Britain Turns Green To Lead

While Victoria was alive, the Brits led the world thanks partly to coal. Now they're itching to take the lead again - but the black soot is out and green consciousness is in. Britain is now soliciting contracts to build the world's first totally green commercial-scale coal and gas burning power plant - a feat the UK plans to accomplish via breakthroughs in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, creating power without adding to global warming at all.

India Looks Straight At The Sun

India has a seemingly endless supply of people and thus needs an endless supply of energy - at least if they all want lights and stuff. This is one of a number of reasons the country is embracing solar power. Though still opposed to setting specific greenhouse gas cut targets, India now has a national plan to deal with climate change - gradually moving toward renewable energy sources, with a special focus on solar energy.

A Sign For The (Very Distant) Times

It's a sad substitute for buried treasure, but humans digging for clues thousands of years from now are sure to stumble on our toxic nuclear leftovers - unless we can provide them adequate warning, that is. Scientists are trying to figure out how to alert our very distant descendants to the perilous nuclear detritus buried deep beneath the surface - and their efforts have proved fascinating.

White Milk, Green Carton

One of the last truly simple tasks just became more complicated: pouring a glass of milk is proving tricky. That's because the familiar gallon milk jug has been redesigned to be more freight-friendly - a must in a world of of high demand, exploding energy costs, and growing environmental concern; a first glimpse at a future in which every aspect of the economy must be reconsidered.

Volcanic Activity Equals Energy Utility

Common sense tells us to steer clear of volcanoes when picking a spot to settle down; but living near a volcano now has its upside. Developing economies like Indonesia and the Philippines are exploiting their location on the Pacific Ring of Fire to satisfy exploding energy demands, making use of the world's biggest geothermal power reservoir.

A Changed Earth Needs Weeds

New research shows that mankind's perennial battle against weeds will not end anytime soon - and the weeds would probably win anyway. Apparently, Weeds will grow much larger in the hotter, CO2-enriched environment that climate change promises. The upside is that we may very well find more climate-change resilient versions of some vital crops as we pick through their weedy ancestors.

Environmentalists Un-Bottled Concerns Over Bottled Water

Being green isn't just a question of recycling anymore: merely buying bottles (of water, at least) may present a problem. Environmentalists are decrying the widespread use of bottled water in America and other wealthy countries, and criticizing bottled water companies for undermining confidence in public drinking water, which has in turn reduced support for repairs and upgrades to the nation's public water infrastructure.

Scared That Sharks Might ... Disapear?

Beach-lovers probably smile at the prospect of a world without sharks; but from an environmental point of view, the prospect is a very disturbing - and very real - possibility. Over the past 200 years the Mediterranean Sea has seen its shark population fall more than 97 percent; and worldwide, 19 of 21 species of open-ocean sharks and rays face the risk of extinction.

Pentagon In Super Fight Over Superfund

The Pentagon has found itself fighting an unfamiliar kind of war: one fought without weapons and against another part of its own government. The US Department of defense is resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up some military sites the EPA says pose “imminent and substantial” dangers to public health and the environment because of dumped chemicals.

White House Refused To Get The (Bad News) Mail

In 2007 the White House officials refused an email from the Environmental Protection Agency that stated the agency's rule proposal for limiting greenhouse emissions from new vehicles. Moreover, in the last analysis, EPA's email was part of a demand metted by the Supreme Court, which the EPA couldn't just deny.

The Grand Canyon vs. Uranium Mining - Round 1

There's uranium in them hills - it's true, even though it doesn't sound quite right. And the House Democrats sure didn't think it sounded right. They pulled a procedural cheap trick worthy of any saloon lady in Old Arizona - but it was for a good cause: protecting the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River from possible contamination from uranium extraction.

America Spoils G-8 Climate Cut Resolution

The ever so refined Japanese will doubtless be exceptionally gracious hosts; but the American delegation (always stubborn on emissions) are looking to reprise its role as exception and spoiler. With America insisting on its exceptionalism and on the primacy of its interests, the coming G-8 summit will likely see Japan prove unable to persuade the United States to agree to a global goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050

Helping Poor Countries With Toxic Hand-Outs

I guess it's true that every seemingly worthless thing has value in someone's eyes - even if it's toxic. Apparently, a growing group of poor, developing countries are accepting 'toxic waste' from abroad (old computers, rusted ships, pesticides) even if they know the dangers such waste brings - basically because those countries want desperately to rise out of poverty and to give help to development.

The Golden State Plans to Turn Green

Californians are often known for generating and implementing big ideas; but now the Golden State itself has a big idea: to significantly reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions - and to do it in good time. The state is drawing up a plan to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels within the next 12 years - mostly by using carbon caps and permits with the aim of obtaining 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

Supreme Court Saves Exxon From A Sticky Situation

Exxon-Mobile really cleaned at the Supreme Court: the oil giant no longer has to pay for the waters that it dirtied up. The justices threw out the record $2.5 billion punishment previously meted out to the company as punitive damages for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaskan coast.

Republicans Are Not Warming To Global Warming

All Republicans may share a belief in low taxes; but there's no such uniformity when it comes to high temperatures. A new study shows that only half the GOP believes in climate change. And unlike global temperatures, the percentage of believers is not rising - more Republicans are environmentally skeptical this year than last.

Home Depot Will Soon Be Light Bulb Depot Too

Soon, changing a light bulb will no longer mean changing it into toxic garbage. Home Depot is creating a program to recycle compact fluorescent bulbs by offering to take them back from buyers, creating the largest recycling program of its kind.

