Manuel said:
"This is great news! I hope all cities pass this into law.The practice of using plastic bags just to quickly dispose of them has been going on far t..." [read]
Jay Knecht said:
"What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]
gazelle said:
"@ Dallas:
The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]
Barry said:
"Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda.
He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]
JJ said:
"Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]
Derek said:
""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]
Excerpt of Netherlands map. Image credit:Adam Stein, at TerraPass
WIth binding emissions targets now off the bargaining table in Copenhagen ("Depressenhagen"), it is time to set aside "process" - the catch-all term for international treaties and target setting mechanisms - and focus on "outcomes" - the policy choices and technologies that national and state governments can experiment with. The Netherlands has a fairly straightforward idea they are moving forward on. AFP reports, via Google, that "Ownership and sales taxes, about a quarter of the cost of a new car, will be scrapped and replaced by the "price per kilometre" system aimed at cutting the Netherlands' carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent." The enabler is GPS, of course. What I find particularly fascinating is that the US government and US corporations created and maintain the geostationary satellites that will make this work.
Vattenfall, the Swedish national energy concern named after waterfalls, will announce a new CEO in the coming weeks. Apparently caught by surprise with a candidate who has not yet entirely been confirmed, the company is fighting a stalling action but admitting the truth of the rumors that have taken over headlines in German newspapers. Is it a story of intrigue, politics and a crisis of trust? Did Vattenfall VattenFAIL, as the twitter group claims? Or is this, as Vattenfall claims, just the normal succession planning for Joseffsons' depature on his 60th birthday in October 2010?
Photo: The Little Mermaid statue, Copenhagen (AP)
Move over Disney and Hans Christian Andersen, here comes the Angry Mermaid. Thankfully, this new spin is not at all a postmodern rehashing of a fairytale classic, but rather a new environmental award launching tomorrow, ahead of December's climate talks at Copenhagen. Based on Denmark's famed Little Mermaid statue, the dubious honour will be decided by public vote and given to the feckless organization that is "doing the most to sabotage effective action on climate change". Top nominees include:
Yemen and other countries in the Middle East are dry and dependent on agriculture. Photo by Ai@ce via Flickr.
Lying at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, both water-poor and heavily agriculture-dependent areas, Turkey has more reasons than many to worry about the effects of climate change. So what are Turkish officials and others in the region doing about it?
With about month left until the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Asian Pacific countries gathering in Singapore this weekend are backing off their pledge to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2050. Their new language reads: "We believe that global emissions will need to peak over the next few years, and be substantially reduced by 2050, recognizing that the timeframe for peaking will be longer in developing economies."
The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it will back off on its plan to ban as of 2011 the sale of raw oysters from the Gulf Coast during part of the year because they have been linked with about a dozen annual deaths from poisoning. The move met stiff resistance from oysterman and foodies who say that frozen oysters are no substitute and that the ban will ruin a cultural tradition.
(from left to right) Gabriel Metcalf, John Rahaim, Diane Sugimura, Amanda Burden, Brent Toderian, Bill Anderson, Barbara Sporlein & Susan Anderson. photo via Street'sblog San Francisco's Michael Rhodes
Planning Directors from 7 forward thinking cities got together in San Francisco last week to share ideas and answer questions from an eager audience. The room was packed with 200 attendees, double the amount expected, with standing room only for many. SPUR and the San Francisco Planning Department co-hosted the panel of planning directors in town for the Urban Land Institute Expo. The directors hailed from San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, and San Diego. Planning directors oversee diverse arenas from public health to transportation, but most of the directors specifically highlighted environmental goals in their remarks.
If 'moral prerogative' isn't reason enough to invest in protecting nature, here's another one: it's just been found to bring up to hundredfold return on capital. Yes, that's a potential 10000% gain--better than an investment in gold. According to a new study called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), putting money into protecting wetlands, coral reefs, and forests could be the best financial move one could ever make.
Curbside TV trash. Image credit:PhillyNewsBlog, Scene On The Road, T. Gralish.
This Sunday, November 15th, marks the 12th annual America Recycles Day, a nationally recognized day for Americans to recycle and purchase recycled products. While the global waste stream continues to grow, current trends indicate that electronic waste (e-waste) is the fastest growing commodity within the waste stream. In fact, volumes are growing at more than three times the rate of other wastes and have doubled in the last decade....
photo: blakeimeson via flickr.
I have to admit there are some days when I have trouble holding back my frustration following the painful progress of the climate change negotiations, and this is one of those times. The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is looking at endorsing a short-term climate pact and pushing off stronger action until next year. Essentially because Congress can't get off its delaying, half-measured haunches, pull its head out of the the political sand, and do what science says is required to, well, not destroy the climate for us and future generations:...
photo: Aidan Jones via flickr.
With all the conflicting and changing national pledges on the table for COP15, it's very easy for someone not closely following this to lose sight of what really needs to happen. In case you one of those people that can't rattle off the components of a WWF has a quick ten-point overview that's worthwhile checking out: ...
