News 2009:

I stand here today as the Prime Minister of Israel, the Jewish state, and I speak to you on behalf of my country and my people.

The United Nations was founded after the carnage of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. It was charged with preventing the recurrence of such horrendous events.

Nothing has undermined that central mission more than the systematic assault on the truth. Yesterday the President of Iran stood at this very podium, spewing his latest anti-Semitic rants. Just a few days earlier, he again claimed that the Holocaust is a lie.

Advocate Slams Food Safety Plan at USDA Hearings

A representative of organic farmers warned Wednesday that creating a national version of California's Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement would discriminate against small-scale organic farmers.

Algae-based biofuel draws a crowd, but it's a tough nut to crack

The idea of deriving biofuels from algae could be dismissed as weird science or wishful thinking. Yet now that the likes of ExxonMobil and Dow, giants of the refining and petrochemicals world, are getting involved along with other big business names, the slippery and currently evasive algae could gain traction as an energy source. Still, the proof will be in the ascension of a profitable, commercialized algae oil business.

Bank Compensation Limits, the Federal Reserve Follows Through

Last week’s late breaking news that the Federal Reserve was following through on its plan to change how it regulates bank compensation is being follow up by this week’s G-20 meeting on how bank compensation curbs can be internationally coordinated among the large economies.  Surprisingly, however, the media is acting as if regulating bank compensation is a new issue.  It isn’t new at all but rather a problem that they chose to forget about for the summer.

CDS Curves are Moving to Pre-crisis 'Normal'

As the corporate bond market opened for business this year, it slowly became clear that many corporations, even ones with poor business models, may be able to refinance their debt. The market just has that much appetite for paper. The number of expected defaults in the near-term has dropped off significantly (thanks in large part to all the liquidity chasing yield).

China Sees Unfulfilled Potential in Wind

Among the many people with concerns about the enormous wind turbines being built here, count Jing Xiuwan.

"Once the windmills start turning, it will rain much less," says Jing, 56, a farmer. "Everyone is worried."

That's a myth -- a common one in China. Yet the Chinese government and industry groups have legitimate worries about a wind power grid that they say has expanded too fast and with too little regulation.

China, the world's third-largest economy, has made green energy a priority.

'Climate Illiterate' U.S. Seen Risking Warming Inaction

U.S. wavering on climate commitment could undermine action to save the planet, the director of Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said on the sidelines of a conference on Monday.

Preserving the Greenland ice cap was the defining action needed to prevent several meters of sea level rise and warming which would threaten the world's food and water supplies, Hans Schellnhuber told reporters.

Count Biofuel Emissions, Scientists and Economists Say

More than 200 scientists and economists issued a letter today calling on Congress and federal agencies to account for emissions from indirect land use change in biofuel laws and regulations. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which organized the letter, is running advertisements in Congress Daily this Wednesday and Thursday to publicize the letter.

Crude futures drift on dollar, equities

Global crude futures traded lower as external factors continued to place pressure on the crude complex. "The market has moved slightly lower...due to a stronger dollar and weaker equity markets," a London-based crude broker said citing a lack of "fundamental news" sufficient enough to see crude drift lower.

Crude futures enter 'new pricing environment' at $65/b; broker

Global crude futures have "entered a new pricing environment," a crude broker said Monday, with $65/barrel cited as a stable level for global crude futures benchmarks.

Emissions of CO2 Set for Best Drop in 40 Years

Global carbon emissions are expected to post their biggest drop in more than 40 years this year as the global recession froze economic activity and slashed energy use around the world.

FACTBOX; Key Issues On The Table At Bangkok Climate Talks

Delegates at U.N. climate talks in Bangkok are trying to whittle down a complex negotiating text that will form the basis of a broader global pact to curb the pace of climate change.

The two-week talks are crucial because negotiators have very little time to trim the options and alternative wording proposals in the 180-page text with just over two months to go before a December 7-18 climate meeting in Copenhagen.

Ferrari roars fail to disturb the silence of the 'ghost fleet'

As the Ferraris and Mercedes McLarens roared down the track, guzzling more gasoline than you and I will use in a year -- race cars consume 75 liters of gasoline for every 100 kilometers -- and people crowded the stands, the race could easily be seen as a sign of the economic recovery that was being talked about thousands of kilometers away in Pittsburgh at the G20 summit last week.

G-20 Countries Will Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies

G-20 government leaders today concluded the Pittsburgh Summit with a commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies over the medium term while providing targeted support for the poorest households. The leaders said that this unprecedented move is expected to encourage energy conservation, improve energy security, and kick-start their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

GE Stresses Wind Over Nuclear Power, Senator Says

General Electric Co., the biggest maker of power-generation equipment, appears to be focused on renewable energy sources such as windmills rather than the nuclear power needed to combat global warming, Senator Lamar Alexander said.

Gold Hawk sees Peruvian approval for EIS to restart Peru mine

"The approval of the modified EIA, which includes the new tailings facility at Chinchan, is another major achievement as Gold Hawk makes steps towards re-starting the Coricancha Mine,"

Google Earth Application Maps Carbon's Course

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, particularly when the picture is used to illustrate science. Technology is giving us better pictures every day, and one of them is helping a NASA-funded scientist and her team to explain the behavior of a greenhouse gas.

'Green Clean;' Researchers Determining Natural Ways To Clean Contaminated Soil

Researchers at North Carolina State University are working to demonstrate that trees can be used to degrade or capture fuels that leak into soil and ground water. Through a process called phytoremediation – literally a "green" technology – plants and trees remove pollutants from the environment or render them harmless.

Green groups open 'climate war room'

The cap-and-trade movement, spooked by the pounding health care reform took over the August break, is scrambling to persuade nervous Democrats they won’t suffer politically for taking another tough vote this year.

Hot Microbes Cause Groundwater Cleanup Rethink

While investigating ways of cleaning up groundwater contamination, scientists examined how microbes break down contaminants under the soil's surface and found that subsurface temperatures associated with microbial degradation can become too hot for the microbes to grow and consume the groundwater contaminants.

This can slow down the clean up of the groundwater and even continue the spread of contamination.

IHPA; Chemical ‘Time Bomb' In Ukraine Endangers 7 Million People

The health of at least 7 million inhabitants in Moldavia and Ukraine is seriously threatened by a stock of old pesticides. This has been reported by the International HCH and Pesticides Association (IHPA). According to the organization the EU must act as fast as possible to disarm this ‘biggest chemical time bomb of Europe'. This was incited at the closure of the 10th HCH & Pesticides Forum of the IHPA in the Czech Republic.

Indian group says it will abandon ancestral home

After 170 years fishing and crabbing in southern Louisiana’s swamps and marshes, a group of American Indians repeatedly flooded by hurricanes says it is intent on moving from its ancestral island home.

Iran caught in 'Serial Deception'; 2nd Uranium Enrichment Facility Revealed

‘Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow,’ Obama said, detailing how the facility at Qom had been under construction for years without being disclosed, as required, to the International Atomic Energy Association. ‘International law is not an empty promise.’ British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused Iran of ’serial deception’ that he said ‘will shock and anger the whole international community, and it will harden our resolve….We will not let this matter rest,’ Brown said. ‘

Landsat Plays Key Role In Water-Use Maps

Data from earth-observing Landsat satellites plays a central role in a new, award-winning type of mapping that tracks water use.

Water-use maps help save taxpayer money by increasing the accuracy and effectiveness of public decisions involving water – for instance, in monitoring compliance with legal water rights.

Mexican Peasants Pay the Price for U.S. Energy Consumption

More Corporations Are 'Greening' Supply Chains

"Our carbon footprint is everywhere we look. It's our transportation. It's our waste," Hirshberg told a conference of business executives in Boston, Massachusetts, earlier this month. "We're sending our money into the dark sky. That's clearly dollars to be reclaimed."

NBC NEWS asks Ahmadinejad about 12th Imam, but fails to report the story

The story in the epicenter is moving quickly. Defense Secretary Bob Gates says there is now no question Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. U.S. military analysts are looking carefully at how Israel might attack Iran, if need be.

Negotiators Urged To Speed Up Climate Pact Talks

The Bangkok talks, which run until October 9, is the last major negotiating round before a gathering in Copenhagen in December that the United Nations has set as a deadline to seal a broad agreement on a pact to expand and replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Nine US senators call for gas-friendly climate, energy policy

A bipartisan group of nine US senators from producing states wants the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to include several measures in energy and climate bills that would expand the production and use of natural gas.

NRDC Releases New Economic Data on Clean Energy Legislation

“The American Clean Energy and Security Act is a win-win for our economy and our environment. Under ACES, there will be more jobs, less global warming pollution and greater security, all for less than the cost of a postage stamp a day. These are the conclusions of ‘A Clean Energy Bargain,’ an analysis released today by NRDC.”

Ohio EPA concerned about methane at closed landfill

"Ohio EPA is concerned that methane is moving underground from the landfill and may collect in low areas or people´s homes at levels capable of igniting or exploding," according to the state agency.

Oil market 'teetering on the edge,' warns Verleger

Are oil prices about to take a dive? Analyst Philip Verleger thinks so. "The oil market is teetering on the edge," Verleger said in a report. "Prices will fall sharply absent immediate and dramatic action."

On Energy, We're Finally Walking the Walk

The United States has entered a new energy era, ending a century of rising carbon emissions. As the U.S. delegation prepares for the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December, it does so from a surprisingly strong position, one based on a dramatic 9 percent drop in U.S. carbon emissions over the past two years and the promise of further huge reductions.

Plugged-In Age Feeds a Hunger for Electricity

With two laptop-loving children and a Jack Russell terrier hemmed in by an electric fence, Peter Troast figured his household used a lot of power. Just how much did not really hit him until the night the family turned off the overhead lights at their home in Maine and began hunting gadgets that glowed in the dark.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 092809

Solar activity was very low. Region 1027 (N23W47) indicated a slight increase in area and spot number and maintains a bipolar magnetic configuration. The geomagnetic field was mostly quiet with an isolated minor storm period observed at middle latitudes...

Retinal implant could help restore vision to the blind

Designed for people who have lost their vision from retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration — two of the leading causes of blindness — the implant would act like retinal cells and electrically stimulate the nerve cells that carry visual information from the retina to the brain.

Sanctions or no sanctions, Iran is still getting its gasoline

Science Museum Introduces Bio-Hydrogen Production From Wastewater

Many energy experts predict that hydrogen will replace fossil fuel as the main source of energy supply in the near future as it is an ideal fuel that produces only water upon combustion...Many economists and scientists believe that the economy of the 21st century will be powered by hydrogen, just as petroleum did in the 20th century and coal in the 19th century.

Science Report; Climate Change Speeding Toward Irreversible Tipping Points

The speed and scope of global warming is now overtaking even the most sobering predictions of the last report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, finds a new report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme, entitled "Climate Change Science Compendium 2009."

Scientists invent candy-colored solar panels that don’t need direct sunlight to work

Conventional solar panels require direct sunlight to produce electricity. In contrast, the colored panels don’t need to face the sun and can absorb dispersed light, allowing for energy collection on a cloudy day, albeit with less efficiency.

Secret deal derailed new coal plant

The Grand Strand, South Carolina's tourist economic engine, won't have enough electricity by 2012 to keep its beachfront towers aglow unless a new $1.2 billion coal-burning power station is built near Florence.

That was the warning Santee Cooper, the state-owned electricity company, gave to state and federal regulators. It was the argument the power company presented at public hearings.

Secretary announces new direction and vision for America's forests

"Our nation's forestlands, both public and private, are environmental and economic assets that are in critical need of restoration and conservation," Vilsack said.
"By using a collaborative management approach with a heavy focus on restoring these natural resources, we can make our forests more resilient to climate change, protect water resources and improve forest health while creating jobs and opportunities."

St. Louis is geothermal hot spot

Geothermal energy currently provides a sliver of the nation's residential needs. But if enough homes use free energy stored in the earth, utilities will no longer need to continue building costly and polluting power plants, geothermal advocates say.

The Global Carry Trade and the Crimes of Patriots

The New Case for Natural Gas

Natural gas has recently emerged as a vital but neglected complement to the paragons of low-carbon energy: renewable energy and energy efficiency. Recent developments in technology, from gas wells to home appliances, suggest a need to fundamentally reevaluate the role of natural gas in the energy system.

Thousands of Russians Petition to Stop Nuclear Power Plant

More than 36,000 Russian citizens have signed a petition protesting the planned construction of a nuclear power plant in the Nizhny Novgorod region east of Moscow. Environmentalists handed the signed petition to the office of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday.

US Airline Industry Remains Fragile Despite Early Indications of Stabilization

Looking beyond the early indications of stabilization in the U.S. airline industry operating environment, the sector remains fragile and highly sensitive to changes in air travel demand and the price of jet fuel, according to Fitch Ratings' Fall 2009 Airline Credit Navigator released yesterday.

US Coal Plant First to Use Carbon Capture Technology

The Mountaineer Power Plant in West Virginia has become the world’s first coal-fired power plant to capture some of the carbon dioxide it churns into the air and store it in the ground.