McCain Promises Green Government

We may never be happy that the federal government spends our money; but soon we may at least take comfort that its profligacy is environmentally friendly. Presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain has promised that he would turn government green by putting "the purchasing power of the United States government on the side of green technology".

Hot Energy From A Cold State

Alaska may be the last place you think of when thinking about heat - it's a pretty cold place, above ground at least. But under the snow it's full of geothermal heat. So, alternative energy being all the rage, the state thinking of leasing Mount Spurr, a snowcapped 11,070-foot volcano along Cook Inlet to companies that would explore the geothermal resources it holds.

Climate Change Could Kill California Plant Life

It's safe to say California will always be a 'unique' kind of place; but it may soon see some of that uniqueness disappear - literally. A new study says fully two thirds of the state's unique plants may disappear because of climate change, endangering animals that depends on them.

Think of A Bright Future (Not Just A Hot One)

There's no question about it: guilt and fear can be powerful motivators. But in Britain a new report says that climate change ads should quit with the doom, gloom and negativity since positive emotions would likely better encourage people to change their environmental habits.

Climate Change May Also Mean Disease Change

While it may not be true that wet hair in winter causes a cold, people tend to associate health and weather; but the imperiled environment might prove a very real connection. Changing weather from global warming could cause droughts and floods that significantly exacerbate otherwise harmless diseases, potentially devastating livestock and wildlife populations.

Biofuels Are Making People Hungry

It used to be simple: we reap what we sow. But new environmental realities have complicated the relationship between planting seeds and producing food. Despite bigger harvests for many staple crops, Aid agency Oxfam now says that, for some 30 million people, food supplies have decreased dangerously as exploding demand for biofuels now consumes crops that used to be consumed by humans.

The Dem Convention Turns Green

The Democrats can make an honest case for having already created new jobs - sort of. Their 2008 convention in Denver has showcased a Director of Greening and an Official Carbon Advisor, among other 'green' related roles. The Mile High City's Mayor hopes the convention will be, in his own words, "the greenest convention in the history of the planet."

New Mexico aims to be THE clean energy provider

The forty-seventh state wants a new name: New Mexico wants to be known as The Clean Energy state. Finally making use of vast expanses of sandy nothingness - long attractive only to the US military in various guises - the state is turning its endless acres of sun-beaten sandscapes into a solar panel promised land; and its gusty open spaces into a solid source of wind-power.

Supreme Court Isn't Deaf to Concerns For Deaf Dolphins and Whales

For anyone concerned about deaf dolphins and whales wandering southern California's coast - and apparently plenty of environmentalists lose sleep over the prospect - the Supreme Court has provided hope for respite. The nine justices have agreed to hear a dispute over forcing the Navy to abandon - or at least profoundly limit - sonar training exercises, which various water-logged mammals apparently find abrasive - even destructive.

Australia plans extensive carbon trading program

They might live on the other side of the world, but the Ausis are on the same page as the West when it comes to calling for a comprehensive carbon trading system. Australia has worked out plans for just such a system (promised to be as broadly-based as possible) which the country hopes to break ground on by 2010.

Florida spends liberally to buy back its everglades

U.S. Sugar Corp made a cool $1.7 billion selling its everglade lands back to the long-solicitous state of Florida. But the rare and endangered species living there got the truly sweet deal: they scored a new lease on life. The glades and it's creatures have long suffered under expansive development. But now, with a bit of luck, the priceless habitat will see a wet renaissance; and the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. will once again be wild, having reclaimed lands long given over to sugar cultivation.

Kofi Annan calls for 'climate justice'

Even though our fast-changing world isn't short of neologisms, Kofi Annan has thrown up one more: 'climate justice'. Echoing popular calls for social justice, the former UN Secretary General called on the world's major polluters to accept responsibility for cleaning up the world they dirtied. Moreover, the international community must not accept the injustice of instead burdening poor and vulnerable peoples with that responsibility.

America's first offshore wind farm

Wayne and Garth were forgiven for finding nothing interesting to say about Delaware. But pretty soon the state may have something worth taking note of: America's first off-shore wind farm. Plans are moving forward to construct the pioneering 'farm' about 11 miles off the Delaware coast. The hope is that, if the project proves a success, it will start something of a trend, encouraging other states to make use of the reliably windy waters off their own coasts - and providing a promising step toward reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Climate change could be politically destabalizing

As if they didn't have enough to do diagnosing Iranian nuclear ambitions, American intelligence officials have also been busy investigating how climate change might effect national security. Their findings will be displayed before a House committee on Wednesday, but here's the gist: climate change is a 'threat multiplier' and might very well exacerbate tensions in world trouble spots; it could even create entirely new conflicts. The focus is on extreme weather events, which threaten infrastructure. An apt simile from an unnamed source: "It's like a match to the tinder."

Green News Round Up | Monday, June 23

The Wall Street Journal reports that presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain is hoping to solve the country's energy crisis by offering a $300 million government prize to whoever develops a new automobile battery that significantly tops existing technology. Sen. McCain said the battery should deliver power at 30% of current costs and should be of a size - and a cost - to make a real difference and 'leapfrog' commercially available hybrids or fully electric cars. McCain also proposed that auto-makers guilty of skirting existing fuel-efficiency standards pay heavier fines. Moreover, the Senator's 'Clean Car Challenge' would offer a $5,000 tax credit for anyone who purchases a clean car, thereby encouraging American auto-makers to develop such zero-emission vehicles.

