In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 4:52 PM on 05 Sep 2008
• Highway repair fund, paid for with gas-tax revenue, is nearly depleted.
• Want to put stinkweed in your tank?
• Climate change could harm giant sequoias.
• Engineers unveil new generation of tidal turbines.
• Power outages from hurricanes hamper gasoline production.
• Iraqi marshes thought to be site of Garden of Eden will be a World Heritage Site.
&bull Pyrenees glaciers may melt by 2050.
• Want to put stinkweed in your tank?
• Climate change could harm giant sequoias.
• Engineers unveil new generation of tidal turbines.
• Power outages from hurricanes hamper gasoline production.
• Iraqi marshes thought to be site of Garden of Eden will be a World Heritage Site.
&bull Pyrenees glaciers may melt by 2050.
You Be Gorillin'
Cameroon and Nigeria team up to protect endangered gorilla
Posted at 3:48 PM on 05 Sep 2008
Cameroon and Nigeria will partner up to protect the world's most endangered gorilla under an agreement facilitated by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Only some 300 Cross River gorillas remain, all of which live only in those two Central African countries. Gorilla gorilla diehli is threatened by illegal logging, agricultural conversion of its habitat, and poaching for the bushmeat trade. Cameroon and Nigeria will work to increase monitoring of the gorillas, educate and involve surrounding communities in conservation, and improve law enforcement.
source: Mongabay
source: Mongabay
It's a Fiesta, But You're Not Invited
Ford won't sell 65-mpg diesel car in U.S.
Posted at 1:34 PM on 05 Sep 2008
The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, a small, sporty five-seater that gets an impressive 65 miles per gallon, will the hit the road in November -- but only in Europe. "We just don't think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars," says Ford America President Mark Fields. The new generation of diesel cars, which are dramatically cleaner than old-school diesels and are at least 30 percent more fuel-efficient than gas-powered vehicles, haven't managed to shake Americans' longstanding aversion to the fuel: only 3 percent of cars in the U.S. are diesel-powered. But other automakers are betting that Americans can be swayed. Mercedes-Benz will by next year have three diesel vehicles on the market, and a handful of other automakers will introduce diesel models to the U.S. in 2010.
source: BusinessWeek
see also, in Gristmill: Diesels will outsell hybrids in the U.S. by 2012, says report
see also, in Grist: Umbra advises on converting your diesel car to biodiesel and straight veggie oil, and discusses diesel hybrids
source: BusinessWeek
see also, in Gristmill: Diesels will outsell hybrids in the U.S. by 2012, says report
see also, in Grist: Umbra advises on converting your diesel car to biodiesel and straight veggie oil, and discusses diesel hybrids
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Pumpe It Up
Germany opens world's first carbon-capturing 'clean coal' demo plant
Posted at 11:22 AM on 05 Sep 2008
sources: Earth2Tech, Scientific American, BBC News, The Guardian
Link and Discuss (8 Comments)
They've Had Their Fill
Half of GM's manufacturing plants to go "landfill-free" by 2010
Posted at 7:04 AM on 05 Sep 2008
Automaker GM is planning to make half of its 181 manufacturing plants worldwide "landfill-free" by 2011 through initiatives to reuse or recycle some 90 percent of its waste, according to USA Today. The not-reused, not-recycled portion of the waste would potentially be incinerated to produce energy. GM has yet to formally announce the program, but USA Today reports that the company already has 10 "landfill-free" plants in operation and a spokesperson told the paper that another 80 plants will likely meet the no-landfill-waste goal sometime in 2010. GM, along with other U.S. automakers, has been struggling financially lately as high gasoline prices have substantially curtailed SUV sales that had been a central part of its business model. Automakers that have focused on offering greener vehicles, such as Honda and Toyota, have lately fared much better than GM whose green-car offerings are still quite slim. However, GM has focused its efforts on developing one green car, the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid slated for release sometime in the next few years when battery technology catches up to GM's design.
source: USA Today
source: USA Today
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You, Shale, Know Our Velocity!