US Senate climate bill set to be rolled out on September 30

Two US Senate committee chairmen plan to roll out a long-anticipated climate change bill on September 30, just in time to keep their pledge of introducing it in Septembe

Vision for desert solar power plant expands

BrightSource specializes in concentrating solar thermal technology that uses sunflower-like towers of mirrors called heliostats to reflect the sun’s rays to a liquid-filled tower. The liquid is heated until it turns into a gas, which turns a generator.

The Oakland, Calif.-based company plans to use a dry-cooled power tower solar thermal system, which uses far less water than wet-cooling technology.

What Have We Done to Democracy?

While we're still arguing about whether there's life after death, can we add another question to the cart? Is there life after democracy? What sort of life will it be? By "democracy" I don't mean democracy as an ideal or an aspiration. I mean the working model: Western liberal democracy, and its variants, such as they are.

September 25, 2009

A revolution to combat world hunger

As the tributes to Borlaug continue, one networking organization that should be pivotal to addressing world hunger is poised to make far-reaching changes to the way it works.

An Appreciation, Lawrence G. McDonald on the Fall of Lehman Brothers

We also know from McDonald that Lehman was leveraged to at least 44 times capital, so a decline in the value of assets of only 1/44 (2.27%) would wipe out the firm.  That’s not a calculation that requires anything more than an elementary school education, but it was quite clear that Dick Fuld didn’t get it

Appeals Court; Power Companies Can Be Sued for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In a historic ruling, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with states and private land trusts that sued large power companies to make them curb their greenhouse gas emissions.

Are Biofuels Ready for a Comeback?

“This is where a lot of the magic happens,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone, sounding more like an ambivalent tour guide than the CEO of a company with a potentially game-changing technology.

Are You Sure That Slaves Didn't Pick the Produce That Fills Your Fridge?

If you think buying organic, locally-raised food from the farmers' market means that the workers who harvested your food were treated fairly, it’s not necessarily a given.

BP Exec Touts Natural Gas To Cut U.S. CO2 Emissions

The head of BP Plc's Americas business said on Thursday the United States could sharply reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by expanding its use of natural gas over fuels such as coal.

Brent futures rebound slightly after two days of losses

Crude oil futures rebounded slightly in European morning trading Friday, with the November Brent crude contract on the IntercontinentalExchange trading as much as $0.83/b higher than Thursday's close of $64.82/b.

China may take lead in wind in 2009, but US could return by 2011

Wind energy developers said Thursday that they expect to see China take the lead this year in terms of newly installed wind generation, but added they hope that the US bounces back into the lead either in 2010 or by 2011.

Coalition Asks EPA To Regulate Greenhouse Gases And Other Toxic Air Pollutants From Factory Farms

The Humane Society of the United States and a coalition of environmental and public health organizations filed a legal petition with the Environmental Protection Agency seeking to regulate air pollution from factory farms.

Dr. Ron Paul introduced two important bills July 31, 2009 that, if passed, would rein in the excessive interference in advanced health products by the FDA and FTC

Here is the Life Extension Foundation's description of the bills:

EPA Announces It Will Reconsider National Smog Standards

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson recently announced the agency would reconsider the 2008 national smog standards to ensure they are scientifically sound and protective of human health. Smog, which is also known as ground level ozone, has been linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

EPA finalizes new GHG emissions reporting requirements

The U.S. EPA on Jan. 1, 2010, will, for the first time, require large emitters of heat-trapping emissions to begin collecting greenhouse gas data under a new reporting system.

This new program will cover approximately 85% of the nation’s GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities.

FACTBOX; The Science Spurring Talks On A U.N. Climate Pact

Environment Ministers from about 190 nations gather in Copenhagen at the end of the year to try and agree to a broader global pact to fight climate change partly spurred by scientists' bleak findings in 2007 about likely heatwaves, floods, desertification and rising sea levels.

Former NRC presidents try to save troubled organization

A total of 12 former presidents of the group sent a letter to the NRC board dated Sept. 24 seeking reconsideration of a recent decision to filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

Geithner on Reforms within the Financial System

The following is written testimony of Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner before the House Financial Services Committee on Financial Regulatory Reform.

German Army Stops Wind Turbines As Security Threat

The German army has identified a series of wind park projects as a threat to national security and blocked investments worth 1.5 billion euros because it fears spinning wind turbines will interfere with its radar systems.

Global Groups Call on Obama to Break Climate Impasse

As world leaders gather today at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh for financial consultations, more than 125 groups representing members in over 100 countries delivered an urgent letter to President Barack Obama requesting "bold action" to fight climate change.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Requirements Finalized

A major new regulatory requirement, starting January 1, 2010, will affect most large industrial and utility combustion sources in the US....This new program will cover approximately 85 percent of the nation's GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities.

History Unfolding

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

Methane Gas Likely Spewing Into The Oceans Through Vents In Sea Floor

Scientists worry that rising global temperatures accompanied by melting permafrost in arctic regions will initiate the release of underground methane into the atmosphere. Once released, that methane gas would speed up global warming by trapping the Earth's heat radiation about 20 times more efficiently than does the better-known greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.

NASA Finds Ice On The Moon And On Mars

Four reports published in Friday's issue of the journal Science show clear evidence of water, likely frozen, on the desert surfaces of both the Moon and Mars.

New Big Ag Push to Fight World Hunger Misses What Organic Ag Is Already Doing

The compelling humanitarian goals expressed today at the corporately sponsored Global Harvest Initiative symposium were laudable, as were some of the hunger-relief projects cited. Missing, however, was an honest assessment of the limits of dead-end chemical agriculture to play a leading role in actually feeding people.

Obama Ahmadinejad Dangerous Speaches

President Obama's first address to the United Nations General Assembly was not just a disappointment, it was dangerous.

Weak on Iran. Hard on Israel. Virtually silent on Afghanistan.

Ocean Energy Developments

Like many of the current crop of ‘cutting edge’ renewable energy technologies, the concept of extracting energy from waves and tides is not a new one. ..What has changed over the intervening years is the level of urgency with which such projects are now being addressed and the technical achievements by some manufacturers which are making tidal and wave energy a reality.

Our Phones are Ringing Off the Hook

If you are a small rating agency trying to compete with the Big Three oligopoly, how would you go about doing it? PR of course is the best way - get into a top financial publication, get attention, and maybe get some calls. And what would make a major financial publication write about you? It needs to be a hot topic, yet should sound new and different.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 092409

Region 1027 (N24E05) continues to grow slightly in area and spot count and remains unchanged in its magnetic beta configuration.  There is a slight chance for an isolated C-class event.  The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet for day one (25 September). Quiet to unsettled levels, with isolated active conditions, are expected for
day two (26 September).

Right of passage!  US, Canada can't find common ground on LNG transport

By most accounts, diplomatic relations between the US and Canada have warmed since Barack Obama was elected president. But in one specific area that could have a profound impact on US energy supply, the two countries are further apart than ever.

Separating Fact from Fiction, Household Balance Sheets and the Economic Outlook

He starts by noting that a consumption boom is often presumed to have preceded the bust. But consumer expenditure did not grow rapidly in this century prior to the onset of the financial crisis. There is little evidence of a debt-fuelled consumption boom.

Solar Heating Industry Review 2009

The solar thermal heating market is forecast to reach huge growth in the coming years as policy pushes renewable space and water heating up the agenda.

Solar is the Bridge to Our Future

The Middle East is synonymous with oil -- a critical natural resource that has transformed the nations of that region into some of the wealthiest on Earth.

Stimulating Energy

It has become almost common place for politicians to utilize increased spending and/or tax cuts in hopes of jump-starting a sluggish economy. In fact, stimulus bills have been enacted during six of the past eight recessions.

Storing CO2 In Soil Should Be On U.N. Agenda; Gore

Developing emissions markets to encourage farmers in poor countries to store more carbon dioxide in soil should be a key topic on the U.N. climate talks agenda, global warming activist Al Gore said.

"I think that soil carbon conservation and recarbonizing of soil must be the next stage in this negotiating process...

The Business of Organic Farming (Watch and Learn)

Contrary to popular belief, a good living can be made on an organic farm. What's required is farming smarter, not harder. Farmer Richard Wiswall is here to tell the world it's possible to start an organic farm, enjoy it, and make a profit. Like any other business, organic farming has ups and downs. But Wiswall (who's been farming in Vermont for 27 years) offers a hopeful and useful model to ensure a sustainable business that puts some money in the bank.

Thinning Of Greenland And Antarctic Ice

Reporting this week in the journal Nature, researchers from British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol describe how analysis of millions of NASA satellite measurements* from both of these vast ice sheets shows that the most profound ice loss is a result of glaciers speeding up where they flow into the sea.

UN Security Council Commits to a World Free of Nuclear Weapons

The United Nations Security Council today unanimously adopted a commitment to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Both the United States and Russia pledged to slash their arsenals and weapons delivery vehicles.

US Departments Treasury, Energy surpass US$1bn milestone in Recovery Act awards for renewable energy projects

At a White House meeting to discuss the American Recovery Act, US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Energy Secretary Steven Chu hosted a group of renewable energy developers and manufacturers, announcing US$550 million in new awards to these companies bringing the total amount to more than US$1bn awarded to date to companies investing in domestic renewable energy.

US Fed Statement Shows Policymakers Increasingly Optimistic that Economy is Picking Up

The FOMC's statement presented a more upbeat message about the economy's outlook with policymakers saying that activity has picked up and reciting a list of more favourable developments since the August meeting. The Fed still anticipates "economic activity will remain weak for a time" but appears more optimistic that with the support of accommodative policy will see the economy strengthen resulting in "higher levels of resource utilization." On the inflation outlook, the Fed still expects price pressures to "remain subdued for some time" given the current amount of slack in the economy and anchored inflation expectations.

US Mortgage Rates Remain Low, Increasing Affordability

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.04 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending September 24, 2009, unchanged from last week when it averaged 5.04 percent.  Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.09 percent.

US Quantitative Easing has Just Begun

With the FOMC meeting done, it's worth reflecting on the Fed's implementation of the monetary policy this year. Surprisingly, according to the latest Credit Suisse research, there hasn't been much quantitative easing in 2009. But how could that be possible, given the way the Fed has been growing its balance sheet? The chart below shows securities held outright by the Fed. How can this NOT be a form of quantitative easing?

US renewables rule comment period ends amid producer uncertainty

As the public comment period ends Friday for landmark US renewable fuel targets, production expectations by the Environmental Protection Agency for at least one category, cellulosic biofuel, are being questioned.

The revised US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), released in May, mandates the use of 100 million gal/year of cellulosic biofuels starting in2010, followed by 250 million gal/year in 2011. The mandate rises to 16billion gal/year in 2022.

VeriChip shares jump after H1N1 patent license win

The patents, held by VeriChip partner Receptors LLC, relate to biosensors that can detect the H1N1 and other viruses, and biological threats such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, VeriChip said in a statement.

Waste_Inbox 092209

Supermarket Salvo: Plastic bag makers and the nonprofit group Keep California Beautiful have launched a campaign aimed at persuading Californians to recycle more plastic grocery bags and bring their own bags with them when they shop.

Waste_Inbox 092409

And just like that, America's strongest voice for recycling is gone. What kind of lasting damage that will do to the cause of recycling remains to be seen, but it won't be small.

Water Contamination Concerns Linger For Shale Gas

Advances in technology have helped boost the growth of shale drilling in the United States over the past few years. But as the practice of harvesting natural gas embedded in shale rock deep below the Earth's surface has expanded, it has raised concerns about the impact this type of drilling has on the environment — especially on groundwater.

We Can Do That! U.S. States Scent Opportunity and Jobs in Wind Manufacturing

For years the renewable energy industry has struggled to convince government officials in the United States that they should embrace wind power. Now the roles are reversed; it is government that’s chasing the wind industry.

Who's Looking At Natural Gas Now? Big Oil

In the energy world, Big Oil has long been the key player — with one notable exception: The natural gas business in the United States is dominated by small, independent companies....But their business is booming. New production techniques in recent years have enabled companies to extract natural gas from shale rock formations deep underground. As a result, estimates of accessible natural gas reserves have been revised dramatically upward.

World Leaders Pledge to Accelerate Climate Change Action

Ban urged the more than 100 assembled world leaders to speed up their action on global warming and preserve the planet for future generations. He countered those who claim that addressing global warming comes at too high a price.

September 22, 2009

Administration Officials Wrap Up Sustainable Communities Tour with Denver Visit

EPA, DOT, HUD and White House Urban Affairs officials announce additional proposals to support sustainable communities

Antarctica's hidden plumbing revealed

The first complete map of the lakes beneath Antarctica's ice sheets reveals the continent's secret water network is far more dynamic than we thought. This could be acting as a powerful lubricant beneath glaciers, contributing to sea level rise.

Arctic Geese Skip Migration\

In the Fall of 2007, tens of thousands of small arctic geese called Pacific brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) decided not to go south for the winter.

For these long-haul migratory birds, it was a dramatic choice -- they usually spend the cold months munching their favorite eel grass in the waters off Mexico's Baja peninsula. But changes in Earth's climate have so affected them that the barren windswept lagoons of western Alaska are looking more and more appealing.

