]> http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog Expert group blog hosted by green aggregator Greenedia.com and focused on climate change, global warming and environmental issues. Written by a group of top green and environmental bloggers focused on critical environmental commentary and opinion. en http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/03/Futurists-Explore-Alternative-Energy?rsstype=group&gid=1 What are the prospects for solar being the catch-all solution to our energy problems? Most environmentalists will say that it cannot, and then go on to list the array of belt-tightening solutions that need to be addressed. They and other naysayers will point to the low efficiency of solar panels, or the manufacturing expense, or what-have-you. Usually an improvement in technology is not factored in, but that's because they tend to be taking the wise and conservative position of doing what we can with what we have, not hoping for a breakthrough that may never come. Ray Kurzweil, noted futurist, doesn't quite see it that way, and neither does the panel he sat on at the request of the National Association of Engineers. With a series of strong predictions under his belt, and a penchant for seeing dramatic changes down the line for humanity, Kurzweil provided a no less bold prediction by suggesting that solar will be supplying all of Earth's energy in 20 years. One of the reasons they cite is the diversification in the solar market currently underway. Instead of just the traditional photovoltaic panels, installed in static racks to catch what sun they happen to be pointed at, the latest generation of solar uses sun-following computers, concentrators that use just a fraction of a typical photovoltaic cell to generate power, and innovative ways to use the heat from a solar concentrator to generate electricity. The other reason seems to be that technological advance simply continues to accelerate. In a concept that Kurzweil calls the Singularity, technological advance accelerates constantly, and the time it takes for a new technology to reach 80% of the population decreases with every cycle of innovation. Mobile phones, for instance, have reached a staturation level in less than 20 years what it took Alexander Graham Bell's telephone a century to achieve. If Kurzweil is right, and there's no reason to think he might not be at this point, the energy situation could rapidly become a question of the past, in the same way that instant, round-the-world communication has become a given. If solar is competitive with coal in five years, the possibilities indeed become limitless. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/03/Futurists-Explore-Alternative-Energy?rsstype=group&gid=1 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:40:43 -0500 alternative energy cleantech solar futurism Ray Kurzweil National Association of Engineers expert panel http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/03/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report-EU-Reports-Kyoto-Progress-Oil-by-the-Barrel-Hits-Record-Ultracpacitors-on-the-Way--Daylight-Savings-Doesnt-Save?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog articles aggregated on Greenedia.com, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. EU Releases Environment Scorecard Treehugger blogged this week on the self-scoring the EU released on their progress toward Kyoto emissions and energy goals. The outlook was not that great, altogether, though progress has been made in the appropriate direction, unlike the US and Japan, which also received scores, and seem to be heading in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, according to the scorecard, the EU is still not on track to meet those goals. They reproduced a chart from the report in the post, giving a clear indication of how the various initiatives are doing, as percentage changes from a baseline calculation. In fact, the chart shows the only current hope for success in the EU of meeting their goals, in greenhouse gas emission reduction. Other areas, such as electricity from renewables and biodiversity, do not appear to be on track and are a significant concern for the EU. Record Oil Prices and President Bush's Uninformed State Over at Clean Energy, Jesse Jenkins points out that oil has recently set a record, beating the inflation-adjusted previous high of 1980. At $103.05 last week, oil beat the previous record by about fifty cents, and ushered in a new wave of speculation that gas at the pump could top $4 per gallon this spring when reformulated gasoline starts flowing from the refineries. Of more concern to Jenkins in the post itself, is that US President Bush seems to be unaware that such a dramatic spike in gas prices could be coming so soon, according to industry analysts. Jenkins advocates, among other things, a re-investment of the subsidies currently going to oil companies in solutions for the growing fossil fuel crisis. Ultracapacitors Could Spell The End of Batteries With everyone looking for better ways to store electricity, EcoGeek points out news that ultracapacitors (or ultracaps ) may have been the subject of a breakthrough that would move them past batteries in preference. The auto industry has long considered them unsuitable for electric vehicle implementations on account of their relatively low energy density when compared to batteries--just able to store 5% of what a same-sized Lithium-Ion battery could store. The breakthrough, as EcoGeek goes on to say, comes from an MIT research project into nanoscale ultracapacitors which could store up to half of what a Lithium-Ion battery does. While the technology is not ready to fly out of the lab into a car just yet, the promise of continued research indicates that just such a development may be just around the corner. No Savings in Falling Back and Springing Forward With the spring forward of daylight savings time just around the corner, GristMill unearths a report that suggests that the supposed energy savings ofthe annual springing forward and falling back don't actually amount to much. The theory goes that with an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, we'll use less electricity in lighting our homes, and thus save some energy. But recently, with the state of Indiana electing to adopt Daylight Savings statewide, where only a few counties had been on-board with it before, an opportunity was realized to study the theory in the real world. Delving deeper, GristMill discovers that not only aren't there any savings in the process, but it's actually a waste of money and energy over maintaining standard time year round. Researchers at University of California-Santa Barbara discovered that spending on energy increased by $8.6 million for the state of Indiana alone while on Daylight Savings--not a savings at all but, as GristMill says, a wastings. About Greenedia Greenedia is your guide to the best Green social media available on the Internet. SoMedia Networks Inc, which also operates Inveslogic.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com, is building the first network of social media websites dedicated to finding, organizing and presenting content based on expertise and authority. For more information or to register an account, visit Greenedia.com. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/03/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report-EU-Reports-Kyoto-Progress-Oil-by-the-Barrel-Hits-Record-Ultracpacitors-on-the-Way--Daylight-Savings-Doesnt-Save?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:18:38 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/03/EnergyStar-and-Server-Efficiency?rsstype=group&gid=1 Energy efficiency in the IT industry needs a broad-spectrum attack on most every aspect of the information technology experience, but the area most in need of attention is that of servers. Data centers and server farms tend to be dramatically inefficient, especially as they have a tendency to hold onto old and outdated equipment which runs less efficiently as it ages. But they're also high concentrations of high powered computers that run hot and need a commensurate amount of cooling hardware to keep them running at their peak. The US Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar division has long been a player in making computers more efficient, but now they're stepping it up in order to make the servers that are the hub of the entire industry more efficient. Virtually every business, down to some of the smallest, uses servers to store their critical data and guide their operations, and EnergyStar's attempt to create meaningful guidelines should help improve them. Together with Google and Intel's industry-wide effort to create more efficient desktops, this kind of move should have a quick and positive impact. A recent study would suggest that, despite the reduction in paper used, reading newspaper hardcopy is actually greener than reading the news online. The bulk of the reasoning would be that newspapers draw no power while one is reading them, but EcoGeek disputes the validity of the numbers and suggests that the study ignores the potential negative environmental impact of the printing and production process (which only has to occur once for a computer, but many times each day for newspapers). What could settle the argument, in fact, is a leaner, greener IT infrastructure. The reality is that periodical news and entertainment reading is increasingly moving on-line. Traditional newspapers are hemorrhaging money, while Google has demonstrated that on-line advertising is a viable income stream, even though most people do still get their news on paper. Arguments about which is greener is irrelevant, because the driving factor is which is more flexible, more in tune with the needs of today's consumers. What needs to happen is that experience--and all the other thousands of things people today get done on-line--needs to be more efficient, and EnergyStar's proposed guidelines are a big step in that direction. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/03/EnergyStar-and-Server-Efficiency?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:12:48 -0500 cleantech energy efficiency datacenters computer efficiency EPA EnergyStar http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Cheap-Hydrogen-For-Fuel-Cell-Vehicles?rsstype=group&gid=1 One of the obstacles to what some call the hydrogen economy is the prospect of refuelling infrastructure. Most naysayers for hydrogen envision that hydrogen will become a one-to-one replacement for gasoline--my car will have a hydrogen tank in place of the gas tank, I'll go to the hydrogen filling station when I need more, and we'll have to find some way to distribute hydrogen from massive refiniries to the filling stations. But hydrogen isn't oil. It's a major component of water, for instance, and thus in theory can be made anywhere. The prospect probably puts a chilling fear into the hearts of oil company executives everywhere, but their goose is likely cooked any way that you slice it. The future of transportation is not in fossil fuels, or any other sort of resource like it, unless ethanol becomes a lot more viable than it is right now. And there's possibility there--hydrogen right now is no more or less viable than ethanol--but hydrogen has the advantage of orders of magnitude greater abundance going for it. QuantumSphere Inc. seems ready to take one of the next steps forward in promoting hydrogen, however, using nanoparticles to increase the efficiency of electrolysis. Electrolysis is the process by which hydrogen is extracted from water, and requires a great deal more energy put in than is gotten out. And unfortunately, it's unlikely that more energy will be realized from the process than is put in--thanks to one of the laws of thermodynamics. But hydrogen, in this case, is essentially about providing the sort of range that gasoline provides a car. In that case, the trade-off of a slight amount of energy loss is worth it, so long as batteries fail to offer the same kind of range. The nanoparticle-enhanced electrolysis could happen on such a small scale, the company hopes, that the entire process could be contained within the vehicle. The car would still need to be plugged in at night, say, for the hydrogen to be generated, but there would need to be no new equipment to come along with the car and, indeed, no filling stations. In the same way some are promoting the idea of home hydrogen fuel cells to make rooftop solar power a more realistic alternative; surplus solar energy during the day would electrolyze hydrogen, then used to power fuel cells at night or during days of extreme cloud cover. Good for the consumer but bad for the big, powerful energy industry, including oil, would be this libertarian aspect to a hydrogen economy. In fact, that trillion dollar collection of companies would cease to meaningfully exist, unless they moved into the manufacture and distribution of the necessary hardware. The ability to generate power, the power to drive, the power to live in comfort, would be entirely in the hands of the people. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Cheap-Hydrogen-For-Fuel-Cell-Vehicles?rsstype=group&gid=1 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:46:38 -0500 cleantech alternative energy hydrogen hydrogen fuel cell electrolysis alternative fuel auto industry fossil fuels http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--Germany-and-Renewables-Biggest-Greenwasher-Photovoltaics-Deep-Green-UK-Seeks-Better-Biofuel-Understanding?