Daily Roundup: January 12, 2010

Bye-Bye Borneo: China and Malaysia agreed to build in Borneo, one of the world’s last great wilderness regions. The plan is part of an initiative aimed to turn Sarawak, along the Malaysia's northern coast, into a developed state by 2020. Financial Times

Coal Case: According to a new study, nonsmoking women in China's Yunnan Province die of cancer 20 times more often than their counterparts in other regions of the country, probably because so much coal is burned there for heat and for cooking, putting women at greatest risk. New York Times

Golden State Debate: To try to find the best uses for proceeds from a carbon-allowance auction, a California panel proposed that most of the money be returned to California residents either via tax cuts or dividend checks. The checks could exceed $1,000 for a family of four. Wall Street Journal

Green Apple? New York's city council has modified Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to have the owners of New York’s largest buildings to pay for energy-efficient improvements. The revised proposal would merely require landlords to audit and publish their building’s energy usage each year. New York Times

Sun Block: Scientists from around the world will meet in California in March to discuss the possibility of geo-engineering field trials: ways to block the earth from the sun to slow global warming. One idea includes pumping chemicals into the air and ocean. Guardian

--Nicholas Mukhar