The federal solar tax credit is set to expire at the end of 2008, slowing the solar energy growth that the US market has seen recently. On a recent trip to Greece, I was struck by the prevalence of solar hot water heaters that dotted nearly every rooftop in sight in many villages. I learned […]
Future of Solar Incentives Looks Gloomy Read More 👉
It’s time to end Washington’s “We know what’s best for you” grip on this country. The latest incident is the Environmental Protection Agency’s denial of California’s bid for greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUV’s. The landmark regulations would have resulted in a 30 percent reduction in tailpipe greenhouse emissions in new cars and
Open Challenge to California and all State Governments Read More 👉
Well, our president raised his magical pen and signed the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated energy bill. Some people will call a leap forward and others will maintain it’s but a step. Congress will say it’s the result of compromise. I call it a sell-out to oil and industry. OK, so we get to raise the federal
Opinion: We Have A New Energy Bill..Kinda Read More 👉
Antarctica has always been the last frontier for scientists on Earth. It even parallels to space exploration, considering just how inhospitable its lands are. Windy, cold, and for half the year a perpetual night time are not conditions that make for a comfy science exploration.But nevertheless, scientists are hell-bent on getting to know the southernmost
West Antarctica Soon to be under Full Observation Read More 👉
The hurricane seasons of 2005 and 2006 have posed a bit of a mystery to climatologists recently. After a whopping 15 hurricanes were forged out of the North Atlantic in 2005, including the devastating Katrina, only 5 hurricanes appeared a year later. Most scientists will lay the blame for 2005’s record amount of hurricanes at
Saharan Dust Responsible for 2006 Hurricane Season? Read More 👉
The Vietnam-era poster that said, “War is not healthy for children and other living things,” had it right. Modern warfare can wreak environmental havoc like never before, according to the upcoming issue of World Watch magazine. In the January/February 2008 issue, author Sarah DeWeerdt explores the unprecedented levels of environmental destruction caused by recent conflicts
War … Not Healthy for Gaia Read More 👉
It’s been going on since 1922, seven western states staking their claims on Colorado River Water. For years, a sometimes divisive battle has raged as Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, Wyoming, Nevada and New Mexico all said they weren’t getting their share of the precious liquid. It came to an end in Las Vegas, when representatives
85 Year Old "War" Over Colorado River Water Ends Read More 👉
You know, I really thought I was done with the ‘Arctic Ice’ stories. One would have thought that the entire world by now knew that it had not been a good year for the sea-ice up north. Record losses, the disappearance of the Northwest Passage for the first time in millennia; really not a good
Arctic Ice in Battle for its Life Read More 👉
It’s not over yet for licensed North Dakota hemp farmers, State Representative David Monson and Wayne Hauge. If you’ll remember my series of stories on these two gentlemen, they have been licensed by the State of North Dakota to grow industrial hemp on their farms. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says if they do, they’re
North Dakota Hemp Farmers Appeal Federal Court Decision Read More 👉
Many of us have those geographical features that are, for all intents and purposes, our definition of home. For me personally, my ‘home’ is at the beach, and if I had the chance I’d be working down there in an instant. But it varies from person to person. My brother is more at home amongst
Western Rockies under Climate Change attack Read More 👉
It’s finally happened, good old St Nick is beginning to buckle under to the stresses of an over-abundance of controls and regulations. The jolly old elf just isn’t that jolly anymore, and he explains why in this interview.
Podcast Interview with an Eco-Stressed Santa Claus Read More 👉
How do you prepare for “high impact-low probability” events? That’s a phrase that crops up regularly in global warming research and insurance industry talk. It’s also one that’s given me increasing pause, especially since I’ve begun reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.” Taleb’s argument is this: that it’s
Messing with Probabilities, Impacts, Black Swans Read More 👉
Every once in awhile you are presented with an opportunity, nay the right, to get really angry. They don’t come along often, let’s be honest. Our lives should not be a daily jump between anger filled moments. Looking for the silver lining amongst all our clouds may be hard but it ultimately worth it. So
The United States of America: An Environmental Menace Read More 👉
There is no doubt in many of your minds that I am a bit of a wind-power nut. I love to focus on it at any chance I get, but I’m sometimes held in check by a modicum of editorial power. Thankfully, when there is news like this, editorial power goes out the window in
UK Energy Power to go Windy Read More 👉
This is another of those “I thought I’d heard everything” articles, and it comes to us from Australia. Medical expert Associate Professor Barry Walters has proposed a $5000-plus levy on each new baby born, and an annual carbon tax of $800 for each child in the family. His proposal, according to the article on News.com.au,
Tax Babies, Save the Planet! Read More 👉
Just as to ‘Save the Cheerleader’ was to ‘Save the World’, so we too must save the Amazon Rainforest, or risk letting our planet slide further in to a global warming epidemic. And I say ‘risk’ because the Amazon is simply too large and complex to rely fully on what research we have. But the
Save the Amazon, Save the World Read More 👉
