DW: Germany Unlikely to Meet Carbon Reduction Goals for 2020

Germany's environment ministry has admitted the country is likely to fall short of its future greenhouse gas emissions targets by 7 percent. Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has said that Germany is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by just 33 percent in comparison to 1990 levels by the year 2020. This falls short of the country's previously stated aim of 40 percent.

According to research from the German arm of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) things could be even worse than expected: Germany could actually miss its 2020 emissions targets by 10.7 percent.

Germany's targets of 40 percent reduction by 2020 and 55 percent reduction by 2030 are considerably more ambitious than European targets. In comparison, Europe is aiming for just a 20 percent reduction by 2020.

Financial Post: Crude Prices Could Stay This Low for 15 Years

A glut of crude may keep oil prices low for the next 15 years, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

There’s less than a 50 percent chance that prices will drop to $20 a barrel, most likely when refineries shut in October or March for maintenance, Jeffrey Currie, head of commodities research at the bank, said in an interview in Lake Louise, Alberta. Goldman’s long-term forecast for crude is at $50 a barrel, he said.

Inside Climate News: Exxon Believed Deep Dive Into Climate Research Would Protect Its Business

Exxon documents show that top corporate managers were aware of their scientists' early conclusions about carbon dioxide's impact on the climate. They reveal that scientists warned management that policy changes to address climate change might affect profitability. After a decade of frank internal discussions on global warming and conducting unbiased studies on it, Exxon changed direction in 1989 and spent more than 20 years discrediting the research its own scientists had once confirmed.

After reading the first chapter of InsideClimate News' series on Exxon's carbon dioxide research, the company declined to answer specific questions. In an email, Exxon spokesman Richard D. Keil said he would no longer respond to inquiries from InsideClimate News, and added, "ExxonMobil scientists have been involved in climate research and related policy analysis for more than 30 years, yielding more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed publications."

Brookings: Five Emerging Battery Technologies for Electric Vehicles

As the 2016 suite of new car models makes evident, electric vehicles are finally gaining real traction in the market. At the turn of the 20th century, more than one-quarter of all cars in the United States were electric, yet the electric car had all but vanished by the 1920s. This disappearance was largely due to the insufficient range and power of electric car batteries compared to gasoline engines. Furthermore, electric cars were significantly more expensive than their gasoline counterparts.

These same complaints are still heard today, even though battery technology has certainly improved over the last century. Much research and development is being done on battery technology to improve performance while ensuring that batteries are lightweight, compact, and affordable.

So, what are the newest innovations in battery technology, and what do such advances mean for the electric vehicle market?

Climate Progress: ‘Years of Living Dangerously’ Is Back for Season 2 on National Geographic

National Geographic Channel is going to air Season 2 of the Emmy-winning TV series, Years of Living Dangerously. David Letterman, Cecily Strong, and the Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi will be joining Season 1 correspondents Tom Friedman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ian Somerhalder, and Olivia Munn.

The first documentary series devoted to climate change ever to appear on a major network or premium cable, Season 1 of Years won the 2014 Emmy for outstanding non-fiction TV series -- and can now be streamed on Netflix. James Cameron and Schwarzenegger are once again executive producers, along with co-creators (and former 60 Minutes producers) Joel Bach and David Gelber, who together have 13 Emmys.