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One of the UK's leading housebuilders, Miller Homes, claims to have built a zero carbon house as part of the effort to combat climate change. Zero carbon means no emissions of the global warming gas, carbon dioxide. Over the next few years the rules on how green homes have to be are going to become gradually tougher. And there are warnings that they will push up the cost of buying a new home.

A new report by Sir David King, senior scientific advisor to UBS Investment Bank, explores the challenges facing biofuels (PDF) and the role they can play in a low-carbon future.

In the absence of specific policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the world's energy use is expected to increase by 44% between 2006 and 2030, causing a 39% increase in global carbon dioxide emissions, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA).

"BEIJING--CHINA will build an "industrial system" and "consumption pattern" with low carbon emissions, Premier Wen Jiabao said in the government work report delivered at the parliament's annual session yesterday. The country will work hard to develop low-carbon technologies as well as new and renewable energy resources to actively respond to climate change, Wen said at the session of the National People's Congress, adding that the development of smart power grids should be intensified. "

The electricity sector accounts for almost 35 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, and 40 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Over 80 percent of GHG emissions associated with electricity generation are from the combustion of coal, with nearly all the rest due to natural gas and petroleum combustion. U.S. electricity sales are split among the residential (37 percent), commercial (36 percent), and industrial (27 percent) sectors, where primary uses vary by sector. Over the past 30 years the U.S. electricity sector has become less carbon intensive, and the U.S. economy has grown less electricity-intensive.

If a report released Tuesday by the International Energy Agency is correct, then the $2 billion committed by the Alberta government toward the development of carbon capture and storage is nothing more than a drop in the bucket. The IEA estimates it will cost as much as $10 trillion U.S. between 2010 and 2030 for the world to keep carbon dioxide emissions below 450 parts per million and temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. While that level of investment might be enough for even the most ardent climate change advocate to throw their hands up and surrender, there's a little bit of good news to be found in the report.

"CarbonCulture is a new initiative started by More Associates for organisations that want to get really good at saving energy and carbon. Structured as a social enterprise, CarbonCulture exists to help all its members find the best 'moves' they can make to save energy and carbon. CarbonCulture will spread that knowledge amongst the membership so we can all get better at saving as quickly and as cheaply as possible. We've been working for some time with pioneers DECC and Defra to design strategies to achieve initial savings." http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/decc http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/dcms http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/cabinet-office http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/defra http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/fco http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/hmrc http://www.carbonculture.net/orgs/hm-treasury

What if cutting greenhouse emissions could also save the lives of soldiers in Iraq, where fuel-laden convoys make them targets? The U.S. Army says it is happening now in a push to reduce its carbon "bootprint." From forward areas like Iraq and Afghanistan to training ranges in the United States, the Army has been working to limit its use of fossil fuels and make its operations more environmentally sustainable.

Great point, and one I've not heard before. Yet another benefit of going low-carbon. I suspect that there must be many linkages between sustainable energy and the military. Energy efficiency could be another one. It extends the range of equipment, It reduces demands on upstream logistics and so on.

European electricity companies have pledged to achieve carbon-neutral power supply by 2050.

Are you wasting energy? The average American releases about 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year - and most of this waste comes from our homes. There are easy steps you can take to alter your lifestyle and reduce your carbon footprint.