Asia oil demand should bounce back by 885,000 bd in 2010; FACTS

Demand for oil in Asia should rebound by 885,000 b/d in 2010, as demand in the region continues to recover from the 2009 global recession, according to a forecast released Tuesday by Singapore-headquartered consultancy,

Bill Imposes Penalties for Organic Fertilizer Violations

A bill to tighten regulations for organic fertilizer in California is under consideration by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Biotechnology Could Cut C02 Sharply - Report

Industrial biotechnology applications are already widely used in everyday life. They help reduce the amount of time needed to bake fresh bread, increase the yield in wine, cheese and vegetable oil production and save heat in laundry washing. Industrial biotechnology could help create a true 21st century green economy, the report states.

Boone Pickens Lecture's to students at Indiana University, Bloomington, Kelley School of Business

This is long, it also has a segment on Indiana University's sustainability efforts.  Boone re-iterates his stance, everything American good, imported oil bad. Everything you would want to know about energy independence, Boone Pickens and the Pickens Plan is in this video!

Canadian government isolated as Declaration moves ahead

A new report released on the eve of the second anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples shows that it is increasingly honored, celebrated and implemented around the world, while Canada continues to balk at embracing its human rights principles.

CO2 Emissions Tumble; Leaders To Meet On Climate

The International Energy Agency said global output of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels, would fall by about 2.6 percent this year amid a tumble in industrial activity.

Cuba; Scientists, Farmers Fighting Climate Change Together

"To do real science you have to be out there where the crops are growing," said Sergio Ramírez, the son of a farmer who for the past 18 years has directed a research centre that is vital to meeting the challenge of securing Cuba's food supplies, however adverse the climate conditions

DC Building Power Japan Call for Papers Issued

This focused two-day international conference will attract an international audience to discuss high-voltage and low-voltage dc distribution in facilities such as data centers, commercial and industrial buildings and residences. A convergence of technologies is occurring that will change how buildings are powered.

Department of Energy Awards $71 Million to Accelerate Innovative Carbon Capture Project

Arizona Public Service’s ongoing algae-based carbon mitigation project, previously selected via competitive solicitation, will be expanded to include testing with a coal-based gasification system. The process aims to minimize production of carbon dioxide when gasifying coal. The host facility for this project is the Cholla Power Plant located in Holbrook, AZ.

DOE Awards Up To $14.6M To Support Development Of Advanced Water Power Technologies

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced that 22 advanced water power projects will receive up to $14.6M in funding to advance the commercial viability, market acceptance, and environmental performance for new marine and hydrokinetic technologies as well as conventional hydropower plants.

DOE promotes smart grids, announces funding for training

The US Department of Energy on Monday announced $144 million in funding to train workers on upgrading the country's electricity grid.

DOE Recognizes Green Power Network Leaders

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today recognized five leading organizations for advancing the development and use of green energy. The five organizations are being recognized for their exceptional achievements in supporting increased market deployment of renewable energy technologies through green power programs.

Ecological Overshoot; Climate, Inequity and Corruption

More than just a climate crisis, humanity is facing profound over-population and injustice that are spurring dozens of inter-related ecological and social crises. Billions suffer as their basic human needs go unmet, while billions more gorge themselves. Forests, prairies, streams, rivers, estuaries, wetlands, lakes, soil, oceans, air and all the rest are all life's flesh and blood. Humanity, Earth and kindred species have entered the late stage condition of ecological overshoot ...

Environmental Groups To Use Web To Save Rainforest

Campaigners plan to announce on Monday the formation of "Team Earth," a social network that includes businesses, nongovernmental organizations, students and politicians with the hope of battling tropical deforestation.

EPA report outlines potential for reducing GHG emissions

The U.S. EPA has released a report outlining the potential for reducing greenhouse gases that can be achieved through recycling, waste reduction, smart growth, and redeveloping brownfields.

European Leaders Urge G-20 Financing for Climate Protection

The climate change crisis is not officially on the G-20 agenda at its upcoming meeting in Pittsburgh, but G-20 European leaders want to make sure global warming and the negotiations to write a new treaty limiting global warming in Copenhagen in December are not overlooked at the Pittsburgh meeting.

Flywheel plant for upstate N.Y. on cutting edge

They weigh a ton, but they're still energy efficient. Spinning flywheels have been used for centuries for making pottery and running steam engines. Now the ancient tool has been given a new job by a Massachusetts company: smooth out the electricity flow, and do it fast and cleanly.

Globalization Goes Bankrupt

The rage of the disposed is fracturing the country, dividing it into camps that are unmoored from the political mainstream. Movements are building on the ends of the political spectrum that have lost faith in the mechanisms of democratic change.

Green gas for the grid

Renewable biogas could replace a significant amount of natural gas in Europe's gas grids. But turning raw biogas into grid quality biomethane is expensive. All sorts of barriers remain to get decentralized biogas production into a grid designed for natural gas from just a few sources.

Health Ills Abound as Farm Animal Runoff Fouls Wells, Laws Neither Applied or Enforced

In measured amounts, that waste acts as fertilizer. But if the amounts are excessive, bacteria and chemicals can flow into the ground and contaminate residents' tap water.

Honey, were filling that hole in the Ozone Layer!

By merging more than a decade of atmospheric data from European satellites, scientists have compiled a homogeneous long-term ozone record that allows them to monitor total ozone trends on a global scale — and the findings look promising.

Mexico's wind energy potential approaches takeoff as lawmakers commit to renewables

The wind energy sector in Mexico, like the rest of the country's renewable energy industry, has been stymied for years by a national policy vacuum. Only a year ago a draft law to promote renewables continued to linger in the national assembly, as it had for three years. But things are changed rapidly, and the country's wind power in particular is beginning to realize its potential.

Nano Particles used in Untested H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccines

Vaccines which have been approved by the responsible government authorities for vaccination against the alleged H1N1 Influenza A Swine Flu have been found to contain nano particles. Vaccine makers have been experimenting with nanoparticles as a way to “turbo charge” vaccines for several years. Now it has come out that the vaccines approved for use in Germany and other European countries contain nanoparticles in a form that reportedly attacks healthy cells and can be deadly.

Navopache CEO warns of higher utility costs ahead

David C. Plumb, CEO of Navopache Electric Cooperative, warned consumers of the rising cost of power at the annual meeting of Navopache Electric Cooperative Sept. 12

New X-Ray Technique Illuminates Reactivity Of Environmental Contaminants

Thanks to a new analytical method employed by researchers at the University of Delaware, scientists can now pinpoint, at the millisecond level, what happens as harmful environmental contaminants such as arsenic begin to react with soil and water under various conditions.

Ohio Landfills Making Methane Fuel From Trash

About 40 percent of the country's 1,000 largest landfills, including 11 in Ohio, are collecting and marketing their landfill gases. About 400 acres of the sprawling American Landfill in Stark County in eastern Ohio are perforated with 133 wells that are extracting methane gas. American Landfill, where all of Akron's garbage goes, is one of the state's largest landfills and is part of a growing number of such operations that are capturing the landfill gases.

Otter Tail Power Company Announces Withdrawal From Big Stone II

Big Stone II, a 500-to-600-megawatt coal-fired power plant proposed for near Milbank, South Dakota, with related transmission upgrades in South Dakota and Minnesota.

According to Otter Tail Power Company President and CEO Chuck MacFarlane, the broad economic downturn coupled with a high level of uncertainty associated with proposed federal climate legislation and existing federal environmental regulation have resulted in challenging credit and equity markets that make proceeding with Big Stone II at this time untenable for Otter Tail's customers and shareholders.

Police and Military Train To Intern Swine Flu Vaccine Refusniks

Law enforcement and military personnel are training to set up checkpoints in order to catch people who refuse to take the swine flu vaccination according to whistle blowers, while health authorities are laying the groundwork for a mass vaccination campaign by warning that serious and potentially deadly health problems will be blamed on the H1N1 vaccine.

'Quiet' Sun Can Also Hit Earth With Wild Winds

The Sun can lash the Earth with powerful winds that can disrupt communications, aviation and power lines even when it is in the quiet phase of its 11-year solar cycle, U.S. scientists say.

Recycling and Land Reuse Practices Can Help Fight Climate Change

There is much potential to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gases through recycling, waste reduction, smart growth, and by reusing formerly contaminated sites including brownfields. 

Results of trash-tracking project unveiled in N.Y., Seattle

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology´s SENSEable City Lab recently placed electronic tracking tags on various types of waste in both cities in an effort to get people to think about what they throw away.

Right-Sizing Nuclear Power

The regulatory and financial maze surrounding the construction of new nuclear plants might be circumvented if some developers are able to commercialize smaller, less controversial reactors. Such efficient units could be built and shipped at a fraction of the time and money than the much bigger base-load facilities.

River Deltas Sinking

A new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder indicates most of the world's low-lying river deltas are sinking from human activity, making them increasingly vulnerable to flooding from rivers and ocean storms and putting tens of millions of people at risk.

Salazar Launches DOI Climate Change Response Strategy

“Across the country, Americans are experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change, from growing pressure on water supplies to more intense droughts and fires to rampant bark beetle infestations,” said Salazar.  “Because Interior manages one-fifth of our nation’s landmass and 1.7 billion acres on the Outer Continental Shelf, it is imperative that we tackle these impacts of a failed and outdated energy policy.

Senate is Poised to Undo the EPA's Ability to Curb Global Warming Pollution

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) complied with a Supreme Court ruling requiring it to assess the threat of global warming by determining that heat-trapping emissions are pollutants that endanger public health. This move would allow the agency to regulate global warming pollution from power plants and automobiles under the Clean Air Act.  But now the Senate is poised to undo this critical progress.

So Much Food. So Much Hunger!

How can so many people be hungry when farmers produce enough food, at least in theory, to feed every person on the planet?

The answers are complex and involve everything from American farm politics and African corruption to war, poverty, climate change and drought, which is now the single most common cause of food shortages on the planet.

Study for New England Governors Shows Region Has Significant Potential to Develop Renewables

In recent months, a team of ISO New England engineers and economists has been analyzing more than 40 scenarios to integrate renewables, primarily large-scale wind resources onshore and offshore, into the region's electric grid by 2030.

TEP Unveils Plans for Giant Photovoltaic Array and New Solar Power Plant

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is working with partners to develop two new solar power systems that would rank as the Tucson area's largest renewable power plants, generating enough clean energy to serve more than 6,000 Tucson homes.

U.S. To Push For New Economic World Order At G20

The United States will urge world leaders this week to launch a new push in November to rebalance the world economy, but there are doubts national governments will bow to external advice.

US senators propose to up oil company payment reporting

Senators Richard Lugar, Republican-Indiana, and Benjamin Cardin, Democrat-Maryland, propose requiring companies listed on US stock exchanges to disclose their payments to foreign counties as part of their regular Securities and Exchange Commission reporting.

Volunteers Clean the World's Beaches This Weekend

The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, the world's largest volunteer effort to help protect oceans and waterways, gets underway Saturday with hundreds of thousands of volunteers expected to pick up trash on beaches around the globe. The International Coastal Cleanup has been held on the third Saturday of September since 1986.

Why do we know so little about removal chain?

Imagine a future where immense amounts of trash didn’t pile up on the peripheries of our cities: a future where we understand the ‘removal-chain’ as we do the ‘supply-chain’, and where we can use this knowledge to not only build more efficient and sustainable infrastructures but to promote behavioral change.

September 18, 2009

A greener airport; Sky Harbor tackles auto pollution

One of Phoenix's biggest greenhouse-gas producers is taking huge steps to go green.

Sky Harbor International Airport is part of a citywide push to cut pollution, as Phoenix faces criticism from federal air-quality authorities and a self-imposed plan to reduce greenhouse gases.

The city is converting its airport-based vehicles to alternate fuels. Soon, officials will require all taxis that pick up at city airports to use alternative fuels.

Algae Biofuels; From Pond Scum to Jet Fuel

Exxon Mobil and genome expert Craig Venter hope to strike it green with oilgae, but a few obstacles remain on the path to commercialization of biofuel from algae.

Arctic ice melts to third-smallest area on record

The Arctic's sea ice pack thawed to its third-lowest summer level on record, up slightly from the seasonal melt of the past two years but continuing an overall decline symptomatic of climate change, U.S. scientists said on Thursday.

China's 'Cancer Villages' Bear Witness To Economic Boom

One needs to look no further then the river that runs through Shangba to understand the extent of the heavy metals pollution that experts say has turned the hamlets in this region of southern China into cancer villages.

Clean Edge Jobs

Clean Edge Jobs is the premier source for clean-tech job seekers, employers, and recruiters. Search current openings among the job categories listed below.

Climate Bill's Energy Efficiency Provisions Could Create 569,000 Jobs

Energy efficiency provisions in the American Clean Energy Security Act (ACES — H.R. 2454) with improvements could create more than 569,000 new jobs nationwide in the next ten years and provide US $283 in annual savings for every household in America, according to a new study released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Comfy Cows More Productive, More Relaxed?

Comfortable Norwegian cows are producing more milk and have less udder infections since new regulations allowing them to relax for up to half a day on soft rubberized mattresses were introduced.

