The carbon reduction consultancy, Sustain, provides an interesting overview of carbon footprinting development in France. According to its briefing paper, from July 1st 2011, a national experiment will be carried out for at least one year, to inform consumers through environmental labelling. This experiment will be the subject to an assessment and extended by parliament if appropriate.

Reference, abstract and conclusions as follows: Vanclay J K, Shortiss J, Aulsebrook S, Gillespied A M, Howell B C, Johanni R, Maher M J, Mitchell K M, Stewart M D and Yates J (2011). Customer Response to Carbon Labelling of Groceries, Journal of Consumer Policy Volume 34, Number 1, 153-160 Abstract

Awareness of the "Meatless Monday" campaign has reached more than half of Americans, according to an online tracking survey conducted by FGI Research. The poll found that 50.22 percent of 2,000 American adults in a nationally representative sample were aware of the campaign, which encourages people to avoid eating meat one day a week – up from 30% awareness six months ago. The FGI Research poll also found that among those who said they were aware of the Meatless Monday initiative, 27 percent said that the campaign had influenced their decision to cut back on meat.

BioCarbon Tracker – funded by the biofuels company, Greenergy, with technical support from Ecometrica, The University of Edinburgh and the UK‘s National Centre for Earth Observation – is a tool that has been developed to provide a clear picture of where carbon is stored, which reserves of biocarbon are most at risk from agricultural expansion, and where there are opportunities to improve biocarbon reserves through better land management. The tool does 4 things, it: Maps above- ground carbon stores – not yet below-ground stores as this is harder to assess

As the 2012 start date for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme gets closer, more international carriers are adding their voices to the din of criticism. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) is the latest group to speak out, with its director general, Andrew Herdman, saying the EU has "over-reached" in introducing the scheme.

The USDA has changed the way it presents its healthy eating advice from a pyramid to a plate, on the grounds that we eat off the latter, not the former.

In 2011 the Natural Resources Initiative (NRI) completed a study on the implications of climate change for Fairtrade in agricultural products. The study was commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation. The study indicates that climate change is projected, with high degrees of certainty, to have mainly negative impacts upon agricultural production, food security and economic development, especially in developing countries. It thus poses significant challenges for the Fairtrade movement.

This report, published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, looks at the multitude of drivers which cause deforestation, and as such it includes chapters on soy, palm oil and cattle ranching.

This report, published by WWF in 2011, recognises that demand for soya beans and soya products has risen dramatically in recent decades. In just 15 years, production of the crop has doubled, and the land used to grow soya worldwide now covers an area almost the size of Egypt.