US oil company revenue higher than the GDP of Canada. On news of the massive profits reported by ExxonMobil today, ABC News crunched the numbers and has found that the combined revenue of the top 5 US oil companies was $1.5 trillion last year, more than the total GDP of Canada. — Desmog Blog

South Africa eyeing carbon tax. South Africa’s government has set out an ambitious proposal to deal with climate change in the coming years, joining Australia by including slapping a possible carbon tax on carbon dioxide-spewing industries. — Yahoo News

Stinging tentacles offer hint of oceans’ decline. From Spain to New York, to Australia, Japan and Hawaii, jellyfish are becoming more numerous and more widespread, and they are showing up in places where they have rarely been seen before, scientists say. The faceless marauders are stinging children blithely bathing on summer vacations, but also signal the declining health of the world’s oceans. — NYT

China likely to broaden anti-pollution monitoring. China is likely to introduce new pollution monitoring measures in 2009 and learn from action taken during the Olympics to try and ensure Beijing does not sink back into smog, officials said on Sunday. — Reuters