Crude oil, natural gas price volatility bleeds into coal prices

Volatile natural gas and crude oil markets are affecting the forward years of NYMEX look-alike coals with prices in all quarters of 2011 spiking by more than $2 on Wednesday.

In the near term, the first quarter of 2010 appeared to be the most heavily traded product, with prices swings of at least 75 cents.

Doctors warn on climate failure

Writing in The Lancet and the British Medical Journal, they urge doctors to "take a lead" on the climate issue.

In a separate editorial, the journals say that people in poor tropical nations will suffer the worst impacts.

They argue that curbing climate change would have other benefits such as more healthy diets and cleaner air.

Dr. Ron Paul, Prepares a Vaccine Freedom Bill

DR. RON PAUL'S OFFICE CALLED NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOUNDATION TODAY TO TELL US THAT HE IS PREPARING A BILL TO GIVE YOU A REAL CHOICE: NO VACCINES, NO INCARCERATION, NO PUNISHMENT.

EDF Expresses Deep Disappointment At Legislature's Inability To Pass Water Policy Reforms

Environmental Defense Fund is disappointed that the California legislature was unable to reach agreement on the proposed water policy legislation. While there was room for improvement, this package of policy bills represented a very important step forward toward resolution of the deep crisis affecting the Bay-Delta system.

Electric Bikes Start To Gain Traction

About 15 companies are now offering bicycles with an electric power option -- as opposed to a purely engine-powered moped -- for around $1,000 to $4,000 -- and they are catching on with some green-thinking commuters.

Environmentalists rap Canada's oil sands ahead of Obama-Harper meet

A coalition of environmental groups wants US President Barack Obama to call for a "moratorium" on Canadian oil sands development when he meets with Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper at the White House on Wednesday.

EPA to Rewrite Rules for Watery Discharges from Coal Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to revise the existing standards for water discharges from coal-fired power plants to reduce pollution and better protect America's surface water, the agency said Tuesday.

Exposure at Default, as Banks Shrink, So Does the Economy

Suffice to say that before Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the other G-20 finance ministers set about to raise capital levels, they need to understand that the earnings of the banking industry are going to be impaired for years as the cost of resolving failed banks is repaid. Restoring solvency is the first issue for many banks, then we can talk about increased capital and restrictions on risk taking equally.

FACTBOX; Quotes On Steps By Developing Nations To Curb CO2

Developing nations have stepped up pledges to curb growth in greenhouse gas emissions as U.N.-led talks trying to seal a broader pact on fighting climate change intensity ahead of a major climate meeting in December.

Former Cold War Foes Team Up To Probe Warming Seas

Resembling strings of beach balls, the moorings provide precision measurements of currents, temperature and salt content. Some even record whale sounds for the mission, called RUSALCA, or Russian-American Long-term Census of the Arctic.

Gas analysts shy away from predicting prices, supply, demand

A panel of natural gas analysts on Wednesday shied away from providing any solid predictions of where the US gas market, supply and demand are headed in the near future, blaming the ambiguous nature of any economic recovery from the recession.

Gaza's Underground Water Supplies on the Verge of Collapse

The underground water supplies that 1.5 million Palestinians depend upon for drinking and agricultural uses are in danger of collapse, finds a new report by the UN Environment Programme's Post-Conflict Assessment Branch on the environmental condition of the Gaza Strip after weeks of hostilities last December and January.

Getting Past the Green Jobs Hysteria

As recent developments have proven, there's never a dull moment in today's clean-tech political landscape. Early September offered an interesting and very ironic juxtaposition of green-job politics at its worst and best. It's a reminder that while clean tech has come so far, the dwindling number of climate deniers and holdouts are becoming increasingly fierce. Cool heads will be needed if the U.S. is going to have any chance at realizing the tremendous economic, social, and environmental opportunities presented by clean tech.

Getting to a National Renewable Energy Standard

Renewable energy executives are rolling up their sleeves for what promises to be a contentious battle this fall to gain Senate approval of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, including establishment of a mandatory national renewable energy standard (RPS).

Global crude futures fall on product stocks, strong dollar

Global crude futures traded lower through Friday mornings European session. Continued concerns over product stock levels were putting some downward pressure on the crude complex, sources said.

Global Warming Could Cool N. America

Analysis of ancient moss from Newfoundland, Canada, links an injection of freshwater from a burst glacial lake to a rapid drop in air temperatures by a few degrees Celsius along North America's East Coast.

Global Warming May Bring Tsunami And Quakes; Scientists

Quakes, volcanic eruptions, giant landslides and tsunamis may become more frequent as global warming changes the earth's crust, scientists said on Wednesday.

Climate-linked geological changes may also trigger "methane burps," the release of a potent greenhouse gas, currently stored in solid form under melting permafrost and the seabed, in quantities greater than all the carbon dioxide (CO2) in our air today.

Green Energy On A Roll But Experts Warn Of Bubbles

Investors betting on renewable or clean energy and related green themes are looking for healthy and sustainable returns, but the road is full of pitfalls for the unwary, investment managers warned on Thursday.

Hatoyama's Japan a karate chop for the once-powerful Sogo Shosha

A mix of jubilation and fear is in the air in Tokyo today. Yukio Hatoyama has been sworn in as the country's 93rd prime minister. In the few hours since he was approved by parliament, he has promised everything from straight talk with the Americans on beef and war, to slashing emissions by 25% in just ten years. 

Himalayan glaciers 'grew' during warmer period

A small group of Himalayan glaciers grew in size when the earth became hotter 9,000 years ago, new research shows...Rupper reports that shifting weather patterns at the time brought more clouds and winds to the area, making it cooler and helping ice formation.

Home Filtering Systems Provide Best Drinking Water Protection

Following a comprehensive New York Times study revealing that ten percent of Americans face dangerous drinking water, the Water Quality Association today urges consumers to consider installing final contaminant barriers in their homes.

House climate bill would not have votes to pass today; API chief

Public opposition to the US House of Representatives' climate bill "is having a clear impact on elected officials," and if the legislation was on the House floor today, "I believe it wouldn't pass," American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard said Tuesday.

Houseplants Cut Indoor Ozone

Ozone, the main component of air pollution, or smog, is a highly reactive, colorless gas formed when oxygen reacts with other chemicals. Although ozone pollution is most often associated with outdoor air, the gas also infiltrates indoor environments like homes and offices. Ozone can be released by ordinary copy machines, laser printers, ultraviolet lights, and some electrostatic air purification systems, all of which contribute to increased indoor ozone levels.

How Did Economists Blow It! (Part3) The Assumed Markets Theory

Two weekends ago Paul Krugman explained in a New York Times Magazine article that many economists can’t forecast the economy because they have a cultish belief in the nearly always wrong efficient market theory.  Mr. Krugman’s solution, an academic exorcism where economists renounce their loyalty to the efficient market theory and swear allegiance to neo-Keynesianism, has created quite a stir in the profession and prompted a number of personal and professional attacks on Mr. Krugman.  Unfortunately, both Mr. Krugman and the efficient markets believers are both wrong.  The theory is correct but the conditions necessary for the efficient markets theory to work don’t exist.

Importance Of White Noise

Noise pollution is indeed a serious issue. The increased amount of noise in our surroundings is posing a threat to our physical and mental well being. The noisy surroundings are also responsible for increasing our stress levels. The racket does not end even during the night.

Interior secretary plans to end royalty-in-kind program

US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday said he plans to end a program that has allowed oil and gas producers on federal lands to pay royalties owed the government in product rather than cash.

In testimony to the House Natural Resources Committee, Salazar said the royalty-in-kind program "has been a blemish...on this department."

Investors Worth $13 Trillion Urge Strong Global Climate Treaty

The world's largest global investors today issued a joint call for strong action this year from U.S. and international policy makers to control global warming. Signed by 181 investors, who collectively manage more than $13 trillion in assets worldwide, the statement on the "urgent need for global agreement on climate change" was released at the International Investor Forum on Climate Change in New York.

Iowa Scientist Battles Emerald Insect for Ash Survival

The emerald ash borer is eating its way through all of the native ash trees across the United States, but Iowa horticulturalist Mark Widrlechner is locked in a battle with the devastating insect.

Jeffersonville, Indiana Must Minimize Sewage Overflows to Ohio River

The city of Jeffersonville has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems to reduce the city's long-standing sewage overflows into the Ohio River at a cost that is estimated to run between $100 and $150 million.

Killer Whales Die Without King Salmon

Some killer whale populations favor king salmon so much that the whales will actually die when numbers of this largest member of the salmon family drop, according to new research.

Mexico's wind energy potential approaches takeoff as lawmakers commit to renewables

The wind energy sector in Mexico, like the rest of the country's renewable energy industry, has been stymied for years by a national policy vacuum. Only a year ago a draft law to promote renewables continued to linger in the national assembly, as it had for three years. But things are changed rapidly, and the country's wind power in particular is beginning to realize its potential.

Solar Module pricing; Rational, or just plain nuts?

During the recent solar boom, average module prices increased (2004), stabilized to a degree (2005), increased significantly (2006), stabilized again (2007), and kept increasing through 2008, until soft demand at year's end led to a slight decrease.

Nigeria pins hopes of solving energy crisis on Niger Delta truce

Nigeria's hopes of solving the crippling energy supply problem confronting the OPEC member, rest on the successful negotiation of truce in the oil-rich Niger Delta region to allow the country to resume normal production of oil and gas, a government official said Thursday.

Oil spill to delay Australia's Montara field startup; PTTEP

Meanwhile, the company began drilling a relief well to stop the Montara leak on September 14 and expects to plug the leak by early October, the spokeswoman said. She, however, could not say how much oil was still flowing out from the well

OPEC warns continuing weak crude demand will boost stock overhang

Continuing weak demand for crude oil is likely to result in already brimming industry stocks being boosted further, OPEC said September 15. .."Since the start of the year, floating storage for both crude and products has also surged to more than 115 million barrels," OPEC said.

Organic foods are now ”mainstream’, says USDA

American producers are struggling to meet robust demand for organic foods despite dire predictions for the organic sector during the economic downturn. Some market researchers claim that consumers have increasingly turned to less expensive options that still tap into their ethical concerns, such as local, Fairtrade and free range. But, in this latest review, the USDA said that the organic market has proved resilient, with "double-digit growth for well over a decade", and that organic consumers have become "increasingly mainstream".

Population Growth Steady in the Face of a Changing Climate

The world's population surpassed 6.8 billion in early 2009, with no significant slowing in the pace of growth in recent years. Estimates by the United Nations Population Division indicate that humanity has been consistently gaining more than 79 million people--a population almost the size of Germany's--each year since 1999.

Power optimizers; Centralized vs. distributed MPPT

In measuring the performance of a photovoltaic (PV) cell, it is common practice to assume typical conditions of irradiance, temperature, and cell parameters, and that these conditions are uniform across all cells in a PV array. However, there are many situations such as various forms of partial shading of the array that cause significant variations of these factors within an array or a single string of PV panels.

Regional Councils Key to Feds' Climate Change Response

"Across the country, Americans are experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change, from growing pressure on water supplies to more intense droughts and fires to rampant bark beetle infestations," said Salazar.

"Because Interior manages one-fifth of our nation"s landmass and 1.7 billion acres on the Outer Continental Shelf, it is imperative that we tackle these impacts of a failed and outdated energy policy," he said.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 091709

The visible disk remains spotless. The geomagnetic field was predominantly quiet with two periods of unsettled conditions...isolated periods of unsettled conditions for day one (18 September).

Scientists Take To The Trees To Measure Global Warming

For years researchers have been studying trees' ability to absorb carbon dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases responsible for global warming, but from the ground they've only been able to get half the picture.

SEC Announces New Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation

The new division combines the Office of Economic Analysis, the Office of Risk Assessment, and other functions to provide the Commission with sophisticated analysis that integrates economic, financial, and legal disciplines.  The division’s responsibilities cover three broad areas: risk and economic analysis; strategic research; and financial innovation.  

Sierra Club, students campaign to kick coal of campuses

The campaign organizers are calling for an end to coal burning at several of the dozens of campuses that have on-site coal plants. The groups aim to wean all campuses off of coal-generated electricity, replacing it with clean energy options.

Solar Systems Never Cheaper

Solar panels have never been cheaper. But that development may not be welcome news for the industry unless it is able to sell more units.

Study Offers an In-depth Look at How Companies are Surviving the Recession

Despite the fact that all of the companies surveyed have coped with the recessionary challenges that occur in a cyclical industry, the research sought to discover why some companies are more resilient and optimistic in the face of similar environmental and economic challenges.

Tea party 'fires up' Heber_Overgaard citizens

Citizens and both current and aspiring politicians converged at Mountain Java as three local women hosted a political tea party Sept. 2.

Total sees output growth in 2010, faster field declines

French oil major Total indicated Wednesday that its oil and gas production would rise next year, after a dip in 2009, despite faster-than-expected output declines from its mature oil and gas fields.

TVA to spend $40M in response to Dec. coal ash spill

The cleanup will cost the TVA an estimated $1 billion, but the $40 million pledged to Roane County on Sept. 14 is earmarked for helping repair the area´s image, attract new business investment and improve the quality of life for area residents.

