Sep 6, 2006
Thirst For Water Will Grow
Forbes: The World Water Week conference in Stockholm from Aug. 21 to 26 focused on water quality and quantity over the coming decades. The event opened with the release of a draft of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture: --One of the findings is that one-third of the world's population already lives with water shortages. The rate of decline of water availability is faster than predicted. --Where water resources are under pressure, damage to ecosystems tends ...Link
Deforestation Causes Global Warming
FAO: Most people assume that global warming is caused by burning oil and gas. But in fact between 25 and 30 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year - 1.6 billion tonnes - is caused by deforestation. About 200 experts, mostly from developing countries, met in Rome last week to address this issue in a workshop organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and hosted by FAO. "We are working to solve two of the key ...Link
Green Light for Green Chemistry?
Enviros, Industry Seek State Leadership on Practice that Could Benefit Environment and Economy
Ever since Rachel Carson educated a nation on the hazards of relying too heavily on toxic pesticides in the 1960s, the words "green" and "chemistry" have rarely appeared in the same sentence, except as an oxymoron.
In the popular imagination, chemicals are either beasts or blessings, but almost never positively associated with the environment. But if the Ecology Center and other Michigan advocates have their way, the state could become a leader in the emerging science of green chemistry -- the search for environmentally benign substitutes for the thousands of hazardous chemicals used in everyday products and processes.
It's already starting to happen:
- Solvents and inks are being made from soybeans.
- Plastics are being made from sustainably grown corn, corn stubble, grasses, and other renewable products.
- Water purification processes have been designed that remove chlorinated pollutants, antibiotics, and other contaminants and don’t generate toxic byproducts as a result.
- Enzymatic reactions have been found that can detoxify hard-to-degrade toxic chemicals.
- There is even laundry detergent that inhibits dye transfer while cleaning clothes and reducing problematic discharges.
Chemicals in Cars & the Need for
Toxic at Any Speed:
Seat cushions, arm rests, floor coverings and plastic parts used in most car interiors are made with toxic chemicals known to pose major public health risks. PBDEs, used as fire retardants, and phthalates, used to soften PVC plastics, have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births, and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems.
A first-of-its-kind report by the Ecology Center - Toxic at Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars and the Need for Safe Alternatives - found significantly higher levels of PBDEs in vehicle dust and windshield wipe samples than those found in homes and offices in previous studies. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in their car every day, this is a significant source of indoor air pollution. The study ranks car manufacturers according to the levels of toxic chemicals found inside the vehicles.
See the Report Press Release: HTML or PDF
See the Follow-up Press Release: HTML or PDF
Even if gas hit $5 per gallon, the payback for some hybrids doesn't come for five or six years....
Ford's chief sales analyst says the future of hybrids is "bright" but the main challenge remains: "What price are consumers willing to pay for technology?"
He said that even if gas hit $4 to $5 per gallon, the payback for some hybrids doesn't come for five or six years. To continue growing market share, hybrids must be purchased for financial reasons as well as altruistic ones.
Pipas is the manager of sales analysis at Ford and spoke Tuesday afternoon at the regular meeting of the Motor Press Guild, an organization of automotive writers on the West Coast. Although the topic of his presentation was the changing SUV market, he did share a few thoughts on hybrids with AutoblogGreen.
Pipas admits incentives on gas vehicles do not play a supporting role in promoting hybrids. He gave the example of the Ford Escape Hybrid that was introduced at a cost of $3,000 over the gas model. But when Ford offered zero-percent financing and other incentives to the gas versions, the cost difference was "too great to pass up" for many consumers. (AutoBlogGreen)
Ecofest Report (AutoblogGreen Exclusive)
Overall, the 18th annual Ecofest didn't blow me away, but there were certainly some cars I was glad to see up close and some people I was happy to chat with about the state of alternative-fuel vehicles and the projects they're researching and developing. Most notable were the University of Toronto's Blue Sky Solar Race Car Project, the Vehicle Design Summit's human-solar hybrid and the Bicy-taxis. There were, however, other exhibitors that put up some good displays, but for one reason or another they didn't get the star treatment with their own post.
Related:
In an exclusive interview to ABC News, Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses California's new carbon reduction bill that aims to curb emissions in that state by 25% over the next 15 years.
Peak oil from an investors viewpoint
Bloomberg has an extensive article on the different predictions on when the world will reach peak oil. While everyone agrees the world will eventually run out of oil, predictions as to when it will happen vary widely. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, will be releasing a study on peak oil in November. Some sources have predicted peak oil to be reached as early as 2001, something that clearly did not happen. Many parallels can be drawn between the peak oil predictions and some of the early research and discussions on global warming. While some parts of the world are slowly trying to get a grasp on reducing global warming, it seems we are much less prepared to deal with peak oil, no matter when it happens.
