<p>Japan backtracked on plans announced earlier this month to drop nuclear power, saying it would "take into consideration" a goal for a 2040 phaseout after it drew sharp criticism from industry. Business groups and communities whose economies depend on local power plants strongly opposed the plan, and chairmen of Japan's business associations called a joint news conference to demand the government drop its 2040 goal.

<p>China agreed to strike a deal with the European Union to cut greenhouse gas emissions through projects that include the development of Chinese emissions trading schemes, an EU official said last week.

<p>China agreed to strike a deal with the European Union to cut greenhouse gas emissions through projects that include the development of Chinese emissions trading schemes, an EU official said last week.

<p>The ban on wildlife trade may be further endangering certain species, according to the journal Tropical Conservation Science. Kirsten Conrad, a researcher with AsiaCat, examined rhinos, elephants, and tigers, three species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and argued that bans exacerbate illegal trafficking by raising prices and moving all trade to the black market.