The political war over global warming legislation is getting louder on Capitol Hill. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/04/warring_over_wa.html
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Germany: The World's First Major Renewable Energy Economy
Germany is accelerating its efforts to become the world's first industrial power to use 100 percent renewable energy -- and given current momentum, it could reach that green goal by 2050. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/04/germany-the-worlds-first-major-renewable-energy-economy
World coal-fired power plants capacity to grow by 35% in next 10 years
World coal-fired power plant capacity will grow from 1,759,000 MW in 2010 to 2,384,000 MW in 2020. Some 80,000 MW will be replaced. http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=5122&codi=48090&idproducttype=8&level=0
Time: Arctic Ice Melting Faster Than Expected
Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years, according to a new report. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1889370,00.html
New fuel economy standards sued as too weak
Some environmental groups have said the new standards are a small step in the right direction, but the Center for Biological Diversity said Thursday they're actually weaker than the requirements that the Bush administration proposed last year for 2011 vehicles. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/02/MND416RSUG.DTL
Cap-and-trade advocates press on after budget battle
Don't bury cap-and-trade legislation just yet. That was the message from several moderate Senate Democrats yesterday who a day earlier had joined with Republicans in a 67-31 Senate vote against fast-tracking a climate change bill so that it did not have to face a filibuster. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/04/03/03climatewire-capandtrade-advocates-press-on-after-budget-10428.html
Your final battle, your final chance for Earth: Gates Planning Major Changes In Programs, Defense Budget
take large whacks at others, including some with powerful constituencies on Capitol Hill and among influential contractors, making his announcement more of an opening bid than a decisive end to weeks of sometimes acrimonious internal Pentagon debate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040304080.html
****Congress' message: We can't do it all at once.
The $3.5-trillion plan approved this week is close to the president's, but it shows that lawmakers are wary of trying to do too much at once on healthcare, energy, education and the economy. http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-budget-assess4-2009apr04,0,346219.story
Friday, April 3, 2009
Sierra snow pack 81 percent of normal, water restrictions still expected
There appears to be plenty of snow in the Sierra Nevada, but California water officials said Thursday it falls short of the amount needed to replenish the state's reservoirs. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12056691
Drastic water cuts expected for the Bay Area
Get ready for singed lawns, dusty cars and pricier produce. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/02/MNJ916RJ4B.DTL
Countries Face Off at United Nations Conference on Population Control and Abortion
fault lines have appeared between states that see people as a resource to be promoted, and those that see people as a burden to be controlled. http://www.lifenews.com/int1145.html
NNNOOOO!!! Pelosi vows global warming bill by 2010`
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has set her sights on passing a global warming bill by the end of the year, pushing past strong misgivings from moderate Democrats in the House and Senate. http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=123397
Technology Is the Answer to Climate Change
Carbon caps or levies will throttle taxpayers. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123871985916184973.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Wall Street sees 'bucks to be made' in House climate plan
In the midst of a worldwide economic crisis, city officials and Wall Street executives are talking about turning the battered U.S. financial center into a global hub of green finance and environmental commodities trading. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/02/02greenwire-wall-street-sees-bucks-to-be-made-in-house-cli-10423.html
The Feasibility of Using Desalination to Supplement Drinking Water Supplies in Eastern Virginia
The Feasibility of Using Desalination to Supplement Drinking Water Supplies in Eastern Virginia http://leg2.state.va.us/DLS/H&SDocs.NSF/682def7a6a969fbf85256ec100529ebd/98c848d2a9531a7b85256ed2005c1dd4?OpenDocument
Fixing Our Water Crisis Can't Be Done by the Corporations that Are Exacerbating It
If we learned anything from the World Water Forum it should be that the privatization model has failed and a grassroots movement is needed. http://http://www.alternet.org/water/134802/fixing_our_water_crisis_can%27t_be_done_by_the_corporations_that_are_exacerbating_it/
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Slowing down on posting for a while. Double Shifts at the White House
Troy, who with Connie and me have been maintaining the Vigil is away for several weeks. Hence my computer time is cut to nil. I'm sure I'll sneak some time in, but not much.
