City warms to a cleaner heating system.

Next year will witness a landmark achievement, as every coal boiler and furnace in the city proper of Beijing will be powered by gas or electrical systems by the end of 2007.

[News Source]

News from the San Joaquin Valley (The Daily Comet) A Bakersfield developer has offered to pay almost $2.5 million to offset future air pollution coming from a proposed development of about 6,400 homes and commercial buildings in Madera County. [News Source]

China sets up an alliance of doctors to combat chronic lung diseases. An alliance of Chinese doctors and lung specialists has been set up to fight chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a deadly illness, ahead of the fifth "World COPD Day" on Nov. 16. [News Source]

Serbian city on alert over dangerous pollution. A satellite city of the Serbian capital Belgrade was put on alert for several hours overnight after air pollution rose to dangerous levels, reports said Wednesday. [News Source]

EU may toughen emissions trading scheme. The European Commission announced on Monday that it is looking into tightening the rules on its green Emissions Trading Scheme whose weaknesses have been exploited by member states. [News Source]

Parliament heats up over mercury ban. The European Parliament has backed a draft directive banning mercury in thermometers and other measuring devices. But a derogation for barometers won by the British Conservatives has infuriated environmental NGOs. [News Source]

End of the road: 4×4s targeted by £25 congestion super-charge. The mayor of London yesterday unveiled plans to charge the highest polluting vehicles £25 a day to drive in central London and the enlarged congestion charge zone to the west of the capital. [News Source]

Plan to tackle air polution. While most of Petersborough, England has low amounts of pollution, an area stretching from Flag Fen to Whittlesey has worrying levels of sulphur dioxide. [News Source]

Stick with coal, Ontario urged. Ontario's power authority is recommending the last of the province's coal-fired plants be shut down by 2014 — seven years past the McGuinty government's original target date. [News Source]

McGuinty’s pollution pledge under new cloud. An Ontario government agency says the province should keep some of its four remaining coal-burning electricity plants operating until 2014, raising new questions about Premier McGuinty's campaign pledge to close. [News Source]

PM’s about-face on carbon trading. Prime Minister John Howard will discuss action to combat climate change when he meets business leaders today, as he reverses his long-standing opposition to a carbon-trading system. [News Source]