The next time someone says something to you about “business leading the way” in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building a sustainable future, email him a copy of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s latest blueprint for transitioning the Sunshine State into a 21st Century leader. The report, “New Cornerstone Revisited,” was rightfully derided by at least
Businesses Blindly “Lead the Way” for Florida Read More 👉
The award winning UN Climate Panel that took home this year’s Nobel Peace Prize (along with Al Gore) hopes to look towards the mysteries of Greenland. After three successive overall reports, released in 1995, 2001 and 2007, the panel may look towards more specific research targets. One of these is the effect a thaw of
UN Climate Panel to Tackle Greenland Next Read More 👉
The more we learn about the Earth’s ecosystems, the more we discover how elegantly, beautifully and mind-numbingly complex are the interactions among humans, animals, plants and their environment. Life, it turns out, really does come with myriad butterfly effects. That’s what makes a project just getting under way in the South Pacific so ambitious and
Know Your Ecosystem, Save Your Ecosystem Read More 👉
Well, the residents of that Swedish community have been fighting with the National Heritage Board for a new name, or at least a return to the old name. Globalization has apparently led to rude English-language associations that residents of this small community could live without. The whole thing apparently started in the 1930’s when the
What’s In A Name? Fjuckby, For Instance? Read More 👉
The continuing quest for cleaner power has finally brought humanity to kneel before Mother Nature, pleading for some help. We have damaged her planet so effectively, and now we are asking for her good favor in return. We’ve turned to the sun, the waves and also the wind. And it is winds that many believe
Multiply Your Wind-Farms like you would your Hamsters Read More 👉
Climate science is really one of those things that I’ve developed quite an attachment to. If I ever manage to get back in to university, it will definitely be high on my priority list. But for the moment, I have the enviable joy of reporting about it. And this one really sprung to mind as
More Storms and More Dry Thanks to Expanding Tropics Read More 👉
Much of the environmental news at the moment is focusing on the Bali summit. Well, I’ve reported on that summit for much of the lead up, and I’m altogether sick of it. So I shall be leaving that to other hands. In the meantime, I shall endeavor to raise those stories that would otherwise be
Is Indonesia to Shrink due to Climate Change? Read More 👉
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes a new study that finds yet one more way in which we humans can screw up the environment: get divorced. Actually, as weird as it might sound at first, the discovery — published in this week’s online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy
If You Love the Earth, Stay Married Read More 👉
You’ve got to hand it to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Even though he’s cut from the same political cloth as fellow Republican Sonny Perdue, Georgia’s governor, Crist is doing a lot more than praying when it comes to dealing with climate change. Still, you could understand if Crist and his fellow 18 million-or-so Floridians —
Climate Change Could Leave Florida Hotter, Smaller Read More 👉
Over the past two years in my role as an editorial and journalistic reporter, I’ve become more and more interested in earth’s millennia long history. The theories of evolution, ice-ages, periods of warming and continental shift have all opened up to me as they never did in high school (probably because I went to a
Climate Change to Drive Trees Northward Read More 👉
More and more people are showing up at their therapists these days with signs of what is called eco-anxiety, or fear concerning environmental issues. Santa Fe, NM therapist Melissa Pickett says this unrest has been growing in the last two years, and may be the tip of the iceberg. Michael d’Estries wrote about Melissa in
Have Eco-Anxiety? You Probably Do, But There’s Hope Read More 👉
In the wake of the Australian government shift, I’ve been able to focus a little bit on home, when writing here at PS. It has been nice, to be able to shift the attention away from America, in a world where America seems to be the only thing worth thinking about. And with bush-fires on
Ex-Rocker? Or Just on a Break? Read More 👉
If you’re green-minded, it’s easy to hate coal. What’s not as easy, though, is discovering that — as light an environmental footprint as you try to leave every day — you’re probably part of the coal problem. After all, coal might be dirty, deadly and environmentally destructive, but it also has a purpose, one of
How Many Mountains Have You Destroyed? Read More 👉
They loaded up the fuel tanks with fresh canola oil refined to biodiesel, started the engines, and the 1968 L-29 Czechoslovakian jet, nicknamed BioJet 1, soared into the sky from a Reno, NV airport. It’s the first recorded time that a jet plane used biodiesel as a fuel. It was a three minute flight, revving
Cooking Oil Powers Jet Plane Read More 👉
Going outside for a breath of fresh air never meant more than it does today, according to an article in our hometown paper, The Arizona Daily Star. While the article is geared for the Tucson area, the implications are that indoors is a dirtier place to be than outdoors. Homes, according to the article, are
The Air in Your Home May be a Toxic Dump Read More 👉
Once again, another report has come out showing that — with the right actions — we could see a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the next couple of decades. Once again, the news raises the same question as previous reports: will we ever see enough political will to make the possible become reality?
