John's headed to the Southern Economic Association meetings in San Antonio this weekend. Unfortunately I can't make it. At the risk of exposing her to John's typcial meeting antics, I'm sending one of my brilliant Ph.D. students, Carolina Castilla*, in my place. She'll be presenting some work we're doing on consumers' price [...]
As was alluded to in a recent article, the world’s usual carbon sinks of oceans and forests are absorbing less carbon dioxide than in the past. Overall, recent studies have found that the environment is only absorbing approximately 55 percent of carbon dioxide created by man. [...]
Particles released by car brake pads have been shown to harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a [...]
Today's big stories from the nuclear industry:
Peak Uranium? Our nuclear future might be shorter than we thought
âWeâve all heard of Peak Oil (even if thereâs some doubt about whether weâve heard the truth over when itâs going to actually kick in), but [...]
Those of you Twitter addicts out there may be aware that my prize new bike was swiped on Tuesday afternoon. It underlines two rather separate points:
It pays not to be smug. There I was feeling very good about myself. Cycling to some video recordings at the UK Green Building Council [...]A new study released today by the Northeast States Center for a Clean Air Future (NESCCAF) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that fuel consumption of Class 8 trucks and the resultant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced up to 50% with the adoption of [...]
Total has signed a research agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop new stationary batteries that are designed to enable the storage of solar power. This agreement valued at $4 million over five years is part of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), which Total joined as [...]
Silicon Valley Power (SVP), the Santa Clara, CA, municipal electric utility, has selected the light-weight 3M Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (3M ACCR) to boost transmission capacity on an existing line without having to enlarge the towers or the right of way. This is SVP’s second installation of ACCR. [...]
From the inbox:It's no secret that big polluting companies are going all out to try and destroy the chance of the US congress passing meaningful global warming legislation with significant emissions reduction targets. On big loop hole is the option of "offsetting" reductions abroad. The flawed nature of large scale carbon [...]
Denmark’s Prince Joachim inaugurated the Inbicon biomass biorefinery in Kalundborg, Denmark, where ethanol will be produced from straw. In addition to bioethanol, the plant will also produce lignin biopellets and C5 molasses. The biopellets can be used as fuel at CPH plants, and the C5 molasses can be used [...]
Volvo Trucks North America’s D11 and D13 engines have been certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board as meeting upcoming 2010 diesel emissions standards, the most stringent in the world.
Volvo is the first truck manufacturer to have its heavy-duty diesel engines certified [...]
The international automotive supplier Continental AG has opened its new Asia Headquarters and R&D Center in Shanghai’s Yangpu district, China. The Center aims to provide increased localization and advanced technical support to customers in the Chinese market.
Continental Automotive Tech Center Jiading, the other technical center in Shanghai, focuses on [...]
The California Air Resources Board unveiled its revamped website, Driveclean.ca.gov, which helps consumers choose the least polluting cars on the market. The new website, using information collected for vehicle certification in California, offers a practical system that ranks vehicles according to their emission characteristics and provides tools to compare [...]
Under the Kyoto Protocol the nation that produces carbon emission takes responsibility for them, but what about when the country is producing carbon-intensive goods for consumer demand beyond its borders? For example while China is now the world's highest carbon emitter, 50 percent of its growth over the [...] Now, none of us can attest to the validity [...]
Bill McKibben, Gloria Reuben, and RAN’s own Mike Brune have all sent letters to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon asking him to stop JPMC’s financing of the coal industry and mountaintop removal coal mining. We got word today that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just sent his letter [...]
An inspiring new video from smartMeme with leaders from frontline communities and allies talking about the Copenhagen moment.
Posted in Carbon Trading, Copenhagen 2009, United States [...] ZeaChem Inc. has begun construction of its semi-works scale facility. The facility will have capacity to produce 250,000 gallons of biofuel per year. ZeaChem’s process combines the outputs of two traditional ethanol production pathways (fermentation of sugars and gasification of biomass) into a third catalytically-driven step—hydrogenation—to produce ethanol. ([...]
Back in ‘07, this blog noted that a potential development in the resurgence of global rail could be a Bering Strait tunnel between Alaska and Russia for oil, gas and rail transport. Such a venture, which has been envisioned for some time, [...]
by Jack Rosebro
A view of Russian gas flaring based on satellite observations. Source: US NOAA and the World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership. (Video) Click to enlarge.The Russian government has ordered oil companies to take steps to capture up to 95% of the natural [...]