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog artciles aggregated on Greenedia.com, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. Germany Gets Creative With Renewables This past week Treehugger wondered if Germany was on the road to a 100% renewable, sustainable economy. They point to a potentially groundbreaking experiment in weaning an energy grid off of nuclear and fossil fuel energy sources in a short time frame. The University of Kassel cooperated with three German energy companies in the experiment. Treehugger goes into a bit more detail (while also providing an in-line YouTube video), and suggests that the approach used, of building a power plant that combined a number of different sources of energy--from solar, to wind, to biogas--could provide steady and uninterrupted power for the grid around the clock and in any conditions. Such a distributed means of providing power, in the small scale, was able to replicate the always-on nature of a coal or natural gas plant with the sustainability of renewable sources. Greenwasher of the Decade Climate Progress recalls the seedier side of the cleantech movement by highlighting the decade's biggest greenwasher--that is, the company that provided the thinnest veneer of sustainability while continuing in their carbon-emitting, fossil-fuel capitalizing ways. Their winner was British Petroleum, which seems to be satisfied with their renewable efforts as just a veneer following the purchase of tar sands in an effort to prolong the dominance of oil. They quote from a Guardian article and use the information to disparage the new CEO of British Petroleum, Tony Hayward and his efforts to stop the company's once promising forward momentum and return them to reliance on petroleum. Lord John Browne, the former CEO who laid out BP's renewable path, has been quiet since he stepped down and Climate Progress feels that the departure of his vision for the company has been the biggest blow to their green fortunes. Emissions from Photovoltaic Life Cycles Over at Energy Blog, they're looking at a report that delves into the long tail of emissions from the life cycle of photovoltaic solar panels. The report breaks down which of the four major types of photovoltaic solar panels consume the least amount of energy in their manufacturing and life cycle, versus their potential energy output over the life of the panel. In the post, they point to thin-film cadmium-telluride solar cells as the clear winner in terms of minimal energy usage. Energy Blog goes on to point out that all of them have extremely low energy profiles when compared to fossil fuels, despite the intensive nature of their manufacture, probably due to the 20+ year life cycle of a typical photovoltaic solar panel, which has paid for its own energy usage many, many times over by the time it needs to be replaced. UK Goverment Seeks Grasp of Biofuels' Indirect Impacts AutoBlog Green takes notice of the fact that the British government is seeking answers on the deep green and other, non-obvious impacts of the use of biofuels. Some obvious effects have already been noted--such as the increase in food prices in response to the drive for corn-based ethanol as a fuel soltuion--but the government is also trying to look deeper at ethanol and other biofuels before creating the kind of policy that US President George W. Bush has been pushing. The Department for Transport has commissioned a report from the UK's Renewable Fuels Agency for delivery by summer, according to the post. The call comes immediately following reports in Science that biofuels may not be all they're cracked up to be, and with the UK signatory to the Kyoto Protocols, as well as beholden to courses charted by the EU, they are looking for definitive answers to better chart the progress of these policies. About Greenedia Greenedia is your guide to the best Green social media available on the Internet. SoMedia Networks Inc, which also operates Inveslogic.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com, is building the first network of social media websites dedicated to finding, organizing and presenting content based on expertise and authority. For more information or to register an account, visit Greenedia.com. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--Germany-and-Renewables-Biggest-Greenwasher-Photovoltaics-Deep-Green-UK-Seeks-Better-Biofuel-Understanding?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:21:00 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Official-Renewable-Efforts-Gain-Traction?rsstype=group&gid=1 Renewable energy remains one of the big issues in terms of converting to a clean economy, and official action on many levels is required to make that happen. While national governments slowly start to catch up, much of the heavy lifting is still being done on the state, province, and local levels. In many ways intended to prepare for eventual federal requirements, and also to placate a populace that demands action, a number of states and localities have provided very aggressive measures to attempt to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption. On the federal level, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) called for new renewable energy legislation at the Renewable Energy World Conference & Exhibition North America. Seeking a national standard of renewable energy, along with incentives for participation and standardization for home renewable energy efforts, Sen. Reid is banking on a growing feeling of urgency for renewable energy standards. He also seems to be looking with an eye toward the upcoming Presidential election, where all three current front-runners, including Republican Sen. John McCain, have strong renewable energy planks in their platforms, promising stronger potential for action than under the current administration. The Canadian government meanwhile is backing a project in Eastern Canada by Thermal Energy to help a pulp and paper mill reclaim biowaste as energy to run critical plant functions. Thermal Energy is hoping that the project will serve as a sort of beacon for future renewable energy efforts in Canada. Three Michigan universities--University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University in downtown Detroit--are teaming up to provide funding to full-time faculty to research sustainable projects as part of their existing University Research Corridor cooperative. The hope there is to do together what the faculties of the three big universities could not do on their own, and along the way help redevelop Michigan's stagnant economy. In terms of leadership in renewable energy, Portugal would seem to be leading the pack, aiming for 45% of energy from renewables by 2010--one of the most aggressive goals in the world--with an eye toward 60% not long after. While Portugal's geography and small size offer a somewhat easier path to a sustainable economy, they are also a showcase of what determination can do when tackling a problem such as this. Some in the State of Maryland, in fact, could take a page from their book, should the state government enact legislation calling for a 90% reduction in emissions by 2050. While it is an ambitious goal, 90% by 2050 is by no means out of reach of any developed nation (or portion thereof), and should be approached with enthusiasm and determination, not doomsaying and negativity. In all, there is a great deal of forward motion, naysayers aside, on the positioning of renewable energy as a viable basis for future economy; days are coming when holdouts are more notable than adopters, and the world may well be on its way to a sustainable future. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Official-Renewable-Efforts-Gain-Traction?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:35:32 -0500 renewable energy sustainable legislation thermal energy biowaste reclamation solar energy http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report-Coal-Prices-to-Double-Chrysler-Sets-Broad-Sights-Organic-Hydrogen-Producers-Decoded-Hybrids-Only-A-Stort-Term-Solution?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog artciles aggregated on Greenedia.com, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. Coal Prices Open The Door To Biomass Looking toward the possible rise of biomass as an energy source, BioPact Blog points out that coal prices could conceivably double in the next two years. A variety of pressures on the supply of coal, including limits on production in Indonesia and Australia, and spiraling demand in China and India, are consiring to drive prices up, perhaps much more rapidly than the market is ready to absorb. The market already received a shock, in fact, when rumors circulated that an Asian steel company paid well above market value for coal. BioPact goes on to suggest possible high volume alternatives to coal, such as massive brush overgrowth in northern Namibia that could provide up to 500TWh of energy in lieu of coal. This concept, as well as BioPact's outline for medium and long-term implementation of a biomass fuel economy provides a continuum of energy provision should the price of coal continue to expand in such a dramatic fashion. Chrysler Exploring Every Available Green Car Tech Reporting on a video clip of Carlist's Lou Ann Hammon, AutoBlogGreen says that Chrysler seems to be approaching green car technology on every front, looking for the best possible solutions out of what has become a host of alternatives. The video clip features Hammond speaking with Chairman and Vice President of Chrysler Jim Press, who discusses the company's plans down for the future. Focusing on the fate of the dual mode hybrid that had been developed with GM and BMW while Chrysler was actually Daimler-Chrysler, AutoBlogGreen looks at the direction of the Big Three company now that Daimler has departed the partnership again. Daimler seems to have left the dual mode hybrid to Chrysler which they are seeking to develop aggressively, in addition to all the other options. Their philosophy is that it's not wise to focus too narrowly in this time of transition. Genome Sequenced For Hydrogen Producing Anaerobe Green Car Congress points out that a team of German researchers have decoded the genome for a variety of bacteria that produces hydrogen as a waste process. Growing on sole energy sources ethanol and acetate, the well-studied bacterium provides intriguing options for producing hydrogen from complex sources without slow and expensvie electrolysis. The post identifies the Max Planck Institute as the source of the research and provides a link to the official publication of the group's findings. French Insist Hybrids Only For The Short Term Treehugger takes exception to French research that suggests that hybrids are only a short term solution to looming shortages--and price increases--in oil. In fact, Treehugger can't seem to believe that research needs to be done into the question of whether or not hybrids are the final solution, since it almost seems to go without saying that they're not. Hybrids, at best, only extend the mileage of existing internal combustion engines not provide a true alternative. In the post they suggest a number of measures to thumb one's nose at the findings, including driving a hybrid. The vehicles may not be a final solution, but they're a better alternative to the lower mileage non-hybrid vehicles, and help to push off the probem a little to give more time for more permanent solutions to be worked out. They also suggest commenting on the research (and providing appropriate links) and helping support the research into long term solutions. About Greenedia Greenedia is your guide to the best Green social media available on the Internet. SoMedia Networks Inc, which also operates Inveslogic.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com, is building the first network of social media websites dedicated to finding, organizing and presenting content based on expertise and authority. For more information or to register an account, visit Greenedia.com. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report-Coal-Prices-to-Double-Chrysler-Sets-Broad-Sights-Organic-Hydrogen-Producers-Decoded-Hybrids-Only-A-Stort-Term-Solution?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:34:34 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Government-A-Bellwether-For-Green-Fortunes?rsstype=group&gid=1 How can we tell when spending on cleantech and other eco-friendly sectors is on the up? When government gets in on it, especially in an election year. With Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) taking the lead in delegates tonight for the Democratic Presidential nomination, the question opens up as to how he plans to deal with energy issues in the event of his nomination and potential election to the Presidency. And so far, it seems like he is pushing the most aggressive line of the three remaining major candidates across both parties. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sen. Obama wants to push for carbon neutrality in the federal government itself by 2025 and 50 percent reductions in emissions nationwide by 2030. [via GreenBang] Perhaps in spite of, but perhaps because of this very aggressive push for emissions reductions and carbon neutrality, Obama is enjoying broad popular support and vying for a nomination that some saw as Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) to lose. But support here, at the federal level may be what cleantech and alternative energy and the rest of the green range of options to take off for real. Strong federal support, for instance, would vastly improve the investment fortunes of emerging cleantech companies as Wall Street would see a guaranteed outlet for the new technology and products as the massive federal bureaucracies lumbered toward carbon neutrality. In this way, it's far more than just imposing a few strict regulation on how much of what can be emitted or produced or consumed--as it did with information and computer technology, the government would represent a solid basis for business, a way for companies to build the scale they need to bring prices down to average consumer levels and investors to put their money in with a measure of certainty. State and local governments have already started this process, of course. Ontario, Canada has earmarked $15 million to promising, transformative projects in the province. And while that may be a pittance compared to the billions Sen. Obama is hoping to spend, it's a start, a leg-up for many companies that need just that much patronage in order to start rolling their products out the door and making them attractive to the rest of their possible customer base. The future of cleantech is going to be a mix between free market growth and significant government spending--many revolutionary changes have happened just that way, and this looks to be no different. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Government-A-Bellwether-For-Green-Fortunes?rsstype=group&gid=1 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:21:33 -0500 cleantech presidential race barack obama energy policy energy spending government spending emission reduction http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report-Biofuels-Harm-the-Environment-Bush-Promotes-Inefficiency-Sustainable-Style-Solar-Installer-Readies-IPO?