UN: A $2.5bn fund could be enough to keep the UN’s carbon offset market alive until a potential successor is in place as part of the new 2015 climate treaty. (RTCC)
Solomon Islands: Small Island nation dismisses possibility of the new global treaty to be agreed in 2015 being made up of emission reduction pledges set by nations themselves, saying this risks the effectiveness of the process. (RTCC)
USA: President Barack Obama is preparing to take a new swing at climate change, with his administration ready to impose new rules on coal-fired power plants, promote energy efficiency standards and expand renewable energy production on public lands. (FT)
India: Unexpectedly early and powerful rains over Northwest India have killed over 130 people and left 70,000 pilgrims stranded, damaged temple towns, and washed away roads and 21 bridges in Uttarakhand. Rising temperatures are pushing up the frequency of incidents of extreme rainfall and India needs to be prepared for the consequences (The Hindu)