First, congrats to Jay! Here is a bit from the journal announcement:
Jason Shogren has left an indelible impact on the profession of agricultural and applied economics. ...Prior to his appointment at his alma mater, he held positions at Appalachian State, Yale, and Iowa State Universities. ...
... he enjoys [...]
The US Department of Energy (DOE), through its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), has completed 1 million miles of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) testing.
The AVTA’s testing of PHEVs demonstrates [...]
The diesel-powered E350 BlueTEC and hydrogen fuel-cell-powered F-Cell will be making their North American debuts at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. Mercedes-Benz will also introduce its first hybrid SUV, the two-mode ML450 HYBRID, to the West Coast.
The E350 BlueTEC (earlier post) is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 [...]
Embraer, General Electric, and Amyris Biotechnologies, a synthetic biology company focused on developing renewable hydrocarbon biofuels (earlier post) signed [...]
The Opel Corsa is receiving a complete re-make for 2010, with major engineering changes, re-vamped powertrain line-up, chassis improvements and steering recalibration to give the Corsa better performance and greater fuel economy as well as comfort, handling and driving dynamics. The Corsa, which accounts for some 30% of Opel/Vauxhall [...]
This week, the Washington Toxics Coalition released a study that should raise the ire of pregnant women like me. Their findings in a nutshell: developing fetuses spend their first nine months in an environment that exposes them to a range known toxic chemicals. That environment? Their mothers’ bodies. That [...]
Do you suffer from wrap rage during the holidays? You know, the tendency to package everything in wrapping paper, bows and string. It’s important to keep in mind that the packaging is all for show, and it’s a quick show. People really want what is underneath all of [...] Look, Amory, the Chooster, a.k.a. DOE (US Department of Energy) has designated $34.7 million to ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN) for development of carbon fiber manufacturing and processing. Green Car Congress reports that a portion of those [...]
The Chicago public hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency's Big Polluters (tailoring) rule is now underway, and we've got folks tweeting from inside. Follow the #bigpolluters hashtag all day on Twitter to stay up to date on it all. Also, later today we'll have a nice wrap-up from [...]
Talk of Plan B -- a Power Plant-Only Climate Bill -- Emerges in Senate
What was once the central political battleground for addressing global warming in the United States may be making a comeback.
While President Obama and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill continue to focus on legislation covering [...]
Our folks are on the ground Tweeting from the EPA's second hearing on their proposed "Big Polluters" rule that would regulate pollution from large polluters - in Chicago, Il. You can contribute to the discussion through Twitter using the hashtag #bigpolluters
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=7e54a17f4d" >LiveBlog: Big Polluters EPA Hearing - Virginia</a> [...]Iran Khodro Powertrain Co. (IPCO) unveiled its first national diesel engine for passenger cars.
The unveiling ceremony was concurrent with the first day of the “Sixth International Conference on Internal Combustion Engines” in Tehran, organized by IPCO.
The 60 kW (80 hp) diesel has an average fuel consumption of 5 L/100km [...]
The UK Government is soliciting bids for £30 million (US$50 million) in funding to support the installation of plug-in vehicle charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities. This initiative—called Plugged-In Places—will support the development of between three and six electric car cities and [...]
Another powerful argument for a coordinated high-profile federal mission to raise preparedness for climate change impacts came last night with a federal district court decision holding the US Army Corps of Engineers liable for “monumental negligence” in its duties to maintain a key ship channel, leading to devastating flooding in [...]
I'm heading to the SEA meetings tomorrow and am wondering where everyone is staying. Not at the conference hotel, it seems. Here is some background:
The [SEA] hotel is overcharging for each room to pay for the conference meeting rooms. When facing a high price, such as in a year [...]
Televisions are a staple of most American homes, contributing to daily routines. It is estimated that upwards of 10 percent of all electricity use in a home is due to television viewing. In addition, televisions are becoming increasingly larger and requiring more energy.
In order to curb the [...]
I finished SuperFreakonomics the other night and give four-fifths of it a thumbs up (chapter 5 gets a thumbs down). My guess is that if a reader picked up SuperFreak first it would give the same positive jolt to utility that Freak gave when read first. I enjoyed [...]
