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USA: Actress Daryl Hannah, leading NASA climate scientist James Hansen and activist Bill McKibben were among 40 people arrested for protesting against the Keystone XL pipeline outside the White House. The State Department has the final decision on whether to allow the tar sands pipeline to cross into the US from Canada with a decision expected in the first half of 2013. (CNN)
Canada: The Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver has said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the Keystone XL pipeline will get approval, despite its absence from President Obama’s State of the Union Address. (Reuters)
Science: Winter Arctic sea ice levels have decreased by 9% since 2003 according to new satellite data. CryoSat’s radar is able to measure ice thickness providing a better indication of the volume, not just the area, of sea ice. (RTCC)
EU: WWF has said the EU could be 100% driven by renewable energy as early as 2050 if it adopts an aggressive new energy policy. A report by the NGO and the consultancy Ecofys claims that drastically improved energy efficiency measures could put the ambitious goal within reach. The bloc currently has a target to draw 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020. (Reuters)
Science: The former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Bob Watson says we have missed the opportunity to limit global warming to 2°C and are instead heading toward 3-5°C of warming. (RTCC)