US DOE advisory panel to study fuels, North American resources

"It is the policy objective of the US to protect our nation from the serious economic and strategic risks associated with our excessive reliance on foreign oil and the destabilizing effects of a changing climate," Chu said in a letter Wednesday to Claiborne Deming, the chairman of the council. "All energy uses and supply sources must be re-examined in order to enable the transition towards a lower carbon, more sustainable energy mix."

US Dollar a Safe-haven Currency? You Bet

In the previous post we mentioned that the US dollar (strangely enough) is actually a safe-haven currency. Some Sober Look readers were quite astonished by this statement. How can the dollar be one of the currencies investors flock to during periods of increasing risk aversion? Doesn't seem likely after what the US has been through and with all the new dollars entering the system from the Fed's quantitative easing? But here are some reasons this may not be so crazy after all...

US Long-Term Rates Down for Third Consecutive Week

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.04 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending September 17, 2009, down from last week when it averaged 5.07 percent.  Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.78 percent.  The last time the 30-year FRM was lower was the week ending May 28, 2009, when it averaged 4.91 percent.

US tire tariffs trigger butadiene exports from China

The US government's decision to impose tariffs on China-made tires has led China, typically a butadiene importer, to export butadiene as domestic tire producers were starting to slash operating rates at their plants, industry sources said Thursday.

Why Millions of Americans Don't Need a Swine Flu Vaccine

The FDA has now suddenly granted approval to four different H1N1 vaccines, all on the same day! With virtually no testing, these fast-tracked vaccines are now approved for use on everyone: Infants, children, adults, senior citizens and even expectant mothers. But does everyone really need these vaccines?

Wind Technology Trends; Why Small Steps Matter

Although the current slide in overall wind market demand means 2009 figures are unlikely to match recent booms, the dip has not come at the expense of wind technology innovation.

World Food Aid At 20-Year Low, 1 Billion Hungry

Food aid is at a 20-year low despite the number of critically hungry people soaring this year to its highest level ever, the United Nations relief agency said Wednesday.

The number of hungry people will pass 1 billion this year for the first time, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) said, adding that it is facing a serious budget shortfall.

September 15, 2009

7 Things You Didn't Know About Organic Agriculture

Even a casual TreeHugger knows that organic food is a greener option for the planet, but there's a lot more to growing it than just planting seeds in the sun, watering the sprouts (and skipping the pesticides) and talking to the plants as they grow; organic agriculture is a complicated, interesting, constantly changing process. Here are seven things you may not have realized about organic agriculture.

Clean Energy To Create More Jobs Than Coal

A strong shift toward renewable energies could create 2.7 million more jobs in power generation worldwide by 2030 than staying with dependence on fossil fuels would, a report suggested Monday.

CMU Startup Harnessing Human Body 'Biopower'

The potential to efficiently capture and use the “bio-fuel” inside each of us has taken a huge step forward, thanks to the dreams, vision and commitment of Nathan Long and his team of researchers at Bio-Nano Power. 

Court Strikes Down Arizona Copper Mine Public Land Exchange

In a ruling with national implications for public lands, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today overturned the federal government's approval of a land exchange with mining giant Asarco, Inc.

EIA ups OPEC 2009, 2010 earnings forecasts to $559 bil, $675 bil

The US Energy Administration has raised its forecasts of OPEC's oil export earnings by $4 billion to $559 billion this year and by $8 billion to $675 billion in 2010.

Energy-Efficient Sewage Plants

High-rate digestion with microfiltration is state-of-the-art in large sewage plants. It effectively removes accumulated sludge and produces biogas to generate energy. A study now reveals that even small plants can benefit from this process.

EPA Withholds 79 Mountaintop Mining Permits for Extended Review

The U.S. EPA has identified 79 proposed surface coal mining projects in four Appalachian states for further, detailed reviews of their permit applications.

In a finding that pleased environmentalists and coalfield residents in central and southern Appalachia, the agency's initial review concluded that all of the proposed projects would likely cause water quality impacts requiring additional review under the Clean Water Act.

EU wind sector wants Eur30 billion invested in offshore grid

European power transmission system operators need to invest up to Eur30 billion ($44 billion) in offshore grids and interconnectors by 2020 to bring 40 GW of offshore wind online, the European Wind Energy Association said in a report presented Monday.

Federal Funding Opportunities for Your Biomass Company

The biomass industry is the largest renewable energy industry in the country, accounting for 3.9 quadrillion BTU of energy in 2009 – 53% of the total renewable energy produced iin the United States. The industry has great promise and opportunity to grow, but has slowed down considerably by the recent downturn in the economy.

Ford to Convert Auto Plant to Clean Tech Manufacturing

A Ford car plant which was recently shut down as part of cost savings by the car maker is being converted into a facility for renewable energy companies.

Groups seek methane capture offsets under US carbon scheme

Coalitions of power producers, carbon offset developers and solid waste management groups this week asked the US Senate to allow the capture of landfill gas and other fugitive methane emissions to count as carbon offsets, reversing language in a House of Representatives' bill that would make these emissions subject to regulation.

Groups to file lawsuit against EPA over coal power plant

Three environmental groups have notified the U.S. EPA of their intent to file a lawsuit because the agency has failed to set limits on toxic metal emissions from coal power plant over the past 26 years.

Coal plants discharge millions of pounds of toxic pollutants like arsenic, mercury, selenium and lead each year, according to environmental advocates.

Growing Green Roofs

One way to maximize the eco-friendly factor of a structure is to include a green roof—and this doesn't refer to the paint color. "Greening" a roof, or covering a roof with vegetation, is gaining popularity in North America, where the number of green roofs increased 30% from 2006 to 2007. Benefits of green roofs include improved storm water management, energy conservation, reduced noise and air pollution, improved biodiversity, and even a better return on investment than traditional roofing.

Home Price Declines and Failures of US Financial Institutions, an Example of Macro-Factor Driven Default Risk

Our post on September 9 pointed out that the number of failed and rescued financial institutions in the current crisis has been far less than what we observed in the 1987-1992 period.  We all know that home prices are the number one driver of the 2007-2009 credit crisis, and recent data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation makes that obvious.  That’s the focus of today’s post.

Is Swimming Pool Chlorine Fueling The Allergy Epidemic?

Swimming in a chlorinated pool may boost the odds that a child susceptible to asthma and allergies will develop these problems, a study released today indicates.

"These new data clearly show that by irritating the airways of swimmers chlorination products in water and air of swimming pools exert a strong additive effect on the development of asthma and respiratory allergies such as hay fever and allergic rhinitis,"

Kenya Seeks Millions to Save Mau Forest, Avert Water Crisis

A multimillion dollar appeal to save the Mau Forests Complex, the most important source of water for human consumption in the Rift Valley and Western Kenya, was launched by the government of Kenya at a forum hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme last week.

Mercury’s Insidious Nature

A new government study is likely to give the Obama administration more fire power when it comes to enacting tougher mercury emission controls. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have found the toxic substance in every one of the 291 fish they analyzed with more than a quarter of those having dangerous contamination levels.

More warnings that Nigeria's amnesty program may fail

The president of a youth organization in the oil-rich Niger Delta warned Monday that the Nigerian government's amnesty program was not being handled properly and would fail to halt violence in the region if it did not address core issues there.

The amnesty deal offered to militants who give up their weapons and renounce violence ends October 4.

Multidrug-Resistant Staph Found on Puget Sound Beaches

Samples of sand and water from five beaches around the Puget Sound have tested positive for a multidrug resistant form of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. This potentially fatal strain of staph is resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it.

Museum to remove controversial Native American dioramas

Something has long seemed amiss in the spacious halls of the University of Michigan’s Exhibit Museum of Natural History.

Nestled among exhibits of ancient dinosaur bones, prehistoric fossils and avian taxidermy, miniature 3-D scenes depicting Native Americans have been on display for decades.

Indian faculty members, students and others who visit have often felt the dioramas were out of place in the museum. Soon, to many Natives’ delight, they will be taken out.

Natural Gas Producers Pumped

With the prevailing emphasis on reducing carbon emissions, natural gas producers could become more instrumental in developing national energy policy. But the industry must still demonstrate that it can safely produce and deliver its product.

New Guide to Cell Phone Radiation

Over 4 billion people in the world have cell phones. They’re handy, portable, inexpensive and we wonder how we even got along with out them before we had one. Cell phones are here to stay, there’s no doubt about that. But there are mounting concerns about the adverse health affects from radiation emitted from your cell phone. Nothing has been proven, but considering that a cell phone operates by sending out radio waves made up of electromagnetic radiation, it’d be wise to be conscious and make smart choices.

NYMEX crude lower as dollar firms on China-US trade tensions

NYMEX October crude futures on CME's Globex system were 68 cents lower at $68.61/barrel Monday as the dollar finally firmed after a six-day selloff that sent the greenback to year-to-date lows against most major currencies.

October ICE Brent was 21 cents lower at $67.47/b.

OPEC keeps oil output limits unchanged, mindful of global economy

OPEC agreed, as expected, at late night talks in Vienna September 9 to leave its current crude production limits unchanged for the time being, after ministers expressed their satisfaction with current price levels despite high stock levels in consumer countries.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 091409

Solar activity was very low. No flares were observed. The visible disk was spotless. The geomagnetic field was predominantly quiet. A single unsettled period was observed at all latitudes between 14/0000-0300Z.

Raising The Root

Like many a farmer, Ben Flanner rises with the sun. Like most crops, his need water and weeding -- bright tomatoes and fragrant basil, delicate nasturtiums, mottled melons and black eggplants, mustard greens, puntarelle, peas, beets, beans, kale -- about 30 fruits and vegetables in all, and then there are the herbs.

But his farm is not like most farms.

Scientists Find CO2 Link To Antarctic Ice Cap Origin

A team of scientists studying rock samples in Africa has shown a strong link between falling carbon dioxide levels and the formation of Antarctic ice sheets 34 million years ago.

Sea Levels Rose as Much as Two Feet This Summer in U.S. East

Sea levels rose as much as 2 feet (60 centimeters) higher than predicted this summer along the U.S. East Coast, surprising scientists who forecast such periodic fluctuations.

The immediate cause of the unexpected rise has now been solved, U.S. officials say in a new report (hint: it wasn't global warming). But the underlying reason remains a mystery.

September 2009 Economic Outlook, Slow But Steady Signs of Recovery

A recent spate of positive housing news—increases in sales of new and existing homes over successive months, and favorable reports on home prices during the second quarter—reinforces the message that housing markets are stabilizing.  These latest developments signal a shift in the risks to the economy.  A growing threat to the economic outlook now comes not from housing but from the weak labor market, as the housing recovery and consumer spending cannot be sustained without growth of jobs and incomes.

Summer Temperatures Lower Than Normal Over Most of US

Global warming doesn’t necessarily mean that temperatures are rising every year, everywhere. Superimposed on global trends are local and regional climate effects that may differ from global trends. For example, the average June-August 2009 summer temperature for the contiguous United States was below average — the 34th coolest on record

Uncivilisation; the Dark Mountain Manifesto

We have, it seems, led the planet into the age of ecocide. Can civilisation survive the unavoidable environmental catastrophe? To stand a chance we will need cool heads, not fiery dreams.

US EPA delays 79 surface coal-mining permits for further review

The US Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said it has identified 79 proposed surface coal-mining projects in Appalachia that it believes could affect water quality and said it will carry out a "further and detailed" review of their pending permits.

US Poverty Underestimated In Government Data

The federal government’s poverty formula, developed in the 1960s and unchanged since that time is “thoroughly outdated,” state Casey Foundation officials.  It calculates the cost of a basic household grocery budget for a given family size and then multiplies it by three, since in the 1960s, families spent about one-third of disposable income on food.  Today, however, food takes up roughly one-seventh of net household income.  The government poverty formula does not take into account child care, transportation, health care or education costs and makes no allowance for regional differences in the cost-of-living.

US to remain market-of-last-resort for LNG until 2014; Total exec

Liquefied natural gas will keep coming to US shores despite a global gas glut because the US has become the dumping ground for excess capacity, an executive with French energy giant Total said Monday.

Global gas producers will continue to send excess gas to the US until about 2014, when global demand catches up to production and LNG infrastructure construction gains..

Water Quality In Orbit

Space is not a fun place to get a stomach bug. To ensure drinking water is adequately disinfected, University of Utah chemists developed a two-minute water quality monitoring method that just started six months of tests aboard the International Space Station.

September 11, 2009

48 Percent of Consumers Interested in Purchasing a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are one of the most highly anticipated new product categories of recent years. Promising dramatically improved fuel economy over standard internal combustion engines, PHEVs are expected to drive significant benefits in the form of reduced carbon emissions and lesser dependence on foreign oil.

Arctic Ecosystems Changing, May be Irreversible

The dramatic changes sweeping the Arctic as a result of global warming aren't just confined to melting sea ice and polar bears — a new study finds that the forces of climate change are propagating throughout the frigid north, producing different effects in each ecosystem with the upshot that the face of the Arctic may be forever altered.

