The oil sands of Alberta, Canada contain the second largest known reserve of oil in the world. With global demand for oil expected to increase nearly 40 percent over the next quarter century and production becoming increasingly dominated by Middle Eastern countries, Canada's oil sands are an important global resource. However, mining this oil is extremely environmentally costly--producing one barrel of oil from the oil sands generates three times more greenhouse gas emissions than a barrel of conventional oil. Several environmental organizations are now calling for a halt on further oil sands project approvals until effective emissions reduction strategies are employed.

In the last quarter century, China's breakneck economic growth has lifted over 50 million people out of poverty and tripled energy demand. Experts predict that China will surpass the United States to become the world's largest consumer of energy and fossil fuels soon after 2010. And because of its heavy reliance on coal, China already emits more carbon dioxide than any country on earth.

The rate and path of this energy growth is of enormous consequence for both China and the world. At stake are issues of global importance, including climate change and competition over dwindling oil resources. Perhaps more important for China, however, are domestic concerns such as severe urban air pollution, energy security, and sustained economic growth.

Some of the world's largest financial institutions have begun responding to the challenges of climate change, acknowledging that efforts to mitigate and adapt to rising temperatures are a growing driver of global business. A recent report ranked 40 of the world's largest banks based on their actions to address climate change. On a 100-point scale, the top-performing bank achieved only 70 points and the median score was 42, indicating that significant opportunities for progress remain.

In the swarm of ideas for new energy technologies, one that sounds like science fiction is getting a more serious look from the U.S. Defense Department. Space solar power, or SSP, has been studied for over 40 years but has recently resurfaced in the climate change discussion, and was the subject of a 75-page study released by the Pentagon in October. The technology would generate electricity from solar panels attached to an orbiting satellite and convert it into microwaves for transmission to Earth, where it would then be transformed into direct-current electricity.

Brazilian authorities this month announced a drop in the rate of Amazon deforestation for the third year in a row. Approximately 11,224 square kilometers of forest were lost between August 2006 and July 2007, down from 14,039 square kilometers during the previous 12-month period. However, threats against the Amazon are numerous and increasing in intensity, leading major environmental organizations to believe that this recent upward trend may be short-lived. According to the WWF, a global conservation organization, logging, livestock expansion and worsening drought could result in the disappearance of 55 percent of the Amazon rainforest by 2030.

China's water problems, which include chronic drought and ubiquitous pollution, could reach crisis proportions in coming decades. Experts have predicted that in 2030, when the Chinese population grows to 1.6 billion people, domestic water consumption will reach 100 percent of water availability. Although a large population and breakneck economic growth are at the root of China's water troubles, global warming is expected to exacerbate the problem.

Today the United Nations General Assembly widely approved a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions toward the goal of abolishment of the death penalty worldwide. Though not legally binding, the resolution symbolically signifies the majority opinion of the international community in opposition to executions.

Marginalized groups often suffer disproportionately in the aftermath of a natural disaster, reports the world's largest humanitarian agency. Minority groups, women, the disabled, and the elderly are most vulnerable, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says, because embedded discrimination makes these groups largely invisible to aid agencies and governments in times of crisis. As a consequence, they often face greater impoverishment, disability, and fatality after a disaster.

This is the final article in the five-part series Beyond Kyoto: A Broader Policy on Climate Change, which examines the history of the Kyoto Protocol and the challenges it has yet to address, in conjunction with the UN climate conference this week.

When the international climate talks in Bali conclude tomorrow, there will have been numerous firsts for the conference: the first Forest Day, the first inclusion of trade and finance ministers in negotiations, Australia's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, even a move toward compromise by China, which has historically been staunchly opposed to emissions limits. But what is not markedly different since the 1997 dealings is the U.S.'s position, which if maintained through tomorrow will end the conference divisively--essentially, the U.S., Japan, and a few other countries against all others.

For the third year in a row, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) has ranked 56 countries--collectively responsible for over 90% of energy-related CO2 emissions--based on their emissions trends and efforts to combat global warming. The 2008 rankings depict a story similar to that of the 2007 edition: the world's top two emitters, the United States and China, place troublingly low, while European countries occupy six of the top ten spots. Interestingly, China moved up in the rankings since last year due to improvements in domestic and international climate policy, whereas the United States fell two places to rank second to last, only ahead of Saudi Arabia.