Emissions 'worst ever,' melting ice roads, Galapagos tortoise born and other green stories of the week

(Mark William Richardson/shutterstock.com)

Some of the major green and environmental stories of the past week (May 28-June 3) including news that carbon emissions in 2010 were the highest ever, efforts to save one of the world's most endangered birds and the birth of a Galapagos tortoise are rounded up below.

Cairn Energy - the oil company has commenced drilling in the Arctic sea despite the efforts of protesters from environmental organization Greenpeace; Cairn Energy is now threatening to sue Greenpeace for €2 million for every day their operations were halted. ( London Evening Standard)

Carbon market collapse - a new report from the World Bank suggests that the world's carbon credit market is nearing collapse, partly due to uncertainty over the failure of the world's governments to agree to a continuation of the Kyoto protocol. ( New York Times)

Congo-Brazzaville - the small African nation of Congo-Brazzaville has become the latest region in the world to ban the production, sale and use of plastic bags. ( Guardian)

Baby Galapagos tortoise - A 90-year-old Galapagos tortoise has given birth at an Australian zoo, marking the first successful breeding of this endangered species in captivity in Australia. ( Treehugger)

Ganges - the World Bank has approved a $1 billion cleanup of the Ganges River in India, large stretches of which are heavily polluted. ( Treehugger)

Germany's nuclear power - plans to phase out nuclear power in Germany by 2022 could increase the country's CO2 emissions by as much as 40 million metric tonnes per year. ( Reuters)

Ice roads melting - global warming causes 'ice roads' such as those used in Canada, Finland and Russia to melt, making parts of these countries inaccessible. ( Reuters)

Spoon-billed Sandpiper - the rare spoon-billed sandpiper is the subject of a last-ditch campaign from environmentalists hoping to save the bird from extinction. The birds will be encouraged to breed in captivity at locations in Russia and the UK. ( BBC News)

Summer blackouts - The unusually hot and dry spring in place across most of Europe, and the hottest ever in France, could lead to power blackouts as river levels in the country drop below the level needed to cool reactors in France's nuclear power stations. ( Wall Street Journal)

World's worst greenhouse gas emissions - the world's greenhouse gas emissions reached their highest ever point in 2010, meaning that it is now highly unlikely that global temperatures can be prevented from reaching 'dangerous' levels - according to new data from the International Energy Agency. ( Environmental Leader)