Albertans weigh in on new oilsands vision.
Edmonton Journal 27 Aug
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Other NewsCovert operations.New Yorker 25 Aug EditorialsTime for a change in climate research.Now it is time to implement fundamental reforms that would reduce the risk of bias and errors appearing in future IPCC assessments, increase transparency and open up the whole field of climate research to the widest possible range of scientific views. London Financial Times 03 Sep Climate of uncertainty.Our understanding of how our climate works is still evolving. Is it too much to ask the climate establishment to acknowledge as much? Wall Street Journal 02 Sep The road to rebuilding trust in climate science.Couched though it is in the most measured language, Monday's report by the Inter-Academy Council into errors contained in the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is extremely damaging. Vancouver Sun 02 Sep Cleaner cars, A to D.Proposed stickers for vehicles would make it easier to see whether you're buying a fuel-efficient one or a guzzler. The stickers are a symbol of how far this country has come in providing a wider range of environmentally responsible choices to help ensure cleaner air and a healthier planet. New York Times 01 Sep Liability for climate change.When extreme weather strikes, such as the floods in Pakistan, the null hypothesis is to assume that humans have not played a role, then figure out if they did. But that's the opposite of what should be done. New Scientist 26 Aug Miners aren't alone in depending on coal.Coal should be mined responsibly, with as little damage as possible to the environment. But simply making coal expensive so as to force people to use renewable sources would be ruinous economic policy, and not just for West Virginia. Charleston Daily Mail 17 Aug Weather you can't count on.You don't have to believe global warming is caused by people to support a healthier lifestyle for all. And even those who think the theory of global warming is bunk must still know pollution is caused by man and the planet can only handle so much dirt and contamination. Winnipeg Free Press 16 Aug Amid warming, a warning.This summer’s desolating scenes of death and devastation from heat waves, fires, and floods may be taken as a forewarning of what awaits the planet if nothing is done soon to reduce man’s contribution to climate change. Boston Globe 12 Aug OpinionSliding toward climate catastrophe.Unprecedented heatwave in Russia, leading to uncontrollable wildfires. Floods in Pakistan the like of which have not been seen in centuries. The breaking up of the Greenland ice-sheet. The coincidence and severity of such natural disasters has prompted renewed debate about the role of global warming. Pakistan Observer 03 Sep The impacts of climate change on water resources and agriculture in China.Future work on the effects of climate change in China must improve regional climate simulations- especially of precipitation - and develop a better understanding of the managed and unmanaged responses of crops to changes in climate, diseases, pests and atmospheric constituents. Nature 02 Sep Greens and rural independents could be new 'odd couple.'Up until now, rural independents and urban Greens may have seen each other as adversaries, rather than allies. But the hopes of either group cannot be achieved without the support of the other. Sydney ABC News 02 Sep Nuclear safety remains issue.A decision by the Tennessee Valley Authority to increase nuclear power generation while idling some of its coal-fired units is a sign of the times. Huntsville Times 31 Aug Bjørn Lomborg's missing questions.Since we are already at 390ppm and since a 2C plus rise is a near certainty, how does Lomborg's appeal to forgo sharp reductions in CO2 emissions reflect climate science? He argues that there are "smarter solutions to climate change" than a focus on reducing CO2. This is hardly smart: it's insanity. London Guardian 31 Aug Climate change caused by humans?In the year 2050, people will shake their heads in amazement when they read in history books that, back in 2010, some people thought mankind could “save the planet” by carbon-restricting legislation. Portland Press-Herald 28 Aug Apple declines to take part in eco-rating for green cellphones - Do you blame them?Can O2 and Forum for the Future honestly say that they have collated all the data from source - for example, the sustainability of the Far Eastern factories that either make components for the cellphones, or put the blasted things together? Fast Company 27 Aug China's mega-jams show the true cost of coal.The fact that almost every vehicle in the giant Chinese traffic jam on the G110 motorway was a coal truck and almost every driver said they were used to mega-jams suggests the congestion was as much caused by the strains on China's energy supply as its transport system. London Guardian 26 Aug |
All consuming.With population and per-capita consumption both on the rise, it's hard to believe humanity's impact on the Earth is sustainable. But what would happen if we ate less meat? Or gave women better education and more power? Seed Magazine 04 Sep What lies beneath Antarctic ice.Rodolfo del Valle and his team are heading to the Southern Ocean to measure a methane leak. Nature 04 Sep Belching sheep.Sheep burps produce methane - a gas that contributes to climate change. Now researchers are suggesting a novel solution to minimize the greenhouse gas: seasoning the sheeps’ food. Living On Earth 04 Sep Tibetan nomads struggle as grasslands disappear from the roof of the world.The Tibetan plateau has been destroyed by rising temperatures, excess livestock and plagues of insects and rodents. Scientists say desertification of the mountain grasslands of the Tibetan plateau is accelerating climate change. London Guardian 03 Sep Powering up.In a world worried about global warming, improving the cleanliness and efficiency of jet engines is a priority for airlines and aircraft manufacturers. It is not just altruism: greener engines also use less fuel, and so cut costs. But incremental improvements over the years have made a difference. Economist 03 Sep From Detroit, a fix for smog-belching motorbikes.Riding a lawn tractor for just an hour spits out as much pollution you'd get