U.S. Obama Rejects Giant Keystone Pipeline Scheme Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 18 Jan (IPS) - In a decision fraught with political risk, U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday rejected the permit for the proposed giant Keystone XL pipeline project, insisting that his administration needed more time to determine whether it served the national interest. more...   Melting Ice Makes Arctic Access a Hot Commodity Stephen Leahy UXBRIDGE, Canada, 16 Jan (IPS) - China, Brazil and India want seats on the Arctic Council as global warming creates new opportunities for shipping and resource extraction in the vast Arctic region. more...   Rio+20: The Moment When Everything Changed? Stephen Leahy UXBRIDGE, Canada, 11 Jan (IPS) - Humanity is driving Earth's climate and ecosystems towards dangerous tipping points, requiring radical new forms of international cooperation and governance, experts say. more...   U.S. Limits Mercury Pollution as Big Coal Retreats Matthew Cardinale ATLANTA, Georgia, 23 Dec (IPS) - Environmental advocates praised a recent new rule limiting pollution of mercury and other air toxins announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of several new air pollution standards set under the Barack Obama administration. more...   HAITI Open for Business – Part 2 Correspondents* - IPS/Haiti Grassroots Watch PORT-AU-PRINCE, 20 Dec (IPS) - Ever since being elected earlier this year, Haitian President Michel Martelly and his team have been betting Haiti's reconstruction on foreign investors. more...   U.S. Protestors Condemn Mining Corporation Suing El Salvador Barbara Doherty WASHINGTON, 15 Dec (IPS) - Protestors rallied in front of World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. today hoping to persuade a tribunal housed there to dismiss a case brought by Pacific Rim Mining Corporation against the government of El Salvador. more...   In Unprecedented Move, Canada Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol STEPHEN LEAHY CAPE TOWN, 14 Dec (IPS) - Barely 24 hours after it signed a new global climate change agreement in Durban, South Africa, Canada became on Monday the first country to formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding treaty to reduce emissions causing climate change. more...   Forging Bond Will Be Test for Co-ops and Occupy Movement Fawzia Sheikh TORONTO, 12 Dec (IPS) - Canadian cooperatives may grow as the global Occupy movement raises the profile of their business model through boosting interest in credit unions over traditional banks, but uncertainty remains about the degree to which the two camps will join forces from here on. more...   U.S. Inaction on Climate is "Criminal", Activists Say Kanya D'Almeida WASHINGTON, 3 Dec (IPS) - The United States' delegation at the 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCC) in Durban, South Africa has come under heavy fire from civil society leaders and activists around the globe for standing in the way of real solutions to climate change. more...   U.S. World's Tallest Solar Tower Set for Arizona Matthew Cardinale ATLANTA, Georgia, 27 Nov (IPS) - In the western desert state of Arizona, a company called EnviroMission is planning to build a new solar tower, the first of its kind, an ambitious new way to produce energy with heat from the sun. more...