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]
Riddle me this. What do you get when you combine rainforest destruction, tar sands, and palm oil plantations in one project? You guessed it, an environmental nightmare. This perfect storm of climate disruption badness can all be found in oil company Eni's plans to develop tar sands and oil palm in the Congo Basin, one of the most biodiverse places on earth. This would be the first tar sands exploration in Africa and one of the largest palm oil plantations, which produce the oil used in thousands of household products from detergents to Pringles.
To lower mosquito exposure in malaria-prone places there are two basic pesticide use strategies. The half-century old approach - a remnant of 1950's era thinking - is to spray entire towns, as well as the surrounding countryside, with a pesticide such as DDT or pyrethrin.
Washingon DC-area Think tanks seem enamored of those spray-glory days, in spite of the fact that it would be a logistical impossibility and far too costly to repeat the Bald Eagle extirpating performance for the many thousands of poor communities in developing nations where malaria is a serious threat.
Targeted application
The contemporary strategy is targeted pesticide application, interrupting the exposure where it counts most - at home - and leaving the wildlife and farm animals alone. Pyrethrin-soaked bed nets have long been used to protect sleeping children; but, not everyone has a "bed" and the nets are too expensive for people on a subsistence income. Plus, just as happened with DDT, widespread spraying with pyrethrin has selected for resistant mosquitos.
Now, via SciDev.net comes news of promising results from field trials of carbamate-impregnated polypropylene, non-woven fabric or "sheeting" as it is being called.
The site of the London Olympics is just one example of a plan to improve a city through retrofitting and connecting. Artist's impression via London 2012.
Dense urban centers are good; sprawling suburbs are bad. Put in the simplest terms, that's what the conventional environmental wisdom tells us. But sometimes spreading out a little is just what a big city needs.
A worker sprays carbofuran on a tree in Kannenfeldpark, in Basel, Switzerland. Photo by pppspics via Flickr.
As of the end of the year, one more pesticide will be absent from food crops grown in the United States.
In May the EPA ruled that the current residue limits of the insecticide carbofuran on food crops was too high, and the agency has now decided to fully revoke carbofuran tolerances (more commonly known as residue limits). What this means is no carbofuran residue on a food will be deemed acceptable as of 2010. The move follows in the footsteps of the European Union, which banned carbofuran nearly a year ago. But the U.S. ban isn't all that surprising--it has, after all, been three years in the making.
From all I can gather, the actual on-paper negotiations are moving this week, progressing in some way towards some kind of agreement. (We'll get to what kind of agreement soon.) But we wouldn't have much way of knowing, since proceedings largely disappeared behind closed doors this week. I've been told by plenty of folks--including two former US negotiators--that I shouldn't complain about the lack of access, because it's the closed-door meetings where things really get done. Still, it's frustrating that an institution that prides itself on openness seems to operate best through closed meetings. The American delegation does seem more confident at this stage that there's an agreement out there to be achieved.
I spend a lot of my time as an advocate. To be able to champion a cause and educate others about the importance and necessity of action at this critical time, I must first educate myself about the reality of the challenges we all face. I need to keep it real.
The wake-up call
Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, reminds all of us what our challenge is regarding climate crisis and the survival of all species in his newly released book, Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth. Climate crisis is not a destination in our future. It is happening now. I don't like the too-well-proven conclusion that I come to: We must act dramatically or lose civilization as we know it. A bold, overused, uncomfortable statement, I know. But in all my reading and research, this is the book that wakes me up in the middle of the night--not in fear, but with profound clarity: It is time to focus.
For years, New York City has been working to toughen up electronics recycling laws, and for years the electronics industry has been less than thrilled. The city has gone forward with a plan that requires electronics manufacturers to offer free door-to-door pick-up service of used devices. However, electronics companies say this too expensive, too labor intensive, and too annoying - so they sued. Now, government officials from across the nation are asking the electronics industry to drop the suit, saying that it's not about a troublesome e-cycling regulation, it's about trying to take power away from the states to regulate e-waste.
