Then there's Dell's new stance on its suppliers, who will be told to start reporting greenhouse gas emissions data.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Earth Networks, which already runs a large system of weather stations and lightning monitors, is looking to expand, and it believes that there should be a market for greenhouse-gas data.

ECONOMIST: Greenhouse-gas monitoring

Data shows that greenhouse gas emissions fell by 99 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) during 2008, making a total net reduction of 627m tonnes of CO2e from 1990 levels.

BBC: EU 'half way to 2020 emissions target'

Dissenting Commissioner Troy Paredes notes the potential confusion that could result from having firms speculate on the "physical effects of climate change, such as effects on the severity of weather (for example, floods or hurricanes), sea levels, the arability of farmland, and water availability and quality" and harms to their reputation because of the public perception of data relating to its greenhouse gas emissions.

FORBES: The SEC, Global Warming and The First Amendment

The range of subjects is impressive, from greenhouse gas emissions, wealth and disease to more obscure data about numbers of dentists and working tractors.

CNN: Mapping out a new world order

But controlling electricity consumption has become increasingly critical as data center energy use and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions skyrocket along with the use of Facebook, Twitter and other aspects of our virtual lives.

FORBES: GE Opens One Of World's Greenest Data Centers

Although carbon dioxide is the more important greenhouse gas, methane measurements will be a more practical early application to test the market for this sort of data.

ECONOMIST: Greenhouse-gas monitoring

Hewlett-Packard reduced direct greenhouse gas emissions - one of three types that are tracked - by 25% over the years, according to data the Palo Alto, Calif.

WSJ: How Green Is Apple?