The New York Times reports that Dr James E Hanson, a famous and well-respected NASA climate scientist, will testify before a House of Representatives committee hearing that it is very nearly too late to begin defusing a “global warming time bomb.” Hanson will call for cuts in emissions and will vigorously warn Congress about the risks of continued inaction. The United States must begin a sustained effort to exploit new energy sources, according to Hanson; and it must phase out the current practice of uninhibitedly burning finite fossil fuels. We must enact a moratorium on further construction of coal-burning plants that lack systems for capturing and burying carbon dioxide; and we should aim to cease coal emissions worldwide by 2030. Additionally, we must construct a nationwide grid for distributing and storing electricity that accommodates large-scale use of "renewable, but intermittent, energy sources" such as wind turbines and solar-powered generators.

The Washington Post reports that college campuses throughout America are shining the spotlight on environmental issues with growing fervor. Campus 'greening' has moved way past drives to recycle plastics or offer organic food; environmentalism is "transforming the curriculum, permeating classrooms, academic majors and expensive new research institutes". Universities are seeing everything from "green" real estate strategies for landscape architects to ideas for building homes out of discarded shipping containers. Though green issues were once a "fringe interest" or fad, they have now become deeply and fully entrenched in university life; environmental issues are affecting how students live, what they learn, and, after graduating, how they will live as environmentally-conscious members of workplaces and neighborhoods.

The Philadelphia Enquirer reports that interest in solar power is growing in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The mid-Atlantic region, following a trend in the nation at large, is witnessing a explosion of solar-power projects, especially in New Jersey. In fact, the state is now the second-largest solar market in America, after California. The mid-Atlantic explosion is made up largely of mini-power plants that can power energy-hungry facilities or just add megawatts to the electrical grid. In New Jersey incentives to build such energy sources are high; consequently, new solar systems can pay for themselves in less than five years. Moreover, energy costs can be locked-in so as to insulate companies from future price hikes.

The Associated Press reports that 10 US Parks have been identified as at risk due to coal power plants. According to The National Parks Conservation Association, pollution that would be emitted from new coal-fired power plants that are either planned or under development near the following parks pose a serious risk to those parks: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee and North Carolina; Shenandoah, Virginia; Mammoth Cave, Kentucky; Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota; Mesa Verde, Colorado; Capitol Reef, Utah; Zion, Utah; Great Basin, Nevada; Wind Cave, South Dakota; Badlands, South Dakota.

The Guardian reports that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will plead with Saudi Arabia and other oil producing nations to channel some of the nearly $3 trillion in windfall profits from the recent 'oil shock' into renewable energy sources such as wind, tidal and nuclear power. Brown will convey his two-pronged plan, which would help wean the west off increasingly insecure and expensive oil while allowing Opec countries to benefit from the new environmentally friendly energy sources, currently being developed in the western world, that will eventually displace oil and other fossil fuels as the primary energy source.

Reuters reports that the Vatican has cautioned vacationers to be environmentally friendly as they travel and relax. The Vatican issued basically a series of suggestions for tourists to follow so as to minimize or offset any damage to the environmental that they may cause. Tips ranged from reducing the amount of luggage one carries on airplanes and in cars to planting trees to repair one's carbon footprints. The Vatican's green suggestions continue a move toward increased environmental awareness and advocacy that the Catholic Church began under the previous pope, John Paul II.

A group of 150 environmental advocates - Scientists, politicians and business leaders - has teamed up to tell the world that it has "gone too far in one direction" and must reverse course and take significant actions to save the planet from the worst effects of climate change. The made their argument in a series of full-page advertisements in the world's leading newspapers - including the Financial Times, the New York Times, and the International Herald Tribune - encouraging the world to cut the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide to below that of 20 years ago - a cut that is deeper than most government plans.

Worth Reading | Global Warming's Effects on American Weather

The Washington Post features an article describing the likely changes to the United States that will occur as the climate changes through global warming. Detailing a report recently released by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program., the article sums up the study's findings: "As greenhouse-gas emissions rise, North America is likely to experience more droughts and excessive heat in some regions even as intense downpours and hurricanes pound others more often".

Worth Reading | The Future of Energy

The Economist features a terrific special report on the future of energy. The gist of the article is that not everyone is pessimistic about the future of energy. "For, in the imaginations of a coteries of physicists, biologists and engineers, and alternative world is taking shape" and "plans for the end of the fossil-fuel economy are now being laid and they do not involve much self-flagellation. Instead of bullying and scaring people, the prophets of energy technology are attempting to seduce them. They promise a world where, at one level, things will have changed beyond recognition, but at another will have stayed comfortably the same, and may even have got better."

Green News Round-Up | Tuesday June 17

The Washington Post reports that Sen. John McCain has called for an end to the current federal ban on offshore oil drilling as part of an aggressive response to high gasoline prices. The call immediately drew the ire of many environmental groups, many of whom McCain has long courted. McCain’s move amounts to an attempt to ease public annoyance over exploding energy prices by freeing up states to open their coastlines to expand oil exploration and possible initiate new drilling.

The Associated Press reports that an environmental group has sought emergency protection for 32 species - rare plants, animals and insects. The protection would be provided by the Endangered Species Act. The group, WildEarth Guardians, claims the species are all at risk because their habitat has been destroyed, among other reasons. The group is asking the Secretary of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the three dozen plus species, all of which are found in the American West, as an insurance against their disappearence. An emergency petition sent last week contends that the habitats for some of the species under consideration have been greatly reduced, often to just one location.