The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition reports, based on a US Census survey, that Philadelphia is ranked number one among the ten largest US cities for bicycle commuters per-capita. Per the Census data, 1.6% of Philly commutes are estimated to be by bicycle. Poor New York City came in at 6'th place (0.6%). "Philadelphia also tied for 10th among the country's 60 largest cities and the second highest percentage among east coast cities (only Washington DC has a higher percentage). Philadelphia's percentage of commuters who bike is nearly three times the national average of 0.55%." Look below for the rankings for all ten of the largest US cities.q
Todd Stern and Hillary Clinton (Photo: EPA)
The head US climate negotiator, Todd Stern, and Sen. John Kerry have announced that they are giving up hope of reaching a deal for a new climate change pact at next month's meeting in Copenhagen. The move comes as world leaders are meeting in Barcelona to finalize negotiating text in advance of the December meeting in Copenhagen. Without the US's participation, there is no hope for a treaty that will result in capping emissions any time soon....
photo: Perrimoon on flickr
Well that's settled. There won't be a Senate bill before Copenhagen. Which means a lot of things: the US won't have concrete numbers on mitigation targets and finance commitments before COP15 convenes; the difficult job of the American negotiators just got even harder; the international community has even more cause to accuse the US of coming up short; the chances of a fair, ambitious and binding deal coming out of Copenhagen have taken a serious blow; and finally, any hope for the talks to succeed depends on a dramatic shift in how the State Department approaches the negotiations....
The Pirin mountains are among Bulgaria's threatened natural habitats. Photo by Marin Nikolov via Flickr.
Come December, the European Council will assess Turkey's slow, sometimes stumbling efforts toward EU accession. If the country gets a decent grade, the next chapter of negotiations to be opened is likely to be the one dealing with environmental issues. And if neighboring Bulgaria's recent experience is any indication, the European body won't be letting Turkey off easy....
photo: adopt a negotiator via flickr
As the last round of "intersessional" climate talks before Copenhagen opened yesterday in Barcelona, all eyes were looking in the same direction they were when we left Bangkok three weeks earlier: at the United States. Without American numbers on mitigation (or emissions reductions) and finance (for developing nations to build their own clean energy economies, and also to adapt to the impacts of climate change), any real forward progress in the talks is just about impossible. "We need a clear target from the United States in Copenhagen," urged Yvo de Boer, who's charged with steering this UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) process to some kind of December resolution." "That is an essential component of the puzzle." The problem is that the U.S. isn't putting anything out there. At least not yet. Not while the Kerry-Boxer bill limps through Senate subcommittees back on Capital Hill....
As the climate negotiations in Barcelona continue this week, issues of social justice and economic equity are at the forefront. A group of African nations walked out today, supported by Bolivia, Benin and Venezuela, over issues of funding and the weak emissions reduction targets set by developed countries. The arguments about fairness from developing countries, which will be disproportionally affected by climate change, are clear when you look at the Washington Post's amazing tool that tracks total national emissions and emissions per capita over the past 50 years. ...
The Black Sea is an integral part of millions of peoples' lives. Photo of Trabzon, Turkey, by Whewes via Flickr.
With its watershed covering almost one-third of continental Europe, an area home to some 160 million people, there are plenty of opportunities for pollution to run into the Black Sea -- and only one outlet to the world's oceans and seas, the Bosphorus straits in Turkey. It's little wonder, then, that a dozen years ago, it was described as "facing an environmental catastrophe." More surprising, perhaps, is that conditions in the Black Sea have shown any improvement at all....
Energy vampire. Image credit:PeopleJam
I'm not one to dress up for Halloween, but I like to find creative ways to get on board with the spooky spirit of the holiday. If you're an energy activist like me, I think you'll enjoy these ideas:
Energy Vampires
When you sleep, when you eat, while you're hard at work, vampires lurk in the depths of your home. From morning to night they are sucking you dry. It is called vampire power and to you it is wasted money. Energy vampires are the devices that use electricity even when they are turned off - like your home entertainment system, which can cost you up to $75 per year in vampire energy. Together energy vampires can account for up to 20 percent of your electric bill.
