environment

Climate Change - It's Much Worse

Peter Hale — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:40:19 -0400

Politicians may have got the science on climate change wrong and don't realise how bad the situation is, a new report says.

The report, by the Australian National University's centre for climate law and policy, says policy-makers have not understood how the carbon cycle works.

Recent research shows climate change could be feeding on itself, and therefore advancing at a faster rate than first thought.

These climate cycle "feedbacks" - where global warming interferes with carbon storage sinks - must be taken into account, the report says.

San Francisco to charge polluting firms

Peter Hale — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:04:20 -0400

New rules have been passed in the San Francisco Bay Area that will require businesses to pay fees for the amount of carbon dioxide they emit.

The rules, due to come into effect on 1 July, could cost big emitters more than $50,000 (£25,000) a year, but most firms will pay less than $1 (50p).

Backers say the move sets an important precedent for the rest of the US.

But opponents say it may interfere with plans to introduce much tougher emissions targets across California.

Climate Change Book Wins Prize

Peter Hale — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 05:57:46 -0400

A book about global warming has won this year's Royal Society prize for popular science writing.

Mark Lynas' Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet has already been turned into a TV programme and is now almost certain to experience a jump in sales. The book explains how Earth will change for every degree rise in temperature - from droughts to mass extinctions.

Mr Lynas was presented with the winner's £10,000 cheque at a ceremony hosted by the UK academy of science.

When Water is Clear, So Are the Profits

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:22:44 -0400

It’s ironic that the images of flooding in the mid-west are accompanied by stories about government agencies pleading with people in those hard-hit areas to conserve water, because the floods have contaminated drinking water supplies. The recent salmonella poisoning of over 300 people in the US from tainted tomatoes can also be traced to polluted water used for irrigation (add to that the e-coli outbreaks from tainted irrigation water used on spinach and other row crops in the past 2 years).

New targets for carbon emmissions ?

Peter Hale — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:24:25 -0400

A coalition of 99 companies is asking political leaders to set targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and to establish a global carbon market.

Their blueprint for tackling climate change is being handed to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda ahead of next month's G8 summit in Japan. They argue that cutting emissions must be made to carry economic advantages.

Environment

Peter Hale — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:20:40 -0400

Discussion and blog about environmental issues

Bio and Interests: Marianne Drowne

Marianne Drowne — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:55:16 -0400

Fast Talk Question - Should all companies be required to track their carbon footprints?

Fast Company staff — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:13:09 -0400

Should all companies be required to track their carbon footprints?

Waste is...well, Just A Waste!

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:25:13 -0400

In a recent blog, I told you
about a trip to Walmart and how they have slashed waste in all of their stores,
saving money and the environment at the same time. The more I talk about this,
the more I realize how many companies are starting to look for “gold” and
“green” in the dumpster.

Back in the 1990s, California passed a law to divert half its waste from landfills

Texas Oil Tycoon Tackles Renewable Energy

David Case — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:10:57 -0400

As you alight from the elevator, you see, at the end of a long, paneled corridor, a huge Wilson Hurley painting of a Mars sunset bleeding from rust to black; in one corner soars NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft "on its way to oblivion," according to the caption.