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog artciles aggregated on Greenedia.com, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. How Biofuels Increase Carbon Emissions Science Blog offers interesting criticism of the use of biofuels by way of a report from the University of Minnesota and the Nature Conservancy that says use of biofuels can actually speed up global warming where natural ecosystems are converted to biofuel farmland. The existing flora, it turns out, is better at processing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than the stock used for ethanol and biodiesel, worsening the climate change balance. The article cites a classic example in the Amazon rain forest, where farmers are being encouraged to clear cut existing rain forest and plant soybeans, the current system rewarding them for quantity of crop as opposed to carbon balance. Science Blog does go on to say, however, that there are a number of different locales and environments in which biofuel crops are an improvement or a push in terms of carbon emission offset over existing vegetation. President Bush's Energy Budget Doesn't Go Far Enough Joe Romm at Climate Progress takes President Bush to task for offering stirring and positive energy rhetoric while attempting to slash Department of Energy funding for critical projects. Focusing on his recent State of the Union Address statements, Romm suggests that the President's calls for action on energy and climate questions was a rhetorical smokescreen, hiding a broad deemphasizing of the question and the defunding of a number of programs. Providing a breakdown of the budget request in the post, he endeavors to show that Bush is not at all serious about the energy issues facing the United States and is trying to sweep it under the rug in his last year in office. Programs such as water energy research (that is, hydroelectric, wave, and steam power) appear to face significant cuts, along with completely defunding the Renewable Energy Production Incentive. Several programs do get boosts, including more research money for carbon sequestration in coal-fired plants and $7.5 million for the Asia-Pacific Partnership. Paris Looks to Make Sustainability Stylish Last week EcoGeek took a look at Parisian construction project that aims to blend the kind of art and style that the city is known for with a 21st century energy ethic. Brainchild of Vincent Callebaut, noted architect and designer, the building would sit astride a disused canal in the city's 19th district. Actually a pair of buildings, the structures would aim to provide their own energy while simultaneously, actively reducing smog in the city. According to the post, Callebaut hopes to achieve this with an external mix of photovoltaic solar cells and a structure faced with titanium dioxide that reacts with organics and reduces airborne pollutants and contaminants when exposed to the UV radiation present in sunlight. Both structures would also feature copious greenery on their exterior surfaces, and the second of the pair, a helical tower, would have built-in turbines to harness the wind that sweeps down the canal. Real Goods Seeks Wall Street Splash With IPO Treehugger points out that solar installer Real Goods has completed paperwork to make an initial public offering (IPO) on NASDAQ. The company, now oned by Gaiam, recently acquired two other installation companies as part of a move to market consolidation, and now seeks investment funding to expand further. Real Goods' revenues, according to Treehugger, were estimated at $32.7 million for 2007, with profits of nearly half a million, with the acquired companies' revenues and profits taken into account. Going public could vastly improve Real Goods' standing and better position them in what is sure to be a highly competitive solar energy market. About Greenedia Greenedia is your guide to the best Green social media available on the Internet. SoMedia Networks Inc, which also operates Inveslogic.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com, is building the first network of social media websites dedicated to finding, organizing and presenting content based on expertise and authority. For more information or to register an account, visit Greenedia.com. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report-Biofuels-Harm-the-Environment-Bush-Promotes-Inefficiency-Sustainable-Style-Solar-Installer-Readies-IPO?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:55:18 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/What-It-Takes?rsstype=group&gid=1 One of the biggest hurdles to pushing an alternative energy technology is that it must compete with entrenched energy tech that has billions--literally, the economies of entire regions--behind it, which means it needs millions and billions in order to gain ground. Most investors, in fact, even angels and VCs, are going to need to see new technologies and techniques working in scale, beyond the laboratory before they take their calculated risks. That's where Google aims to become a major player, an enabler of sorts in the greening of America. Where nascent technologies hope to supplement or replace our current energy technologies, but need a hand over the transom so to speak, Google's philanthropic arm wants to be there to provide the funding to bring scale to these technologies. The Mountain View, CA-based company has long been passionate about the role of cleantech and alternative energy in the future of human endeavor. Their corporate headquarters is partially powered by solar tree farms planted in their parking lots, and they're leading a major technology consortium to develop and deploy computing technologies that are dramatically more efficient than what is currently on the market. So this kind of thing is no surprise, but the scale is certainly ambitious. Also ambitious, and also needing major funding to make it over the hurdle into full funding and respectability is the prospect of using nuclear fusion to replace coal, fission, and other dirty and uncertain means to produce electricity. A Canadian company hopes to make that a reality, and may do it in the next decade or so, according to VC Wal van Lierop. General Fusion hopes to take a novel means of creating fusion in a laboratory setting (though by no means the physicists' dubious Holy Grail of fusion that can take place at room temperature, so-called cold fusion) and develop it into a viable technology that can produce more energy than it requires, the gold standard for any sustainable energy technology. Getting to that gold standard however, will require a lot of the kind of money that Google and van Lierop are offering before it could begin to produce a return on the investment. But with support like this, it's hard to imagine that these kinds of efforts could not succeed. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/What-It-Takes?rsstype=group&gid=1 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:12:48 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--Sky-Trust-Carbon-Trading-Increasing-Solar-Installations-GMC-Denali-XT-Concept-Goes-Super-Green--Lithium-Ion-Battery-Factory-Breaks-Ground?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog artciles aggregated on Greenedia.com, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. Carbon Cap-And-Dividend That Pays Citizens In his blog, TriplePundit takes a look at a carbon trading scheme aimed at paying back to citizens and consumers. Wanting a workable, sensible carbon policy for the US, TriplePundit assesses the Citizens Guide to Carbon Capping, a novel approach to the question of carbon trading that attempts to reach citizens directly, rather than being a shell game for corporations. Otherwise it would seem to work on the same concept--individuals and companies would be rewarded for reducing their consumption and emissions, rewards essentially funded by those less eager to change their lifestyle. According to the post, the SkyTrust is an answer of sorts to the short-term failure of the European Trading Scheme (ETS) which has actually resulted in an increase in emissions among participating nations, not the hoped-for reduction. SkyTrust would resolve this in part by presenting a hard cap, rather than just relying on market forces to work, and providing no exemptions or outs. Through such means, the trust would aim to reduce emissions 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. Here Comes The Sun In a guest post at GristMill, Earl Killian shows off some nifty imagery, demonstrating the growth of solar installations across the United States. He links to a site that provides many graphical distributions of the data, including that of annual growth, marking how solar has exploded over the past five years as a viable energy producer. He also asks the question as to why so many solar installations are concentrated in California and New Jersey. Breaking down the numbers, he points that the places that have high concentrations of solar energy installations are those that offer significant economic incentives for installing. Not a great surprise, and a call to action for those states that would see greater use of clean and renewable energy in the US. Hybrid and Flexfuel In One Vehicle Over at AutoBlogGreen, they're profiling a number of new and concept vehicles as the auto show circuit warms up, including the GMC Denali XT, a resurrection of the old El Camino bodystyle. The bodystyle is a bit of a resurrection for GM, coming from that old El Camino, but also fitting with the current automaker passion for convergent vehicles, those that combine utility aspects from less efficient vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks, with the lower profile and greater efficiency of sedans and coupes. What gets AutoBlogGreen all excited about it, however, is that the Denali XT combines a two mode hybrid power-train with E85 ethanol flexfuel capability. While E85 tends to reduce overall mileage, GM is betting big on backing cheap ethanol, providing an overall savings to drivers, especially combined with the tank-stretching power of hybrids. Ford had already started testing such a combination in their Ford Escape. Such convergance is likely to be a wave of the future. France to Start Production of Lithium-Ion Car Batteries Treehugger reports that US auto supplier group Johnson Controls and French battery maker Saft are set to break ground on a facility exclusively for the production of advanced lithium-ion batteries for the auto industry. The batteries are commonly found in today's two-mode gas-electric hybrids and could form the basis for all-electric vehicles like Tesla Motors' offerings and GM's Chevy Volt. The post indicates that the facility will at first supply GM, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, but could expand to provide critical supply to all automakers internationally. Likewise, a dedicated facility will better be able to respond to advances in Lithium-Ion technology that promises to expand capacity and further reduce weight, critical to providing long distance fleets of electric vehicles. About Greenedia Greenedia is your guide to the best Green social media available on the Internet. SoMedia Networks Inc, which also operates Inveslogic.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com, is building the first network of social media websites dedicated to finding, organizing and presenting content based on expertise and authority. For more information or to register an account, visit Greenedia.com. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--Sky-Trust-Carbon-Trading-Increasing-Solar-Installations-GMC-Denali-XT-Concept-Goes-Super-Green--Lithium-Ion-Battery-Factory-Breaks-Ground?rsstype=group&gid=1 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:37:02 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--Hybrid-Buses-Are-Go-Oregon-Proposes-Cap-and-Trade-Ann-Arbor-Goes-All-LED-and-Abu-Dhabi-Aims-For-Alt-Energy-Leadership5486?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog artciles aggregated on Greenedia.com, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. 1700 Hybrid Buses Ordered Allison Transmission, according to the Green Car Congress, has received orders totalling 1700 new hybrid bus transmissions for municipal fleets in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The order would double the number of GM-Allison powered buses on the roads, and may create the largest fleet of hybrids in the US via Washington's order for nearly 1000. There are currently about 1000 of the hybrid buses on the roads right now, helping to make an efficient form of urban travel even cleaner. According to GCC, Allison builds the hybrid transmissions under license with General Motors, and that GM intends to release a number of new hybrid models in the near future. GM has attempted to position itself as a very green automaker at the recent Detroit auto shows, so it is no surprise that they're aggressively pursuing this line of business. And the current crop of buses display impressive numbers when it comes to reducing pollution, providing the golden green ideal of reducing energy consumption and emissions simultaneously. Oregon Heads for Cap-and-Trade One of the big ideas being chucked around the clean energy discussion these days is that of cap-and-trade, as mentioned by Maria Energia. Oregon's contemplation of such a move would make it one of the first localities in the United States to even suggest such a system for resident companies, much less approve and implement one. According to the post, both the governor and a prominent state legislator are making similar proposals to help cap Oregon's carbon emissions and provide income to clean energy projects in the meantime. Many other states--and the federal government itself--will certainly be watching to see if and how Oregon's plan succeeds. Ann Arbor's Low-Energy Lights Ann Arbor, Michigan--home to the University of Michigan and a very progressive population--has started on its way to 100% LED street lighting according to MetaEfficient. The lighting provides very bright illumination and lower energy consumption than traditional incandescent or even fluorescent lighting. Already quite popular in flashlights and other small-scale devices, the technology is quickly being ramped up to use in larger applications such as building lighting and, as in Ann Arbor, public outdoor lighting. In the post, MetaEfficient points out that full adoption of LED public lighting in Ann Arbor could halve the city's energy bill and dramatically reduce the annual emissions output. The city says it expects the LED installation to go about 4 years for return on investment, but with reduced energy use in a time when energy prices may rise dramatically, the return could come even sooner than that. Abu Dhabi and Cleantech VC Circle suggests that when you think of the Persian Gulf region, you do not think of green, in any shape or form. Between the arid climate, the oil-based economy, and the often dramatic excesses displayed by many of the regions' elite, there is not much that is either green or efficient about the Persian Gulf region, other than the ability to pump oil out of the ground and into the international market. But Abu Dhabi wants to change that perception. Proposing a $15 billion dollar green program, as the article states, Abu Dhabi (one of the seven states of the United Arab Emirates) hopes to become a hub for all things cleantech-related, from the manufacture of solar panels on down. What's most likely is that nations such as Abu Dhabi can read the writing on the wall and realize that the oil-based economy is not likely to sustain them in twenty years the way it has for the last fifty, and they are positioning themselves to lead in the new energy economy. About Greenedia Greenedia is your guide to the best Green social media available on the Internet. SoMedia Networks Inc, which also operates Inveslogic.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com, is building the first network of social media websites dedicated to finding, organizing and presenting content based on expertise and authority. For more information or to register an account, visit Greenedia.com. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/02/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--Hybrid-Buses-Are-Go-Oregon-Proposes-Cap-and-Trade-Ann-Arbor-Goes-All-LED-and-Abu-Dhabi-Aims-For-Alt-Energy-Leadership5486?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:47:29 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/Art-and-Utility-in-Green-Building?rsstype=group&gid=1 With green building, there is a necessary concern over form and function. For instance, solar water-heating options have been around forever; they're extremely simple, generally quite effective, and require nothing in the way of special or sensitive technology. They do tend, however, to be extremely ugly black appliques to existing structures, and not easily integrated visually. It's hard to say if that's been a factor for their extremely slow adoption, but it has to be taken into consideration, certainly. But as Wall Street Journal reports, green building is becoming easier to integrate into building design, and it is in fact starting to become standard, often ahead of building codes. Art museums, as they focus on, seem to be a natural target for green building advocates, especially as they often require energy-intensive climate control and security systems to safeguard their charges. The Grand Rapids Art Museum, of Grand Rapids, Michigan recently opened as the first new construction LEED-certified art museum. So, efficient building can also look good. More importantly, that kind of design requirement is made part of the aesthetic from the ground-up, not tacked on later. That kind of concern is also being applied to more pedestrian buildings, such as a proposed new firehouse in Noblesville, Indiana. Although it's not stated as part of the article, what's a clear concern is that the time is coming where government buildings are likely to be required to take the lead in energy efficiency and water conservation. That could mean, down the road, ugly and expensive appliques or refittings of essentially new structures, as the Noblesville firehouse would still be ten years from now, for instance. Hopefully, the State budget watchdogs that will fund the project are also considering, along with upfront cost, what the rennovation costs will be to bring the firehouse into a minimum green standards compliance in the future. The more that is done today in that direction, the less of a devestating impact mandatory changes could have in the future. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/Art-and-Utility-in-Green-Building?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:52:01 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/Break-Through--A-Book-Review?rsstype=group&gid=1 One of the things I like the most about the upcoming Presidential election is that we could actually wind up with candidates from both parties expressing a vision of a strong America, but one that is also energy- and emissions-conscious. Both sides have front-runner candidates that seem to be concerned about energy independence (at the very least from a national security standpoint) and seem to be invested in harnessing the traditional ingenuity and industry of the American people to make dramatic and lasting change. If that happens, I think Break Through by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger is going to be seen as a seminal work in that regard. They start at a point where they posit the pending death of environmentalism--that is, the historical end of the notion that ecology can be preserved exclusively through limits on human action, and the coordinating assumption that no human action other than imposing limits can help preserve nature, setting the two in essential, and false, isolation. From there the book looks into the failures of environmentalism, from the Amazon rain forest where a focused approach on simply stopping clearcutting has failed in spectacular fashion to the excesses of NIMBYism which shows dedicated environmentalists in Massachusetts fighting against low-impact, sea-based wind turbines for no reason other than to preserve their ocean views. In the end, they propose a sort of modern Apollo project--long term, with extraordinary vision, and dedicated to breaking US dependence on oil and coal through aggressive promotion of cleantech, alternative energy, and well managed cap-and-trade markets for carbon. In fact, they proposed such a plan to the Democratic Presidential candidates in 2004, but even four years ago energy was not the issue it is today, and found no one to promote it as part of their campaign. Nordhaus and Shellenberger take an intriguing tack in approaching the question of what they call postenvironmentalism and how its precursors--as well as the dramatic political change many thought was coming in 2004--failed. What they do is start with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which is usually limited in discussion to the importance of food, shelter, and clothing, and address how America sees itself, not in a struggle to eat or be clothed, but in a struggle for status and personal satisfaction. Environmentalism, they say, fails in part because the limiting concepts core to traditional environmentalism force people down the Hierarchy of Needs, rather than let them climb it. While some proponents might be able to couch their appeals in terms of being able to do more with less, most people do not see it that way; they're only liable to listen and go along if you can promise a non-negative impact on their standard of living. For the first time in history, science and technology are on the cusp of being able to offer us just that: truly doing more while consuming less and making less of a negative impact on our environment. In fact, leaps forward in cleantech might be better able to help us improve and preserve the world's biodiversity, and likewise transmit those benefits, and that preservation, to the entire world. As they say toward the end of the book, it will turn the environmental movement's conditional support for economic development on its head: developing economies will be sustainable precisely to the extent that we invest in their development. Agree or not, what's certain is that Nordhaus and Shellenberger present an agressive, expansive vision for the future of humanity, and the specifics are quite simple. What remains to be seen is whether former political enemies can scrape together some humility and put it into action. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/Break-Through--A-Book-Review?rsstype=group&gid=1 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:58:40 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--155MW-of-Geothermal-Financing-Up-Cleantechs-Market-Durability-McCains-Energy-Profile-and-Ethanol-v-Hybrids?rsstype=group&gid=1 This is a selection of recent popular blog artciles aggregated on Greenedia, where you will find the best blogs from the world of green media, as well as video uploads, podcasts, and blog authoring. Merril Lynch Funds Raser Technologies for 155MW of Geothermal Power The Energy Blog reports that Wall Street powerhouse Merril Lynch has agreed to financing and structuring for as much as 155MW of geothermal power plants installed by Utah-based Raser Technologies. The deal also includes full funding for its first 10.5MW geothermal installation. The financing will give them enough capital to get their installation projects off the ground, including a goal of installing 100MW or more per year for the next three years. According to the article, Raser Technologies will utilize UTC Power PureCycle(tm) geothermal technology to exploit previously unusable geothermal fields, previously considered too cool for traditional geothermal power generation. From The Energy Blog: The PureCycle system makes it possible to tap into a significant new domestic renewable energy resource because it operates at previously unusable low temperatures -- from 165 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. How Storm-Proof Is The Green Economy? This past week Grist tackled the question of how the cleantech economy will fare if the economic indicators are accurate and the US economy is headed for a downturn. So far, the green economy has shrugged off a number of challenges, and could conceivably continue to grow again in the coming year, as it has the past several years straight. By those indications, the green economy looks quite strong. But as Grist points out, Recessions don't play favorites, for the most part. A general downturn could still hurt the movement, giving governments less money to work with as consumers dial back spending and so forth. The post also points out that Wall Street has begun to get skittish about the possibility of a bursting stock bubble, though it seems that with so much to offer in terms of concrete developments and product it seems unlikely to suffer a significant fall. Evaluating McCain's Position On Energy With the Presidential election approaching at breakneck speed, Energy Outlook knows the value of assessing how each candidate views the looming energy issues that the US is facing. McCain specifically views much of the US energy policy through the lens of National Security, not surprising given his long-held views on the topic. And while his energy policy is not presented as a central plank to his platform, it seems to be a stronger-held view than with most of his Republican colleagues. Energy Outlook goes on to say that McCain seems to be the most global warming-oriented of the Republican candidates, embracing the concerns of the environmental community and pledging to make it a priority in his administration. And McCain did propose carbon cap-and-trade legislation, which has since been supplanted by a more ambitious bill, but certainly demonstrates his support for introducing government controls where the market is not getting the job done on its own. Do We Need A Winner? Ethanol, Hybrids, and Plug-in Hybrids EcoGeek wants to know why we need to pick one way of replacing ordinary, inefficient gasoline engines. The answer is that he thinks we don't--each one has strengths that can be better solutions in different situations. But beyond that, contributor Hank Green also wonders about technological convergence. Each technology brings an improvement to the table that could conceivably make the others that much more efficient. So why not an ethanol powered plug-in hybrid? The likely answer is that they're on their way, and it's only a matter of time before automakers start to chase the Holy Grail of efficiency--plus 100mpg vehicles. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/Greenedia-Weekly-Blog-Report--155MW-of-Geothermal-Financing-Up-Cleantechs-Market-Durability-McCains-Energy-Profile-and-Ethanol-v-Hybrids?rsstype=group&gid=1 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:08:53 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/State-of-the-World?rsstype=group&gid=1 Earlier this week, The Worldwatch Institute--a sustainability thinktank--released its annual State of the World report, a 270 page description of how the world is faring in terms of environment and sustainability, and where it can expect to be headed. The report, available from their site, goes in depth on the question of the world's approach to sustainability, with special focus on economic impact. The question of impact is, of course, crucial. One of the biggest concerns about global climate change is how it will affect not only animal and plant life around the world as habitats change and species fail to adapt, but also the impact on human societies and lifestyles that depend upon that animal and plant life. Likewise, the rising of oceans could make unlivable some cities, and more than just pushing people from their homes it could also crimp economic production as traditional centers of such could be displaced or destroyed. That's the bad news; climate scientists witnessed many worrying trends and developments in 2007 and have reason to worry. The good news, of course, is that the drive to do something about it seems to be as strong as ever. Dan Kulpinski of EarthSky Blogs describes the press conference at which the Worldwatch report was released as mostly upbeat, with a nod toward this year's explosion in cleantech development and investment. The better news, of course, is that much of the critical innovation, especially in green building, are already working, breathing improvements to existing structures. For much of the potential savings that the world needs to realize in energy and emissions, so many tools are already at our disposal and that side of innovation, the one that applies old or existing concepts to a new purpose, seems even stronger than the developmental, technological variety. It's good to see Worldwatch upbeat on this score, and to see them championing economic development; the reality on the ground is that the one thing most likely to make a difference, to make that impact is an aggressive program of development for a clean energy economy, which means massive government and private investment, driving and being driven by the broad consumer base. Certainly the changes needed are possible without that kind of large-scale engagement, but it's the only thing that's likely to provide the critical acceleration at this point. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2008/01/State-of-the-World?