BP America will work with Schwarzenegger on greenhouse gas bill
BP America is eager for a market-based way to lower emissions and has supported "cap and trading" programs in other areas (like the EU) for some time. BP releases an annual BP Sustainability Report. And BP has worked with Gov. Schwarzenegger in the past, as well. In July, the company hosting the Governor and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a Climate Change Meeting and in 2004, Schwarzenegger unveil the first BP-branded retail-designed hydrogen site in America.
"This little school teacher beat the automobile industry"
Ms. Pavley spent most of her career teaching history at a middle school near Los Angeles which may have provided her with the appropriate demeanor to needed deal with other politicians. Jim Marston, who worked on the bill, said, "When other political people are flying off the handle, are being emotional or threatening people - it's kind of like she is dealing with a roomful of seventh graders. She doesn't raise her voice. She doesn't get frustrated." In light of that bill passing into state law, last week NPR's All Things Considered reported on the staunch, steadfast efforts of the first-term Democrat.
This fall, the Supreme Court will consider perhaps its most important environmental case in recent history.
Automobile emissions are at the center of a big Supreme Court case
Greg Wahl-Stephens / AP The trial has the potential of delivering an immense impact to the environment. Last Sunday, Newsweek's Debra Rosenberg conducted an interview with Mr. Bookbinder. Excerpts of that interview can be found here while some notable points of the interview are as follows.
When asked about the potential of the Supreme Court to sidestep the case and rule on mere technicalities, Mr. Bookbinder said, "No, I don't think so. There's really no wiggle room. Either EPA has this authority or not. It's a very plain language case."
Brazil Says Amazon Destruction Declining
| RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- The rate of destruction of the Amazon rain forest is slowing, although ranchers, loggers and soybean farmers are illegally removing thousands of square miles of trees each year, the Brazilian government said Tuesday. |
"High Hopes for Hydrogen"
Fuel cells and talk of converting to a "hydrogen economy" have figured prominently in all discussions about energy in recent years. Is it realistic to expect that those ideas and products will amount to much? Yes, explains Joan Ogden of the University of California, Davis, in "High Hopes for Hydrogen," her contribution to our Energy's Future Beyond Carbon single-topic issue. The caveat, however, is that tremendous amounts of work must pave the way, and it would be wrong to expect hydrogen to play a big role in the near term.
Before a hydrogen-fueled future can become a reality, however, many complex challenges must be overcome. Carmakers must learn to manufacture new types of vehicles, and consumers must find them attractive enough to buy. Energy companies must adopt cleaner techniques for producing hydrogen and build a new fuel infrastructure that will eventually replace the existing systems for refining and distributing gasoline. Hydrogen will not fix all our problems tomorrow; in fact, it could be decades before it starts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and oil use on a global scale. It is important to recognize that a hydrogen transition will be a marathon, not a sprint.
Hydrogen, of course, is not really a source of energy so much as it is a medium for transferring energy: since we don't have pools of hydrogen around to tap freely, we need to produce energy just to create the hydrogen that would then go into fuel cells or other systems. Ogden reviews how that would work with various energy technologies as well as the massive infrastructural changes that a shift to hydrogen would require. She reports that such a transition could cost hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. over several decades--a huge sum, but she also points out that simply maintaining and expanding our gasoline infrastructure and searching for new oil sources could cost $1.3 trillion over the next 30 years.
Biofuel Companies Use Alternative Manure Energy for Production and Delivery
Panda Ethanol will build a second 100-million gallon ethanol plant that will use 1 billion pounds of cattle manure to generate the steam needed for production. Panda uses manure to produce its ethanol, but SeQuential Biofuels is taking advantage of other renewable energies and energy-efficient technologies to distribute its alternative fuels. SeQuential Biofuels has opened a new fueling station in Eugene, Oregon, that offers biofuel blends approved for use in all gasoline and diesel vehicles. Among the station's design innovations are 244 solar panels that will provide 30 percent to 50 percent of its annual electricity and 4,800 plants installed in a "living roof" to control rainwater runoff and help cool the building. See the press release from SeQuential Biofuels.
