Monday, April 30, 2007
News - 'Carbon credits' fueling debate - sacbee.com
News - 'Carbon credits' fueling debate - sacbee.com: "Schwarzenegger will buy 'carbon credits' in the Fred M. van Eck Forest, in the form of trees allowed to live and grow bigger and older so they can absorb more carbon dioxide. The purchase will offset some of the global-warming gas released during the governor's frequent trips by private jet.
The governor's plan has turned a spotlight on the growing market for carbon credits, even though critics say benefits are harder to verify in a forest conservation project like this. Planting new trees in bare ground would be preferable, they say."
The governor's plan has turned a spotlight on the growing market for carbon credits, even though critics say benefits are harder to verify in a forest conservation project like this. Planting new trees in bare ground would be preferable, they say."
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Canada to ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012 - Yahoo! News
Canada to ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012 - Yahoo! News: "Canada will ban the sale of inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012 as part of a plan to cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases, Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said on Wednesday.
Canada is the second country in the world to announce such a ban. Australia said in February it would get rid of all incandescent bulbs by 2009.
'Making the switch to more efficient lighting is one of the easiest and most effective things we can do to reduce energy use and harmful emissions,' Lunn told a news conference.
If households installed compact fluorescent bulbs -- which use about 75 percent less electricity than old-style bulbs -- they could save C$50 ($44) a year, he said."
Canada is the second country in the world to announce such a ban. Australia said in February it would get rid of all incandescent bulbs by 2009.
'Making the switch to more efficient lighting is one of the easiest and most effective things we can do to reduce energy use and harmful emissions,' Lunn told a news conference.
If households installed compact fluorescent bulbs -- which use about 75 percent less electricity than old-style bulbs -- they could save C$50 ($44) a year, he said."
Monday, April 23, 2007
Supreme Court to hear environmental case - Yahoo! News
Supreme Court to hear environmental case - Yahoo! News: "The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider an environmental case Monday that could make it easier for many industrial companies to recover some of the millions of dollars they've spent cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
The case involves the 1980 federal environmental law, known as 'Superfund,' that set up a process for rehabilitating polluted industrial areas. Under the law, if the Environmental Protection Agency sues a company to force it to clean up a site, that company can then sue other parties that contributed to the pollution for a share of the cleanup costs."
The case involves the 1980 federal environmental law, known as 'Superfund,' that set up a process for rehabilitating polluted industrial areas. Under the law, if the Environmental Protection Agency sues a company to force it to clean up a site, that company can then sue other parties that contributed to the pollution for a share of the cleanup costs."
Sunday, April 22, 2007
NYC pledges 1 million new trees by 2017 - Yahoo! News
NYC pledges 1 million new trees by 2017 - Yahoo! News: "One million new trees will join the urban landscape of New York City by the year 2017 to reduce air pollution, cool temperatures and help improve the city's long term sustainability, officials said Saturday.
The tree program is one of 127 environmental proposals that Mayor Michael Bloomberg was set to outline Sunday in a speech at the Museum of Natural History, timed with the observance of Earth Day."
The tree program is one of 127 environmental proposals that Mayor Michael Bloomberg was set to outline Sunday in a speech at the Museum of Natural History, timed with the observance of Earth Day."
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Schwarzenegger lets MTV 'pimp' his ride - Yahoo! News
Schwarzenegger lets MTV 'pimp' his ride - Yahoo! News: "In the latest promotion of his environmental agenda, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to make an appearance Sunday on the popular MTV show 'Pimp My Ride.'
For the show, mechanics converted a 1965 Chevy Impala, installing an 800 horsepower engine that runs on biodiesel fuel and goes from zero to 60 mph in three seconds. The governor said the converted car's emissions of greenhouse gases will be 50 percent lower."
For the show, mechanics converted a 1965 Chevy Impala, installing an 800 horsepower engine that runs on biodiesel fuel and goes from zero to 60 mph in three seconds. The governor said the converted car's emissions of greenhouse gases will be 50 percent lower."
Thursday, April 19, 2007
CLIMATE CHANGE: Financial Risks to Federal and Private Insurers in Coming Decades are Potentially Significant
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07285.pdf?source=ra
The key assessments GAO reviewed generally found that rising temperatures are
expected to increase the frequency and severity of damaging weather-related
events, such as flooding or drought, although the timing and magnitude are
as yet undetermined. Additional research on the effect of increasing
temperatures on weather events is expected in the near future, including a
highly anticipated assessment of the state of climate science this year.
