World news from the Daily Climate

From the Daily Climate:

Today's climate news from around the world

Top Stories Professor accuses millionaire of backing smear campaign. After projecting that rising seas could swamp The Island, Professor Roy Hinkley said he endured a series of political attacks financed by industrialist Thurston Howell III. Other islanders, who get all their news from an AM radio, sided with Howell. Big Island Weekly Hollywood cancels awards season. Concerned about the carbon footprint of $600 bouquets, $200,000 haute couture dresses and imported caviar at countless after-parties, the Academy of Motion Pictures cancelled the 2015 Academy Awards and urged the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes to follow suit. Hollywood Reporter Science panel weighs downgrade for Delaware. The science panel that oversaw Pluto's controversial downgrading from "planet" status in 2006 is now considering whether, as seas continue to rise, America's lowest-lying state should be bumped down to a sandbar. Wilmington WDEL Radio    Climate at your Doorstep North Carolina's sea-level ban working. Thanks to a 2012 state law, scientists report that seas are six inches higher in neighboring Virginia and South Carolina. Outer Banks Voice Baffin Island wins bid to host 2026 America's Cup. Having assuring the Site Selection Committee that sea ice would be long gone and polar bears a non-issue, Nunavut leaders announced the Baffin Island Yacht Club will host the America's Cup in 2026. Nunatsiaq News Saskatchewan Tourism Board launches Spring Break promotion. Look out, Padre Island and Panama City. Provincial tourism officials rolled out an ambitious marketing platform that they hope will make Saskatoon and Medicine Hat the Spring Break Meccas of the mid-to-late 21st Century. Saskatoon Western Producer    Solutions McCartney: Meatless no more. Sir Paul McCartney is done with the Meatless Mondaycampaign he has spearheaded since 2010, it can be revealed. "Enough with polenta, rice noodles and beans," he declared as he tucked into a ribeye at famed London steakhouse Hawksmoor Monday afternoon. London Daily Mail Energy Secretary's hairstyle sweeping the nation. Secretary Ernest Moniz may have inherited more than his fondness for nuclear energy from a prior Energy leader. Observers say that the late Dixy Lee Ray, outspoken Governor of Washington State and Atomic Energy Commissioner, may have gotten into not only Moniz's head, but his scalp.Politico High-end sports gear puts US under Kyoto limits. Americans are sequestering so much carbon in high-end sports equipment - carbon-fiber bikes, golf clubs, skis, and tennis rackets, among others - that the United States this summer will hit its emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol for the first time ever. The Guardian    Causes Mauna Loa scientists say The Donald is above 900,000 ppm in dangerous emissions.Researchers reported "runaway" greenhouse gases from real estate mogul Donald Trump. A single 10-minute appearance on "Fox & Friends" Monday produced more planet-warming pollution than the city of Schenectady, N.Y., in a week, while Trump's annual total emissions have surpassed Belgium's. Greenwire Neil Young, stuck on train, stiffs 15,000 fans. Refusing to fly because of its carbon intensity, rocker Neil Young and his band found themselves delayed for hours on Amtrak behind several oil trains. The pipeline opponent left a sold-out Intrust Bank Arena seething.Witchita KSN TV India tumbles from Top Five for global warming excuses. Abrupt increases by Japan, Australia, Canada drop India to sixth place. US, China still lead in government efforts to justify policy retrenchment and inaction. Responding to Climate Change    Politics   McKibben quits, enters monastery. Writer and grassroots organizer Bill McKibben abruptly resigned as head of 350.org Monday, joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. "'Nuf said" were the only two words on the group's website Tuesday morning. Activists worldwide were just as speechless. Agence France-Presse Yes Men apologize for previous apologies. The team of satirical publicity pranksters known for faking public apologies by Union Carbide, Koch Industries, Peabody Coal, Dow Chemical and others has itself apologized for inflicting emotional distress on America's corporations. "We realized, after the Citizens United case, that corporations are people too," said group frontman Andy Bichlbaum. "We are terribly sorry."Bloomberg News UN Climate Panel breaks logjam, approves Agenda for 2009 Copenhagen meeting.The smoke has cleared, and the hotel rooms and conference center emptied out four and a half years ago. But United Nations delegates can claim a small victory for the 2009 climate summit, as the agenda for the two-week meeting is now set. National Public Radio