Sep 5, 2006
Bush's Labor Day comments on foreign oil and green cars left our hydrogen, ethanol
| President Bush headed over to Maryland to speak to the Seafarers Union yesterday. He had a few things to say about energy, but nothing groundbreaking. You can read the part of his speech where he addresses energy independence after the jump, but I wanted to point out an interesting shift in the rhetoric away from hydrogen or ethanol to battery-powered vehicles. The President did say we need to "be aggressive in promoting new technologies, particularly on the energy front" but the only automotive technology singled out was battery-powered vehicles. Interesting, no? |
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
--Elbert Hubbard,
American writer and publisher
American writer and publisher
Study: PCB exposure reduces effectiveness of childhood vaccines
Diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations given to children may be less effective if they are exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls, according to a study. Researchers studied routinely vaccinated children in the Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic, where the consumption of a whale blubber results in high PCB levels, and found they had lowered antibody responses to the two diseases. The New York Times
FSA moves to block illegal GM rice
Data on this material and have concluded that there is no food safety risk. ... Attorneys for some rice farmers are in the process of suing Bayer CropScience, the .FoodProductionDaily.com - Montpellier,France
US Grants for International Conservation Halved
The emission reduction plan will cut the number of premature deaths to 800 ... Dixon's job was to coordinate the hazardous waste management and compliance at the ... Environment News Service - USA
Hidden Dangers From Hazardous Products Right At Home
... from Brussels, Belgium, had this to say: "Reduction, reuse, recycling and disposal are all important tools to safely manage household hazardous waste and it .Bernama - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
Tests show promise for environment-friendly technologies
Environmental well being will improve," said Bill Wehrum, EPA acting assistant ... lead the way in identifying technologies that protect our global environment.".Reliable Plant Magazine - Tulsa,OK,USA
Activists push to ban PFOA in city sewer
... the project has received a thorough review by DEQ and EPA, been reviewed River, drinking water and shellfish have shown no adverse effects on the environment.Pascagoula Mississippi Press - Pascagoula,MS,USA
New Environment Friendly Technologies
Led by EPA's SF6 Emission Reduction Partnership for the Magnesium Industry, a group of companies and researchers from Australia, Canada, Japan, and the US ...Technology News Daily - Scottsdale,AZ,USA
EPA may ease rules for water transfer
... If the EPA adopts the rule as expected this year, the agency will not be able ... process to change or stop a plan that threatens public health or the environment.
Recycling Group seeks old cell phone donations
For donations of inactive cell phones as part of their Save the Environment and End ... they will be broken down and disposed of according to the EPA standards. Jefferson City News Tribune - Jefferson City,MO,USA
EPA Water proposal raises alarm
.. If the EPA adopts the rule as expected later this year, the agency will not ... process to change or stop a plan that threatens public health or the environment. ...
BurlingtonFreePress.com - Burlington,VT,USA
BurlingtonFreePress.com - Burlington,VT,USA
THE FUTURE OF FOOD - truth behind genetically engineered foods.
THE FUTURE OF FOOD film documentary offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed about the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AS A FREE DOWNLOAD. » original news
Video Of The $500 Personal Wind Turbine
The $500 turbine I posted about today and Treehugger wrote about, looks pretty cool. I found this video of it in action on Youtube. » original news
BP on hot seat next week
"The U.S. Congress comes back to town next week to sift through the pieces of the latest oil patch disaster -- pipeline corrosion that threatened to shut down the giant Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska. With hearings planned in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, officials with BP Plc. -- the London-based oil giant that operates the field -- will be taking heat from irate lawmakers, already suspicious of the industry's spotty environmental record." The end of the video clip is very funny. » original news
Tree-Planting Drive Seeks To Bring a New Urban Cool
Sacramento residents can get up to 10 free trees from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. It's given away about 375,000 shade trees in the past 16 years, with plans to plant at least 4 million more. Perhaps the most arresting feature of Sacramento's shade crusade is its rarity, despite federal research showing that carefully planted trees can lower summertime temperatures in cities, significantly reduce air-conditioning bills and trap greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. » original news
An eco-friendly campers dream
Huttopia are an eco-tourism company with two campsites in France. Their campsites are a refreshing change from your usual mainstream European camping options, inviting nature in, building sustainably and encouraging recycling. We could do with more of these campsites around Europe. » original news
Warnings from the workplace --
Accidents causing serious injury or death will always take place. Some are unavoidable as in the case of natural disasters where the victim happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Leaner Designs Fuel Race to Build Next Generation of Reactors
Jose Reyes' research lab looks like a three-story tangle of pipes and instruments. But to nuclear engineers like him, it's evidence that generating electricity by splitting atoms can cost less and be done more safely than in the past.
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