Startling new evidence about Three Mile Island disaster raises doubts over nuclear plant safety
Thirty years ago this week, Randall and Joy Thompson were hired to monitor radiation releases after the Three Mile Island reactor meltdown. What they saw didn't match what officials say happened -- but, fearing for their lives, they gave up trying to tell their story. http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001Zjt7qXSU73_45JezgUKKo0j9373qFqdhVfzFc1bOWNsIjiMFeHRs5JcpEzo52zkbg9u9P5nUHrln0BRLBZfZ69F-6syDPei7Oj9vWRR8YeV70-0_q3eURA%3D%3D
***** Report Praises Renewable Energy Over Nuclear
A report released Tuesday by Maryland PIRG, a consumer advocacy and environmental group, says that renewable energy sources can make more electricity for less money than nuclear power plants. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033104619.html
Europe readies for effects of climate change
The types of impact the researchers observed include more frequent hot- and cold-weather spikes, heightened intensity and variability in precipitation extremes, the swift melting of European glaciers and sea ice, significant changes in river systems and distribution across Northern and Southern Europe, and rising sea levels. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/04/02/02climatewire-europe-readies-for-effects-of-climate-change-10421.html
Global Warming Accelerates
As sea levels rise faster than expected, political and social catastrophes loom. http://inthesetimes.com/article/4312/global_warming_accelerates
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Green new deal could ease triple crunch in finance, environment and resources
The UK economy faces a triple crunch: a recession triggered by a major credit crisis, the looming reality of runaway climate change and critical resource depletion. As a result we face serious challenges to our livelihoods and increasing threats to our fuel and food security. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/31/green-new-deal
Andrew Simms: the environment could bail out the economy
in 17th-century Britain there were around 90,000 windmills. Now there were plans to build perhaps 4,000 bringing the total to 5,000. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/mar/31/green-energy-government-economy
Hurdles Remain for Nuclear Comeback in Europe
The much-touted European "nuclear renaissance," a key element in the European Union's climate-change policy, still needs to overcome formidable obstacles to become a reality -- most notably in Germany. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/03/31/31climatewire-hurdles-still-remain-for-europes-nuclear-ren-10358.html
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Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP] YOU WISH TO SEE."
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Scientists take another stab at nuclear fusion
After more than a decade of work and an investment of $3.5 billion, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory say they have created a super laser that will enable them to build a miniature sun within the lab in the next two years. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/31/MN7M16QB7I.DTL
Northeast compact inspired climate change bill
A groundbreaking climate change bill unveiled yesterday by leading House Democrats takes some inspiration from a pact among 10 Northeastern states that was the first in the United States to place a mandatory cap on carbon emissions and begin trading pollution allowances. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/04/01/northeast_compact_inspired_climate_change_bill/
Syria Goes Green
While environmental issues have traditionally received little attention in the Middle East compared with the coverage they get in the United States and western Europe, this could now be changing. http://www.iwpr.net/?p=syr&s=f&o=351434&apc_state=henh
Airlines May Use Biofuels on Commercial Flights Within 5 Years
Airlines may win approval to start using biofuels for their flights as early as 2010 and find commercially viable solutions within five years as they seek to cut carbon emissions and trim dependence on petroleum-based fuel, the International Air Transport Association said. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aG2_i8J7_Gfw&refer=australia
Rivers in Wales could run dry by 2050 thanks to global warming
The Environment Agency has warned that river levels could drop up to 80% by 2050 because of climate change. And the agency has warned that Wales could be worse affected because of the country's geology. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/2009/03/31/rivers-in-wales-could-run-dry-by-2050-thanks-to-global-warming-91466-23269633/
House fast-tracks major changes on energy and climate
But how much will they cost Americans, particularly during a recession? http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/03/31/house-fast-tracks-major-changes-on-energy-and-climate/
House Democrats release draft energy, climate bill
Democratic leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today unveiled a 648-page draft global warming and energy bill (pdf) that is being praised by environmental groups but presents significant political challenges. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/31/31greenwire-house-democrats-release-draft-energy-emissions-10364.html
Ocean-Power-Meets-Bike-Chain Company Gets $14M
Electric Power Research Institute has estimated wave and tidal power could provide up to 10 gigawatts of power by 2025. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/ocean-power-meets-bike-chain-company-gets-14m-5970.html
Nuclear plants aren't as benign as described
The energy needs of Oswego County are poorly served by the construction of yet another dangerous and expensive nuclear plant. The community would benefit far more from the creation of green jobs that would deliver needed energy efficiently, safely and more cheaply than nuclear power. http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2009/03/nuclear_plants_arent_as_benign.html
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Obama signs wide-ranging conservation law
President Barack Obama signed legislation on Monday expanding and protecting US public parks and wilderness areas from oil and gas development, billed as the largest US conservation measure in more than 15 years. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hMmXKlD0GmqTo_JiP-uKR6PXd0Jw
Democrats Unveil Climate Bill
The debate on global warming and energy policy accelerated on Tuesday as two senior House Democrats unveiled a far-reaching bill to cap heat-trapping gases and quicken the country's move away from dependence on coal and oil. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/us/politics/01energycnd.html?_r=1&8au&emc=au
Oil & Gas Drilling Labeled Major Threat to Eastern Forests
Experts within the U.S. Forests Service call oil and gas development "a major threat to our forest lands" due to an array of poorly understood impacts on water and wildlife, according to agency workshop papers released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/03/31
Proton Will Make Electric Vehicles For Dutch Firm
Proton's managing director, said after the signing that the estimated income from the deal is conservative and based on the 40,000 cars it is expected to produce for Detroit Electric. He declined to disclose the margins Proton expects from the deal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123843692070870463.html
Solar power drops to $1 per watt, nears parity with oil.
