UN Says Climate Change Requires Big Money
Yvo de Boer of the UN Climate Change Secretariat says that it will take an initial $10 billion a year from the most economically well-off countries for three years to help developing nations deal with the effects of climate change. "To my mind, rich countries must put at least $10 billion on the table in Copenhagen to kick-start immediate action," he said, according to Reuters. And this money would only finance the beginning: Boer says it will take hundreds of billions of dollars in ten to 20 years to deal with global warming.
--Aileen Torres
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November 18, 2009
World Temperature Predicted to Rise 6 Degrees Celsius
The Global Carbon Project, based out of the University of East Anglia, led by Corinne Le Quéré,
predicts that the Earth's temperature will increase by 6 degrees
Celsius by the end of this century. Research published yesterday
showed that the ability of natural carbon sinks to soak up CO2 emitted
by humans is declining. As a result, more CO2 stays in the atmosphere,
increasing on average by 0.3%. Between 2000 and 2009 emissions rose by
29%. Le Quéré emphasized to BBC News the importance of talks in Copenhagen to halt
the dangerous trend. See more at NewScientist.com.
--Alison Kelman
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November 17, 2009
Alaska Wants Polar Bears Off List
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell is suing the federal government to overturn the listing of polar bears and a threatened species, writes the Associated Press. The governor believes that the Endangered Species Act is being used improperly to shut down petroleum development in the state. About 90 percent of Alaska's general fund revenue budget comes from the petroleum industry, which has suffered as the North Slope wells continue to dry up.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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November 12, 2009
Cement Companies Aim to Lower Carbon Footprint
Cement production contributes 5% of earth's global carbon dioxide emissions, creating one ton of CO2 per ton of cement made. ENN reports that cement companies are currently working to decrease these numbers by replacing some of the popularly used Portland cement with fly-ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. In addition to eliminating emissions, fly-ash is said to produce a stronger concrete that is easier to work with.
--Alison Kelman
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November 11, 2009
Documentaries We Like: Coal Country
While the global spotlight is on the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, a new film makes a case for the importance of examining our energy sources here in the States. Coal Country, a documentary by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller premiering on Planet Green November 14, takes a look at coal-mining towns in Appalachia, which is home to some of the poorest communities in the U.S.
Coal companies practice mountaintop-removal mining (MTR) in these areas, and while the industry is a major source of jobs, it is also, the film argues, a major cause of environmental and economic problems. And it doesn't look like coal consumption will decrease anytime soon: The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that coal electricity will account for 39 percent of growth in national electricity generation from 2006 to 2030. Coal Country's executive producer, Mari-Lynn Evans, tells us what that means for the people of Appalachia.
--Aileen Torres
Continue reading "Documentaries We Like: Coal Country" »
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The Scoop on Peepoo Bags
For areas like Kenya and Bangladesh that lack widespread toilet facilities (and, therefore, clean water and sanitation), the folks at Pee Poople will begin offering their biodegradable Peepoo bags, says TreeHugger. Here's how it works: the inner bag has a liner coated with urea that breaks down the bag's contents into ammonia and carbonate. In about 2-4 weeks, feces is safe to be used for fertilizer. The plastic bag biodegrates quickly and is currently made of 45 percent renewable materials (they plan to become 100 percent in the near future) For further details on how to use the bag that we won't get into, visit their web site.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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The Good Route: Outdoor Clothier's Sustainable Wave
When Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard called him two years ago, wanting to talk gear, Ernest Capbert knew that he and his cohorts at the outdoor clothing startup Finisterre were doing something right. The company is the dreamchild of Tom Kay, a British surfer who wanted to create a sustainable clothing line for the action sports industry. Like Patagonia, Finisterre places a major emphasis on how and where it sources materials, creating products with a cradle-to-cradle lifecycle in mind, while fostering a sustainable supply chain. The company is also incorporating biomimicry into its designs while going to great efforts to secure its own source for wool (hint: it takes the do-it-yourself trend to new heights).
The Good Route recently had a confab with Capbert, Finisterre's director of marketing, about the company's clothing line and its focus on sustainability.
Herewith, some outtakes.
Continue reading "The Good Route: Outdoor Clothier's Sustainable Wave" »
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November 10, 2009
Copenhagen and Future Energy Costs
If no framework for global climate change policy results from the UN conference in Copenhagen in December, the International Energy Agency foresees a 2.5 percent rise in global energy demand per year over the next five years. The IEA also says that cutting carbon emissions will cost $500 billion for each year without a global climate change policy, Reuters reports.
--Aileen Torres
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November 06, 2009
Rastovich Kayaks Reach Bondi Beach
Surfer and Cetacean activist Dave Rastovich, along with surfer/artist Chris Del Moro, musician Will Conner, activist Howie Cooke, and photographer Hilton Dawe, completed their epic kayak trip from Byron Bay to Bondi Beach, reports Surfersvillage.com. The trip, which is part of the "Transparentsea" campaign done by Rastovich's group Surfers for Cetaceans, aimed to draw attention to the Australian government's lack of action on Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. The group also made stops to clean up beaches and highlight environmental concerns for Australian's eastern seaboard.
-- Lisa Lombardi
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New Perspective on Global Warming Debate
In this clip from the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert and Al Gore argue about global warming and the economy with...Stephen Colbert and Al Gore.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Formidable Opponent - Global Warming With Al Gore | ||||
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-- Lisa Lombardi
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