from driving a car for hundreds of miles. CNN Money 03 Sep Burger King drops Indonesian palm oil company.US fast food giant Burger King said Thursday it would no longer buy palm oil from Sinar Mas or its subsidiaries after Greenpeace campaigned against the Indonesian group's land-clearing practices. Agence France-Presse 03 Sep Facebook faces campaign to switch to renewable energy.In one of the web's fastest-growing environmental campaigns, Greenpeace international says at least 500,000 people have now protested Facebook's intention to run its giant new data centre mainly on electricity produced by burning coal power. London Guardian 02 Sep Climate change gets wet.One of the most important gases affecting the global climate is both incredibly familiar and persistently mysterious—water vapor. Discover 02 Sep Burger King drops palm oil supplier linked to Borneo rainforest destruction.Burger King announced it would no longer source palm oil from Sinar Mas, an Indonesian conglomerate, after an independent audit showed one of the company's subsidiaries had destroyed rainforests and carbon-dense peatlands. Mongabay 02 Sep Greenpeace wants Facebook center off coal fuel.Greenpeace said about 500,000 Facebook users have urged the world's largest online social network to abandon plans to buy electricity from a coal-based energy company for its new data center in the U.S. Associated Press 02 Sep Clean-coal group backs new carbon capture and storage project.The FutureGen Alliance of coal and power companies said Tuesday that it has decided to stick with a government-backed project to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from a coal-fired power plant despite a significant change in plan. Dow Jones Newswires 01 Sep Drilling for shale gas unearths environmental risks, Ottawa warned.The Conservative government has been warned that drilling for shale gas could boost carbon-dioxide emissions, encroach on wildlife habitat and sap freshwater resources. Canadian Press 01 Sep Banks grow wary of environmental risks.After years of legal entanglements arising from environmental messes and increased scrutiny of banks that finance the dirtiest industries, several large commercial lenders are taking a stand on industry practices that they regard as risky to their reputations and bottom lines. New York Times 31 Aug Coal crackdown will not reduce emissions.Labor's promised emissions standards for new coal electricity generators would not cut greenhouse gas emissions from any of the 12 coal power plants proposed in Australia, an analysis of the carbon profiles of each project shows. Sydney Morning Herald 31 Aug W. Coloradans air concerns on Xcel energy plan.Many western Coloradans are urging state regulators to reject moves to switch from coal to natural gas as the fuel to generate electricity. Associated Press 31 Aug Miners give clean-energy bill the coal shoulder.Legislation aimed at cleaning up Denver's air and turning Colorado into a model state for clean energy and jobs is feared as a job killer for the Western Slope's coal country. Denver Post 31 Aug U.S. proposes grading cars on emissions, efficiency.Gasoline misers like the Toyota Prius would get an 'A-' while muscle cars – including the Ferrari 612 – would get a 'D' under a labeling program proposed by Obama administration, which wants to convince consumers to buy vehicles that use less energy. Reuters 31 Aug Stickers would help auto buyers compare fuel economy.In its first major overhaul of fuel-economy ratings in 30 years, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation on Monday released two proposed window stickers designed to make it easier for consumers to compare vehicles. USA Today 31 Aug New stickers will go beyond M.P.G. in rating cars.The Obama administration proposed on Monday two alternatives to the window stickers in new vehicles, including one that would assign letter grades for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. New York Times 31 Aug Automakers may get U.S. grades in fuel-economy revamp.Automakers may get letter grades from the U.S. government for fuel efficiency in the first overhaul of new-car rating stickers in 30 years. Electric vehicles that get 117 miles per gallon or more would rate the highest “A+” under the proposal. Bloomberg News 31 Aug Updated car stickers to include environmental info.A government proposal may add letter grades to showroom window stickers on new cars and trucks to reflect a vehicle's overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. Associated Press 31 Aug Low prices stoke coal sales, despite pollution concerns.Coal trading is poised to rise to a record high this year as prices at less than half their 2008 peak stoke demand, defying governments’ efforts to phase out the most-polluting fossil fuel. Bloomberg News 30 Aug The effect of clouds on climate: A key mystery.No variable has more confounded climate scientists than how clouds will react to — and influence — a warming world. Yale Environment 360 30 Aug Summer travel for committees has left big carbon footprint.The planes, trains and automobiles MPs used to travel to the nation’s capital this summer for 10 special committee meetings pumped more than 23 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – more than four times the amount an average Canadian produces in a year. Postmedia News 30 Aug Pacific Northwest forests could shed light on missing carbon.A new study using laser pulses shot from satellites has found that the world's tallest forests are those along the Pacific Northwest coast, offering an indication of how important the trees could become as scientists try to unravel the mystery of missing carbon. McClatchy Newspapers 29 Aug Shoppers 'panic buying' old 75W bulbs before EU ban comes into force.Shoppers across Europe are panic buying the last remaining stocks of old fashioned 75W light bulbs before the traditional household items are banned in the EU next week. London Daily Telegraph 29 Aug NZ seabed samples clue to global warming.The fossil record from oceans around New Zealand shows a sudden discharge of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the end of the last Ice Age, raising the possibility that a similar process may occur as a result of global warming, researchers say. New Zealand Press Association 28 Aug |