Photo via Greenpacks
Well, so much for the truckloads of naysayers that have lambasted the EU's carbon trading system over the years--Europe is set to easily meet the emissions reduction goals set by the Kyoto Protocol. You know, that treaty the US helped draft and then never signed, saying it would leave our economy in shambles and that it gave China unfair advantages? Yeah, that one. Europe has successfully cut emissions, grown its economy, and seen a huge surge in renewable energy development. Thanks in part to none other than a cap and trade system....
Scientists don't quite agree on whether bluefin tuna, pictured above, is on the verge of collapse. Photo by Jose Cort courtesy of the NOAA.
Bluefin tuna is on the verge of total collapse. Maybe. It depends on who you ask. We may have been talking about bluefin tuna shortages for years, but many scientists and conservation bodies are now sounding panicked.
This week, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is meeting in Brazil to review population and fishing data, and set quota recommendations for the coming year. ...
photo: kaet44 via flickr.
A mixed bag in climate change news this morning: Satellite imagery reveals that Amazon deforestation has dropped to the lowest rate since Brazil began monitoring efforts, President Inácio Lula da Silva announced yesterday afternoon. Woo hoo! But a new article in the journal Science shows that the Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass an accelerating rate. D'oh! ...
Photo via Rolling Stones Lyrics
What's the correlation between good, quality rock music and worldwide oil supplies? They both peaked around the same time, according to Overthinking It, and they both illustrate what occurs when you're using something up from a limited pool--crude oil stores in one case, and musical ideas in the other. Have we run out of both?
...
Photo via China Dialogue
Next week, Obama is taking off on his high-profile first trip to China. The meeting of the two biggest economies in the world on Chinese soil is fraught with symbolism and brimming with potential. The notoriously fickle and fragile relationship between the two nations will be under the microscope more than ever--this Washington Post piece dedicates itself to scrutinizing the very words used to describe the relationship. But of course, here at TreeHugger, we'll be watching to see what unfolds in terms of climate and energy policy--so what's on the US-China green agenda? ...
The Wheeler-Evans Grain Elevator in Groom, Texas. Image credit:TexasScapes., Noel Kerns
No way a transnational company like Cargill feels its markets are threatened by the US locavore movement. How, though, do we explain a top executive at the Maryland-based grain trader stating that the notion that countries "can be self-sufficient in every single food is a nonsense". (so quoted in Financial Times) That's more of a food hyperbole than a logical argument against self sufficiency efforts. Self sufficiency politics represent a push-back against government incentives for bio-fuel production, which trade fuel-insecurity for food-insecurity.
Efforts by Asian business and government to buy and control overseas farm land and water resources are different: it is the end game choice after overpopulation, water pollution, and soil erosion from poor land management have taken their toll....
Source: Dangerous By Design
It's the Jungle Out There!
San Francisco is definitely pedestrian-friendly in many ways compared to many cities, but being walkable doesn't always mean that it is safe. A new report by Transportation for America ranks the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area 13th safest for walkers, based on an index that takes into account annual pedestrian deaths and the percentage of workers who commute by foot. Our friends at Streetsblog SF dug deeper and found that things are worse than they first seem: "47.7 percent of all traffic fatalities in San Francisco are pedestrians, more than four times the national average of 11.8 percent. The rate of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents is 2.60 in San Francisco, 70 percent higher than the national average of 1.53."...
Photo: Wikipedia, CC
Probably a Good Place to Start
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that hydropower capacity in the United States could "double with minimal impact to the environment", mostly just by installing more efficient turbines at existing hydroelectric projects or at dams without power components, increasing the use of pumped-storage projects, and encouraging the use of run-of-the-river turbines. These kind of improvements to the existing infrastructure could apparently add 70,000 MW of capacity. "We will be pushing this," Chu said at a White House forum. "We're not talking about a lot of large, new reservoirs. Just work with what we have and it's a massive amount of power."...
Image credit: The U.S. Army/FlickrRichard Greene is a political communication strategist and host ofHollywood CLOUT! on Air America Radio. Tune in nightly for "The Air America/Treehugger Report" on Hollywood CLOUT! at 10:06 p.m. EST/7:06 p.m. PST, Monday - Thursday.
Just over one year after we worked our butts off for "Change We Can Believe In" and "Hope" we have found ourselves drowning in "Public Option," "Single Payer," and "Cap and Trade."
And Barack Obama's approval ratings plummet.
Feels like politics as usual.
More importantly, Barack Obama's "Magic" seems to be disappearing. ...
Photo via Ontario County Fair
It's sad but true--the enormously popular Cash for Clunkers program that took 690,000 polluting cars off the road and replaced them with brand new, slightly less polluting ones has had an unforeseen effect. Since the 'clunked' vehicles get their engines scrapped to keep them off the road, Cash for Clunkers has cut off a prime used car supply source for the demolition derby industry--which has now fallen on hard times. The Daily Show investigates after the jump....
