TreeHugger's Most Popular Posts

The World's Brand-Spanking Newest Metro Systems

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:17:12 GMT

Dubai Metro One of the latest toys in Dubai's futuristic sandbox is also the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula, and an essential addition to the city's public infrastructure. After the first section of the Red Line opened at 9:09:09 PM on September 9, 2009, more than 110,000 people, or nearly 10 per cent of Dubai's population, used the Metro in its first two days of operation. It features VIP carriges as well as dedicated women only cars, with some lavish station designs and, needless to say, ample air conditioning.

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'Road Train' Autopilot Driving System Cuts Fuel Consumption, Travel Time

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Image via Earth2Tech It's one of those ideas that crosses your mind while you're stuck in never-ending stop and go traffic on some ugly stretch of the highway: what if there were some sort of a sensor that could put all of those cars into lockstep? Some sort of automated driving system that would keep that SOB from cutting you off and wedging himself into your lane--something that would make the whole process more efficient, help control the traffic flow, and even let you take your hands off the wheel for long stretches of road. Well, a test version of exactly that is underway in Europe--it's called the 'road train', and it could revolutionize highway driving.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

IEA Whistleblowers Say World Oil Stats Deliberately Inflated to Avoid Financial Panic, Appease the US

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:15:00 GMT

photo: jack_spellingbacon via flickr. World oil reserves are far lower than officially reported, the situation far more serious than publicly admitted, and we're already past peak oil. That's the word from two anonymous IEA whistleblowers, The Guardian reports. To add insult to industry, the figures were deliberately massaged, at least in part, to appease the United States:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Five Hundred Oil-Industry Geologists Vote on Peak Oil

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:32:54 GMT

Photo: Zazzle Guess What the Results Were The theory of peak oil itself is fairly non-controversial. But saying that we're close to this absolutely peak in oil and gas production is still debated by very knowledgeable people on both sides. A few years ago, it seemed like the balance was tipped in the direction of the "peak oil is not a problem for the near future" side, but lately, it seems like things might be going the other way. At the Petroleum Geology Conference in London, 500 geologists took a vote on wether "Peak oil is no longer a concern" (something that was argued by some of the speakers). The results were interesting.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SuperFreakonomics is 'Horseshit': Elizabeth Kolbert

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Photo via Flickr The New Yorker's Elizabeth Kolbert is one of the best green writers out there--and in her recent joint book review of the controversy-ridden SuperFreakonomics and the maligned-by-default-by-Gore-haters Our Choice, she proves why. One book scoffs at our fears of climate change, and suggests that a miraculous silver bullet will be delivered unto us via geoengineering. The other meticulously outlines the challenges we face in fighting climate change, and the difficult choice we must collectively make to improve our behavior as a species. One of these books is horseshit. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sneakers for Geeks and Hackers Are Made form Recycled Computer Chips

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

Images via Gabriel Dishaw Are these the dream sneaks for green geeks? Maybe. They're at the very least a cool creation by Gabriel Dishaw, junk-metal artist extraordinaire, who fashioned these shoes out of pieces of computers and typewriters, with only glue and metal bending techniques to keep the pieces held together. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Take Up Less Space With A Vertical Bed

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:44:06 GMT

image from Office for the Development of Substitute Materials TreeHugger always promotes ideas that let you live in less space, as well as transformer furniture that goes away when you don't need it. Jamie O'Shea of the Office for the Development of Substitute Materials has developed a vertical bed that lets you sleep almost anywhere in a lot less space. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Japan Space Solar Plans: Of Laser Beams and Solar Streams

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:27:53 GMT

Image: Japan USEF, SSPS project Space Solar Power System Closer to Reality Japan's space agency, USEF, is in the news again with their plans to build a space solar power station, equivalent to a medium sized nuclear plant, by 2030. Inspired by hope that such a sci-fi vision becomes reality, we have some advice for the Japanese space agency, some wisdom learned in the trenches of the fight against global warming. The nugget of knowledge that could make the difference between success and failure for the ambitious space-based solar station is this: ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The 5 Best High Flying Wind Power Projects

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:54:00 GMT

Image via IO9 The Kites, Blimps, and Copters that Could Power the World Tapping into the jet stream--the fast-flowing air currents in the atmosphere--to harness high speed wind power is one of the most compelling ideas in the renewable energy world. How compelling, you ask? Some researchers figure that by successfully tapping into just 1% of the jet stream, we could power all of civilization. At about 6 miles up, the jet stream creates some 200 trillion watts--world energy demand is estimated to be between 2 and 2.5 trillion--the problem, of course, is bringing that stuff down to earth. Here are the 5 most promising high altitude wind power projects designed to do exactly that. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

A 10-Ton Japanese Fishing Trawler Sunk By Giant Jellyfish

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:43:00 GMT

Photo via nurpax You could say it was the jellyfish, or you could say it was the overzealous fishermen on board. While trying to haul in a catch of several dozen giant Nomura's jellyfish - one of the largest in the world - a Japanese fishing trawler tipped right over. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger