THIS YEAR LIKELY TO BE HOTTEST ON RECORD: WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORG. Global temp over 1*F above '61-'90 avg .... Bugs, storms devastated Italy olive groves .... Relatively little known about glacial melt in Himalayas .... 1st joint Cal-Quebec cap-and-trade auction sold out of permits .... China's carbon trading markets promising, but need major revisions: study .... Over 80% of Americans: climate change is happening. (Someone tell Republicans in Congress.) .... Clean power to get almost 60% of $5T expected to be invested in new power gen over next decade: IEA. Clean/renewable investment over $250B this year: Bloomberg .... US oil reserves at '75 levels, natgas reserves at record: EIA .... Next Era Energy buying HECO (H.I.) in $4.3B deal. Aims to cut power rates 20% next 5 yrs, increase clean power to 65% of mix next 15 yrs. 11% of HECO customers already have rooftop solar .... New material designs enabling better energy storage .... Solar power expected to triple by '20 with push from developing countries .... Canada banning near 3K rail tankers from hauling oil .... Price of el in Alberta 65% less when wind power generates over 600Mw v. days under 300Mw. Avg. wind power price C$.055/Kwh in '13. Entire pool avg. C$.08 .... Hanwha Solar (HSOL) 20Mw order for Inner Mongolia project. Dec. shipment .... Iraq/Kurd deal: Kurds can export 250Kb/d. Iraq can export 300K from Kirkuk area via Kurd pipelines. Iraq to pay Kurds for fighting ISIS .... Iran has begun bombing ISIS targets along Iraq/Iran border .... Pacific Biodiesel to supply HECO with biodiesel from used cooking oil, other feedstocks to use at 110Mw power plant for 2 yrs. 2-3M gal/yr. Renewable Energy Group (REGI) contract expires next Nov .... Novozymes launched enzymes line for biodiesel from waste oils .... Cheap gasoline killing cellulosic ethanol: MIT .... US Supreme Court won't hear Iowa Supreme Court ruling against ethanol plant owner over residents' complaints .... UK imports 85% of its biofuels .... Ethanol 65% price of gasoline in Brazil .... Russia econ to contract .8% in '15: Russia minister .... New Chevron/Statoil production in Gulf of Mex to yield 94Kb/d, 21MCF/d for est. 30 yrs .... New England residential el prices set for double-digit increases in '15. Mass prices up 37% in Nov. Prices up near 2x for Maine mid-sized commercial customers already. NG supplies most of region. Heating needs get first dibs on the gas. Gas for el then from spot market. Vermont nuke plant to shut down end of month .... Nordex to supply 36Mw for Finland wind project. 3MW turbs designed for medium wind, extreme cold. Online in '15 .... Allianz unit bought 8Mw solar project in Italy .... Japan defending using climate change funds for coal power project funding abroad .... China Wind Power sold unit to GCL for $37M .... Abengoa (ABGB) Yield closed $125M funding .... Disney ship greenest in cruise industry: report .... Shell pipeline leak polluting Niger Delta .... Ruptured oil pipeline in Israel "grave pollution threat" .... EU OK'd plan allowing nations to opt out of GMO approvals .... India court ruling to boot old cars out of New Delhi .... Jihadist attack in Chechnya capitol.