BLM finalizes plan for leasing oil shale in U.S. West
Posted at 5:40 AM on 05 Sep 2008
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has finalized plans to open some 1.9 million acres of public lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming to oil-shale development, a necessary step on the road to tapping the vast reserves. The technology for turning oil shale into usable crude oil is energy-intensive and heavily polluting, but the Bush administration has pushed to clear the way for exploiting U.S. oil-shale deposits in the name of energy independence; oil-shale deposits in the three states could hold up to 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil. However, the processes for developing oil-shale deposits are still largely in the experimental stage so the full extent of the process's impacts on air quality, water quality, and wildlife in the area are as yet poorly understood. Environmentalists and Democrats in the region criticized the BLM's plan as misguided and premature. "Finalizing an environmental impact statement without any clear understanding of the environmental, community, economic, and energy impacts of commercial-scale oil shale development is irresponsible, short-sighted, and premature," said Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D).
sources: The Daily Sentinel, Post Independent, Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post
sources: The Daily Sentinel, Post Independent, Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post
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In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 5:23 PM on 04 Sep 2008
• BLM releases plan for opening public land to oil-shale development.
• What are the effects of public participation on environmental policymaking?
• Media ignores Energy Dept. data when reporting on drilling.
• Chile reforms salmon farms.
• U.S. now world leader in wind electricity generation.
• California prepares for water crisis.
• What are the effects of public participation on environmental policymaking?
• Media ignores Energy Dept. data when reporting on drilling.
• Chile reforms salmon farms.
• U.S. now world leader in wind electricity generation.
• California prepares for water crisis.
The Longest Yard
EPA requires emissions cuts by lawn mowers and speedboats
Posted at 4:11 PM on 04 Sep 2008
sources: Associated Press, EPA, Environmental Defense Fund
see also, in Grist: Umbra advises on lawn mowers
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Yes, They Can
Under pressure from Big Canned Tuna, FDA lax in mercury regulation
Posted at 12:59 PM on 04 Sep 2008
Under strong pressure from Big Canned Tuna, the Food and Drug Administration is crazily lax in regulating mercury in tuna. Among many examples: In 2000, a draft advisory to pregnant women listed canned tuna as a product highly contaminated with mercury; after FDA officials met with the three largest tuna companies, the final advisory left tuna off the list. When the FDA's fish mercury guidelines were revised in 2003, canned light tuna was put in the low-mercury group -- mainly, according to an FDA official, "in order to keep the market share at a reasonable level." The FDA doesn't require warnings in stores or on tuna cans, issuing advisories mainly through doctor's-office brochures. However, a recent appeals-court decision could open the door to allowing states to mandate warning labels on tuna -- a prospect opposed by both the tuna industry and, sadly, the agency tasked with regulating Americans' food and drugs.
source: Mother Jones
see also, in Grist: Study finds excessive mercury in 20 percent of women of childbearing age
source: Mother Jones
see also, in Grist: Study finds excessive mercury in 20 percent of women of childbearing age
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Insight Seen
Honda rolls out new cheap hybrid with familiar name
Posted at 11:01 AM on 04 Sep 2008
sources: CNNMoney.com, Jalopnik, Reuters, Consumer Reports, The Telegraph
see also, in Grist: Honda reports surprise first-quarter profit, Honda produces new fuel-cell car
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Breaking and Exiting
Another large section of Canadian ice shelf breaks loose
Posted at 6:21 AM on 04 Sep 2008
In a predictable yet mildly troubling reminder of the Arctic's continued ice melt, researchers say yet another massive ice chunk has broken off from an ice shelf in Canada. The Serson Ice Shelf just saw its mass more than halved when two large sections broke off recently, leaving it about 47 square miles smaller. For those of you keeping track at home, this summer has seen 19 square miles of the Markham Ice Shelf break off and float into the sea, as well as an 8.5-mile section of the Ward Hunt shelf. "These changes are irreversible under the present climate and indicate that the environmental conditions that have kept these ice shelves in balance for 4,000 years are no longer present," said Trent University's Derek Mueller. Ice shelves are made of very old floating sea ice that's still attached to land; the surrounding sea ice usually acts to brace the shelves against wind and waves, but this year's and last year's were not much help. "We have now reached a threshold where [the environment] is too warm for these ice shelves to exist anymore," said Luke Copland of Ottawa University.
