Up to 10,000 activists will require temporary shelters when they travel to Copenhagen for the upcoming United Nations Climate Summit. Read the full story

One indication that Danes are serious about tackling climate change involves the country’s electricity providers. The Politiken newspaper reports that a rising number of Danish consumers are changing electricity companies to those that specialise in sustainable energy production. Read the full story

A conference concerning the proposed Nord Stream gas pipeline will not have Sweden in attendance, according to a recent government decision. The move by Sweden came as a shock to the Russians, who are organising the conference in St Petersburg.

Yuri Lipatov, the head of the Russian Duma’s energy committee, admitted his colleagues were rather upset the Swedes had pulled out of the meeting. Karin Pilsater, the head of the Swedish parliament’s industry committee, claims their decision not to attend the conference is because they want to base the government’s position on the controversial Baltic Sea pipeline on environmental factors instead of political ones. Read the full story

The University of Tromso in northern Norway is hosting the 3rd annual Arctic Frontiers conference, which is designed to discuss changes in the Arctic region involving oil and gas management and the environment. This year’s conference is titled “Oil and Gas – Political, Social and Scientific Challenges in the Arctic.” Read the full story

Traffic in the capital of Sweden has been reduced by 18 per cent following the roll out of the Stockholm Congestion Charging System. The system was piloted last year and began full scale implementation last August, according to reports in Red Orbit.

As a result of the new system, the proportion of tax-exempt, eco-friendly vehicles in the city increased by nine per cent. In most cases, travel times on inner city streets have been reduced and access to the city has improved. The latest figures on traffic in Stockholm were reported in a study by Stockholm City Traffic authorities.

The traffic solution was designed by IBM who served as the prime contractor for the project, as well as its development and operation. IBM has been collaborating with the Swedish Road Administration and the city of Stockholm in order to develop the program. In order to deliver an effective technical solution to inner city traffic congestion, IBM brought in consultants, as well as research and technology experts.

During the seven month pilot which was launched in 2006, traffic in Stockholm was reduced by 22 per cent. Since the system was adopted by the Swedish National Parliament and implemented over a 24 square kilometre region of the inner city, traffic has remained below its previous levels.

“Traffic has remained substantially lower since the pilot with IBM, which has brought significant benefits to Stockholm residents. The scheme is meeting the objectives set by the city of reducing traffic volumes, improving accessibility for buses and cars, and improving the environment,” said Birger Hook, Director of the Swedish Road Administration’s traffic registry.