Reutrers reports that a senior American climate negotiator has said that major economies must take lead in climate battle. The world's major economies emit most of the world's climate-warming greenhouse gases and therefore they must take the lead in reducing them. The U.S. under secretary of state for global affairs claims the 16 countries and the European Union in the Major Economies Meeting (MEM) forum are responsible for 80 percent of the world's greenhouse gases; and that they consume 80 percent of the world's energy. But, since these nations also accounted for 80 percent of the world's economy, they could also well afford to act.

Japan’s Prime Minister has stated publically that G8 is not the proper forum to address CO2 reduction goals. The PM's announcement has dampened hopes of taking a step that environmentalists say is key. The PM also said the G8 should send a message on tackling soaring energy and food prices at next month's summit, but added that the complex problem could not be solved in the short term. Leaders at the July 7-9 summit are expected to formalize a goal of halving global emissions by 2050 after agreeing last year in Germany to seriously consider the target. Pressure is also mounting from environmentalists and emerging economies for the G8 to come up with medium-term targets on the way to that goal. But wide gaps exist within the group and between rich and poorer nations over how to share the burden of fighting climate change, which causes droughts, rising seas and more severe storms

European Union lawmakers approved new targets for recycling garbage. The new targets aim to curb greenhouse emissions from landfill sites. Environmental groups, however, have said the approved deal would not cut growing trash piles. The agreement, which will still face approved by EU member states before becoming law, is part of an EU effort to control a growing trash problem, recently typified by very public mountains of waste in Naples, Italy. It seems that Garbage is growing faster than the 27-nation bloc's GDP. To face this fact, the European Parliament has voted to set a goal of recycling or re-using half of main household waste by 2020 as well as 70 percent of all waste from building and demolition.

The Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned that the Northern White Rhino is on the brink of extinction. This warning comes amindst robust Rhino population numbers in Africa, which have recently reached record levels. Rhino populations thrive elsewhere but the northern white has ben hounded by poachers. The conservation group claims there were just 30 of them left in April 2003, and only four confirmed of the species as of August 2006.

Japan will consider imposing an environment tax as part of discussions this autumn on an overhaul of the tax system, the government's top advisory panel said on Tuesday, a move that could prompt opposition from businesses. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who heads the panel, has put climate change as the centerpiece of his policy in the lead-up to a G8 summit next month, where global warming is high on the agenda. In a draft of the economic policy outline for 2008, the panel also said the government will "put its utmost efforts" behind spending cuts, although Fukuda's faltering support rate is making it politically difficult to press on with fiscal reforms. The annual report by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy upheld a five-year plan to cut spending by 11.4-14.3 trillion yen ($105.7-132.6 billion) to achieve a target of balancing the budget, excluding debt issuance and servicing, by fiscal 20011/12.

Verenium Corp Chairman Carlos Riva has said U.S. government needs to ante up more in loan guarantees to convince lenders to back commercial development of cellulosic ethanol. Riva said the 5-year U.S. farm law enacted last month was a good start in boosting cellulosic technology, which aims to produce large quantities of ethanol for fuel from switchgrass, crop residues and other plant cellulose wastes. Ethanol in the United States is now mostly made from corn. The new farm law provides $320 million in loan guarantees for the next two years for construction of cellulosic refineries. But an additional $150 million may be allocated if lawmakers are able to find the funding. But Riva said a moderately sized plant costs more than $150 million, so more guarantees are needed if the fledgling industry is to meet a renewable fuel standard goal of producing 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol by 2022.

New Zealand will ban traditional light bulbs in favor of energy-saving alternatives in 2009. The country's energy ministers has said the move would cut lighting energy consumption by 20 percent by the year 2015 and save up to NZ$500 million ($376 million) by 2020. He said a wide range of more energy efficient bulbs using less power and lasting longer, such as compact fluorescent lamps and low voltage halogens, were now available. However, new minimum energy standards would mean no fresh stocks of the incandescent bulbs could be imported from October 2009.

The Guardian (UK) reports that British consumers are likely to cut spending on expensive organic items in response to the credit crunch. This change comes amidst widespread dissatisfaction over the variety of green products offered by retailers. Shoppers said they are only willing to pay a premium of about 20% for greener products. Consumers surveyed also said they were frustrated at the lack of variety of greener products on offer. But, ultimately, nearly 60% of the public still said they bought fewer environmentally sustainable products than they would like.

The Guardian (UK) reports that the head of the United Nations refugee agency has said that climate change is fuelling conflicts around the world. Consequently, this has helped drive many people from their homes, pushing the numbers of such refugees to record highs. After a few years of improvement the numbers of civilians uprooted by conflict is now rising once more. The figures have been described as "unprecedented" by the United Nations, and do not even include people escaping natural disasters or poverty - only those fleeing conflict and persecution. Moreover, climate change could also uproot people by provoking conflicts over increasingly scarce resources, like water.

Worth Reading | Greening Your Kitchen

The Atlanta Journal constitution discusses 10 easy ways to go green in your kitchen. The article shows us a "meaningful way to have a positive effect on the environment" - "greening up our kitchens and our eating habits, [since] these actions affect us all. Changes need not be monumental, and often it's a small change that becomes the seed for a larger one".

