News bites: China’s wind energy sails ahead of U.S., scientists link extreme weather to climate change, and more

“In the past year, every continent except Antarctica has seen record-breaking floods. Rains submerged one-fifth of Pakistan, a thousand-year deluge swamped Nashville and storms just north of Rio caused the deadliest landslides Brazil has ever seen,” CBS reports.

The piece continues: “Southern France and northern Australia had floods, too. Sri Lanka, South Africa, the list goes on. And while no single weather event can be linked definitively to global climate change, a growing number of scientists say these extreme events represent the face of a warming world.”

Elsewhere, The Associated Press explores a new deal between a major chemical company and a major green group.

“Dow Chemical Co. pledged Monday to make environmental protection a primary consideration in all its business decisions and to operate its plants in more nature-friendly ways in partnership with a leading conservation group,” the AP reports.

“The Michigan-based chemical company said it had entered a five-year, $10 million collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, which will advise Dow and provide technical assistance on reducing its ecological footprint. Executives said they hoped to lead the way to a new era in which corporations and environmental advocates would become less confrontational and work together for sustainable economic growth.”