sources: Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Telegraph
sources: Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Telegraph
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In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 5:07 PM on 03 Sep 2008
• Giant Arctic ice shelf breaks away.
• New eBay site is environment minded.
• Big Auto's sales continue to skid.
• Toddlers chock full o' flame retardants.
• Western forests face flammable future.
• New eBay site is environment minded.
• Big Auto's sales continue to skid.
• Toddlers chock full o' flame retardants.
• Western forests face flammable future.
"Some" of All Fears
National Toxicology Program still concerned about BPA
Posted at 4:58 PM on 03 Sep 2008
The National Toxicology Program begs to differ with the Food and Drug Administration's recent conclusion that common chemical bisphenol A is safe at currently regulated levels. In a report released Wednesday, the NTP notes "some concern" that BPA can affect children's brains and reproductive systems. The agency made the same conclusion in a draft report in April, which caused enough outcry to make companies including Nalgene and Wal-Mart back away from BPA. The NTP's final report says further study is needed and suggests that concerned parents consider limiting their family's exposure to BPA, but does not recommend altering U.S. safety standards at this point. "There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects," says NTP's John Bucher. "But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed."
sources: Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, ScienceDaily
straight to the report: The Potential Human Reproductive and Developmental Effects of Bisphenol A [PDF]
sources: Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, ScienceDaily
straight to the report: The Potential Human Reproductive and Developmental Effects of Bisphenol A [PDF]
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I'll Huff and I'll Puff ...
Warming seas make strong storms stronger, says new study
Posted at 1:39 PM on 03 Sep 2008
sources: Reuters, Agence France-Presse, The New York Times, LiveScience, The Destin Log
Link and Discuss (5 Comments)
Don't Shoot the Messenger
New HP laptop packaged in messenger bag instead of box
Posted at 12:03 PM on 03 Sep 2008
Don't take Grandma to Wal-Mart: the big-box store's new Hewlett-Packard laptop "will be displayed on shelves wearing only the HP Protect Messenger Bag." Scandalous! But actually, there's no need to avert your eyes: the HP Pavilion dv6929 is served up in a recycled, reusable messenger bag instead of a box, cutting cardboard and plastic packaging by 97 percent. Thinking outside the box helped HP win Wal-Mart's Home Entertainment Design Challenge, which judged suppliers' products on attractive design, environmental innovation, and less-wasteful, less-toxic packaging. Wal-Mart says 25 percent less truck space is now needed to schlep the computer to stores, cutting transportation costs by 31 percent. In addition, purchasers of the $798 laptop, which is available only at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, can recycle an old PC for free.
sources: Reuters, Wal-Mart, HP, Environmental Leader
see also, in Grist: Tech companies go for the green
sources: Reuters, Wal-Mart, HP, Environmental Leader
see also, in Grist: Tech companies go for the green
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Good-Natured
New Ecuador constitution would give nature inalienable rights
Posted at 10:20 AM on 03 Sep 2008
Ecuador's environment will be given inalienable rights if residents of that country vote yes Sept. 28 on a referendum to overhaul the constitution. One of the draft document's 444 articles gives nature the right to "exist, persist, maintain, and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions, and its processes in evolution." The controversial constitution, which would greatly extend the power of leftist President Rafael Correa, would also give the state more control over Ecuador's mining and oil industries.
