A federal task force charged by President Obama in February to determine the viability of developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) released a report concluding that CCS can play an important role in domestic greenhouse gas emissions reductions if the right mix of policy drivers and coordinated oversight is enacted. Co-chaired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, the … Read ahead
Source: ecopolitology.org
If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would save: 100 billion gallons of water; 1.5 billion pounds of crops otherwise fed to livestock; 70 million gallons of gas; 3 million acres of land; 33 tons of antibiotics & prevent: Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2; 3 million tons of soil erosion… … Read ahead
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Latest at huffingtonpost.com
How does California attorney general Jerry Brown fight billionaire Meg Whitman in the battle to be the next governor of the Golden State? Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, spends nearly as much per day (an average of $531,378 over the past six weeks) as Brown has spent all year — $633,205. Yet the cagey and frugal Brown leads the free-spending billionaire in the latest poll 37% to 34%. By necessity, Brown is running a low-budget guerrilla campaign against Whitman, whose spending has now zoomed past the $100 million mark. Skilled at jumping on issues and turning them to his advantage, Brown is living off free media, hoarding his $23 million in campaign cash for fall television ads and doing his best to keep the Whitman juggernaut off balance. And now, he’s picked up his latest weapon: Proposition 23 on the November ballot. Proposition 23 takes aim at California’s ambitious environmental law (known as AB 32 or the global-warming law), which requires greenhouse-gas emissions to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. If approved by voters in November, the ballot measure would halt enforcement of AB 32 until California’s unemployment rate, now over 12%, falls to 5.5% for at least four consecutive quarters. There have only been three periods in the past 30 years when California’s unemployment rate dropped that low. At the moment, the rules for AB 32 will be issued on Jan. 1, 2011 and have the force of a law a year later. … Read ahead
Source: time.com
The failure doesn’t just mean that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will continue inching up. It also means that we probably won’t see a global climate deal anytime soon. And that means untold years of ever-increasing emissions — and likely dire consequences for human habitation on Earth. Think about a global climate pact from China’s perspective. Why should it take leadership, now that the U.S. has refused to act? Sure, China stands as the … Read ahead
Source: grist.org
Latest at grist.org
Starbucks to SunChips, Toyota to Honda, everyone seems to be going “green” these days. And for a good reason. Did you know that in 2008 alone, Americans saved enough energy to power 10 million homes while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions from 12 million cars? What’s more? They also saved themselves $6 billion dollars, proving that doing well for the environment could have more benefits than one. And, the IRS could provide one of these perks. With new green energy tax credits, the IRS has shown that they, too, are all in favor for the green movement. With the new guidelines in place, here are a few ideas to go green while directly impacting your taxing dollar. … Read ahead
Source: financialhighway.com
Latest at financialhighway.com
Greenhouse gas emissions fell in rich countries by a record 7% in 2009, mainly due to the current global economic recession according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Greenhouse gases have thus remained steady this year for the first time since 1992. However, this does not mean good news for the environment overall as increases in greenhouse gas emissions from India and China have almost nullified any reduction throughout the rest of the world. The Dutch government funded organization NEAA was the first to recognize in 2007 that China had overtaken the US as the world’s greatest greenhouse gas polluter, as it continues to mushroom. Gas emissions in China have grown a further 9% despite doubling its solar and wind energy capabilities for the fifth year in a row. Anneke Oosterhuis NEAA spokeswoman was keen to point out that the reduction of emissions in industrialized countries does not necessarily indicate good behavior, but rather the current economy. “A large part of production capacity has been suspended, but this could be re-employed as soon as the economy improves. It is likely that a recovering economy would cause emission levels in industrialized countries to go up,” she said. Whilst the overall emissions of industrializing countries continue to increase the per capita pollution still remains low in such countries. Current per capita emissions in India are 1.4 tonnes, with 6 tonnes per capita in China. This compares to 10 tonnes per capita in Holland and 17 tonnes in the US. Renewable energy increased dramatically in 2009, with global wind power increasing by almost a third, and with one third of new installations located in China. Solar electricity installation also increased 46% on 2008 figures. The current figures will come as a relief to some of the world’s richest countries, excluding the US, who are now well below their Kyoto agreement target level. … Read ahead
Source: newsbythesecond.com
Latest at newsbythesecond.com
EPA has a formal promotional partnership with the coal industry to expand use of coal ash and other coal combustion wastes in products such as cement, wallboard, carpet backing and consumer products such as kitchen counters and even cosmetics and toothpaste.” Part of this promotion includes claims that because coal ash substitutes for virgin materials, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions—overlooking its own conclusion that coal ash “may not be an efficient method for reducing overall emissions” of greenhouse gases and may actually produce a net detrimental impact. As … Read ahead
Source: planetgreen.discovery.com
Latest at planetgreen.discovery.com
Like a polished corporate businessman coming together with a barefooted nonconformist, longtime enemies coal and solar power have finally called a truce. The Xcel Energy power plant near Grand Junction, Colorado, has just implemented the first-of-its-kind solar-coal hybrid approach. At Xcel Energy’s Cameo Generating Station, a traditional coal-fired plant has been integrated with parabolic-trough solar technology developed by Abengoa Solar. By concentrating solar energy to produce steam for power production, this exciting new technology has the ability to increase the plant’s efficiency, decrease coal usage, and lower carbon dioxide emissions. If this investment is successful, the commercial viability of hybrid plants could see a boost. Under their Innovative Clean Technology (ICT) Program to explore new ventures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or improve the environment in some way, the coal-solar power plant is Xcel Energy’s first project. Through this clean energy initiative,the company has the opportunity to test new technologies and evaluate their cost and environmental performance at a smaller scale before setting it up for a grander, statewide customer base. Already, Xcel boasts the usage of hydro, wind, and waste-derived sources for power generation. “… Read ahead
Source: findportablesolarpower.com
Latest at findportablesolarpower.com
President Barack Obama on Friday mandated a new national policy on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing fuel efficiency for pollution-spewing trucks. … Read ahead
Source: rawstory.com
US top scientists urge coal, oil use penalties Buzz up! Send Email IM Share Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Bookmarks Print … Read ahead
Source: news.yahoo.com