Why isn't the major media trumpeting the astonishing news that the price of solar power has dropped close that of oil? We can now finally wean ourselves of dependence on foreign oil. http://www.examiner.com/x-6495-National-Intelligence-Examiner~y2009m3d30-Solar-power-drops-to-1-per-watt-nears-parity-with-oil-Wheres-the-media-coverage
BBC: Green economy 'could create jobs'
Up to 15,000 jobs could be created each year in London by 2025 as a result of Boris Johnson's plans to cut energy and tackle climate change, says a report. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7971026.stm
United Kingdom: Government slammed over paltry Green New Deal
The government was today accused of failing to deliver on its promise of a Green New Deal after new research suggested that just 0.6 per cent of the country's economic stimulus package will be focused on new green measures. http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=122963
Wana bankrupt warmaking???? ACT TODAY (Tues): Congress votes on global warming budget this week!
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The ethanol industry is taking a beating from the bad economy
Ethanol producers want the Environmental Protection Agency to raise from 10 percent to 15 percent the amount of ethanol blended with gasoline, saying it would increase demand for their fuel by 6 billion gallons annually. http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/03/e-15-could-be-t.html
Monday, March 30, 2009
***** NASA's Hansen: Coal is killing America (at RISK to his career)
A year ago, I wrote to (British Prime Minister) Gordon Brown asking him to place a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Britain. I have asked the same of Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd and other leaders. The reason is this - coal is the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet. http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2009/03/29/coal-is-killing-america?blog=94
USA Today: Nuclear power inches back into energy spotlight
Utilities are poised to build a new generation of nuclear plants 30 years after the Three Mile Island accident, whose anniversary was Saturday, halted new reactor applications. The momentum is being driven by growing public acceptance of relatively clean nuclear energy to combat global warming. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2009-03-29-nuclear-power-energy-return_N.htm
Beginning the March to Copenhagen: Climate Negotiations Getting Serious
But if last year was the "dry run", this year will be need to be the real thing. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jschmidt/beginning_the_march_to_copenhagen_bonn1.html
*****Consensus Could Be a Conundrum for Climate-Change Bill
When Henry A. Waxman tries to get a global warming bill out of his House Energy and Commerce Committee this spring, much will depend on the views of moderate and conservative Democrats whose votes could be critical in moving the legislation forward. http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003087581
Moment of Truth Arrives for Action on Climate Change
On Capitol Hill, some are saying legislation on the economy must come first, or health care or education — suggesting that Congress does not have the time or bandwidth to deal with climate and energy this year, too. http://www.rollcall.com/features/Mission-Ahead_2009/ma_energy/33562-1.html
Obama praised for climate change policy
Czech Environment Minister Martin Bursik, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency, said Europe "has gained a strong partner" in fighting global warming. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/28/Obama_praised_for_climate_change_policy/UPI-71621238261438/
****Winds of Change Evident in U.S. Environmental Policy
After years of chafing under political appointees who viewed stricter environmental regulation with skepticism, long-serving federal officials are seeing work that had been gathering dust for years translate quickly into action. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032902280.html
Westport pilot has witnessed effects of Arctic melting
Most of us know the ice caps are melting, but Leo C. Brooks, a senior captain for Continental Airlines, has witnessed the evidence firsthand on his flights over the North Pole and Greenland. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090330/NEWS/903300318
Irish renewable energy firm makes $1 billion investment in Chile
Leading Irish renewable energy firm Mainstream Renewable Power has backed Chile's suitability for wind energy by ploughing $1 billion over the next five years to build wind farms in the country, the company has said in a statement. http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200914/3332/Irish-renewable-energy-firm-makes-1-billion-investment-in-Chile
How to go carbon negative
By combining technology for CO2 capture and storage (CCS) with the use of biomass, future energy production can remove CO2 from the atmosphere. http://en.cop15.dk/blogs/view+blog?blogid=987
'We're the first generation that has had the power to destroy the planet. Ignoring that risk can only be described as reckless'
'There are many half-baked attempts to naysay the science, but they always unravel on inspection'. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/30/climate-change-nicholas-stern-interview
Greenpeace report, Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable U.S.A. Energy Outlook
details how the United States can cut greenhouse gas emissions to the levels we must reach in order to prevent the worst effects of global warming and simultaneously build a sustainable economy. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/energyrevolution
Design to Win: Philanthropy's Role in the Fight Against Global Warming
The report details clean energy strategies for China and India, and how to implement market-based solutions to preserve tropical forests in Africa, Asia and South America. http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2009/03/09/bill_gates/index1.html
The facts are outstripping the worst-case scenarios. The costs of inaction or inadequate actions are unacceptable.