Give your neighbors a treat this Halloween and let them know they can improve their home's energy savings by identifying and unplugging energy vampires. Just download this PDF, print copies, and include them with the treats you hand out, or place them strategically (in the bathroom, maybe?) at any Halloween parties you choose to haunt....
Lake Bafa (left) is getting cleaned up, but power-plant construction threatens other parts of Turkey. Photos by Duru... (left) and Bill Ward's Brickpile (right) via Flickr.
Istanbul residents came out loud and strong this month as part of the International Day of Climate Action, but local environmentalists have been seeing advances (and disappointments) on other fronts as well. Once again, we wrap up the latest eco-related news from Turkey, developments that prompted reactions of both "süper" (yep, just like in English, but with an umlaut) and "maalesef" (unfortunately):...
Credit: GLERL.
Once upon a time, a president named George W. Bush called the Great Lakes "a national treasure," formed a group to come up with a restoration plan, and did nothing.
That was in May 2004. The regional group he formed later came up with a $20 billion plan to clean up the lakes.
This year, 2009, Part 1 of that regional strategy is about to kick off, to address threats like invasive species, scoop out contaminated sediments and restore wetland and other habitat in the five Great Lakes. ...
Sen. James Inhofe (Image via Flickr)
The Senate's Environment and Public Works committee is set to begin mark up of the Senate climate bill next week, but Republicans on the committee, led by prominent climate change denier Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, are threatening to boycott the hearing, making progress difficult for chair Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. Inhofe claims a proper economic analysis of the bill hasn't yet been done, but Boxer is pushing back, setting up a showdown. ...
A group led by Alliance Coal has received approval from the University of Kentucky to build a new $7 million dorm for the men's basketball team. The dorm has created controversy because it will be named the "Wildcat Coal Lodge." One professor said that the name could "make it difficult to attract top students and faculty members to the university." MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation, covered the controversy on Maddow's show....
I've been following Glenn Beck's exploits for a while now, from his take down of Van Jones to his paranoid tirades against AmeriCorp. But Beck hit a new all time high for spewing paranoid nonsense after he went off on comments made by the UK climate chief who said that not eating meat was better for the planet. ...
Look, TreeHuggers, a fun widget! Put your kid on our cover. Or your cat. Or your dog. Or your weird witch doll. Go crazy here.
And that's just one part of our brand new climate package. In fact, the November/December issue of Mother Jones is full of important stories to read in the lead-up to Copenhagen.
Editors-in-Chief Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery wonder what we'll tell our kids when they wonder why it took us so long to start fixing the climate. Kevin Drum writes about how Big Ag got everything it asked for in the climate bill--and then it came back for more. And residents in one small California town ask, You want to pump how much carbon under our yards? Much more inside the issue.
Over at the Blue Marble blog, Julia Whitty lists the five preventable health problems that shrink our lifespans the most. And speaking of unhealthy and preventable, Fiji Water might have been burning its trash, releasing carcinogens into the air of its beleaguered island home. Meanwhile, India gears up to go nuclear. Cool or scary?
Lastly, some good gadget news: Soon you'll be able to charge your cell phone using any kind of light. Windowless cube workers rejoice. ...
Camels are "like the bank for the Turkana." Photo by xikita via Flickr.
The global economic crisis has shattered many families' financial security as the value of investments plummet and jobs become vulnerable, or nonexistent. But in the rural Turkana district of northwest Kenya, the culprit robbing peoples' bank accounts is climate change....
Photo: Paula Alvarado.As we mentioned last week, from October 18 until 23 Buenos Aires was host of the XIII World Forestry Congress. With less than two months to Copenhagen, climate change in the center of political discussions, and forests being a critical tool to fight global warming, the discussions inside the panels were of special interest this year.
TreeHugger attended many of the conferences and here are some ideas and conclusions drawn from the conversations....
