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Davos Forum: Leaders Call for Green Economy

jesche — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:06:49 +0000

International leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland say U.S. businesses must pressure the federal government to work toward an energy-efficient economy before China reaches one first.

U.N. climate chief Christina Figueres said Thursday that China “is going to leave us all in the dust” if Western countries don’t begin to act on climate change, AP reports.

Figueres said the Chinese “are not doing it just because they want to save the planet. They are doing it because it’s good for the economy.”

European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard called for U.S. businesses to change their perspective on energy efficiency, saying they should realize that “it’s bad business to not be among the front-runners” in the race for a green global economy.

The annual conference is held in a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the the eastern Alps region of Switzerland.

Unemployment Rates Rise in 21 States, Fall in 15

jesche — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:13:16 +0000

Unemployment rates climbed in 21 states last month, the most significant number of states to report an increase since August, the Labor Department said Friday.

Meanwhile, unemployment dropped in 15 states in November, remaining flat in the remaining 14 states. That makes for the weakest drop since August.

The numbers betray the job market’s struggle to bounce back despite an economic recovery.

The most significant increases in unemployment were in Georgia and Idaho. Georgia racked up a 10.1 percent unemployment rate, up from 9.8 percent, while Idaho’s jobless rate climbed from 9.1 percent to 9.4 percent.

Michigan and Pennsylvania showed the biggest signs of improvement. Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped from 12.8 percent to 12.4 percent, while Pennsylvania’s fell from 8.8 percent to 8.6 percent.