Such was the relief at the willingness of the US to act on climate change that its delegation was welcomed with applause by negotiators from other countries. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5999170.ece
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Mining industry leaders express concern about mountaintop removal issue
U.S. Senator John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., pointed out that the EPA's letter to the Corps "was specific to only one permit application in Ethel," and that the nation has more than a 200-year history of mining West Virginia coal, "and that is not going to change any time soon," Rockefeller was quoted as stating in a press release. http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_087203050.html
Nuclear industry's new burst of energy
The impetus is climate change. Nuclear power is touted as the one major electricity source that's emission-free and reliable, able to generate massive amounts of power night and day, in wind and calm. http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=122780
*** Leaders to meet in summer for special climate change talks
The new summit – which is being called on the initiative of President Barack Obama as part of a US drive to get a new international agreement on tackling global warming – is to take place alongside the annual G8 gathering of world leaders on the island of La Maddalena off Sardinia. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/leaders-to-meet-in-summer-for-special-climate-change-talks-1656630.html
***Obama Sets International Climate Forum
But Obama officials believe the talks could help forge a basis for a broader U.N. climate agreement in December, when negotiators will meet in Copenhagen to develop a pact aimed at cutting global greenhouse gas emissions. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/03/28/obama_sets_international_clima.html?wprss=44
NYT: Cost Works Against Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources in Time of Recession
Yet as Congress begins debating new rules to restrict carbon dioxide emissions and promote electricity produced from renewable sources, an underlying question is how much more Americans will be willing to pay to harness the wind and the sun. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/business/energy-environment/29renew.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
***Nuclear-Power Industry Enjoys Revival 30 Years After Accident
NYT: Thirty years after the accident at Three Mile Island, the nuclear power industry is moving ahead with plans to build a string of new reactors in the U.S., though the revival faces many uncertainties. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123820275563962721.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
***The coming nuclear renaissance
Yet far from being washed up, atomic power seems poised for a renaissance. Consider: According to a new Gallup poll, 59 percent of Americans favor nuclear energy - a new high - and 27 percent say they strongly favor it. The attitude is bipartisan, with majorities of both Republicans and Democrats supporting nuclear power. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/03/29/the_coming_nuclear_renaissance/
World faces 'water bankruptcy'
In a first-ever pledge for American presidents, Barack Obama in his inaugural address included a promise to the world's poor nations -- "to work alongside you to ... let clean waters flow." http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/03/world_faces_water_bankruptcy.html
'Extreme Ice': Seeing is believing on glacial melting
Probably no bit of information presented at the Aspen Environment Forum was as sobering as the screening of the film "Extreme Ice" at the Wheeler Opera House Thursday night. http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=122862
G20 protest: Thousands march for 'jobs, justice and climate'
Police estimate crowd numbers in London at 35,000, which would exceed organisers' hopes http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=122825http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=122825
***Obama team debuts at UN climate talks
BONN, Germany (AP) — President Barack Obama's climate change team made their international debut Sunday at a major U.N. conference — and delegates were eager to find out whether Obama could translate his aggressive domestic agenda into a worldwide deal to fight global warming. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jpokgFJzTVqBUWoSV4Qm3bXiDWlAD977LV983
***Cave ‘batteries’ will store wind power
Now two British companies are putting money into a technology that could overcome this problem. Electricity from wind farms will be used to compress air, which will be stored in caverns below ground. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5992419.ece
Environmentalists hail Earth Hour as a big success
WWF called the event, which began in Australia in 2007 and grew last year to 400 cities worldwide, "the world's first-ever global vote about the future of our planet."
"Last night's message from the masses was loud and clear: Delay no more, real action now!" Kim Carstensen, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090329/ap_on_re_eu/earth_hour
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