China says one-child policy helps protect climate. China says its one-child policy has helped the fight against global warming by avoiding 300 million births, the equivalent of the population of the United States.But delegates at U.N. climate change talks in Vienna said on Thursday birth control is unlikely to find favor as a major policy theme, partly because of opposition by the Catholic Church and some developing nations trying to increase their population. — Reuters

Magnetic refrigerator needs no electricity. Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark have created a refrigerator that cools using magnets instead of electricity. A group of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark’s project laboratory in Risø have discovered a cooling method that uses magnetic materials instead of electricity, reported daily free newspaper Nyhedsavisen. The invention will allow for refrigerators to replace existing electric refrigerators in homes and businesses with a fully environmentally friendly power source. — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Pope leads environment festival. The Pope has called on people to make “courageous decisions” on the future of the planet during an address to 300,000 Roman Catholics at an environment festival in Loreto, Italy. Pope Benedict XVI participated in the eco-friendly festival on the day designated by the Vatican as “Save Creation Day”. The leader of the Catholic community called for decisive action to halt damage to the environment and urged the preservation of natural resources such as water. — Manchester.com

Algae to become king source of biofuel. The use of palm oil for the production of biofuels has come under criticism for bad farming practices in Indonesia, endangering orangutans and destroying ecosystems. Now an Arizona company claims they’ve developed a better and cheaper way to manufacture biofuel – using algae. The company, Diversified Energy Corporation, has developed a “breakthrough algae production system”, called Simgae, for simple algae. Using common agriculture components to produce algae, the system is substantially cheaper than other biofuel production systems, at $0.08 – $0.12 per pound. The algae produces oils and starches which can then be used for the production of biodiesel and ethanol. — Environmental Graffiti

The world without us. Alan Weisman theorizes what would happen to the planet if humans suddenly disappeared. Roll over each block to see more details. — The World Without Us