Taken together, private and federal insurers paid more than $320 billion in
claims on weather-related losses from 1980 to 2005. Claims varied
significantly from year to year—largely due to the effects of catastrophic
weather events such as hurricanes and droughts—but have generally
increased during this period.
The key assessments GAO reviewed generally found that rising temperatures are
expected to increase the frequency and severity of damaging weather-related
events, such as flooding or drought, although the timing and magnitude are
as yet undetermined. Additional research on the effect of increasing
temperatures on weather events is expected in the near future, including a
highly anticipated assessment of the state of climate science this year.
Taken together, private and federal insurers paid more than $320 billion in
claims on weather-related losses from 1980 to 2005. Claims varied
significantly from year to year—largely due to the effects of catastrophic
weather events such as hurricanes and droughts—but have generally
increased during this period.
Air Force embraces solar power - USATODAY.com
Air Force embraces solar power - USATODAY.com: "The largest solar power plant in North America will soon be providing electricity to an Air Force base in the Nevada desert.
The military says the plant, scheduled to power up at Nellis Air Force Base by the end of the year, shows that solar energy can effectively meet part of the country's energy needs.
'It allows the Air Force to show its leadership in applying renewable energy and new technology to reduce our needs to use traditional forms of electric power,' says Maj. Don Ohlemacher, operations flight chief and acting commander of the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron at the base.
But the project also demonstrates something else: the considerable constraints that continue to limit the viability and growth of solar electric power in the USA."
The military says the plant, scheduled to power up at Nellis Air Force Base by the end of the year, shows that solar energy can effectively meet part of the country's energy needs.
'It allows the Air Force to show its leadership in applying renewable energy and new technology to reduce our needs to use traditional forms of electric power,' says Maj. Don Ohlemacher, operations flight chief and acting commander of the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron at the base.
But the project also demonstrates something else: the considerable constraints that continue to limit the viability and growth of solar electric power in the USA."
Energy producers capture speedier wind - Yahoo! News
Energy producers capture speedier wind - Yahoo! News: "New technology is allowing energy producers to capture speedier wind that environmental activists say has the potential to provide 20 percent of the state's electricity within 10 years.
What's new are taller windmills that can catch gusts that are faster than those closer to the ground. The tallest windmills have been about 250 feet, but now proponents envision windmills whose bases are about 330 feet tall."
What's new are taller windmills that can catch gusts that are faster than those closer to the ground. The tallest windmills have been about 250 feet, but now proponents envision windmills whose bases are about 330 feet tall."
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Scientist says cremation should meet a timely death - Yahoo! News
Scientist says cremation should meet a timely death - Yahoo! News: "An Australian scientist called Wednesday for an end to the age-old tradition of cremation, saying the practice contributed to global warming.
Professor Roger Short said people could instead choose to help the environment after death by being buried in a cardboard box under a tree.
The decomposing bodies would provide the tree with nutrients, and the tree would convert carbon dioxide into life-giving oxygen for decades, he said."
Professor Roger Short said people could instead choose to help the environment after death by being buried in a cardboard box under a tree.
The decomposing bodies would provide the tree with nutrients, and the tree would convert carbon dioxide into life-giving oxygen for decades, he said."
Study: Ethanol may cause more smog, deaths - Yahoo! News
Study: Ethanol may cause more smog, deaths - Yahoo! News: "Switching from gasoline to ethanol — touted as a green alternative at the pump — may create dirtier air, causing slightly more smog-related deaths, a new study says.
Nearly 200 more people would die yearly from respiratory problems if all vehicles in the United States ran on a mostly ethanol fuel blend by 2020, the research concludes. Of course, the study author acknowledges that such a quick and monumental shift to plant-based fuels is next to impossible."
Nearly 200 more people would die yearly from respiratory problems if all vehicles in the United States ran on a mostly ethanol fuel blend by 2020, the research concludes. Of course, the study author acknowledges that such a quick and monumental shift to plant-based fuels is next to impossible."
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label - New York Times
Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label - New York Times: "Home Depot today will introduce a label for nearly 3,000 products, like fluorescent light bulbs that conserve electricity and natural insect killers, that promote energy conservation, sustainable forestry and clean water.