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:56:23 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/12/Bushs-About-Face-On-Climate-Change?rsstype=group&gid=1 Well, maybe it's not as surprising as some in the traditional media would like to point out; President Bush officially got on the clean energy bandwagon during his State of the Union Address earlier this year, though he still seemed to be a step behind popular thinking in the alternative energy community. His solution of corn-based ethanol, for instance, had already peaked in terms of potential in 2006 and most of the thinkers were already looking toward cellulosic ethanol or some other novel energy source that doesn't quite offer such a thunderous impact on food prices and arable land. But it is interesting that the US delegation to the Bali Negotiations, for instance, has gotten on board with most of the IPCC's recommendations (though it should be noted that the final recommendations have been watered down a bit, lacking firm date commitments). Something like this happened with the Kyoto Protocol, but the treaty was never sent to the Senate for ratification. Democratic control of the Senate, and a whole new sense of the challenges of global climate change since 1998, should ensure ratification of any treaty that arises from Bali. Meanwhile, Bush himself has signed critical legislation intended to kick-start the process of dragging the US into the 21st century in terms of mileage standards and clean energy initiatives. Critics will say that the legislation does not go far enough to begin to tackle the problem--but it seems unlikely that the problem is one that can be legislated away, in terms small-government conservatives are comfortable with. Part of the critical turn in combating climate change will come only when the general public is convinced to do what it takes on their own to join the fight. The trick, of course, will be to convince people in a way that's going to stick, and it's pretty clear that legislative bullying and extremist fearmongering is not going to get the job done. The good news is, as I've been saying all year, it looks like the public is turning a major corner in doing what needs to get done. Legislation can only ever be part of the solution, and the criticism of the new laws sounds much more like a simple observation; the law does not go far enough, but it cannot go any further without true popular support, or the public will begin to feel the burden of it. A burdened public is usually an uncooperative public, and far more important than a piece of legislation is building a consensus on the direction things need to go. Get the public moving in the right direction, and the legislation is going to be more like a guide, helping everyone along, rather than dragging them into reforms that they'll seek to undo at every turn. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/12/Bushs-About-Face-On-Climate-Change?rsstype=group&gid=1 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:10:47 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/12/BaliBuzz-US-Finally-Dragged-Kicking-And-Screaming-into-UN-Climate-Deal?rsstype=group&gid=1 Apparently the United States delegation to the Bali International Climate Negotiations - well the fake delegation, not the real delegation - has finally been dragged, kicking and screaming, into some kind of agreement on a road map to proceed on post-Kyoto Protocol international climate change negotiations. Details on what that deal is are emerging, and I hope to hear more soon from our correspondent at Bali, Richard Graves. However, for now, this is from Reuters: NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday dropped opposition to a compromise plan to launch talks on a new U.N. climate treaty after pleas from other nations. We will go forward and join consensus, Paula Dobriansky, heading the U.S. delegation, told the 190-nation meeting to cheers from many in the audience, minutes after triggering boos by saying Washington was opposed. The proposed compromise, breaking a deadlock between rich and poor nations, had been supported by all other previous speakers, including the European Union. The Bali Negotiations these past two weeks have revealed as the farce it is the US arguments that point the finger at China and other developing nations rising emissions as an excuse for the world's largest emitter* to sit on it's hands while our chances to build a sustainable, just, and prosperous future slip away. This line What about China? has been heard for a decade, every time someone even utters the words international climate agreement or binding emissions reductions in the United States. Well, in the words of Richard Graves, At Bali, the Chinese government and many other developing countries came forward with real proposals to act. They came in all seriousness, recognizing the urgency of action, and the United States and Canada blocked CHINA and other developing countries from acting. If the Bali conference puts a stake in the heart of that dirty little lie, it will at least have done something positive. Check out ItsGettingHotInHere.org for tons of dispatches from Bali, written by several members of the international youth delegation to Bali, the true stakeholders at the negotiations. There's been dozens of posts over the course of the past couple weeks. Look for the BaliBuzz tag in the headlines for stories from Bali. *OK fine, China may have surpassed the US in terms of total annual emissions, but a) the United States effectively offshores all of the emissions associated with the goods we import - much of it from China; and b) since carbon dioxide sits in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, cumulative emissions what drive climate change, and the US is responsible for the most cumulative emissions and will be for some time. So the US is still the nation most responsible for global warming. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/12/BaliBuzz-US-Finally-Dragged-Kicking-And-Screaming-into-UN-Climate-Deal?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:38:30 -0500 bali Canada China climate change climate change policy global warming united nations united nations framework convention on climate change youth activism http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/12/The-Reach-of-Cleantech-and-Clean-Energy?rsstype=group&gid=1 To me one of the remarkable things about the very recent and very rapid developments in the adoption of clean energy and cleantech is how widespread it has become. And not only widespread, but cutting across what one might call traditional political and ideological lines. Inherently, cleantech has a sort of appeal that the alternative does not--no one is really that in favor of pouring toxic smoke into the atmosphere for everyone to breather, for instance. No one is in favor of smog, or a return to the bad old days of Pittsburgh's unreformed steel mills when the city hung under a cloud of smoke and nastiness. No one wants miners to die in more coal mine cave-ins, or get blacklung, or what-have-you. So it's not surprising, and yet it is, in that the environmental debate has long been framed in polarized political terms--liberals in favor of increased restrictions and regulations, conservatives against. But that's the critical thing, on a social level, of the pending cleantech revolution. The benefits are no longer explained in terms of increasing restrictions, increasing privation--instead, cleantech promises continuing prosperity, a high standard of living maintained, and just about everyone can get on board with that. For evidence, I don't have to look much further than just outside my front door. I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is the conservative heart of the state. The county I live in has gone for George Bush in the last two elections and generally votes Republican across the board. So it's a little surprising, in the light of the right's usual opposition to environmentalism, that the city would have voted to get 20% of its energy from clean sources starting in 2008. Or that I would see custom home builders offering green building know-how. Or that Grand Rapids would be standing alongside traditionally liberal Ann Arbor, Michigan (home of the University of Michigan) in promoting Renewable Portfolio Standards. But it is all happening, and not just in Michigan that way. States that aren't California or New York, and communities that are not San Francisco or Seattle, are stepping up to the plate to take on the challenge of clean energy. Part of the quiet social upheaval has come from energy prices, but it seems more that the realization is sinking in: in order to progress in the new millennium, new ways of procuring energy and better ways of using it are going to have to be found. Whatever the stock market and investment trends say, this is probably the biggest predictor of how the cleantech revolution will turn out. And the outlook seems quite good. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/12/The-Reach-of-Cleantech-and-Clean-Energy?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:20:58 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/11/Old-New-Cycling-Around?rsstype=group&gid=1 The whole cleantech and alt energy movement has seen a number of major throwback concepts; the sod roof, for instance, is making a comeback from its days as a necessity on the lumber-free American prairie. Another, surprisingly, is the sail, millenia old and long ago dumped into the dustbin of technology, suitable only for hobbyists and sports yachters. But a German company, SkySails, is ready to outfit an oceangoing freighter with one of their innovative new sails and launch next month from their home port in the Baltic. The concept is, well, as old as sailboats on the Nile in Ancient Egypt. But the application, of course, is staggering. Now, instead of salty old captains reading the winds and making their adjustments on giant sail rigs, computers will control the play-out on a tow line, linked to a sail 1000 feet above the ocean's surface, guiding it into better winds. Basically, it's an ocean-going hybrid, an answer to rising diesel prices and ever-increasing demand for international shipping. As with the auto industry, it would be nice to see a combination of different approaches being thrown in the direction of the shipping industry in order to lessen the strain it puts on fossil fuel supplies (and prices!) Something like tethered, lighter-than-air wind turbines, for instance, could go a long way to powering an all-electric, or electric hybrid oceangoing freighter. The physics are different, of course, for gas-electric hybrid automobiles and what would be necessary for oceangoing shipping--and wisdom would leave a wholly self-contained propulsion system for adverse weather--but when the total costs of shipping like this are taken into account, the cost in emissions is simply staggering. Some suggest that shipping accounts for twice the emissions of air traffic, and really, any decent reduction is going to give us a little more breathing room in the race to eliminate humanity's carbon footprint. The heartening thing about these kinds of developments, be they throwbacks to a bygone era, or the latest in high technology, is that they're appearing everywhere and gaining much notice; the spirit of willingness and invention in almost every industry worldwide is a sure sign that humanity has taken stock of the problem and is busy working on solutions. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/11/Old-New-Cycling-Around?rsstype=group&gid=1 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:11:53 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/11/Keep-the-Heat-On-and-Focus-the-Nation?rsstype=group&gid=1 [This is a guest post by Alex Tinker:] The powers that be in Washington DC heard loud and clear at Power Shift 2007 this weekend that the Youth Climate Movement will not be sated with lip service and policy band-aids that don't address the true scope of the climate crisis. This movement is made up of hundreds of thousands of dedicated individuals, but dedication alone isn't what's forcing our leaders to listen and act. We must engage millions of constituents across the country, and turn the heat up on every politician who isn't already a leader on climate change. The raw enthusiasm unleashed in the capitol this weekend is just a sliver what's happening nation-wide; what we're witnessing is a movement that will change the world. Wondering what's next? Well in less than 90 days, millions of students, educators, citizens and people of faith will combine the knowledge of academia with the drive our generation has sparked to create the largest teach-in in U.S. history: Focus the Nation, a nationwide day of education and civic engagement on climate solutions on January 31st, 2008.. Not only will we help more people get educated on the issue, we will take that knowledge into a solution-oriented discussion with politicians where we get to grill them on how well educated they are on this crisis. And then, we'll vote on top solutions and send the word back to Washington DC and our state capitols. Will your campus and community make history? Is your community a part of the solution yet? How can you make it happen there? Check out our new Organizer's HQ with all the tools you need to harness this weekend's excitement back at home and lead your community to the brighter, cleaner, more just future we deserve and demand. Consider this a call to all are inspired by this growing momentum to Focus the Nation so we can hit DC with another wave of the ongoing power shift on February 1st. Let's keep the heat on: Focus the Nation! http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/11/Keep-the-Heat-On-and-Focus-the-Nation?rsstype=group&gid=1 Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:17:39 -0500 climate change climate change activism climate change policy events Focus the Nation global warming Power Shift 2007 youth activism http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/11/Joining-Forces-For-Lower-Emissions?rsstype=group&gid=1 Now, here's a policy that makes a bit of sense. Or, well, potential policy, anyway. As reported in the Detroit Free Press, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has vowed to pursuse $20 Billion in green vehicle bonds for the US auto industry to retool and improve factories if she is elected President in 2008, in exchange for vehicles with higher gas mileage. The bonds would carry low interest, and ancillary proposals in Clinton's overall clean energy package would encourage the purchase of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) like GM's forthcoming Chevy VOLT. Additional monies would be available for research into battery improvements for standard gas-electric hybrids. Ahhh, a policy that makes a little sense. One of the traditional obstacles to raising CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards has been the cost of engineering the vehicles and retooling factories to meet unilateral government demands for increased economy. The primary reason for that has been the little irony that the auto industry's biggest profitmaker--the SUV--will be the hardest to bring into line with stringent CAFE standards, such as the 50mpg average proposed by New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson. The auto industry needs an incentive to step up and make this happen, especially with their liability in terms of retiree health care, and simple demands from the federal government are not going to change the calculus of their current situation. A combination of these green vehicle bonds and perhaps an aggressive health care reform move on the part of a future administration would go great lengths in that direction; the bonds, right now, offer a mighty big carrot for the auto industry all by themselves. It remains to be seen if the traditionally-corporate friendly Republicans can match such a proposal; otherwise, we in the US might well see something unheard of next November: the auto industry and the unions agreeing on a Presidential candidate. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/11/Joining-Forces-For-Lower-Emissions?rsstype=group&gid=1 Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:28:15 -0500 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Bill-McKibben-Says-Its-Time-to-Organize-Organize-Organize-for-a-Cleaner-Future?rsstype=group&gid=1 Bill McKibben has three pieces of advice for people who want to make a difference in the fight against global warming: 1: Organize. 2. Organize. 3. Organize, says the well-beloved author, educator, climate activist and co-founder of Step It Up. Only then does he add his fourth piece of advice: After that, if they have some energy left, by all means change the light-bulbs. And to the young climate activists who are putting together a growing and increasingly sophisticated youth climate movement, McKibben says, Keep it up! This weekend, over 5,000 young leaders will converge in Washington D.C. for Power Shift 2007, the first-ever national youth climate summit, organized by the Energy Action Coalition. Back at home, tens of thousands more youth will be joining in hundreds of actions in their home communities as part of the second nationwide Step It Up day of action, November 3rd. Energy Action Coalition and the Power Shift organizing and outreach team caught up with Bill McKibben for a quick interview today to get his perspective on the upcoming youth climate events in DC and around the nation: Energy Action/Power Shift Team: With Power Shift on the horizon, what stage of development do you see the youth climate movement at? Where is it going next? Bill McKibben: This wave has just begun to build, and it's not even close to cresting. This will prove to be the biggest student movement and the biggest social movement in general since the end of the war in Vietnam. What do you consider the youth climate movement's biggest task after Power Shift? I think that it will increasingly join with the broader activist movement around climate change exemplified by the new 1Sky coalition. Important as it is to change campus policies, etc., the real fight is over federal policy. What kind of impact do you see the youth climate movement having on electoral politics (especially the 2008 elections)? How can youth maximize their impact? By making it clear that they are casting their votes on one primary issue the transition to a new energy system. If you could give one piece of advice/say just one thing to the members of the youth climate movement, what would it be? Keep it up! What, in your estimation, will be the biggest deciding factor/have the biggest impact on making positive legislative as quickly as possible? How much political pressure we can muster. So far so good efforts like StepItUp have changed the Capitol Hill debate a lot already, but they are nowhere near where they need to be be. What are you personally working on after Power Shift? We're trying out figure out how to help support an international grass roots movement. When you talk to people about climate change, what do you encourage them to do to make a difference? 1--organize. 2--organize. 3--organize. 4--if they have some energy left, by all means change the light-bulbs. What is your favorite aspect of the 1 Sky Principles? That they've been agreed on by the widest possible range of activists. We have a real chance to have a movement that doesn't factionalize, split apart on the basis of age, etc. Anything else you'd like to add? This weekend the culmination of StepItUp, the glory of Power Shift, the launch of 1Sky will be the most exciting and important few days in the history of the American fight for action against global warming! Thanks Bill for the interview and for all you're doing to help spark a movement, get organized, and make a difference! ____________________________ Bill McKibben is an author, environmentalist, activist and educator. His most recent books are Fight Global Warming Now: The Handbook for Taking Action in Your Community and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College in Vermont and the co-founder of Step It Up successfully led the organization of the largest demonstrations against global warming in American history. McKibben and the Step It Up crew are at it again, organizing another nationwide day of actions for this Saturday, November 3rd, 2007. More information, agenda and registration for Power Shift are available at www.powershift07.org and information on Energy Action Coalition is available at www.energyaction.net. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Bill-McKibben-Says-Its-Time-to-Organize-Organize-Organize-for-a-Cleaner-Future?rsstype=group&gid=1 Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:48:30 -0400 1 Sky 80 by 2050 climate change climate change activism global warming Power Shift 2007 Step It Up youth activism http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Global-Warming-Claims-Island-Community-Displaces-2000-in-Papua-New-Guinea?rsstype=group&gid=1 The 2,000 residents of the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea are now some of the world's first climate change refuges, as rising sea levels driven by global warming have claimed their island homes. The residents of the low-lying South Pacific atolls have given up their 20-year losing fight against rising seas and will be resettled elsewhere in Papua New Guinea. [From Pacific Islands Report:] The Carteret Islands are almost invisible on a map of the South Pacific, but the horseshoe scattering of atolls in eastern-most Papua New Guinea is on the front line of climate change, as rising sea levels and storm surges eat away at their existence. For 20 years, the 2,000 islanders living there have fought a losing battle against the ocean, building sea walls and trying to plant mangroves. Each year, the waves surge in higher, destroying vegetable gardens, washing away homes and contaminating fresh water supplies. [Image: View of Huene Island in the Carteret's. Huene used to be one island but has now been bisected by rising seas. Fallen coconut trees in the foreground (on Iolassa Island) are also caused by the erosion of the coastline. Han Island, the largest in the group is in the distance.] Recently, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare appropriated PGK4.1 million [US$1.4 million] to resettle PNG villagers affected by global warming. The funding was part of a PGK1.6 billion [US$569 million] supplementary budget handed down by Treasury and Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch. Out of the PGK4.1 million funding, PGK2 million [US$712,000] will go to the Bougainville Autonomous Region's Carteret Islanders. The local Bougainville government has an ongoing resettlement program which it hopes to complete by the end of the year. Rising sea levels will not only displace human populations. Coral reefs are expected to be affected by changes in ocean levels and sea surface temperatures. As a result, the communities that depend upon these marine resources will be affected as well. PNG's Carteret islanders are destined to become some of the world's first climate change refugees. Their islands are becoming uninhabitable, and may soon disappear below the waves. A decision has been made to move the islanders to the larger nearby Bougainville Island, a four-hour boat ride to the southwest. Ten families at a time will be moved once funds are released for the resettlement program. An IPCC has predicted that average sea levels are likely to rise between 9cm and 88cm (3.5 to 35 inches) by 2100. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Global-Warming-Claims-Island-Community-Displaces-2000-in-Papua-New-Guinea?rsstype=group&gid=1 Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:03:55 -0400 climate change climate refuges climate risk climate science global warming impacted communities http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/White-House-Puts-the-Muzzle-on-CDC-Testimony-on-Health-Effects-of-Global-Warming?rsstype=group&gid=1 The White House is at it again, censoring expert testimony on Global Warming. This time the Bush Administration cut out over half of Center for Disease Control Director Julie Gerberding's Senate testimony on the public health effects of climate change. The White House PR machine first tried to pass the Administration's edits off as minor edits. DeSmogBlog blows away that argument with a comparison between the Gerberding's original testimony and the final version after the White House got through with it. The White House cut the original version down from 3,100 words to only 1,500, completely wiping out whole sections on health related effects due to extreme weather, air pollution-related health effect, allergic diseases, water and food-borne infectious diseases, food and water scarcity and the long term impacts of chronic diseases and other health effects. Then the White House shifted tune, saying that they had removed the sections because they conflicted with findings from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Several Congressional Democrats, including Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair, Barbara Boxer (D-CA), promptly called bull$h!t. Boxer's office published a paragraph-by-paragraph comparison of the deleted sections of Dr. Gerberding's testimony and the IPCC report on how climate change will affect public health. Needless to say, the comparison reveals striking similarities, not conflicting reports. According to NewsDay.com: Both [Dr. Gerberdin and the IPCC] raised virtually identical concerns: heat stress on vulnerable populations; the likelihood of respiratory illnesses from increased air pollution; the spread of waterborne infectious diseases; and more injuries from severe weather events such as wildfires.Nice try President Bush. What's the next lie ... er ... spin , you want to put on this story? [A hat tip to the crew at DeSmogBlog's excellent muckraking.] http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/White-House-Puts-the-Muzzle-on-CDC-Testimony-on-Health-Effects-of-Global-Warming?rsstype=group&gid=1 Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:39:42 -0400 climate change climate risk climate science federal policy global warming censorship white house bush administration http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Watch-Out-for-the-Echo-Boom-Why-Politicians-Had-Better-Start-Paying-Attention-to-the-Millennial-Generation?rsstype=group&gid=1 80 million teens and twenty-somethings are ready to make their mark on American politics. Is the growing youth climate movement - now poised to explode off campuses and into the nation's capitol for Power Shift 2007, the first national youth climate summit - the vanguard of a new progressive, pro-environment youth political movement? By 2010, another 17.3 million young Americans will come of age, swelling the already sizable ranks of voting-age Millennials those teens and twenty-somethings coming to age in the early years of the 21st century. At 80 million strong, the Millennial generation outnumbers even the Baby Boomers by 3 million and represents the single-largest demographic age group in electoral politics, according to a recent Mother Jones article ( The 50-Year Strategy , in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue - not online yet). Polling data, recent voter turnout, and the swelling ranks and increasing coordination of the youth climate movement all demonstrate that this young generation is remarkably engaged, overwhelmingly progressive and pro-environment, and has largely rejected the government-is-the-problem conservative mentality that still dominates the general population (see table below). General PopulationVoting-age Youth (age 18-25)Issue58%32%agree that the federal government is usually inefficient and wasteful 52%40%say regulating business does more harm than good 49%68%say protecting the environment is at least as important as protecting jobs47%62%favor tax-financed, government-administered universal health care This young generation is razing the old stereotypes of the apathetic, unengaged youth that may have accurately characterized Generation Xers, as youth turnout in the past two elections hit the highest level in at least 20 years. And the Millennials aren't simply waiting for politicians to take notice and seemingly won't content themselves with limiting their impact to the ballot box. In fact, they're demanding to be noticed, as thousands get ready to storm our nation's capitol to flex some political muscle in the first-ever national youth climate summit, Power Shift 2007, and rally at nationwide Step it Up actions in November. According to www.PowerShift07.org, over 3,300 youth and students from across the country will soon explode off of campuses and converge on D.C. for Power Shift 2007, November 2nd-5th. With all 50 states represented, youth attending the conference will engage with solutions to global warming and learn how to effectively put solutions into practice as they cement the core of an increasingly sophisticated and coordinated nationwide youth climate movement. Power Shift's agenda includes issue briefings from leading scientists and policy experts, training sessions, an opportunities fair, and additional networking opportunities, all designed to connect young leaders and use their collective experience to focus action on America's greener, more prosperous future. That same weekend, tens of thousands more student and youth activists will join in hundreds of actions in their home communities as part of the second Step It Up nationwide day of action, Saturday, November 3rd (see www.StepItUp07.org). Founded and organized by a group of Middlebury College students, recent grads, and their mentor, Bill McKibbon, Step It Up successfully organized 1,400 actions across the U.S. involving hundreds of thousands of citizens in their first nationwide day of action, April 14th, 2007. Thanks largely to these highly visible and well-attended actions which demanded Congress step it up and cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050 virtually all of the 2008 Democratic candidates for president are chanting the 80x2050 mantra in their stump speeches these days and striving to out-compete each other for the meanest, greenest energy plan. Sponsorship and support is also building behind bills in Congress that would tackle the climate crisis and put the 80x2050 plan into action. This November, the young minds behind Step it Up 2 will be at it again, this time joined by the thousands of participants at Power Shift 2007 to demand real action to address the climate crisis and secure the future of today's youth. On Monday, November 5th, the youth at Power Shift will carry reports and pictures of the hundreds of Step It Up actions into the offices of their senators and representatives, as thousands of young people descend on Capitol Hill to make their voices heard. If the increasing coordination, sophistication and activism of the youth climate movement is any indication, the Millennial generation has arrived on the political scene, and they are sure to make their mark. According to Mother Jones authors Simon Rosenberg and Peter Leyden: [The Millennial] generation is politically engaged, votes in high numbers, and leans overwhelmingly Democratic. ... But the millennials' impact will show up beyond the ballot box. Polling data indicate that they are unusually civic minded (they volunteer at the highest level recorded for youths in 40 years, according to one study) and hold a wide range of progressive values ... [they] even believe in government again (Sixty-three percent think government should do more to solve the nation's problems). As the authors conclude, This generation is poised to become the core of a 21st century progressive coalition. It's clearly time for today's politicians to start paying serious attention to the Millennials especially candidates in the 2008 elections. According to Rosenberg and Leyden, if people under age 29 had been the only voters in the 2004 election, John Kerry would have won by a landslide with 372 electoral votes. And in the 2006 midterms, the same age group went for Democrats over Republicans by 22 percent - an almost unheard-of margin. When thousands of young people take to the streets in Step it Up actions and head to D.C. for Power Shift in a couple of weeks, politicians would be wise to take note. If they don't, they just might find themselves looking for a new job, as millions of young voters throw their support behind more progressive, pro-environment candidates committed to ending the climate crisis and protecting the future of the Millennial generation. