Reuters: Firefighters worked to contain some 400 wildfires burning across Northern California on Sunday as the state baked under a fourth day of an early summer heat wave that has strained the power grid and left residents wilted. One structure was destroyed and 150 homes were evacuated near Fairfield, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Sacramento, in the path of the worst of the fires, which blackened more than 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) in wine-producing Napa County. "The weather …

Globe and Mail: Canada’s oil sands producers are tired of their image as environmental bad boys and are fighting back. As their critics get more vocal, the companies have decided to band together to get out the message that they are committed to reducing the environmental damage that results from oil sands development. In an interview Monday, Imperial Oil Ltd. chief executive officer Bruce March said the oil companies are making major investments in new technology that will dramatically reduce the …

Reuters: Kenya should reverse a decision to grow biofuel crops which will threaten wild life on an important coastal wetland, two conservation groups warned on Monday. More than 80 square miles (207 sq. km) of the Tana River Delta will be planted with sugarcane, threatening 350 species of birds, lions, elephants, rare sharks and reptiles, Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said. "This decision is a national disaster and will devastate the Delta," Paul …

Environmental Leader: Some say interest in solar technology from the world’s largest corporations gives credibility to the industry and proves that it is not just a "fad" and that new players might even be too late to join the game, Reuters reports. – Intel is spinning off solar technology it developed into a start-up called SpectraWatt Inc., which will begin shipping its solar cells next year. – IBM and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo are developing more efficient solar power technologies and plan to license …

Reuters: The world’s major cities are also among the planet’s worst polluters but they have the solutions to most of their problems at their fingertips, a leading environmental consultancy said on Monday. To make the case more compelling, consultancy McKinsey said that most of the available solutions would save more than they cost so made economic sense while the remainder still made environmental sense despite their higher cost. "Most of this is dooable and cost effective and …

Associated Press: Fire crews joined aircraft from neighboring states Tuesday to battle hundreds of lightning-caused wildfires across Northern California. One of the fires started by weekend thunderstorms had already blackened more than 10,000 acres – nearly 16 square miles – in a rural area of Lake County, about 120 miles north of San Francisco. No homes had been destroyed, but officials said voluntary evacuations were in place for residents of 36 homes.

Australian: KEVIN Rudd is facing a showdown over the inclusion of petrol in any emissions trading scheme, with the Coalition now backflipping over the issue. Opposition Treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull today blamed rising fuel prices for the Coalition’s apparent shift in policy, after less than a year ago arguing the benefits of including petrol. At that time, Mr Turnbull argued that "by bringing transport fuels into the Australian emissions trading system, consumers will be given …

Australian: AUSTRALIA is on track to meet its Kyoto targets for greenhouse gas emissions, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says. Ms Wong released a government report today which found Australia’s emissions in 2007 were 585 million tonnes, or 106 per cent of 1990 levels. This meant the country was on track to meet its Kyoto commitments, she said. But she noted emissions were continuing to rise, which was a concern. Emissions were 1.6 per cent higher than the previous …

Fox: State officials are reporting more than 800 wildfires burning from Mendocino County south to the Big Sur area in Monterey County. One fire that started in Napa County over the weekend and moved into Solano County continues to burn outside of Fairfield. Cal Fire officials say after consuming nearly 4,100 acres the fire is 60 percent contained.

CBS: More than 840 wildfires sparked by an "unprecedented" lightning storm are burning in Northern California, alarming the governor and requiring the help of firefighters from Nevada and Oregon. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was told late Sunday evening that the state had 520 fires, and he found it "quite shocking" that by Monday morning the number had risen above 700.