Birth Control Could Head Off Climate Crunch

The world's population is expected to rise by one third to more than 9 billion people by 2050, and may keep growing, fuelling concern about food and energy shortages and a more difficult task to curb greenhouse gases heating the planet.

Bringing Harmony To Electronic Waste Disposal

Disposal and recycling standards for old computer equipment and other electronic waste must be harmonized for this rapidly growing problem to be dealt with effectively across national borders. An analysis of the current rules and regulations is reported in the latest issue of the International Journal of Environmental Engineering.

Climate science in the docket; a 'monkey' trial for our time

The US Chamber of Commerce says it wants to put the science of climate change on trial. It has petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency to hold a public hearing to weigh the evidence about the claimed impacts of climate change on human mortality, health and the environment, and on extreme weather events.

Crude futures pare earlier gains as equities slide, dollar rises

Crude futures pared their early morning gains as equity markets began to slide off morning highs and the US dollar rose.

Crude Oil; 150 years since Titusville

The people backing the venture were not after the oil to fuel a long-term vision of a world full of automobiles, jet flight, plastics, or most of the ways we know petroleum to be used today. They were capitalists trying to make money by alleviating a pain of the present time: the runup to the US Civil War had started disrupted whaling, and whale oil used in lamps and stoves, was in short supply. Its substitute, alcohol, was heavily taxed.

Detroit's 'Quiet Revolution' ; Local Foods Movement Takes Root

Detroit's local foods movement has been a catalyst in the [r]evolution that is rebirthing Detroit as a City of Hope. The city's early devastation by deindustrialization provided us with the space and place to begin anew. It also challenged us to make a paradigm shift in our thinking about social justice.

'Dramatic' Rise In Renewables Needed For 2 Celsius Goal

The share of renewable energy will have to rise "dramatically" if the world is to have a chance of limiting global warming to a maximum 2 Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) temperature rise, a leading expert said Wednesday.

El Niño is expected to strengthen and last through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2009-2010

A weak El Niño continued during August 2009, as sea surface temperature (SST) remained above-average across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Consistent with this warmth, the latest weekly values of the Niño-region SST indices were between +0.7^oC to +1.0^oC. Subsurface oceanic heat content (average temperatures in the upper 300m of the ocean, anomalies continued to reflect a deep layer of anomalous warmth between the ocean surface and the thermocline, particularly in the central Pacific

Electricity From Grass, Manure, And Organic Waste; Evonik Setting Its Stakes On Eco-Friendly Biogas

Evonik uses renewable raw materials, organic waste, and manure to produce biogas, which it in turn converts into electricity and heat. Fermentation residue is turned into valuable fertilizer.

Europe Is The Largest Waste-To-Energy Market In The World, But Delays And Recession Threaten Primacy

Europe is the largest waste-to-energy plants market in the world with a very well developed infrastructure and over 429 installed plants in 2008. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan...

First Solar To Build Huge Chinese Solar Plant

First Solar Inc said on Tuesday it plans to build the world's largest solar plant in China in the first major foray by a U.S. company into the Asian nation's fast growing alternative energy sector.

Forecasting Wind

Wind power's potential could be improved if developers had better forecasting tools. Knowing about when, where and how fast the wind blows is one thing. But being able to more accurately make those assessments is clearly a cut above.

Frost & Sullivan; Biofuels An Important Step In Achieving A Greener Aviation Industry

Aircraft emissions, ground transportation and related travel in the airline and airports business contribute to air pollution and global warming, and carbon reduction in this area has long been an area of research. In 2008 alone, U.S. passenger and cargo airline operations required 16.1 billion gallons or approximately 382.4 million barrels of jet fuel.

Grizzly Bears Vanishing From Canada's Great Bear Rainforest

It's called the Great Bear Rainforest, but few grizzly bears have been seen on British Columbia's north and central coast this year. Conservationists and bear viewing guides are blaming the disappearance of the bears on the overfishing of salmon, their main food source.

Half the World's Fish Meals Are Farmed Fish, Fed on Wild Fish

Half of all the fish eaten in the world now is raised on fish farms rather than caught in the wild, according to new research by an international team of scientists.

But while the aquaculture industry is more efficient than ever, it is putting a strain on marine resources by consuming large amounts of feed made from wild fish harvested from the sea, the study shows.

How Did Economists Blow It. They Missed the Negative Externalities of America’s Limited Liability Society

Paul Krugman’s New York Times Magazine article of September 6^th maintains that externalities are the most important factor in market failures, but then never considers whether or not large “externalities” caused the failures of 2007.  By ignoring externalities, the usually brilliant Mr. Krugman illustrates why economists didn’t see the market crash and Great Recession.

India Could Halve Emissions Growth, at a Cost

Growth in India's carbon emissions could be nearly halved by the year 2030 through the use of known practices and technologies, according to a new report from McKinsey & Company.

India Eyes Policy Changes To Cut Renewables Costs

India, which hopes to attract $16 billion in renewable energy investments by 2012, will soon announce new policies to cut the cost of investment in the green sector, the chief of India's renewables agency said on Thursday.

Keeping the Current Credit Crisis in Perspective, the 1980s and Early 1990s were Much Worse for Financial Institutions

Commentators on the current credit crisis have correctly claimed that, by many measures, the current credit crisis is the worst economic slump since the great depression. Nonetheless, there are other measures that one can use to show that the current crisis has been sharp and dramatic, but it has been nowhere near as devastating for financial institutions as a whole as the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s and 1990s. This post explains why.

Latest pipeline imbalance orders signal filling storage; analysts

"Over the past two weeks, the impending gas price debacle has finally become clear to the market as several major pipelines carrying natural gas from producing regions to the Northeast have issued imbalance warnings," the analysts said in a research note. "These warnings are a clear indication that the US is running out of gas storage capacity."

Letter from Union of Concerned Scientists

This summer, you helped make history when the House of Representatives passed comprehensive legislation to rein in global warming pollution and create a cleaner approach to our nation's energy system. Although the bill was not perfect, it is a critical first step in our efforts to curb climate change and build a clean energy economy.

Making Geothermal More Productive

University of Utah researchers will inject cool water and pressurized water into a "dry" geothermal well during a five-year, $10.2 million study aimed at boosting the productivity of geothermal power plants and making them feasible nationwide.

Mining Hydrothermal Vents For Renewable Electricity, Drinking Water + Valuable Minerals

...we would not only discover vast strange heat sources under the ocean but that we’d actually consider mining these hydrothermal vents for renewable energy: That was the sort of story you’d only find in science fiction back then.

Navy to Make Jet Fuel From Seawater

By extracting dissolved carbon dioxide from seawater and combining it with hydrogen stripped from water molecules, Navy chemists hope to one day secure a cheap and steady fuel source for its fleet of jets.

New uranium mines needed to meet demand after 2020; report

The uranium market should be well supplied up to 2020 but new mines will need to be developed to satisfy demand thereafter, according to a report released Thursday in London by the World Nuclear Association.

Nigeria to stick to OPEC quota as oil capacity builds; NNPC

Nigeria will continue to abide by its current OPEC quota despite a steep recent rise in oil production as more militants in the restive Niger Delta take up the government's offer of an amnesty if they agree to surrender arms, a senior Nigerian oil official said September 9.

OPEC sanguine about high oil inventories, set for rollover

OPEC set to keep current output targets, urge stricter compliance

OPEC looked unlikely just hours ahead of its September 9 meeting in Vienna to spring any surprises on world oil markets as senior ministers indicated that they saw no need to tamper with current official output targets.

Reflect on ruthless attack

On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States was the target of a vicious and ruthless attack on home soil by terrorists.
      Since then some of the responsible terrorists have been caught, some tried and convicted. However, it is probably safe to say Americans will never forget the day the World Trade Center in the middle of New York, the Big Apple, was felled by madmen.

Refurbished Hubble Space Telescope Transmits Spectacular Images

"This marks a new beginning for Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The telescope was given an extreme makeover and now is significantly more powerful than ever, well-equipped to last into the next decade."

Renewables Global Status Report 2009 Update

Future targets for renewable energy now exist in over 73 countries, up from 45 in 2005. Many such trends continue and are documented in this summary of the REN21 annual report.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 091009

Solar activity was very low.  The geomagnetic field is expected to remain quiet for the next three days (11-13 September).

Researchers set new 43% record for solar PV efficiency

The UNSW team created a cell able to capture light at the red and infrared ends of the spectrum, converting 46% of this into electricity.

Scientists Say Climate Change Mitigation Strategies Ignore Carbon Cycling Processes Of Inland Waters

In the paper...scientists... argue that current international strategies to mitigate manmade carbon emissions and address climate change have overlooked a critical player - inland waters. Streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands play an important role in the carbon cycle that is unaccounted for in conventional carbon cycling models.

SECURE INVESTMENT AND FINANCE FOR YOUR SOLAR PROJECTS IN 2009 AND BEYOND

You already know that it's harder than ever to secure solar financing ... but things are changing and this year has seen positive shifts that are destined to help the long-term viability and short-term health of the solar industry.

SIGG Bottles Had BPA All Along

SIGG bottles, long upheld as the standard by which all non-plastic drink bottles should be compared, favourite of hippies and eco-gurus, juggernaut and arguably the biggest player in the metal bottle industry, has finally fessed up.

Solar price falls to new record low, industrial now below 20 cents per kWh

Bicycles are already cost-effective, but solar has been out of reach to most consumers in the past. It's price just fell for the 11th straight month, reaching a new record low.

Below 20 cents per kWh for first time

Spectrolab concentrator PV cell reaches world record efficiency of 41.6%

The cell is an advanced version of the lattice-matched triple-junction technology already in production for space and terrestrial applications at Spectrolab, which pioneered the technology over 10 years ago.

Surviving the Biodiesel Downturn

The biodiesel industry has been in rough shape over the last year. With oil prices down, two thirds of American refineries sitting unused and no national target for the fuel, there are many questions about where the industry will go next.

The sun goes down on Asian refiners as middle distillates lose their shine

In days of yore, Asian refiners had always been able to bank on comfortable, if not cushy margins from cracking crude oil into middle distillates.
 
Even in early 2008, Asian refiners were enjoying record high sulfur gasoil crack spreads of more than $40/b against the Dubai crude it can be produced from, riding high from massive demand from China's stockpiling ahead of the Beijing Olympics, India's escalating domestic growth, refinery outages around the world and to fire up construction projects and transportation everywhere.

Thousands of jobs to be created - Many turn out to protest Snowflake wind farm

He said the purpose of the meetings on Monday and Wednesday were to address five key areas of concern as voiced "by the public at large" and asked that questions be confined to subjects not covered at the Monday meeting.
     Those five key areas included property values, transmission use, health effects, lighting and decommissioning.

Try Nature, Not Tech, To Fix Economic Woes; UNEP

The world is waking up to huge economic benefits of investing in nature, from forests to coral reefs, after one of the "great oversights" of the 20th century, the head of the U.N. Environment Program said on Friday.

U.S. Aluminum Can Recycling Reached 54.2 Percent In 2008

The Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) have officially announced the 2008 Used Beverage Container (UBC) recycling rate which showed the highest recycling rate of any beverage container at 54.2 percent.

US coal production down 6.5pct on year in week ending Sept. 5; EIA

US coal production totaled about 21.1 million short tons in the week that ended on Saturday, down 6.5% from the same week in 2008 and about 2.3% below the previous week, the Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.

US crude inventories tumble 7.216 million barrels; API

US crude inventories tumbled 7.216 million barrels to 336.315 million barrels last week, the American Petroleum Institute reported Wednesday, exceeding analyst expectations of a 1.8-million-barrel draw.

Crude imports fell 124,000 b/d to 9.64 million b/d, while refinery inputs climbed 187,000 b/d to 15.127 million b/d, calling into question the size of the stock draw.

US Senate, House hearings this week to focus on oil, gas drilling

US Senate and House subpanels will hear testimony this week on two bills that would significantly alter oil and natural gas drilling on public lands.

US senators question CFTC plan to move all CO2 deals to exchanges

Several members of the US Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday said they are unsure whether they will embrace a US Commodity Futures Trading Commission recommendation that all carbon emission allowance transactions under a federal cap-and-trade bill take place on a regulated exchange -- a move the energy sector fears will boosts power prices.

US unlikely to agree to GHG cuts above those in House bill; Stern

The top US climate change negotiator on Thursday said he does not believe the country will make more aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions than those contained in a bill approved in June by the House of Representatives, despite calls by some developing countries that it do more.

Waste_Inbox 090709

Here´s the latest installment in the seemingly endless series of stories about economic hardships afflicting public-sector recycling agencies. This one comes from Ithaca, N.Y., where the Tompkins County solid waste division is scrambling to cut costs while raising recycling collection and waste disposal fees and implementing a new yard waste fee to help soften the blow of a projected $240,000 deficit.

Water a major issue for northeastern Arizona

One of the most vital issues facing Taylor and the entire Little Colorado watershed is that of water use and how to protect the area's water resources.

White House, Oil, Gas Industry Spar Over Taxes

A top Obama Administration official said the U.S. oil and gas industry will survive a proposed repeal of billions of dollars tax preferences and there will be an insignificant impact on worldwide prices.