Opinions on the Environment | Vinod Khosla

Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, argues in the Washington Post that there are good and bad biofuels - and that the two should not be lumped together for the purpose of criticism. Cellulosic biofuels can have an environmentally meaningful impact on petroleum use and also benefit farmers, entrepreneurs and consumers. The term 'biofuel' does not refer to a single product or source of alternative fuel. Rather, it refers to various products that can vary dramatically in many ways - for example, in their environmental impact or in their effects on food prices. Mr Khosla admits that biodiesel from food oils like soybean or palm have traditionally resulted in environmental negatives. But, on the other hand, ethanol made from corn has been a 'stepping stone to cellulosic ethanol', which is a preferred alternative and is likely to achieve unsubsidized market competitiveness with petroleum based oil within the next few years. Moreover, Mr Khosla argues, since we face multiple crises (an energy crisis, an environmental crisis, and a terrorism crisis) that are very much related to oil, a serious push to reduce oil consumption, based on results oriented options, is an absolute necessity. Mr Khosla claims, however, that 'high-cost options to reduce consumption', like converting to hybrid and/or electric cars, are unlikely to 'materially reduce carbon emissions' - even though such options might sound good. A meaningful impact based on such attractive sounding options would require that the next 1one billion cars that are manufactured be low-carbon models. By this logic, Mr Khosla has come to believe that the only cost-effective plan likely to achieve widespread market acceptance over next 20 years is one based on cellulosic-fuel cars. We should thus be wary of much of the biofuels criticism that seems to overwhelm us each day. Much of it comes from interested parties, like the Groceries Manufacturers Association; while criticism based on rising food costs is mitigated by the fact only 3 % of more 40+ % in world food prices is due to increased demand of corn for ethanol; and, likewise, criticism based on environmental concerns could be dealt with by incentivizing production of biofuels that are environmentally beneficial - e.g., via a carbon, land, air quality and water (CLAW) impact rating system for all biofuels, 'much like the LEED environmental rating for homes'.

Green News Round-Up | Monday, June 16

The Washington Post reports that Congress might soon expand federal protection to 2 million acres of land. Congress has embarked on a push to protect as many as a dozen pristine areas this year in places ranging from the glacier-fed streams of the Wild Sky Wilderness to West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest. By the end of the year, conservation experts predict, this drive could place as much as 2 million acres of unspoiled land under federal control, a total that rivals the wilderness acreage set aside by Congress over the previous five years. A confluence of factors is driving this wilderness renaissance: the shift in Congress from Republican to Democratic control; environmentalists' decision to take a more pragmatic approach in which they enlist local support for their proposals by making concessions to opposing interests; and some communities' recognition that intact ecosystems can often offer a greater economic payoff than extractive industries.

The New York Times reports that energy prices are leading glassmakers to rethink things. With higher energy prices seemingly here to stay, clever people are devising ways to reduce the resources and energy consumed in making a wide range of everyday essentials. Consider industrial glass, used to make windows in houses and cars, containers for liquids, screens for computers and cellphones, and hybrid products like fiberglass or fiber optics. Glassmaking is a based on old, stable technologies that require lots of materials and energy. The basic furnace, which melts sand into glass at extremely high temperatures, hasn’t undergone a fundamental change since the 1850s. Furnace designers have long contented themselves with small improvements, such as using pure oxygen to improve energy efficiency. Today, glassmaking faces a technological upheaval that offers a reminder that “it is a mistake to assume that older technologies are less dynamic than new ones,” says David Edgerton, a historian at Imperial College in London and the author of “The Shock of the Old,” a history of the evolution of pre-electronic technologies in the 20th century. Across the United States and around the world, the “greening” of glass is only getting started.

The New York Times also reports that Old Farming methods in Uzbekistan have led to the Aral Sea losing more than half its surface area over the last 40 years. Uzbekistan, a land-locked country that was once part of the Soviet Union, is home to one of the biggest man-made disasters in history. For decades its rivers were diverted to grow cotton on arid land, causing the Aral Sea, a large saltwater lake, to lose more than half of its surface area in 40 years. But old habits are hard to break, and 17 years after the Soviet Union collapsed, cotton is still king and the environmental destruction continues unabated, cutting into crop yields. Uzbekistan is the world’s second-largest cotton exporter after the United States, drawing a third of its foreign currency earnings from the crop, but that status seems increasingly threatened by corruption, poor planning and the degradation of cropland. Far less money is spent now on maintaining the vast networks of water drainage and irrigation that crisscross the country than was expended under Communism. Authorities spend about $12 per hectare on maintenance (a hectare is around two and a half acres), down from $120 per hectare in Soviet times, according to the International Water Management Institute. Blocked drainage pipes push salt levels up, damaging the land and dragging crop yields ever lower.

The Los Angeles Times reports that L.A. County is hoping to fend off drought with a new cloud-seeding program. Hoping to wring water from the skies, a parched Los Angeles County plans to launch an $800,000 cloud-seeding project in the San Gabriel Mountains that officials believe will boost rainfall and raise the levels of local reservoirs. The project, which will rely on injecting clouds with silver iodide particles, has won county supervisors' backing and is slated to begin this winter. "We're basically coaxing Mother Nature to give us 15% more rain than there would be otherwise," said county civil engineer William Saunders. He said the county did seeding for several decades, beginning in the 1950s. This time, officials decided to resume the program after a seven-year lapse caused by concerns over mudslides in some mountain areas ravaged by brush fires. With California gripped by dry weather and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declaring a statewide drought, cloud-seeding is attracting both fresh attention and skeptics. Critics throughout the West have long dismissed seeding as a dubious technological rain dance. They worry it can trigger landslides, such as the deadly one in the San Gabriel foothills 30 years ago. Some water experts, including Peter Gleick at the nonprofit Pacific Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Oakland, believe public funds would be better spent promoting proven water-conservation measures, such as low-flow toilets.