The initiative — which is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12 percent of the chain’s sales — would become the largest green labeling program in American retailing and could persuade competitors to speed up their own plans. "
The initiative — which is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12 percent of the chain’s sales — would become the largest green labeling program in American retailing and could persuade competitors to speed up their own plans. "
Monday, April 16, 2007
Global warming a security risk - Yahoo! News
Global warming a security risk - Yahoo! News: "Joining calls already made by scientists and environmental activists, the retired U.S. military leaders, including the former Army chief of staff and President Bush's former chief Middle East peace negotiator, called on the U.S. government to make major cuts in emissions of gases that cause global warming.
The report warned that in the next 30 to 40 years there will be wars over water, increased hunger instability from worsening disease and rising sea levels and global warming-induced refugees. 'The chaos that results can be an incubator of civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism,' the 35-page report predicted."
The report warned that in the next 30 to 40 years there will be wars over water, increased hunger instability from worsening disease and rising sea levels and global warming-induced refugees. 'The chaos that results can be an incubator of civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism,' the 35-page report predicted."
Friday, April 13, 2007
Schwarzenegger's 'green' credentials questioned - Los Angeles Times
Schwarzenegger's 'green' credentials questioned - Los Angeles Times: "He is gaining a reputation as the green governor who is marshaling California in the fight against global warming. But Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the last people in the Capitol to join the battle, and has earned so-so grades from environmental activists."
Greenhouse gas study says 1 pct from NYC - Yahoo! News
Greenhouse gas study says 1 pct from NYC - Yahoo! News: "New York City produces nearly 1 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions — an amount that puts it on par with Ireland or Portugal — according to a city study.
The study, released Tuesday, was ordered by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to assess the city's progress in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. It was conducted by the mayor's Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability.
'You have to have a real baseline or we're just talking past each other as to what works and what doesn't work — we won't ever know whether we really made a difference,' Bloomberg said.
The study found that the buildings, subways, buses, cars and decomposition of waste in America's most populous city produced a net emission of 58.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2005. The report said the city's emissions 'are currently as much as those of Ireland or Portugal.'
The U.S. total was 7.26 billion metric tons for that year."
The study, released Tuesday, was ordered by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to assess the city's progress in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. It was conducted by the mayor's Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability.
'You have to have a real baseline or we're just talking past each other as to what works and what doesn't work — we won't ever know whether we really made a difference,' Bloomberg said.
The study found that the buildings, subways, buses, cars and decomposition of waste in America's most populous city produced a net emission of 58.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2005. The report said the city's emissions 'are currently as much as those of Ireland or Portugal.'
The U.S. total was 7.26 billion metric tons for that year."
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Warming could spark water scramble: experts - Yahoo! News
Warming could spark water scramble: experts - Yahoo! News: "Climate change could diminish North American water supplies and trigger disputes between the United States and Canada over water reserves already stressed by industry and agriculture, U.N. experts said on Wednesday.
More heat waves like those that killed more than 100 people in the United States in 2006, storms like the killer hurricanes that struck the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and wildfires are likely in North America as temperatures rise, according to a new report that provided regional details on a U.N. climate panel study on global warming issued in Brussels on April 6."
More heat waves like those that killed more than 100 people in the United States in 2006, storms like the killer hurricanes that struck the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and wildfires are likely in North America as temperatures rise, according to a new report that provided regional details on a U.N. climate panel study on global warming issued in Brussels on April 6."
Warming could damage Arctic, release frozen waste - Yahoo! News
Warming could damage Arctic, release frozen waste - Yahoo! News: "Global warming will damage the hunting cultures of Arctic peoples, thaw polar ice and could release toxic wastes now trapped in permafrost dumps, a U.N. study showed on Wednesday.
Rising temperatures were also a threat to creatures such as polar bears and seals which live on the ice.
Among problems on land, a melting of permafrost is "likely to have significant implications for infrastructure including houses, buildings, roads, railways and pipelines," it said."
Rising temperatures were also a threat to creatures such as polar bears and seals which live on the ice.
Among problems on land, a melting of permafrost is "likely to have significant implications for infrastructure including houses, buildings, roads, railways and pipelines," it said."
Monday, April 9, 2007
News - Green tech touted as red-hot option for the region - sacbee.com
News - Green tech touted as red-hot option for the region - sacbee.com: "The Sacramento region boasts a number of advantages, experts say. The area has an environmentally aware population, proximity to the state Capitol where environmental policy and regulations are forged, and access to two universities with strong engineering, science and agriculture programs.
