deforestation

Cheap, versatile palm oil has long been used as an ingredient in everything from ice cream and chips to lotions and soaps. But its production causes severe environmental damage, which is why Unilever, the world's biggest buyer of palm oil, has decided to try an alternative: oil from algae.

As the world's leaders converge for the global climate summit, the clouds over what had been deemed a fairly useless exercise in geopolitical stagecraft appear to be lifting. Most dramatic is a proposal that rich nations provide a $100 billion per year to help poorer nations cope with emission cuts.