BBC News reports that Honda has begun the world’s first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle. The four-seater, called FCX Clarity, runs on electricity produced by combining hydrogen with oxygen, and emits water vapour. Honda claims the vehicle offers three times better fuel efficiency than a traditional, petrol-powered car. Honda plans to produce 200 of the cars over the next three years. One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel-cell vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fuelling stations. This is an important day in the history of fuel-cell vehicle technology. John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Critics also point out that hydrogen is costly to produce and the most common way to produce hydrogen is still from fossil fuels. Analysis of the environmental impact of different fuel technologies has shown that the overall carbon dioxide emissions from hydrogen powered cars can be higher than that from petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.

The Guardian (UK) reports that things are looking up for solar power, as the world's biggest producer of solar panels has doubled its output. Moreover, the soaring price of oil has led to such a boom for solar power that the industry could operate without subsidies in just a few years, according to industry leaders. At the solar industry trade fair in Munich over the weekend, there was growing confidence that the holy grail known as "grid parity" - whereby electricity from the sun can be produced as cheaply as it can be bought from the grid - is now just a few years away. Solar photovoltaics (PV), which convert sunlight into electrical power, have long been dismissed as too expensive to make a meaningful contribution to the battle against climate change. But costs are falling as PV production booms, and with electricity prices rising rapidly in line with soaring oil and gas prices, demand for solar panels is increasing sharply.

Reuters reports that the Philippine Government has promised to loan the equivalent of $22 million to convert the engines of busses and taxis. Specifically, the money will be used to convert diesel engines and cut reliance on costly imported fuel. Concerned about the political fallout from soaring inflation, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is trying to alleviate the impact on poor Filipinos from rising prices of fuel, food and other basic commodities.

Agence France-Press reports that China has urged a green partnership with the United States. China's pointman on US trade has urged Washington to work closely with Beijing to develop energy-efficient and pollution-reducing technologies ahead of talks. Vice Premier Wang Qishan said in an opinion piece in The Financial Times that China and the United States should set up joint research and development centers to encourage new energy and environmental protection technologies.

Agence France-Press also reports that the US Ambassador to Japan has voiced doubt on whether the upcoming G-8 summit would take action on climate change. The US ambassador to Japan voiced doubt Monday on whether the upcoming Group of Eight summit would take action on climate change, saying that any solution must also involve developing nations. Host nation Japan has expressed hope that the July 7-9 summit of the Group of Eight (G8) rich nations -- Britain, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and the United States -- will help shape negotiations on a post-Kyoto climate treaty. But Thomas Schieffer, the US ambassador to Japan, said that any solution on curbing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming needed to bring on board major emitters in the developing world such as China and India.

The Associated Press reports that a planned solar utility is finding opposition from environmental groups. The utility, built primarily by San Diego Gas & Electric Co, would be one of the world's largest solar power operations and would be surrounded with plants that run on wind and underground heat. But the project faces fierce opposition because the plan also calls for a 150-mile, high-voltage transmission line which would cut through pristine parkland to reach the nation's eighth-largest city. And this particular case might exemplify what utility companies will face elsewhere in the US as they debate with environmental groups about how to get renewable energy to consumers and as state regulators require electric utilities to rely less on coal and natural gas to fire their plants — the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. In general, providers of renewable power covet cheap land and abundant sunshine and wind in places like west Texas, Montana, Wyoming and California's Mojave Desert and Imperial Valley. But utility executives say no one will build plants without power lines to connect those remote spots to big cities and those power lines are ripe to spark debate.

The Economist Magazine reports on the geography of green consumerism. Matthew Kahn and Ryan Vaughn, economists at the University of California at Los Angeles, wrote a paper that analyzed patterns of green consumerism in California. By mapping the index that resulted by zip code across the entire state they came up with a graphic representation of where California's green conscious consumers live. The result raised the question of why “the politically green huddle together in the same or similar locations. One proposed answer, by Dr Kahn, is that “small initial differences in spatial attributes, such as being close to a beach or public transport, may create the initial seeds of green communities,” which “in turn attracts ‘green businesses’… such as tofu restaurants and bike shops, and this in turn attracts more greens.” The process culminates when greens have enough political clout to elect politicians and enact green regulation that further enhances their community’s attractiveness to environmentalists. The point is that, though greens are a small minority in America generally, when they are concentrated in certain locations they can have a strong influence on local policy. Moreover, “What we know of work on social interactions suggests that the chance that any person will buy a Prius is likely to be related to the probability that his neighbour buys one.”

Green News Round-Up | Thursday, June 12

Reuters reports that General Motors (GM) is working to build new hydrogen stations. The company is partnering with Clean Energy Fuels Corp on a new station in Los Angeles, hopefully the first of many. Fuel cell-powered vehicles run on hydrogen and emit only water vapor. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thereby reducing America’s dependency on crude oil – which is both expensive and insecure. The new hydrogen station will be used as part of GM’s test of its Chevy Equinox fuel-cell car. Ultimately, GM aims to put 1,000 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the road in California between 2012 and 2014, which will comply with the state's goal of introducing thousands of cleaner cars. The switch to hydrogen fuel cell cars, however, faces a number of hurdles – one of which (and a problem with fuel-cell cars generally) is the lack of infrastructure for them. The construction of hydrogen stations is a step toward mitigating that difficulty.

