Environment & Resources

Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world's largest suppliers of oil and natural gas, has announced that it intends to move away from the exploitation of unconventional energy resources, such as those in Canada's oil sands, and back towards conventional oil and gas exploration.

Yesterday, musicians, actors, and activists embarked on an extreme effort to raise awareness of the global water crisis and financial support for safe drinking water projects. The celebrities, who include Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch, just began ascending Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in Africa – in a remarkable campaign named “Summit on the Summit”. It is an unprecedented show of celebrity support for this crucial health and development challenge.

There's been some banter in the last few weeks about replicating the techniques of the popular "Cash for Clunkers" program in the form of a "Cash for Caulkers" program. The idea is to both prop up the economy while also increasing the energy efficiency of American homes. But the program also comes at a time when oil prices are beginning to creep upward again - as of today, they're at about $75 per barrel.

Via Dan Drezner, who kiddingly notes that the timing is convenient for James Cameron, scientists have discovered a "super-Earth" planet, 40 light years away, that is water-rich.

Here's CNN with the details:

Things are heating up in Copenhagen as the Climate Change Conference enters its second and final week. Negotiations are scheduled to end on Friday, by which time participants are hoping to have a treaty ready to bring back to their home countries. However, progress has stalled on a number of points of contention.