Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or technology over another.

US reassures Bonn climate talks that it stands by carbon target (via BusinessGreen)

U.S. diplomats at the UN climate talks in Bonn downplayed the Senate’s decision to abandon climate legislation and reiterated the Obama administration’s pledge to reduce emissions by 17 percent.

Solar Market in 2011: Still Hot, But Not Growing So Fast (via Earth2Tech)

The international solar market is expected to grow 42 percent in 2011 and install 20.2 gigawatts of solar power systems.

Smart meter rollout to reach $25bn in Europe by 2020 (via Greenbang)

The European smart grid is expected to add 133-145 million new installed smart meters by 2020.

Appliance Makers Agree to Build Smarter, Energy-Sipping Products (via GreenBiz)

Home appliance manufacturers have agreed to new energy and water efficiency standards that could save 5 trillion gallons of water and billions of dollars in energy costs by 2040.

Green tech investment surges even as economy lags (via Grist)

Venture capital investment in clean energy and technology surged to $1.5 billion in the second quarter of 2010, a 64 percent improvement over 2009 levels.

Fishing limits proposed to save Alaska sea lions (via Los Angeles Times)

U.S. authorities have proposed shutting down fishing across 131,000 square miles of Alaskan shoreline in an effort to protect declining sea lion populations.

Drought Strains Russian Wheat Supplies (via New York Times’ Green)

European wheat prices have reached a two-year high after Russia announced extreme heat and drought had decimated 20 percent of the country’s winter crop.

GM to Boost Volt PHEV Production Capacity by 50% in 2012 (via TreeHugger)

General Motors announced it will increase production of the Chevy Volt by 50 percent in 2012, from 30,000 to 45,000 vehicles.

If you have any interest in the world of technology and gadgets, you probably followed the exciting news last week from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

One announcement that caught my eye was OnStar’s mobile application for the new Chevrolet Volt. Motorists will be able to track and control nearly everything in their automobile, from its mileage to when it gets charged, all by using the app on an Apple iPhone, Motorola Droid or BlackBerry Storm.

The Volt, as you may know, promises to go 40 miles on a single electric charge with zero carbon emissions, after that the gas engine kicks in to provide long-distance driving. Why only 40 miles of emissions-free driving? The company says its engineers determined 75 percent of drivers go less than 40 miles each day. The car is scheduled to hit the roads sometime near the end of 2010, estimated to cost around $40,000.