Current tax breaks for oil and gas production distort the market, leading to over-investment in domestic fossil fuel production,

Why GMO Foods Have Failed at Producing Healthy Food for More People

For a technology that has sucked up billions of research dollars and prolonged agriculture's dependence on chemical inputs, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) have yet to justify their role in a world desperate for more sustainable ways to produce healthier food for more people.

Wind Could Meet China's Electricity Demands; Study

Wind power could meet China's electricity demands through 2030 and cut carbon dioxide emissions in China by 30 percent, U.S. and Chinese researchers said on Thursday.

China already is the world's chief emitter of carbon dioxide, a leading so-called greenhouse gas implicated by scientists in global climate change.

China currently generates 792.5 gigawatts of electricity per year, mostly through coal-fired power plants, and that output is expected to grow by 10 percent per year...

September 6, 2009

Anti-nuclear rally enlivens German campaign

Determined to make nuclear power a focus of the election campaign, the protesters criticised Merkel and her conservative party, which wants to scrap a 2001 law to shut down Germany's 17 remaining nuclear power plants by the mid-2020s.

Arctic Geological Record Correlates Warming to Man

Long-term climate records from the Arctic provide strong new evidence that human-caused global warming can override Earth's natural heating and cooling cycles, U.S. researchers reported this week in the journal Science.

For more than 2,000 years, a natural wobble in Earth's axis has caused the Arctic region to move farther away from the sun during the region's summer, reducing the amount of solar radiation it receives. The Arctic is now 600,000 miles farther from the sun than it was in AD 1, and temperatures there should have fallen a little more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since then.

Instead, the region has warmed 2.2 degrees since 1900 alone...

Arctic Thaw Could Cause Massive Flood, Curbing Non-CO2 Pollutants Could Help

Continued warming of the Arctic could lead to global weather changes and flooding that affects one-quarter of the world's people, finds a new report by the global conservation organization WWF.

Bird-Swine Flu Vaccine; Voluntary or Mandatory?

If you live in the UK or US and have been relying on the mainstream media for information about the swine flu vaccine you may be surprised to learn that there is a question about whether it will, in fact, be a matter of choice. But if you've been following what independent online sources are saying on this subject you will know the internet is abuzz with rumours the vaccine will be mandatory.

CivicUS Releases Research Notes Highlighting Water As A Critical Government Issue

Both Research Notes advise state and local leaders on water as an emerging threat that state and local governments and private enterprise must address.

Due to water's historically low cost and the industry's rate-base model, there is virtually no incentive for utility companies or the public to reduce water consumption.

Coastal home owners face huge losses from rising sea

Around the world, owners of prized seaside properties face the prospect of not just losing their homes but receiving no compensation as insurance policies may not cover climate change losses in the future.

How Farm-Raised Salmon Are Turning Our Oceans Into Dangerous and Polluted Feedlots

While salmon "farming" conjures an agrarian image, the industry is more akin to CAFOs -- the concentrated animal feeding operations -- used by the industrial meat industry that is responsible for most of the chicken, burgers and pork that Americans consume. They're also responsible for a lot of waste and pollution that comes with raising a whole bunch of creatures in a confined space.

Humans Causing Erosion Comparable To World’s Largest Rivers And Glaciers

A new study finds that large-scale farming projects can erode the Earth's surface at rates comparable to those of the world's largest rivers and glaciers.

Insect Repellent DEET is Toxic to Brain Cells

If you insist on using chemical laden insect repellents containing DEET, you may be getting more than you bargained for -- including damage to your central nervous system. In fact, scientists writing in the open access journal BMC Biology don't just say that more studies should be done to confirm DEET's potential neurotoxicity to humans. The researchers are calling for more investigations of the chemical to be conducted on an urgent basis.

Just how dangerous is swine flu?

There seems to have been a rhythm to the news reports about swine flu. "Biggest pandemic ever" and "Swine flu could kill 65,000 in UK" say headlines one day. "We're coping just fine" and "Less dangerous than the annual flu season" say the next day's papers. So how dangerous is swine flu really?

Methane Gas Could Increase From Oceanic Vents

The premise is that rising global temperatures could be accompanied by melting permafrost in arctic regions and that this could initiate the release of underground methane into the atmosphere. Once released, that methane gas would speed up global warming by trapping the Earth's heat radiation about 20 times more efficiently than does the better-known greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.

Not so sunny; trade war looms in solar space

Fair competition or Save the Planet?

That could ultimately be at play as China and the West, long at odds over trade in steel, textiles and auto parts, risk being sucked into a row over protectionism in renewable energy equipment such as solar panels.

Pesticides — Easier Detection Of Pollution And Impact In Rivers

The long-term effects of pesticides on living organisms in rivers and on water quality can now be assessed more easily. Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have developed a tool that can estimate the harmful effect of pesticides, such as those flushed into rivers and streams from agricultural land, within minutes.

Plant Waste Used to Recover Waste Uranium

Researchers at the UK's Birmingham University have recovered uranium from the radioactive waters of uranium mines using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical parallel of a cheap waste material from plants. The same technology can also be used to clean up nuclear waste, they said.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 090709

Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet with isolated unsettled periods on day one and day two (8-9 September). The increased activity is due to a
recurrent coronal hole high speed stream.

STOP THE SHOT legal actions

We believe that this legal action gives us the very best shot (pardon the pun!) to STOP THE SHOT of anything happening in the US because, unlike the other people bringing US court actions (bless 'em all!), we have followed the law and exhausted our administrative remedies before going into Court. We are seeking injunctive relief to prevent vaccines without any safety testing behind them from being injected in the US. Since the US denies it is going to call for mandatory vaccination (we do not believe them!) there is no way to sue in Court to prevent what has not (yet) been called for. Sadly, those well-intentioned cases will fail.

The Virtues of Deglobalization

The current global downturn, the worst since the Great Depression 70 years ago, pounded the last nail into the coffin of globalization. Already beleaguered by evidence that showed global poverty and inequality increasing, even as most poor countries experienced little or no economic growth, globalization has been terminally discredited in the last two years.

September 4, 2009

15 Best Foods to Improve Your Immunity

Not in the mood to choke down yet another gritty serving of Emergen-C? Boost your body from the inside out with powerful foods that help your immune system function optimally. Just incorporate these healthy foods into your diet to strengthen your immune system in a way your taste buds can appreciate.

Africa May Veto Climate Change Deal; Ethiopian PM

Africa will veto any climate change deal that does not meet its demand for money from rich nations to cut the impact of global warming on the continent, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Thursday.

Analyst ranks top 10, 2008 suppliers of solar PV manufacturing equipment

VLSI Research Inc has ranked the top 10 suppliers of solar photovotalic (PV) manufacturing equipment worldwide for 2008.

Approaching Epidemic; Brain Damage from Mobile Phone Radiation

A collaborative team of international EMF activists has released a report detailing eleven design flaws of the 13-country, Telecom-funded Interphone study.

The exposé discusses research on cell phones and brain tumors...

Arctic Warming Overtakes 2,000 Years of Natural Cooling

Arctic temperatures have been dropping for the last 2,000 years. Since 1900, temperature anomaly has turned positive, indicating temperatures started becoming warmer than the long term average, new research indicates. The study, which incorporates geologic records and computer simulations, provides new evidence that the Arctic would be cooling if not for greenhouse gas emissions that are overpowering natural climate patterns.

Ban on Ice, or Maybe Not; The Arctic is Melting

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon traveled above the Arctic Circle today to experience for himself the impact of climate change on the fragile region.

"I will try to deliver a clear strong message from my visit to the North Pole," Ban told reporters yesterday in Oslo.

Climate Risks, And How To Limit Damage

A 155-nation conference in Geneva agreed on a plan to improve climate information to help people cope with ever more droughts, floods, sandstorms and rising sea levels projected this century.

Climate-change technology risks 'catastrophic' outcome

Risky and unproven climate-changing technologies could have "catastrophic consequences" for the earth and humankind if used irresponsibly, according to a new report.

Crude oil prices have changed – and now so have the trading patterns

The changing landscape of oil in the run-up to – and since – the onset of recession in many of the world's major economies goes beyond simple prices.

Once the preserve of the refining and investment community, crude oil prices have become fodder for water-cooler conversation and now, with values in the spotlight, other aspects of the crude markets are gaining attention too.

Daimler Buses sells 3,000 diesel-electric hybrids

Daimler Buses North America has now sold more than 3,000 diesel-electric hybrid buses, more than any other manufacturer in the world, the company said.

DoE to invest nearly US$300m in clean vehicles initiatives

The 25 cost-share clean vehicles projects that will benefit from the funding could place 9000 alterative fuel and energy efficient vehicles on US roads and establish 542 refuelling locations across the USA.

Energy-Gulping U.S. Buildings Ripe For Savings

New York's Empire State Building is doing it, Chicago's Willis Tower is about to start and many more landlords and companies are expected to undertake building retrofits to reduce energy costs.

Spurred by steadily rising utility bills, the need to rein in costs in the recession, a host of government tax incentives and increasing awareness of carbon footprints, energy-saving building renovations are in vogue.

EPA Raises the Bar for Energy Star Televisions

EPA has revised the qualifications for televisions to achieve the Energy Star label, requiring TVs to be 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional models.

Fall Colors Fade In U.S. West As Aspen Trees Die

The American West is losing its autumn colors as global warming begins to bite and there is far more at stake than iconic scenery.

Aspen, the white-barked trees with golden leaves that gave their name to the famed Colorado ski resort, have been dying off across the Rocky Mountain states. The die-off is puzzling but some foresters point to climate change.

Freescale Cleans Up Small Combustion Engines With Electronic Control Solution

Faced with worldwide emissions regulations and rising gas prices, the small engine market is migrating from mechanical carbureted systems to cleaner, more efficient electronic control and electronic fuel injection (EFI).

Goodbye Pools, Lawns and a Whole Lot More; Why Life in the Southwest as We Know it Will Be History

Water in the very near future will be neither cheap nor plentiful, and much of the Southwest is destined for real trouble.

India Says Greenhouse Gas Pollution To Jump

India said it expects its greenhouse gas emissions to jump to between 4 billion tons and 7.3 billion tons in 2031, a report said on Wednesday.

Per capita emissions are estimated to rise to 2.1 tons by 2020 and 3.5 tons by 2030.

Iraq’s new war is a fight for water

As bombs continue to tear apart its towns and villages, Iraq is now in the grip of an environmental crisis that experts and officials warn may do what decades of war have not been able to — destroy the country. The new war on Iraq, says one member of the country’s parliament, "is a war of water".

It's Delicious Being Green at Kimptons

Kimpton restaurants in 21 cities in the United States and Canada are showcasing a wider selection of eco-friendly wines, in-house purified water and sustainably harvested seafoods.

Mercury Found in Blood of One-Third of American Women

The level of inorganic mercury in the blood of American women has been increasing since 1999 and it is now found in the blood of one in three women, according to a new analysis of government data for more than 6,000 American women.

Mexico and Argentina Ditching US War on Drugs

Argentina and Mexico have taken significant steps towards decriminalising drugs amid a growing Latin American backlash against the US-sponsored "war on drugs".

Nations Plan to Undertake Global Climate Forecasting

A Global Framework for Climate Services that would provide climate forecasting the way that weather forecasting services do is in the works. This framework on advancing the science of climate prediction is intended to meet accelerating demands for useful information on the impacts of climate change.

Nevada Geothermal Power completes Blue Mountain geothermal power plant

Nevada Geothermal Power has completed construction of the 49.5 MW Blue Mountain 'Faulkner 1' geothermal power plant in Nevada, USA.

Officials; Swine Flu Reports May be Overblown

U.S. health officials are taking the spread of the new swine flu seriously, but they don’t expect up to half the nation to be infected or up to 90,000 deaths — statistics that were reported by much of the nation’s media earlier this week.

“Certainly everything we’ve seen in the U.S. and everything we’ve seen around the world to date suggests that we won’t see that kind of number — if the virus doesn’t change,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden...

Organic is Healthier and More Nutritious According to New Study

A new report by the French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) has found that organic foods are better for you and contain less pesticides and nitrates, which have been linked to a range of health problems including diabetes and Alzheimer's.

Outlook 'Poor' For Great Barrier Reef; Study

Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest living organism, is under grave threat from climate warming and coastal development, and its prospects of survival are "poor," a major new report found on Wednesday.

People Won't Change Lifestyle For Planet; Straw Poll

People want to save the planet but are unwilling to make radical lifestyle changes like giving up air travel or red meat to reduce the effects of climate change, a straw poll by Reuters showed.

Plastics In Oceans Decompose, Release Hazardous Chemicals, Surprising New Study Says

In the first study to look at what happens over the years to the billions of pounds of plastic waste floating in the world's oceans, scientists are reporting that plastics — reputed to be virtually indestructible — decompose with surprising speed and release potentially toxic substances into the water.

