Saturday, April 4, 2009

****Warring over warming

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

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

New Rise in Rates for Water Is Expected nyc


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


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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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/


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