Looks Good on Paper: Study Says Emissions Cuts Don’t Have to Harm Economy Read More 👉
If you remember the ’70s, you also remember Chiffon Margarine teaching us that “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Today, though, we’re learning a new lesson: “It’s not as easy to fool Mother Nature as some presumptuous humans might think.” Take, for example, one of the hot new technology fixes being proposed for global
It’s Not Easy to Fool Mother Nature Read More 👉
[social_buttons] Federal Judge Daniel Hovland has dismissed the case brought by two North Dakota farmers who want to grow industrial hemp in that state. In his decision, the judge said the issue needs to be addressed in Congress rather than in the courts.
Hemp Will Not Grow on North Dakota Farms Read More 👉
Sometimes, there is news that leaves you confused as to whether you should be happy or sad. This is one of those times, when we’ve been informed that 2007 will be the joint sixth warmest year on record. Now at first glance, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. So you’re wondering why I could be
Sleeping and Skiing Read More 👉
Wind is the fastest growing energy source in the United States. Over the last five years, wind energy output has increased tenfold. Unlike most other forms of energy used to produce electricity, wind is a variable energy source. Some wind energy may be wasted when too much energy is produced and more energy might be
Storing Wind Energy Underground Read More 👉
We hadn’t finished eating leftover turkey from Thanksgiving when Sally began decorating our new apartment for Christmas. She enjoys the season, and every year right after Thanksgiving, the decorations come out again. Over coffee this morning, we were discussing whether to have a Christmas tree this year. We haven’t had one since our marriage, deciding
Christmas Tree or No? Plastic or Real? Another Christmas, More Choices. Read More 👉
Coal might be a four-letter word, but it’s proving to be an addiction that’s not only hard to kick but that keeps getting worse. Last year, people around the globe burned more coal than ever before — a record 3.09 billion tons of oil equivalent, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. That’s
Global Coal Addiction Keeps Growing Read More 👉
While our year is drawing to a close, the Antarctic research period is only just beginning. A ten-week expedition to the Lazarev Sea and the eastern part of the Weddel Sea has just left Cape Town on its 24th scientific voyage. A total of 53 scientists from eight nations are travelling aboard the Polarstem, a
Antarctic Research Begins Anew Read More 👉
Marine scientists are meeting with the 72-nation Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in Cape Town, South Africa this week, asking for $2-3 billion to study the threats of climate change and overfishing of the world’s oceans. Attending will be representatives from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. I had the privilege of interviewing
Scientists Ask for Billions to Increase Ocean Monitoring Read More 👉
Imagine this: A man is standing in a small, white kitchen peeing into a glass on the floor. It’s the middle of the night. He finishes peeing, picks up the glass and pours his urine into a water-purifier pitcher. The man sits down with a sigh. As he raises the glass of “purified” urine to
Crimes and Misdemeanors of the Near Future Read More 👉
Anyone who keeps up with the science of global warming knows that carbon dioxide alone isn’t the problem. Besides that and the other greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide, for instance) we spew into the atmosphere, there’s also the threat of feedback loops and other mechanisms that could magnify the impact of those pollutants even
Drought’s Impact on Carbon Cycle Equal to Millions of Cars Read More 👉
The world of environmental advocacy is polarizing at best. You either agree with them, or you label them a bunch of green pansies. I am of the first, and if I had the cash, would be a part of them. I hope one day to be able to get out there on to the ocean,
Sea Shepherd versus the Whalers Read More 👉
Well, I’ve read it all, and just after I thought every possible dumb thing had been reported, along comes an article in this week’s TIME Magazine that made my jaw drop. Community and homeowners associations across the country are trying to ban the use of clotheslines in their communities. According to the article, they seem
Clothesline or No Clothesline, That is the Question Read More 👉
We’ve seen a lot lately of people and companies trying to find ways to sequester carbon dioxide. Many more have attempted to find a way to revitalize the natural storage of CO2 in to the lower sea levels. Some have been nothing more than egomaniacal and greedy attempts at success, others, more environmentally friendly. But
Carbon Dioxide Sequestering finds an Unexpected Ally Read More 👉
“Small but mighty” is a phrase that comes to mind when watching the short film, “Justicia Now,” and the people it profiles. The 30-minute documentary, produced by the social justice-minded media organization Mofilms, follows the powerful movement of indigenous peoples in eastern Ecuador who have taken on ChevronTexaco in what could be one of the
“Justicia Now” Documents “Rainforest Chernobyl” Read More 👉
Being an Australian citizen has been a tough time recently. I mentioned last week that my great country was only a few days away from a general election. I mentioned the embarrassment that friends had felt upon hearing that only we and the United States were Kyoto Protocol holdouts. Well, a glimmer of hope has
A Change in Government and Policy Read More 👉
If this region of the US were its own country, it would be the fifth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. With 71% electricity generation from coal and a large manufacturing base, change is needed. The seeds of change were planted last week when Midwest governors signed an accord designed to reduce
Midwest Creates Climate Change Pact Read More 👉