And the University of California, Davis, recognized as a top research institution in the green-tech sector, is committed to commercializing those research efforts."
And the University of California, Davis, recognized as a top research institution in the green-tech sector, is committed to commercializing those research efforts."
51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment - The Global Warming Survival Guide | TIME
51 Things We Can Do to Save the Environment - The Global Warming Survival Guide TIME: "Can one person slow global warming? Actually, yes. You—along with scientists, businesses and governments—can create paths to cut carbon emissions. Here is our guide to some of the planet's best ideas. "
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Mountaineers testify to warming's effect - Yahoo! News
Mountaineers testify to warming's effect - Yahoo! News: "Mountaineers are bringing back firsthand accounts of vanishing glaciers, melting ice routes, crumbling rock formations and flood-prone lakes where glaciers once rose.
The observations are transforming a growing number of alpine and ice climbers, some of whom have scientific training, into eyewitnesses of global warming. Increasingly, they are deciding not to leave it to scientists to tell the entire story."
The observations are transforming a growing number of alpine and ice climbers, some of whom have scientific training, into eyewitnesses of global warming. Increasingly, they are deciding not to leave it to scientists to tell the entire story."
Friday, April 6, 2007
Climate change threatens new dust bowl in Southwest - Yahoo! News
Climate change threatens new dust bowl in Southwest - Yahoo! News: "'Dust Bowl' drought driven by global warming will be the normal climate of the future for the American Southwest, report climatologists.
'We're essentially moving the desert further north,' says Mingfang Ting of Columbia University, co-author of a study released Thursday by the journal Science. By 2020, rain estimates show 'very unusual' agreement among climate projections, with the Southwestern states facing permanent drought. That would worsen already arid conditions in Las Vegas, Phoenix and other locales dependent on the Colorado River, Ting says."
'We're essentially moving the desert further north,' says Mingfang Ting of Columbia University, co-author of a study released Thursday by the journal Science. By 2020, rain estimates show 'very unusual' agreement among climate projections, with the Southwestern states facing permanent drought. That would worsen already arid conditions in Las Vegas, Phoenix and other locales dependent on the Colorado River, Ting says."
Climate report: Poor will suffer most - Yahoo! News
Climate report: Poor will suffer most - Yahoo! News: "The world faces increased hunger and water shortages in the poorest countries, massive floods and avalanches in Asia, and species extinction unless nations adapt to climate change and halt its progress, according to a report approved Friday by an international conference on global warming. "
Stark climate change warning - Yahoo! News
Stark climate change warning - Yahoo! News: "The report said warming, widely blamed on human emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, would cause desertification, droughts and rising seas and would hit hard in the tropics, from sub-Saharan Africa to Pacific islands."
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Children bear brunt of climate warming: report - Yahoo! News
Children bear brunt of climate warming: report - Yahoo! News: "'Children are already bearing the brunt of climate change and there will be millions more children caught up in climate-related natural disasters every year,' said Jasmine Whitbread, head of Save the Children UK.
Business is already starting to feel adverse effects, according to another study on Friday by catastrophe risk modeling firm Risk Management Solutions.
It said financial losses from weather-related catastrophes had risen on average by two percent a year since the 1970s, and pointed to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
Business is already starting to feel adverse effects, according to another study on Friday by catastrophe risk modeling firm Risk Management Solutions.
It said financial losses from weather-related catastrophes had risen on average by two percent a year since the 1970s, and pointed to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
U.N. Draft Cites Humans in Recent Climate Shifts - New York Times
U.N. Draft Cites Humans in Recent Climate Shifts - New York Times: "The latest United Nations assessment of the role of humans in global warming has found with “high confidence” that greenhouse gas emissions are at least partly responsible for a host of changes already under way, including longer growing seasons and shrinking glaciers."
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Silicon Valley's "best brains" work on energy - Yahoo! News
Silicon Valley's "best brains" work on energy - Yahoo! News: "Although commercial success could take years, venture capitalists are pouring cash into solar power, fuel cells, wind energy, biofuels, new lighting microchips, 'smart' power grids, and other innovative energies."
Ethanol boom could worsen world hunger: study - Yahoo! News
Ethanol boom could worsen world hunger: study - Yahoo! News: "'If, all other things being equal, the prices of staple foods increased because of demand for biofuels, the number of food-insecure people in the world would rise by over 16 million for every percentage increase in the real prices of staple foods,' they wrote.