Reuters also reports that the recent earthquake that devastated China’s Sichuan province also devastated the natural habitat and heartland of the Panda. About 8% of the endangered bear's habitat was completely destroyed. The number of actual casualties the Pandas suffered is not yet known; but about 1,400 of China’s nearly 1,600 Pandas were in Sichuan province on May 12 when the earthquake struck. Apparently much of the forest area is now barren land and there have been a number of landslides, which could have endangered nearby Pandas. Such severe damage to the land also could have led to pollution of the Pandas’ drinking water, which might have poisoned them. Another possible cause of injury to the bears has to do with the nature of their living quarters: Pandas sleep in caves and tree hollows, which might have collapsed.

The Associated Press reports that Madagascar will sell some of its carbon credits to protect its forest. The island country off the coast of Africa will voluntarily sell nine million tons of carbon offsets in an effort to protect one of its biggest and most pristine forests. Such offset schemes offer great hope that the environment can be protected for the future, as it allows polluters to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions using cuts made elsewhere in the world. Reducing such emissions is key to staving off climate change. Moreover, safeguarding forests like Madagascar's helps significantly in tackling global warming, as tropical deforestation causes about 20 % of total carbon dioxide emissions.

In a related story, Agence France-Presse reports that Madagascar has signed a conservation deal with France to help protect the island’s biodiversity. The two countries signed an agreement allocating the equivalent of $20 million, which will be managed by a WWF fund called Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity (FPAB), Conservation International and the Madagascan government.

Green News Round-Up | Wednesday, June 11

Politico reports that legislation addressing climate change will surely be a priority no matter who becomes the next president. Focus on the issue has recently switched from the Senate to the House, where the next significant climate bill will most likely arise (there’s a wealth of new climate change legislation on the House drawing board). It’s likely, however, that some attention will remain on the Senate, since it’s critical to maintain the momentum that has come from the Lieberman-Warner Bill, which only recently ran through the Congressional gauntlet - with tragic results. But it’s unlikely any legislation will become law this year. Instead, the bills will serve as something of a training course for House members and staffers; and this summer is likely to serve as an intense education, as everyone will rush to become an expert on global warming. Actually passing a bill, however, will be an uphill climb; whatever new bills arise will most likely be even tougher than the Lieberman-Warner bill was, likely demanding greater emission reductions and producing increasingly knotty framework for cap-and-trade actions.

Reuters reports that Algenol, an American company, plans to make ethanol from algae without raising food costs, which other biofuel feedstocks like corn have been criticized for. The algae have been trained to convert water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into motor fuel. The technology has been available for decades but has only recently become cost effective because of today’s record oil prices. Moreover, the growing alarm about global warming has created a friendly environment for the development of such alternative fuels. The process works by coaxing individual algal cells to secrete ethanol, which allows the fuel to be taken directly from the vats while the algae lives on – a process that uses far less energy than having to dry and press the algae for their oil. Altogether, Algenol is planning to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol by 2009. By the end of 2012, however, the company plans to have increased the yield to 1 billion gallons – or more than 10 % of the current ethanol capacity in the United States. Along the same lines, Newsweek reports that Craig Venter, who once decoded the human genome faster – and cheaper – than anyone else, has set a new goal for himself. He has been manipulating chromosomes in his lab in an effort to create an ‘energy bug,’ a kind of bacterium that will ingest carbon dioxide, sunlight and water, and organically turn it into liquid fuel that can be pumped into American cars, helping rid the country of its addiction to foreign fossil fuels. Essentially, says Venter, the process is the same as that used to make wine and beer. “We're using similar processes, but ones that are designed to produce much more complex molecules than ethanol, and therefore fuels that will be much higher in energy content, and will work well with the existing energy infrastructure”.

The Boston Globe reports that scientists have grown increasingly concerned about the fate of the male horseshoe crab, which have traditionally been caught in abundance off the coasts of Massachusetts. Authorities are worried fishermen will soon want to harvest a greater number of these crabs, using them as bait for conch and eel fishing. A significant depletion of the crab population is especially troublesome since their milky blue blood is used to detect contaminants in medical equipment and injectable drugs, a critical function. Moreover, the crabs are an unusually fascinating organism for scientists, who are captivated by its strange medicinal powers and its archaic physiology. The horseshoe’s hard shell and claws have much in common with crabs; but the animal is actually more closely related to spiders and scorpions. Research on the crab has even led to a Nobel Prize, when scientists studied the horseshoe’s eyes to determine how the sensory cells in the retina help the brain process visual cues.

The Guardian (UK) reports on Thanet Earth, Britain's biggest greenhouse development to date, which will ultimately increase UK's crop of salad vegetables by 15%. Isle of Thanet, in Kent, will soon be home to this massive project – 1.3 million plants, grown in seven greenhouses. Each greenhouse will be over 400 feet long and will be fed by its own reservoir system. All the crops will hang suspended from a fifteen-foot ceiling in hydroponic rows of nutrient-enriched water; their roots will never even touch the soil beneath. In all, seven power-generating stations on site will heat the glasshouses; as a byproduct they will generate enough electricity to supply half of the Thanet area. This kind of industrial agriculture has never been attempted in the UK on such a scale; though it is more common in the Netherlands, for example. Its advantages to grower, however, are quite clear: the growing season is significantly extended in a sheltered climate (essentially a perpetual summer) that provides for every nutritional need and supplies artificial lighting through part of the night.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Toyota has announced that next year it will start producing lithium–ion batteries for its cars. The batteries will power a new generation of eco-friendly vehicles, including a plug-in hybrid vehicle that will be released in 2010. Toyota also said that it would open a new research department later this month, which will be dedicated to creating an even more advanced battery that they hope will "outperform" the lithium-ion battery, which is currently considered the best technology available for powering electric vehicles. Developing better battery technology is central to creating Toyota’s next generation of cars, which will include hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles and a mass- produced small electric vehicle.