sources: Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Prensa Latina, Xinhua
sources: Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Prensa Latina, Xinhua
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Taking a Standard
U.S. EPA criticizes DOT over fuel-economy standards
Posted at 7:20 AM on 03 Sep 2008
Officials at the U.S. EPA have criticized their counterparts at the U.S. Transportation Department lately over the DOT's proposed fuel-economy standards for vehicles of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015. The EPA has said the DOT used an unreasonably low figure for future gasoline prices -- $2.42 a gallon in 2016 and a high of $3.37 a gallon -- which skewed the final cost-benefit figures in favor of lower fuel-economy standards; the 2007 energy bill mandates that automakers meet a standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, but the legislation allows the DOT to set the interim standards. "EPA has several concerns with the methodology used to determine the relative benefits and costs of the alternatives analyzed," said EPA's Susan Bromm in flawless bureaucratese (the shared language of all U.S. federal agencies). The EPA also criticized the DOT for putting what it said was too low a value on the societal benefits of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, saying that the DOT calculated only the costs to the U.S. and not to other nations of the world that are also impacted by climate change.
source: Associated Press
source: Associated Press
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How Can You Be So 'Shore'?
Offshore wind power in U.S. poised to take off
Posted at 6:07 AM on 03 Sep 2008
There are no offshore wind turbines generating electricity in U.S. waters yet, but that's expected to change soon if wind-power advocates and wind developers have their way. The first U.S. offshore wind turbines could be spinning in as little as three to five years if all goes well. The U.S. Interior Department is already conducting environmental impact studies for offshore wind farms at 10 sites in federal waters off the U.S. East Coast, and the agency is expected to finalize its rules for offshore alternative-energy production by the end of the year. For their part, wind-energy companies are especially excited about the offshore potential of the East Coast due to its high electricity prices, high winds, proximity to plenty of energy-hungry population centers, and relatively shallow offshore waters. Yet, despite the momentum and the offshore industry's promise, the forecast offshore wind-power boom could potentially slow to a crawl if the current federal tax breaks for wind-power projects aren't renewed before they expire at the end of the year.
source: The Wall Street Journal
source: The Wall Street Journal
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In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 4:50 PM on 02 Sep 2008
• Efforts to clean up Naples trash blocked by the mob.
• Amazon deforestation jumped 69 percent in last year.
• Melting of Greenland ice sheet could lead to accelerated sea-level rise.
• Are fireflies endangered?
• Climate change could mean less plague.
• Rajendra Pachauri reelected as head of IPCC.
• Amazon deforestation jumped 69 percent in last year.
• Melting of Greenland ice sheet could lead to accelerated sea-level rise.
• Are fireflies endangered?
• Climate change could mean less plague.
• Rajendra Pachauri reelected as head of IPCC.
Stick It to 'Em
Conclusions of 'hockey stick' graph stand up to further scrutiny
Posted at 3:42 PM on 02 Sep 2008
The infamous "hockey stick" graph, which shows the northern hemisphere beginning to rapidly warm around the industrial age, has been backed up by new research. Michael Mann, who helped develop the 1998 graph that climate skeptics love to hate, is the lead author of the new study to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Ten years ago the estimates for earlier centuries were really primarily reliant on just one sort of information: tree ring measurements," he says. For the new study, researchers perused coral reef skeletons, glaciers, ice sheets, sea-floor sediment, stalagmites, and stalactites. Thus, says Mann, "we now have enough other sources that we can achieve meaningful reconstructions back a thousand years without tree ring data, and we get more or less the same answer" -- that is, that "the current warmth is anomalous."
sources: National Geographic News, Arizona Daily Star, Canwest News Service, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor, Mongabay
see also, in Grist: "Hockey stick" climate study largely holds up to collegial scrutiny -- way back in 2005
sources: National Geographic News, Arizona Daily Star, Canwest News Service, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor, Mongabay
see also, in Grist: "Hockey stick" climate study largely holds up to collegial scrutiny -- way back in 2005
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