Hardwood pulp futures market price trend. Image credit:INO.com
Today's printing and writing papers commonly have 20-30% recycled content. For fiber packaging materials, 60 to 100% recycle content is typical. It took decades for industry to reach those levels. Can you imagine what would happen if the paper industry had to price-compete against oil companies for waste paper feedstock? Recycled content of all manner of papers would surely decrease. More virgin forests would have be cut to make up the difference, whenever ethanol demand spiked. Singled-minded researchers from the National University of Singapore seem to have conveniently overlooked that predetermined outcome....
From the news that all 600,000 African elephants will be extinct by 2025 at current rates of poaching, according to figures from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, to Congress' approval of a bill that will allow three wheelers to get funding from the Department of Energy, a lot happened this week in green. Our Best of Green winner Chris Jordan visited the Midway Atoll, right in the heart of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and photographed sobering pictures of albatrosses stuffed with plastic detritus, Christine put together a slideshow of creatures found in the world's most powerful tidal maelstrom, and readers sent in their green home improvement photos for our weekly slideshow. Find out what else happened in the world of green this week in our photo roundup of most popular, most important, and most oddball stories. And if you missed it, view last week's The Week in Pictures: Carteret Islands Sink and More .
...
The "Sun, Wind, 350 Right Now" march in Istanbul. Photo by Jennifer Hattam.
On the morning of Oct. 24, Idil Özkarakaya brought students together to paint banners for the day's climate-action march in a symbolic location: the Istanbul neighborhood of Halkalı, one of the areas hardest-hit by September's devastating floods....
The lastest in American architectural innovation. Image credit, Photobucket, darkrose05rx8
The bad guys bought abandoned or repossessed homes, ripped out interior walls, illegally tapped into power and water, and grew pot commercially. What starts in California goes viral a couple years later. So, don't be surprised if DEA operatives begin cruising upscale developments in Florida or Connecticut.
Possible counter-intel tactics by the bad guys: hire broke soccer moms to stop by and smile at the neighbors; keep up the landscaping services; and, install solar panels - paid for with government incentives. Boston.com has the full story....
Andover, Massachusetts is starting a pilot project that will use grazing goats to maintain a 3.5-acre meadow. Photo by Jon Stammers via Flickr.
A Boston suburb is sidelining commercial mowers in favor of a local farmer's goats to maintain a public meadow. Six dairy goats will chow down on a 3.5-acre meadow that is part of the Virginia Hammond Reservation, a conservation area in Andover.
The plan makes sense on several levels. It will cut out carbon emissions that previously accumulated from the use of commercial mowers. Not only will the plan cost the city nothing, they'll save on the cost of labor, gas, and equipment maintenance....
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 11.10.09
Mosquito on the wall. Image credit:
The site of the London Olympics is just one example of a plan to improve a city through retrofitting and connecting. Artist's impression via 
photo: 
The Pirin mountains are among Bulgaria's threatened natural habitats. Photo by 
photo: 
The Black Sea is an integral part of millions of peoples' lives. Photo of Trabzon, Turkey, by 
Energy vampire. Image credit:
Lake Bafa (left) is getting cleaned up, but power-plant construction threatens other parts of Turkey. Photos by 
Credit: 
Look, TreeHuggers, a fun widget! Put your 
Camels are "like the bank for the Turkana." Photo by 
Photo: Paula Alvarado.
Hardwood pulp futures market price trend. Image credit:
From the news that all 600,000 African elephants will be extinct by 2025 at current rates of poaching, according to figures from the 
The "Sun, Wind, 350 Right Now" march in Istanbul. Photo by Jennifer Hattam.
On the morning of Oct. 24, Idil Özkarakaya brought students together to paint banners for the day's climate-action march in a symbolic location: the Istanbul neighborhood of Halkalı, one of the areas hardest-hit by September's devastating 
The lastest in American architectural innovation. Image credit, 
Andover, Massachusetts is starting a pilot project that will use grazing goats to maintain a 3.5-acre meadow. Photo by 
