The European Commission has released an energy roadmap presenting various scenarios for meeting its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Nuclear energy, it says, will remain an important part of Europe's power generation mix.

Global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases reached record levels in 2010, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The rate of increase in their levels has also accelerated.

A new report by the World Energy Council into countries' energy policies has determined that a mixture of generating technologies and strategies is best for ensuring sustainable energy production.

An insecure, inefficient and high carbon energy system will exist in 2035 unless radical changes take place, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns in the latest edition of its World Energy Outlook report.

Air pollution in many cities around the world is increasingly reaching levels that threaten people's health, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO). Motor vehicles and fossil fuel power plants are among the major contributors, it said.

Nuclear and gas will compete to provide future baseload power generation in Europe, as standard coal-fired power plants will no longer be profitable, the latest study by the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency on electricity prices concludes.

The government of Australia has announced plans to tax carbon emissions by the country's worst polluters as part of major reforms to tackle pollution and move towards a clean energy future.

The prospect of reaching global 2020 greenhouse gas emission targets is "getting bleaker," the International Energy Agency has warned after emissions of energy-related emissions reached a record high in 2010.

The European Commission has made long-awaited proposals on energy and climate change. By 2020 it wants a 20% cut in carbon dioxide emissions, and 20% of energy to come from renewables. Some MEPs called for nuclear power to be recognised.