The Arctic Resource Rush is On – With sea ice melting, there is a rush to tap the abundant riches that lie beneath the permafrost and the ocean floor. Gas hydrates — lattice-like ice structures that trap large quantities of methane, the major component of natural gas — are just one of a trove of natural resources in and around the Arctic Ocean. Just as the Arctic’s summer sea ice is melting at an unprecedented rate, soon opening up the fabled Northwest Passage and other shipping lanes, the booming global economy has created a soaring demand for natural resources, sending prices sky-high. — AlterNet

Helium balloon in Paris displays air pollution levels – People in Paris won’t have to look far to see the city’s air pollution levels. A giant tethered helium balloon will display real-time reports of atmospheric pollution using an innovative lighting system, which can be seen from more than 20 km (12.4 miles) away. — Physorg

Responsible credit cards. Is your credit provider in line with your values? There’s no doubt that climate change presents a serious threat—so it makes no sense to continue building carbon-spewing coal-fired power plants. However, mega-banks Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch were perfectly willing to finance TXU’s 2007 plans to build 11 new coal-fired plants in Texas. Fortunately, protests from Co-op America members and our allies helped stop 8 of the 11 plants, but it’s clear that these three mega-banks need to stop funding the climate crisis. — Co-op America

The global warming signal minus the noise. Nature’s Climate Feedback blog looks at some interesting work being done to clean “noise” out of temperature trend graphs – in this case,  “the short-term up-and-down flickers from the cyclical shift in the tropical Pacific Ocean known as the El Niño – Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, cycle”. — Nature