Proposed Federal Rules Could Competitively Injure Small, Local and Organic Fresh Market Produce Growers

The “Leafy Green Marketing Agreement,” which requires producers to follow a set of rules (metrics) in the name of food safety, has already shown to be injurious for the environment, biodiversity, and organic growers in California. The USDA is now considering a similar “Leafy Green Marketing Agreement” that would extend beyond California and Arizona to cover the entire United States—let’s help make this rule work for growers of all sizes!

Providing Nuclear Leadership

Duke Energy's deep pockets are giving it the wherewithal to help lead the nuclear revival. With ample liquidity and access to capital markets, it is, indeed, in position to possibly build its own facilities.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 090309

The visible disk remained spotless. A slow CME off the west limb was first visible on SOHO C2 imagery at 03/0254Z. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet, with isolated periods of unsettled levels, on day 1 (04 September).

Schwarzenegger to Obama cabinet; Water... please!

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has demanded that President Barack Obama's cabinet rethink federal policy that would divert water from parched farms and cities to threatened fish, his administration said on Wednesday.

California's rivers used to brim with salmon and sturgeon, but a massive system of canals diverted water that fed farms and cities, now suffering through a third year of drought.

Scrubbing Sulfur

The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed a reusable organic liquid that can pull harmful gases such as carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide out of industrial emissions from power plants. The process could directly replace current methods and allow power plants to capture double the amount of harmful gases in a way that uses no water, less energy and saves money.

SUSTAINABLEWATER SYSTEMS; Step One - Redefining the Nation’s Infrastructure Challenge

During the past 150 years, a complex water infrastructure has been built throughout the U.S. to supply homes and businesses with clean water, collect and treat wastewater and manage stormwater – and an equally complex regulatory system has evolved alongside it. A generation of progress has beenmade under the CleanWater Act and the Safe DrinkingWater Act. However, serious challenges still exist for the nation’s freshwater resources

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Geoengineering

Farming plankton, sending solar panels into orbit, remodeling hydrogen -- for the latest wave of entrepreneurs suggesting easier ways out of climate change, it's all in a day's pitching.

Swine Flu; Natural Pandemic or Man-Made Pandemonium?

The latest in the barrage of media reports on swine flu is a Bloomberg news report (August 25, 2009) that it might hospitalize 1.8 million patients in the US and over-burden hospital intensive care units.

This comes from a planning scenario released by the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.

Technology said to cut cost of solar installations

A power management startup venture launched Tuesday (Sept. 1) promises to lower the installed cost of solar power systems and improve energy harvesting efficiency by up to 30 percent through technology that allows connection of solar panels in parallel as opposed to in series.

The Latest Absurdity in the Fight to Conserve Water; Making Rainwater Harvesting Illegal

Absurd laws are challenging the collection in some states, while others are embracing the practice. ..

Like most states west of the one-hundredth meridian, Colorado follows the doctrine of prior appropriation to allocate water.   For all water uses that are non-domestic, a person must have a water right.  Water rights are assigned a priority date, which is the date that the water use was initiated.

Too Many 'Straws' Sucking Water Out of the Colorado

Without significantly cuts in demand, there won't be enough water for those promised on the Lower Colorado River.

U.N.'s Ban Seeks Strong Climate Pact, Fears Sea Rise

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Thursday for swifter work on a climate treaty, saying inaction could spell economic disaster and a rise in sea levels of up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) by 2100.

U.S. Drinking Water And Watersheds Widely Contaminated By Hormone Disrupting Pesticide, Atrazine

Banned by the European Union, atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in U.S. waters and is a known endocrine disruptor, which means that it affects human and animal hormones. It has been tied to poor sperm quality in humans and hermaphroditic amphibians.

U.S. Ethanol Group Wants Origin Labeling For Oil

A U.S. ethanol industry group is pushing lawmakers to craft legislation requiring fuel companies to inform customers what country their fuel came from in hopes of increasing awareness about money spent on oil imported from overseas.

UK government proposes faster grid access for renewable energy

UK Secretary of Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, has proposed to address the way power plants are connected to the UK’s power grid in the hope of getting new generation, including renewable energy, connected faster.

UM Scientists Find Gene That Keeps Mice Thin Even If They Eat Fatty Diet

Deleting the gene, called IKKE, also appears to protect mice against conditions that, in humans, lead to Type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity and is on the rise among Americans, including children and adolescents.

Waste_Inbox 090309

Next month the Senate is scheduled to take up legislation aimed at capping greenhouse gas emissions. The Washington Post reports that the oil and coal industries have ramped up their efforts to fight the climate-change bill with ad campaigns, rallies, concerts and speeches. Conversely, the environmental lobby seems to be sputtering, unsure of what approach to take to help get the bill passed:

What the heck is smartgrid, anyway?

Okay, it’s not exactly a dinnertime topic. But I’ve discovered in gatherings of energy nerds (I’m one), discussion can become fairly heated over what constitutes “smart grid.”

When Your Customers Ask You To Go Green, SME Can Help

According to a recent IndustryWeek article, larger OEMs and retail giants like Wal-Mart are requiring that their suppliers and their supply chains get greener.

Wild Asian Cattle Resembling Antelopes Near Extinction

One of the world's rarest mammals, discovered just 16 years ago, is on the brink of extinction, warn conservation biologists after an emergency meeting in Laos to try to save the animal.

Will the Rough Patch Continue for Ethanol?

The last year has been a bad one for the corn ethanol industry. With relatively high grain prices and low oil prices, producers have struggled to stay profitable and many companies have gone bankrupt. In addition, growing consumer backlash has caused a public relations nightmare for the industry. With such a terrible state of affairs, where does the industry stand?

World Metal Production Surges

In 2008, more than 1.4 billion tons of metals were produced globally--double the quantity of the late 1970s and more than seven times as much as in 1950. Trends since the late 1990s have been driven by the dramatic growth of the Chinese economy.

World Must Plan For Climate Emergency; Report

Humans may have to reset the Earth's natural thermostat and develop new technologies like reflecting sunlight back into space if climate talks fail, Britain's top science academy said on Tuesday.

So-called geoengineering was not a quick fix but may be needed to head off planetary catastrophe and so deserved more research as an insurance policy, the Royal Society said in a report, "Geoengineering the climate."

Such technologies were not an alternative to cutting emissions, however, the report stressed.

September 1, 2009

Africa-Middle East Renewable Energy Summit 2009

The sobering reality is that our economy (Africa/Middle East) is on an energy pathway that is plainly not sustainable, and we must put in place a framework for a shift towards a different energy future, a shift that must ensure energy security, secure economic development and one that is environmentally friendly.

As Hybrid Cars Gobble Rare Metals, Shortage Looms

The Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods.

BYU Geologist Solves Mystery Of Glaciers That Grew While Asia Heated Up

Ice, when heated, is supposed to melt.

That's why a collection of glaciers in the Southeast Himalayas stymies those who know what they did 9,000 years ago. While most other Central Asian glaciers retreated under hotter summer temperatures, this group of glaciers advanced from one to six kilometers.

A new study by BYU geologist Summer Rupper pieces together the chain of events surrounding the unexpected glacial growth.

China leads the pack in the race to go green-report

The report from The Climate Group shows that China is leading the development and commercialization of a range of low carbon technologies. With a new breed of entrepreneurs and ambitious government policies, Chinese businesses are amongst the top producers of electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels and energy efficient appliances.

Climate Change Makes River Restoration More Important than Ever, Paper Concludes

Restoring river ecosystems and riparian corridors can play an important role in combating climate change impacts to ecosystems by connecting one area to another, enabling plants and animals to move as the climate shifts. It also will create places that shelter fish and wildlife from hotter temperatures, which ecologists call "thermal refugia."

Climate Change; Will We Survive?

More than once over the last several years I have talked with people who understand the deep hole humankind has dug for itself because of our reliance on fossil fuels and the dominant system's environmentally destructive model of "development." They have difficulty seeing a way that we will ever get out of this hole. Intuitively, they see little hope that we can avoid climate catastrophe.

Consumer 'Signs of Life' Improve US Credit Card Chargeoffs

U.S. consumer credit quality showed signs of life as credit card ABS chargeoffs declined last month, snapping a string of five consecutive record highs, according to the latest Credit Card Index results from Fitch Ratings.

EPA Announces Houses of Worship Can Now Earn Energy Star Label and Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

America’s houses of worship can now earn the Energy Star label, joining the nation’s schools, hospitals, hotels, and other facilities in their efforts to fight climate change, save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. EPA’s energy tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, currently allows facilities to track energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, set targets for investment priorities and verify efficiency improvements.

EPA to declare CO2 a dangerous pollutant

Carbon dioxide will soon be declared a dangerous pollutant - a move that could help propel slow-moving climate-change legislation on Capitol Hill, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.

First-Ever Islanding Application of an Energy Storage System

AEP's Balls Gap Station Distributed Energy Storage System was commissioned and placed on-line earlier this year in Milton, West Virginia. The system fulfills a DOE goal to implement energy storage as a Smart Grid technology, and is the first US application of a battery serving radially-fed distribution system loads during periods when they are isolated from the grid (or "islanded") by a fault that locks out normal service.

Good forest management should mimic natural process as much as possible

When consulting forester Harry Morrison moves through the woods with paint gun in hand, it isn't just the paint that suggests an artist is at work.

Has Northern-Hemisphere Pollution Affected Australian Rainfall?

New research announced at the international Water in a changing climate science conference in Melbourne 24-28 August, implicates pollution from Asia, Europe and North America as a contributor to recent Australian rainfall changes.

Los Angeles Wildfires Fueled by Heat

Firefighters battling four wildfires around Los Angeles saved hundreds of homes in an affluent coastal community but struggled against a larger fire coming down the mountains toward another exclusive suburb.

With temperatures in excess of 100 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius), flames flared above La Canada Flintridge, where nearly 900 homes were under voluntary evacuation, 1,500 acres had burned and containment was zero percent.

Organic vs. Industrial Agriculture

Chemical-industrialized farming isn't feeding the world, and is creating huge ecological/social issues in the process. There's no reason to be fundamentalist about it, as all farming everywhere needs to be transitioned to be more sustainable for land/water/people, and better
aimed at feeding everyone who needs food.

ORNL Scientists Hone Technique To Safeguard Water Supplies

The new work demonstrates that the technology that uses algae as sentinels has broader applications than previously reported, according to authors Miguel Rodriguez Jr. and Elias Greenbaum of the Department of Energy's ORNL

Push For New Nuclear Power Sputters, But Old Reactors Still Pose Cancer Risks

Nuclear reactors in the United States should be phased out, and replaced by technologies that don�t threaten public health with the emission of radioactive chemicals, urges the Cancer Prevention Coalition.

Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 083109

Solar activity was very low. New Region 1025 (N17E33) was assigned today. No flares were observed. The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled. The unsettled conditions were due to a coronal hole high speed stream. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on days 1 and 2 (1 - 2 September). Day 3 (3 September) is expected to increase to quiet to unsettled levels due to a recurrent coronal hole high speed stream.

Secretary announces new direction and vision for America's forests

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack outlined his vision for the future of the nation's forests. In his first major speech regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, Vilsack set forth a new direction for conservation, management and restoration of these natural resources.

Special Report; As China rises and global economy falters, maquiladoras face uphill battle

It is often said that economy catches a cold. But these days, Mexico is more likely to be diagnosed with pneumonia than a case of the sniffles.

Speculating on Higher Natural Gas Prices

The Enron saga still lives. Elements of the so-called "Enron loophole" remain intact -- provisions that that some say distort markets and drive up commodity prices.


The uncertainty in oil and natural gas markets, along with the country's financial morass, has prompted legislative changes. But the Obama administration wants those commodities that are bought and sold through trading platforms to be subject to even stricter oversight.

Tracking the Stimulus

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is, in fact, the largest ever government infusion into the economy. With several dozen avenues from which the money is released to thousands of recipients that range from private companies to local jurisdictions, the task before those who will monitor the situation is enormous.

U.N. Chief Calls For Urgent Action On Climate Change

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders on Monday to take urgent action to combat climate change for the sake of "the future of humanity."

Ban, on a tour of Svalbard, the remote Norwegian-controlled Arctic archipelago, said the region might have no ice within 30 years if present climate trends persisted.

Wastewater to wetlands; Learn more about Arizona's 'Winged Victory' Sept. 12

Arizona is better known for cactus and desert than ducks and geese, but a group of farsighted individuals decided more than 30 years ago "if you build it they will come."

Water Scarcity Started 15 Years Ago in Australia

New analysis shows that the water scarcity being experienced in southeast Australia started up to 15 years ago.

While the results from the work by senior CSIRO researcher, Dr Albert van Dijk, may not surprise many people, it provides scientific evidence of the shift.

Watermelon Juice - Next Source of Renewable Energy

Hundreds of thousands of tons of watermelons are tossed every year because they aren't good enough for market. A new study finds that the juice from these watermelons could easily be used to create the biofuel ethanol and other helpful products.

West Antarctica Key to Missing Ice

Assessing the changing climate on Earth is not easy. Much depends on data that can be used to infer past climatic conditions. No one really knows for sure since there were no weather stations or written records.
New research by scientists at UC Santa Barbara indicates a possible Antarctic location for ice that had, up to now, seemed to be missing at a key point in climate history 34 million years ago.