Photo via PhotopediaPhotos
It's good news when a corporation like Starbucks that has outlets on every city street corner and inside the most unexpected of businesses (why is there a Starbucks in my bank lobby?) says that it is switching to LEDs. The coffee chain says that it's swapping out conventional bulbs for LEDs in 8,000 of its stores. The swap will save each store nearly 10% in electricity consumption. ...
Image via Climate Central
Even though many Americans don't think it's a critical problem, and that a few fact-denying loudmouths keep trying their damnedest to dominate climate news, temperatures are still indeed continuing their alarming warming trend. Climate change is still happening, and it's happening right here in the US. That's the problem with facts--no matter how loud you yell, data is still data. And the most recent data from a brand new study reveals that we're now seeing more record high temperatures and fewer lows in the US than ever before....
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is one Republican who is forcefully speaking out about the importance of climate and energy legislation. He's co-authored an op-ed with Sen. John Kerry, rebuked his fellow Republicans for not seeing that a clean energy future is upon us, and made the rounds on the talk shows to discuss action. But what's his reward? Graham has been censured by the South Carolina's Charleston County Republicans. ...
photo: Matt Rudge via flickr.
A couple weeks ago we learned that at present poaching rates Africa's elephants will all be extinct in just fifteen years. Well, here's so more on that: The wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC brings word that the illegal ivory trade has increased markedly in the latest analysis, and that organized crime networks linking Africa to Asia are behind it:...
See what "good news" caught Tonic's eye this week. You won't wanna miss these hot headlines.
The Maldives aren't just for heavenly beach getaways -- they're now host to a climate change forum to kick global warming to the shore.
Art, star power and a helping hand in Nepal. Get the scoop women who are weaving their way out of poverty
Oh, goodie! An excuse to indulge. In "Chalk Another One Up for Chocolate: UV Protection," David Bois will convince you that the dark stuff is the fountain of youth.
Plan your recovery from pumpkin pie overdoses with Chaniga Vorasarun's "Black Friday Comes Early." And if mega-sales still aren't in your budget, the "Start Your Holiday Swapping Shopping" with Michelle Hainer. It's freeeeee!
As we wind down 2009, here's the lowdown on "The Past 10 Years -- Abridged."
"Penis Regeneration Promises to Boost Membership." 'Nuff said, David Bois....
A healthy and high-tech green collar economy has been a great promise of the Obama administration. On the front lines of the fight to create green jobs and spur the economy is the Apollo Alliance, an amalgam of labor, business, and environmental groups. Jerome Ringo, President of Apollo, speaks with TreeHugger Radio about his group's "moonshot mission," the vitriol of Glenn Beck and Fox News, the resignation of Van Jones, and the role of African Americans in the climate fight.
Ringo was a keynote speaker at this year's Bioneers conference, and we thank the conference organizers for helping arrange this interview.
Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Full text is available after the jump....
Happy Thursday, TreeHuggers. Everyone knows that America spends a ton of money on health care. But it turns out we spend a lot of fossil fuels on it, too. In fact, a recent study found that a full 8 percent of our carbon emissions come from health-care-related sources. Hospitals are the biggest culprits, followed by the pharmaceutical industry.
Also on our radar this week: California's water woes. Roll over, John Steinbeck. Drought and climate change are drying up California's once fertile Central Valley. For years, Californians have fought over the state's most vital (and exploited) natural resource. Could a new package of bills end the state's epic water wars for good?
Good news for kids: Sesame Street's going green. Watch Michelle Obama help Elmo plant a vegetable garden here. Bad news for kids: Big Coal is pushing yet another creepy coloring book. Oof. Disillusioning news for kids: What's in Loch Ness? Not a giant, friendly monster, but thousands of toxic golf balls.
Plus: Are you being bamboozled by fake bamboo fabrics?
More at Motherjones.com. ...
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
on 11.15.09
Photo: The Little Mermaid statue, Copenhagen (AP)
Curbside TV trash. Image credit:
photo: 
photo: 
Photo via 
Scientists don't quite agree on whether bluefin tuna, pictured above, is on the verge of collapse. Photo by Jose Cort courtesy of the 
photo: 
Photo via 
Photo via 
The Wheeler-Evans Grain Elevator in Groom, Texas. Image credit:
Source: Dangerous By Design
It's the Jungle Out There!
San Francisco is definitely pedestrian-friendly in many ways compared to many cities, but being walkable doesn't always mean that it is safe. A new report by 
Photo: 
Image credit: 
Photo via 
Image via 
photo: 
See what "good news" caught Tonic's eye this week. You won't wanna miss these hot headlines.
The Maldives aren't just for heavenly beach getaways -- they're now 
Happy Thursday, TreeHuggers. Everyone knows that America spends a ton of money on health care. But it turns out we spend a lot of fossil fuels on it, too. In fact, a recent study found that a full 