Green News Round-Up | Tuesday, June 10

BBC News reports that the UN's Atlas shows Africa's rate of deforestation is twice world rate and that the continent's few glaciers are rapidly shrinking. Moreover, the atlas claimed that ,according to a series of satellite pictures take over the last 30 years, the combination of such deforestation with rapidly expanding cities, heavy pollution, and wider climate change problems were damaging the African environment significantly and worryingly.

Reuters reports that a study released today suggests that inland warming could occur as a byproduct of the increased melting of arctic ice. If the ice in the Arctic Sea melts fast enough, it could make for warmer temperatures hundreds of miles inland. Moreover, if the permafrost melts at a high rate ecosystems could be severely effected; even oilrigs, pipelines and other parts of our infrastructure could be distressed. And another record melt is forecast for this year, following on last year’s reduction of ice to 30% below average.

Reuters also writes that a new report from environmentalists claims that China is using up its natural resources at an alarming rate. In its effort to develop rapidly, China is depleting its stores of things like timber and water twice as fast as they can be renewed. This is clearly not a sustainable rate, the report says; and the next 20 years will be a critical time for China to correct this practice and put its exploding economy and rapidly growing population on a stable foundation.

The Associated Press reports that scientists are almost certain that drilling caused a mud volcano that has displaced tens of thousands of villagers in central Indonesia. The company that performed the drilling had claimed that an earthquake was responsible; but scientists now think the torrent of hot, black sludge that started oozing on May 29, 2006 from a large hole near the city of Surabaya was caused by faulty drilling.

US News and World Report’s Katy Marquardt writes about the coming of much ‘Greener’ 401(k) investment options. Despite a rise in socially conscious investing, only about one fifth of employees have access to funds that engage in such investing – i.e., according to a philosophy based on environmental and social responsibility. Its seems, however, that 60% of plan sponsors, however, are anticipating that they’ll add such funds over the next two years.

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Green News Round-up | Monday, June 9

The New York Times reports that the world’s foremost economies and oil consumers pledged Sunday to make a greater investment in energy efficiency and green technologies in an effort to reduce petroleum use. Energy ministers from the Group of 8 countries (the US, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada) joined those of China, India and South Korea to issue a joint statement promising to set goals in line with International Energy Agency recommendations. While the group also called for an increase in oil output to mitigate historically high fuel prices, the focus of the G-8 meeting was the reduction of fuel consumption to vastly decrease carbon emissions and stave off global warming; similarly, the thrust of their joint statement was a call for massive expansion in renewable energies investment and vast improvements in energy efficiency. Though no monetary commitments were made, the group promised to initiate 20 demonstration projects by 2010.

Reuters reports that a new washing machine requiring as little as a single cup of water might hit British stores by next year. By using plastic ‘chips’ to remove dirt and stains, a process that leaves clothes dry (thereby making dryers unnecessary), the new machines would reduce water and energy consumption to less than 2 % of what conventional machines currently require. Since an average household (UK) uses almost 21 liters of water daily for clothes washing (accounting for 13 % of daily household water usage), the greatly improved efficiency of the new machines would mean a significant reduction in water consumption – not to mention a significant energy reduction that would come from no longer having to use a dryer.

The Guardian (UK) reports that drivers in the United Kingdom can now participate in the world's first real-time personal carbon trading program. Starting today, a trial of 1,000 volunteers can use existing loyalty cards at BP filling stations to determine the carbon dioxide they will emit as a result of the gas just purchased. The program gives each volunteer a monthly allowance of carbon credits which they will be able to trade with other volunteers through an online trading system (the so called CarbonDAQ). Moreover, if a volunteer manages to be especially thrifty with his or her credits and has credits to spare, they can use a virtual currency system to sell their leftover credits to drivers needing more than the normal stipend allows.

The Guardian also reports on the massive financial boom that the so-called ‘green’ tech industry is undergoing. Investors are pouring billions of speculative dollars into start-up firms in a way reminiscent of the Internet revolution. Firms are seeking to make huge profits while at the same solving the world's energy needs and fixing its environmental problems. A stunning mixture and range of green-tech companies saw more than $3.6 billion of investments in 2007, following on top of already staggering 2006 numbers, which nearly topped $3 billion. Moreover, the industry is becoming more innovative as it grows, showcasing initiatives like making synthetic gas substitutes using microscopic bugs, or providing sources for ethanol production in things like switchgrass or agricultural plant waste. Much like the early years of the internet, the exploding supply of money and creative ideas seems to be leading a revolution that will transform of the world economy while also changing people’s daily lives.

The Associated Press reports that Japan will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 60-80 percent by the year 2050. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced the reduction plan along with a promise that Japan can match or better European reduction efforts over the next 12 years. The announcement, along with promises of a promised $1.2 billion contribution to the international greenhouse gas fund, exemplifies Japan’s standing desire for a world leadership role on environmental issues. Also, Japan will also host a meeting next month to try to create a consensus regarding international measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and moreover hopes to play a significant and supportive role in the creation of rules and an ultimate framework for international carbon emissions trading.

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