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Watch-Out-for-the-Echo-Boom-Why-Politicians-Had-Better-Start-Paying-Attention-to-the-Millennial-Generation?rsstype=group&gid=1 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:15:32 -0400 1 Sky 80 by 2050 climate change climate change activism climate change policy Election 2008 energy policy global warming politics Power Shift 2007 Step It Up youth activism http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Generation-Anything-But-Quiet-Just-Wait-for-the-Noise-at-Power-Shift-2007?rsstype=group&gid=1 The Youth Climate Movement is poised to explode off of campuses and into our nation's capitol for PowerShift 2007, November 2nd-5th. Thomas Friedman, the popular New York Times columnist, recently labeled teens and twenty-somethings coming to age in the early years of the 21st century the Quiet Generation. Accusing today's young people of being too quiet, too online for [their] own good, and for the country's own good, Friedman went on to say that today's students and youth are so much less radical and politically engaged than they need to be. (See 'Generation Q' - the Quiet Americans, New York Times, Oct. 10th, 2007) Well, in two weeks, Mr. Friedman and the rest of the nation will hear what this young generation really sounds like, and it will be anything but quiet! More than 3,300 young people will explode off of their campuses and away from the internet, descending in person and in droves on the nation's capitol for Power Shift 2007, the first-ever national youth summit on global warming, November 2nd-5th. Power Shift will bring together thousands of students and youth from all 50 states to wrestle with our generation's greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity: The climate crisis. At the conference, attendees will learn new skills, share ideas, connect with fellow activists and ultimately use their collective experience, enthusiasm and commitment to forge a powerful movement to end the climate crisis and make their innovative and inspiring new vision of a sustainable, just, and prosperous future a reality. The conference will be held November 2nd-5th in College Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C. Power Shift's agenda includes: keynote addresses from seasoned and inspiring activists, politicians, and leaders; up-to-the-minute issue briefings from the nation's leading scientists and policy experts; expert-led training sessions on crucial movement-building skills including organizing, advocacy, and media relations; an opportunities fair featuring some of the country's leading environmental employers; a lobby day on Capitol Hill; and plenty of opportunities for young activists to network and strengthen the bonds of a nationwide youth movement (see www.PowerShift07.org). On Saturday, November 3rd, the activities of the thousands of young people attending Power Shift will join with and be amplified by the hundreds of actions taking place in communities across the nation as part of the second nationwide Step It Up day of action (www.StepItUp07.org). April 14th, the first Step It Up day of action, saw over 1,400 events across the country involving hundreds of thousands of community-members, activists, and yes, youth, all calling for steep cuts in carbon emissions: at least 80% by 2050. The weekend of Power Shift, Step It Up activists will be at it again, and this time they'll be asking who our nation's real leaders are as they challenge politicians again to Step It Up! The attendees at Power Shift will join with the Step It Up organizers on Saturday night for the joint keynote events of both Power Shift and Step It Up. Many thousands more young people who aren't going to make the trip to Power Shift will be back home organizing, recruiting for, and attending Step it Up events in their communities. Wherever there's a successful Step It Up event, you can bet that there's the fire, passion, and innovative ideas of a member of Generation Anything-But-Quiet somewhere behind it. And as if there won't be enough packed into a weekend of organizing, training and action, on Monday, November 5th, more than a thousand youth and students will converge on Capitol Hill to flex their collective political muscle and do exactly what Mr. Friedman seems to think today's young people are too timid to do something most citizens are too timid to do sit face-to-face with their representatives and senators, and speak the truth to power, demanding committed action to end the climate crisis. Monday's giant lobby day will begin with a morning rally on Capitol Hill's West Lawn featuring members of the House and Senate leadership and leaders in the youth climate movement as speakers before teams of young citizens head for scheduled lobbying meetings with House and Senate members from all 50 states. The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has also scheduled a hearing Monday afternoon where young people directly affected by climate change will speak out on the issue. Youth witnesses representing the Arctic north, Appalachia, the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, and other locations will testify on the urgency of the crisis and the importance of bold action. Throughout the Power Shift conference, at lobby day, and at Step It Up events across the nation, young people will join with concerned citizens of all ages to demand Congress takes immediate action to implement the 1Sky Climate Initiative (www.1skycampaign.org/) including: creating 5 million new green jobs in the clean energy sector working to help save 20% of our energy by 2015; immediately freezing climate pollution levels and cutting them at least 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050; and transforming our energy priorities from dirty, depleting, and often-imported fossil fuels to clean, renewable, and local energy sources, beginning with a moratorium on all new coal plants until they can safely dispose of their pollution.Lobby day attendees will also demand that Congress pass a strong energy bill this fall as a down payment on the serious cuts in carbon emissions we urgently need. A bill that includes the best elements of the energy packages passed earlier this year by the House and Senate (including strong fuel economy standards, a national renewable electricity standard, and the reinvestment of federal subsidies from fossil fuels into renewable energy and energy efficiency) will be a critical first step towards the sustainable, just, and prosperous future today's young climate activists are committed to making a reality. After the Power Shift conference and lobby day, students and youth will return to their campuses and communities. They'll probably be temporarily exhausted from all the action, but at the same time, they'll be energized, empowered, and equipped to strengthen their nationwide movement and push for bold solutions on their campuses, in their communities, and in their state and national capitols. How's that for quiet, Mr. Freidman? _________________________ Power Shift is organized by the Energy Action Coalition (www.energyaction.org), an alliance of more than 40 organizations from across the United States and Canada, founded and led by youth to help support and strengthen the student and youth clean energy movement in North America. Energy Action Coalition groups have successfully launched campaigns on over 600 college and high school campuses through the Campus Climate Challenge and successfully won commitments from 400 college and university presidents to work towards complete climate neutrality at their institutions. The blog It's Getting Hot in Here (www.ItsGettingHotInHere.org) is the Energy Action Coalition's outlet for the voices of the growing youth movement on climate change, is regularly visited by tens of thousands of readers from across the globe. For more information on the Energy Action Coalition and its partners in Power Shift 2007: www.powershift07.org www.energyaction.net www.campusclimatechallenge.org www.itsgettinghotinhere.org For information on Step it Up and the 1Sky Campaign: www.stepitup.org www.1skycampaign.org http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Generation-Anything-But-Quiet-Just-Wait-for-the-Noise-at-Power-Shift-2007?rsstype=group&gid=1 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:35:40 -0400 1 Sky 80 by 2050 climate change climate change activism climate change policy Energy policy global warming Power Shift 2007 Step It Up youth activism http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Schwarzenegger-Drops-The-Ball--Sort-Of?rsstype=group&gid=1 A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that the Governator had a unique opportunity to push California even further into the forefront on green building and cleantech. The bills up for consideration would have made the USGBC's LEED-Gold standard a requirement for all new government buildings and boosted the minimum energy efficiency for residential construction. Unfortunately, he elected not to sign those bills. He did sign a number of green bills, including a couple that take half-steps toward the goal of pervasive green building in California. Most of the rest of his green legislation slate, however, dealt with other important topics, like water conservation and monitoring of toxic chemicals. So it was far from a defeat for those who want to see California continue to advance in green-ness. Some of the green building-related bills, now law: AB 1109 will boost energy efficiency in indoor lighting; a more sane proposal than outright banning of incandescents, it provides a more open competitive framework for making the changes happen. AB 1470 incentivizes solar water heating system installation to the tune of 200,000 such installations by 2017. A few recycled water-related bills, one that will establish a permit process for those seeking to use recycled water in landscape irrigation, and another that sets out requirements for use of recycled water in toilet flushing in condominiums. Not quite the comprehensive strike many had hoped for, but certainly much better than nothing. Playing the Devil's Advocate, there is some sense in a piecemeal approach in that it doesn't force builders to adopt a dozen new ways of doing things all at once, slapping on a huge jump in builder's cost. Going one piece at a time may give builders and building owners time to adjust to each new change. So the effect of adopting LEED-Gold could be achieved over the next five years of incremental changes. That approach is far from optimal in terms of planting a flag and setting the standard, but it may well get the job done, anyway. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Schwarzenegger-Drops-The-Ball--Sort-Of?rsstype=group&gid=1 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:11:05 -0400 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/New-Zealand-Bans-New-Fossil-Fuel-Power-Plants?rsstype=group&gid=1 New Zealand electricity producers face a 10-year moratorium on all new gas- or coal-fired power plants to help the country reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The nation's Prime Minister also commits to 90% renewable electricity by 2025. Electricity producers in New Zealand are now barred from constructing any new fossil fuel power plants for the next ten years, according to Bloomberg.com. New Zealand already produces about 70 percent of its power from non-polluting and renewable energy sources, including wind, hydro-electric and geothermal generators. New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clarke, recently announced intention to commit to 90% renewable electricity by 2025 and the government is blocking construction of new gas-fired power plants to speed investment in wind and geothermal energy. Eventually, the Prime Minister (pictured below) would like to see the country carbon-neutral. I have set out the challenge to our nation to become the first truly sustainable nation on earth to dare to aspire to be carbon neutral, Prime Minister Clarke said. The Prime Minister also gave a brief outline of further goals, which included a 2040 target of reducing by half per capita emissions from transport and widely introducing electric vehicles. She also stated the goal of achieving a net increase in forest area of 250,000 hectares (617,000 acres) by 2020. The long-term benefits of becoming a sustainable nation will spread beyond our national reputation and success in business to benefit all New Zealanders, Prime Minister Clarke added. Both announcements come as the government releases the New Zealand Energy Strategy, the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and the Transport Strategy Implementation Plan. Well there's an example of how you set your priorities if you are truly committed to the sustainable, just, and prosperous energy future we should all be striving for. Complete carbon neutrality is the ultimate objective for developed