'That means that 1.2 billion people could be chronically hungry by 2025 -- 600 million more than previously predicted.'"
'That means that 1.2 billion people could be chronically hungry by 2025 -- 600 million more than previously predicted.'"
Britain's queen going green - Yahoo! News
Britain's queen going green - Yahoo! News: "Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has hired a team of consultants to carry out the first-ever audit of carbon emissions from her three official residences, a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said Tuesday."
AP State News - High court decision on greenhouse gases could benefit California - sacbee.com
AP State News - High court decision on greenhouse gases could benefit California - sacbee.com: "The state has been asking the EPA for authority to limit tailpipe emissions since 2005, but the agency has yet to grant the state a waiver to do so. Eleven other states have adopted California's tougher rules, which would force automakers to cut exhaust from cars and light trucks by 25 percent and from sport utility vehicles by 18 percent, beginning in 2009.
'This case explicitly states that the Clean Air Act permits regulating greenhouse gases ... and the court has now clearly said that carbon dioxide is a pollutant,' Brown told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. 'That paves the way for California's waiver.'"
'This case explicitly states that the Clean Air Act permits regulating greenhouse gases ... and the court has now clearly said that carbon dioxide is a pollutant,' Brown told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. 'That paves the way for California's waiver.'"
Justices Say E.P.A. Has Power to Act on Harmful Gases - New York Times
Justices Say E.P.A. Has Power to Act on Harmful Gases - New York Times: "In one of its most important environmental decisions in years, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions. The court further ruled that the agency could not sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it could provide a scientific basis for its refusal."
Monday, April 2, 2007
Supreme court rules against Bush in global warming case - Yahoo! News
Supreme court rules against Bush in global warming case - Yahoo! News: "In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a U.S. government agency has the power under the clean air law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that spur global warming.
The nation's highest court by a 5-4 vote said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 'has offered no reasoned explanation' for its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide and other emissions from new cars and trucks that contribute to climate change."
The nation's highest court by a 5-4 vote said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 'has offered no reasoned explanation' for its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide and other emissions from new cars and trucks that contribute to climate change."
Sunday, April 1, 2007
BMW's Hydrogen 7: Not as Green as it Seems - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
BMW's Hydrogen 7: Not as Green as it Seems - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News: "In other words, BMW has created an energy-guzzling engine that only seems to be environmentally friendly -- a farcical ecomobile whose only true merit is that of illustrating the cardinal dilemma of a possible hydrogen-based economy."
U.S. Churches Go ‘Green’ for Palm Sunday - New York Times
U.S. Churches Go ‘Green’ for Palm Sunday - New York Times: "Slightly more expensive than the average palm, eco-palms are the rage in churches across the United States because of the social and environmental benefits they represent. They are collected in a way that helps preserve the forest, and more of the sale price ends up in the pockets of the people who cut them."
Poor Nations to Bear Brunt as World Warms - New York Times
Poor Nations to Bear Brunt as World Warms - New York Times: "The world’s richest countries, which have contributed by far the most to the atmospheric changes linked to global warming, are already spending billions of dollars to limit their own risks from its worst consequences, like drought and rising seas.
But despite longstanding treaty commitments to help poor countries deal with warming, these industrial powers are spending just tens of millions of dollars on ways to limit climate and coastal hazards in the world’s most vulnerable regions — most of them close to the equator and overwhelmingly poor."
But despite longstanding treaty commitments to help poor countries deal with warming, these industrial powers are spending just tens of millions of dollars on ways to limit climate and coastal hazards in the world’s most vulnerable regions — most of them close to the equator and overwhelmingly poor."
Sydney blacks out for global warming - Yahoo! News
Sydney blacks out for global warming - Yahoo! News: "The Sydney Opera House's gleaming white-shelled roof was darkened Saturday night along with much of the rest of Australia's largest city, which switched off the lights to register concern about global warming."
Panel: Warming will end some species - Yahoo! News
Panel: Warming will end some species - Yahoo! News: "Animal and plant life in the Arctic and Antarctic is undergoing substantial change, scientists say. Rising sea levels elsewhere are damaging coastal wetlands. Warmer waters are bleaching and killing coral reefs, pushing marine species toward the poles, reducing fish populations in African lakes, research finds."
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