âNuclear power is a dangerous distraction to real solutions.â
Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director, Greenpeace International
âHave a French nuclear industry that works. That means that we have to rethink the whole industry.â
Henri Proglio, the incoming boss of EDF
âFor a nuclear power station to be built at Kirksanton, the [...]
Why should we trust the nuclear industry when it doesnât trust itself? Thatâs the underlining question of a Greenpeace report released this week.
The Harper government has tabled the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act in Parliament. The bill would, if passed, artificially cap the liability of a nuclear operator for accidents [...]
Today's big stories from the nuclear industry:
New Greenpeace Chief Calls for Sustainable, Nuclear-Free Power Supply
âKumi Naidoo was appointed executive director of the environmental campaign group Greenpeace International this month after two decades leading civil society groups in Africa and internationally. Mr. Naidoo, 44, who is from South Africa, [...]
US crude oil production for October averaged 5.36 million barrels per day, continuing at levels not seen since 2005, according to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Monthly Statistical Report.
Crude production from the Lower 48 states averaged 4.67 million barrels per day, up from both last year and prior months. [...]
After a year and a half of initial field testing, Volvo Trucks is releasing an upgraded hybrid refuse truck (earlier post) with new components and software. The new refuse truck will be tested [...]
Full Disclosure: This blog lives over a part of the Marcellus Shale Appalachian Basin. While the energy companies have yet begun to drill in my backyard, nearby (about 10-15 miles away) they have been drilling for shale gas. Recently, there was news that my Pennsylvanian neighbors are concerned about [...]
By one measure of "food security," the new USDA hunger data released this week puts Oregon right in the middle of the pack. Its rate of food insecurity, is higher than the rest of the Northwest states, but only a little higher than the national average. Yet a closer look [...]
From the comments section on this post:
Posts like this are why I don't recommend this blog--to anyone. Use your "Puerile Humor" tag less sparingly.
My reply:
Oscar,
I don't recommend this blog to anyone either! And thanks for your anonymous comment! Those are the ones I pay most attention to!
Anyway, [...]
In spite of what you may have heard, Europe's carbon market is working beautifully. The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has been operational since 2005 and we're now getting a good look at how it functions. It turns out, it's a remarkable success story, both environmentally [...]
Seattle's planned deep-bore tunnel could get even more contentious soon. As state engineers flesh out their early cost estimates, a comparable tunneling project has hit another snag. The Seattle Times reports:
The Brightwater sewage-treatment project, which is costing local ratepayers $1.8 billion, is delayed yet again because fixing' [...]
Subtitle: Cue the Timpanist
Repost from Green Car Congress with a graph, an illustration, links and captions added.
Despite the economic effects of [...]
This blog feels less remorseful about a previous cynical post… Not that one… No, not that one either, nor that one, it was “No Hope in Hogging“. Another observer has referred to COP15, the Copenhagen Climate Summit, as vapourware. Now that is way harsh, dude.
Subtitle: blighter (n. Chiefly British Slang) A fellow, especially one held in low esteem. Taken from blight, see “a bad case of the humans“
HuffPo contributor Richard Greene wants to hear some words that we can believe in, to wit:
The “CLEAN AMERICA Bill” IS:
Our Children’s Energy Our Grandchildren’s Energy Sustainability Corporate [...]
Brooklyn Treehugger Matthew McDermott relays word that “world oil reserves are far lower than officially reported, the situation far more serious than publicly admitted, and we’re already past peak oil.”
The Oil Drum is a weblog about energy and our future [...]
Via Peak Energy, we learn from The Guardian that high winds over the weekend supplied 53% of Spain’s electricity – equivalent to the power output of 11 nuclear plants.
Re-post of John Kerry, Senator from the state of Massachusetts, calling for A New Green Youth Movement.
I know the difference a generation of young Americans in motion can make.
I was in college at a time of great political ferment and fundamental changes to our social fabric: the [...]
Senate Republicans are demanding lengthy economic analyses of clean energy policy, even though, attests the Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund full EPA*, EIA, and CBO analyses were conducted of the House bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act [...]
Always a believer that a picture is worth a thousand words some of these "piles of rubbish" pictures show clearly tell us something about capitalism and society.