nations, and New Zealand seems committed to showing us the way. Bravo! http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/New-Zealand-Bans-New-Fossil-Fuel-Power-Plants?rsstype=group&gid=1 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:36:58 -0400 climate change climate change policy Energy policy geothermal global warming New Zealand renewable energy http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Governments-Responsibility-To-Cleantech?rsstype=group&gid=1 Here's an intriguing idea: rather than letting market forces work on the question of cleantech and alternative energy, the US federal government should throw its considerable weight behind a massive cleantech and alteng effort--to the tune of $300 billion. Aimed at bringing about rapid and sweeping change to the energy economy--as well as the building, automotive, and electronics industries--such an effort could produce dramatic changes in how we live within a decade or two and perhaps both radically reduce emissions and fossil fuel reliance. Such is the dream of maverick environmentalists Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger. Wired's article in the link above does an excellent job of deconstructing the personalities of Nordhaus and Shellneberger, the perceived reaction to their dream, and the book which is based on it, Break Through. They occupy an intriguing middle ground--on the one hand, far to the left of those who suggest that any such changes can happen purely on the basis of market forces. While it's apparent that the market is shifting dramatically--more TV ads pimping comapnies' green profile, easier access to energy efficiency and alternative energy products, and an auto industry at least half serious about providing gasoline alternatives--they have a point in that it may not shift far enough, fast enough. What the changes in the market are hinting at, however, is that the public may be more receptive to a giant effort such as this--especially when placed in the context of other spending, such as the war, which gets funded periodically to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars at a time. On the flip side, they seem intent on alienating other environmentalists, by suggesting that the way forward is through advanced technological development. And it is true that a strong section of the environmental movement is made by those who would rather see less technology in play; a simpler life for all, as it were, and a more natural interdependence with the environment as a whole. But often, these elements have secondary agendas that are a lot less pragmatic--or popular--than the greening effort itself. At this point, the environmental movement has to be decoupled from some of these other agendas because they are not going to sell well in middle America--or even in the developing nations in the East. And on the surface, it's a compelling argument. I'll be evaluating the book itself, and posting reports here, to see if it does hold up, or if they're doing nothing more than trying to anger everyone to no gain. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/10/Governments-Responsibility-To-Cleantech?rsstype=group&gid=1 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:43:38 -0400 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/Schwarzeneggers-Opportunity?rsstype=group&gid=1 Will he or won't he? Governor Schwarzenegger of California has a unique opportunity coming up. Right now, three bills sit on his desk that could blaze a brand new trail for green building standards in the United States and help cement California's place in the lead on environmental issues. Not that they haven't been there for years and years, but green building is one of those areas that not enough people are paying attention to in terms of potential climate change impact. For example, though some have mocked the banning of incandescent lightbulbs in Australia as too draconian, a less visible regulation such as one requiring builders only install CFL lighting in new homes would itself have a tremendous impact on energy use and emissions. I count almost 40 internal light fixtures in my (rather modest) home, about half of which I've changed to CFL at this point. Starting out with CFL, which would add maybe $80 to builders' costs could save the homebuyer money and significantly reduce emissions. Other measures are just as easy and just as affordable. David Walls of the Building Standards Commission in California has opposed the bills, and claims that they wouldn't change much of what the BSC is already doing. First of all, I find that a little hard to believe, even with California's green provenance. No state has adopted even EnergyStar standards as code for new buildings, much less USGBC LEED standards, and so it seems unlikely that California codes already require compliance that is competitive. Otherwise it would not be a big deal when a new building qualified. The idea, of course, is to make it not newsworthy at all when a new building or development complies with these standards, but the opposite: to make it newsworthy when one fails. At this point, there's little reason why buildings should not be built to a higher degree of efficiency, even if it's not the maximum possible (such as those cute 80 square foot homes). Building codes are seriously underperforming in terms of minimum required efficiency, and it looks like government regulation is the only way that's going to change. As usual, the rest of the US has to look to California for leadership, but hopefully Schwarzenegger continues to provide that kind of leadership where so many other politicians have failed. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/Schwarzeneggers-Opportunity?rsstype=group&gid=1 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:59:42 -0400 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/Look-Whos-Writing-Global-Warming-Legislation-Hint-Its-Not-Who-You-Might-Want4501?rsstype=group&gid=1 Hill Heat's the Cunctator takes a look at which 'congress critters' have been writing global warming legislation, and it's probably not who you'd want! When it comes to perhaps the most important legislation of the century - legislation to solve the climate crisis - who's holding the pen? You would hope it would be people like Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair, Senator Barbara Boxer, or House climate change champion Henry Waxman. Well, while the two have sponsored the best climate change proposals currently floating around Congress, it's unfortunately not the likes of Boxer and Waxman who are drafting the default global warming legislation that will likely be taken up by both the House and Senate this fall/winter. According to the Cunctator, it's actually the pro-coal, pro-Detroit, anti-environment type who's got the pen, and that spells trouble for all of us. From the Cunctator's DailyKos journal: In the House, jurisdiction over cap-and-trade legislation is under Energy and Commerce chairman John Dingell and Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee chair Rick Boucher. In the Senate, Harry Reid and EPW chair Barbara Boxer are letting Joe Lieberman and John Warner write the default global warming bill. -Dingell literally represents Detroit. His wife works for General Motors. -Boucher is a coal-district representative who supports coal-to-liquids and tried to make California's greenhouse gas emissions law illegal. -Lieberman used to be a Democrat. -Warner has a 14% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters. Unless they're stopped, these people will write polluter-protection legislation. ... Carbon cap-and-trade legislation cannot be progressive if the greenhouse gas emissions credits (the pollution credits) are given to polluters. That protects polluting industries with a subsidizing give-away of a common resource, the atmosphere's capacity for GHG pollution. If the credits are auctioned, however, polluters have to pay. Furthermore, this means that the taxpayers of the United States receive the fair market value of privatizing this resource (as long as the government properly allocates the auction revenues). The bipartisan Lieberman-Warner climate change proposal currently plans to give away 76% of the emissions allowances under the cap for free. The proposal would amount to a giant wind-fall for polluters, violating the polluter-pays principle that's key to effective environmental legislation and essentially giving away a public good - the atmosphere - for free. Additionally, the emissions reduction targets in the Lieberman-Warner proposal are mediocre and are a slow start to cleaning up our act. Unlike Boxer and Waxman's proposals, the Lieberman-Warner proposal doesn't put us on a track to a carbon neutral and prosperous America, which should be our ultimate target. Lieberman recently indicated he's thinking about reducing the amount of allowances given away for free (and auctioning more of them), but at this point he's just thinking about it. And so far, the mediocre emissions reduction targets haven't budged. As Adam Siegel writes, with the likes of Dingell, Boucher, Lieberman and Warner in the drivers seat, we -- that means you -- should be contacting your representatives to influence the process. Start with, if you wish, Congress.ORG, write your representative, send in a letter to the editor [and I would add, send a letter to Lieberman too]. Action items for today's letter: 1. Support Citizen, not special interest, Ownership of Pollution Credits -- it is our air that we are seeing polluting, make them pay us for dirtying our air. NO GIVEAWAYS OF POLLUTION CREDITS in Climate Change legislation. 2. The 2050 target: a Climate Friendly Prosperous Society that will enhance human security for millenia to come. 70% by 2050 is, simply, slowing the onset of catastrophic climate change. 80% is an absolute minimum, 90% becomes reasonable, and Carbon Neutrality (actually carbon negative) should be our target. Let us reach high, for the sky, and protect ourselves and future generations. Other people to contact: Senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee * Barbara Boxer (Chairman) * Max Baucus * Joseph I. Lieberman * Thomas R. Carper * Hillary Rodham Clinton * Frank R. Lautenberg * Benjamin L. Cardin * Bernard Sanders * Amy Klobuchar * Sheldon Whitehouse Environmental Lobbying Groups (most haven't taken a public position on auctions and targets or on specific proposals) * Environmental Defense * League of Conservation Voters * U.S. PIRG * Sierra Club * NRDC * Union of Concerned Scientists As Seigel writes, Act ... Now ... If not us, who? If not now, when? http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/Look-Whos-Writing-Global-Warming-Legislation-Hint-Its-Not-Who-You-Might-Want4501?rsstype=group&gid=1 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:22:34 -0400 climate change climate change activism climate change policy Energy policy federal policy global warming http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/APEC-Drafts-Climate-Change-Resolution?rsstype=group&gid=1 In a rather dramatic statement this week, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit seemed to come to a consensus on a draft statement regarding the energy intensity goals for the member nations. Meeting in Sydney, the 21member nations have sought to come to an energy intensity reduction agreement as a cornerstone to the summit. The draft is a compromise between the rich and developing nations, though somewhat a victory fo the United States and Australia which sought to get China to agree to firmer goals than they agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol. The non-binding resolution would seek to bring reductions of 25% energy intensity by 2030, in line with what many other nations and American states have proposed or mandated on their own. Although it would be nice to see a global standard set forth and negotiated by a body such as the UN, the drama surrounding the Kyoto Protocol--and the subsequent shortfall on goals in many signatory nations--highlights some of the problems with trying to draft a response to global climate change for the entire world. This more regional approach seems much more likely to succeed, as it allows neighboring nations to negotiate with each other and set policy for their region. While it's certainly possible that such an approach could let some nations or areas slip through the cracks, it may also collect up nations--such as the United States--that don't often show all possible respect to global bodies, such as the UN. As it seems that localities and states in the US are mounting energy reduction schemes more effectively than the federal government, so it may seem that nations and relatively small treaty organizations may produce resolutions more effective than the UN or other global initiatives. These efforts should be applauded, so long as they don't create dramatic imbalances in the application of solutions. http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/APEC-Drafts-Climate-Change-Resolution?rsstype=group&gid=1 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:06:05 -0400 http://www.greenedia.com/groups/greenedia-climate-change/blog/2007/09/Bjorn-Lomborgs-quotCool-Itquot-Spouts-More-Hot-Air?rsstype=group&gid=1 Like his earlier work, The Skeptical Environmentalist, which prominent Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson called a sordid mess and was found to have cherry-picked the facts, Bjorn Lomborg's latest effort, Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming is just more hot air. Lomborg's basic thesis, that scare-monger environmentalists have over-hyped the threat of climate change and that we shouldn't take any serious action to tackle the climate crisis because doing so would harm economic growth that poor people need requires a particularly slanted view of the world and rests on 'facts' selectively picked to support his arguments as he ignores a vast body of science. As economist Eban Goodstein's writes in his review of Cool It in Salon: In Cool It, Lomborg has three messages. First, the planet will warm up no more than 4.7 degrees Fahrenheit this century, and on balance, this will be bad, but not too bad. Second, all benefit-cost models show that serious limits on global warming emissions are too costly, and therefore we should pollute with virtual impunity. And -- surprisingly -- we should invest a decent amount ($25 billion per year) in clean energy technologies now so that, starting in a few decades, we will have tools to slow down global warming just a little bit through 2100. While I can't agree more with the third point, his first two messages are quite frankly bull sh!t. Lomborg's first argument assumes that global warming will be held to only 4.7 degrees F. First off, that's a swing of temperatures halfway to ice age proportions (the last ice age was only 9 degree