Top Read: Why The Economy Needs Nature, by Tony Juniper at The Guardian. "Nature is not a drag on growth," he writes. "Its protection is an unavoidable prerequisite for sustaining economic development."
In other news....
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international scientific body charged with providing comprehensive assessments of climate change science, is battling additional leaks by critics of its forthcoming report, which was not due for publication for many months. "The recent posting of drafts should not distract potential reviewers from the important opportunity to play a role in developing a balanced report of the highest quality," the organization said. -- IPCC
• The American Petroleum Institute laid out its vision for America's Energy Future. The oil and gas industries, said the trade group's president, Jack Gerard, in the front end of the 48-page report, "can put millions back to work, produce the fuels we need, provide billions in revenue to the government and improve our energy security for generations to come with investments in development of America's energy resources." -- API
• A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences "opens a window into a genetic process that allows some corals to withstand unusually high temperatures." This, the researchers suggest, could provide clues on how various organisms might survive rising temperatures as the climate inexorably changes. -- ScienceDaily
• The Department of Energy announced plans yesterday to deploy a new research facility to study offshore wind power. The facility "will be used to test technologies such as remote sensing designed to determine the power-generating potential of offshore winds and waters." More information will be made available at the American Meteorological Society conference in Austin on Thursday. -- Pacific Northwest National Lab
• The Department of the Interior has launched a probe, in tandem with the Coast Guard, into Shell's trouble-prone Arctic drilling gamble. Interior said the review would identify "challenges and lessons learned." -- The Hill
Daily Enviro-Video Zen: Illinois students tackle environmental issues through film.