Or do you? It’s time to pay attention to climate change now—as if it wasn’t back in 1800, when our current problems started. We all need to acknowledge that stunning industrial achievements can carry with them enormous unforeseen risks and challenges. Americans should take particular note, because on the whole we are wa-a-a-y behind on this. […]
Climate Synthesis Sent To World Leaders By IPCC Read More 👉
Former NJ Governor and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman (2013 interview screen shot from youtube) You may remember Christine Todd Whitman, the Republican who served as Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as EPA administrator for President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. On Thursday, she repeatedly called out Fox Business’s Varney & Company questioners for their obtuseness on climate issues and on the intent
GW Bush’s Republican EPA Head Blasts Fox On Climate Change Read More 👉
Originally Published in the ECOreport The Proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline, bringing diluted bitumen from Alberta to BC, has just hit another snag. On July 4 British Columbia’s attorney filed a motion with the National Energy Board requesting more detailed information on how Kinder Morgan would respond to maritime and land-based spills. There are 70 questions,
Pipelines: Two of BC’s Requirements Read More 👉
Originally Published in the ECOreport With a decision imminent, a group of prominent Canadian politicians and businessmen are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to approve the Northern Gateway pipeline project. The Premier’s of Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as three former Conservative cabinet ministers, have joined with the heads of the Canadian Association of
Will The Northern Gateway Pipeline Proposal Go Forward? Read More 👉
In a couple of hours, everyone in the United States with access to cable TV and Showtime can hear President Barack Obama say he favors making the energy industry absorb the real price of the carbon it introduces into earth’s atmosphere. In other words, ante up the cost of carbon emissions. From Years of Living
Obama: We Can’t Afford To Deny Climate Change Read More 👉
Did you know that a literally breathtaking 90% of all cancer risks associated with air pollution originate from human transportation? Or that bumper-to-bumper traffic makes the air inside your car 10 times as polluted as ordinary city air? To illustrate the health effects of indoor and outdoor air quality degredation, DistanceLearning.com has come up with
Air Pollution 101 (infographic) Read More 👉
Looks like a comment on today’s EPA carbon rule, but we do hope you’ll notice that this cartoon is seven years old. Thanks to the artist and the University of Colorado—Boulder for being ahead of their time! (Or not.)
Proposed EPA Carbon Rules (cartoon) Read More 👉
If you’re looking for answers about greenhouse gas pollution and other climate indicators, you’ll get a quick step up from the Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT 2.0) produced by the World Resources Institute. (WRI is a global research organization founded in the early 80s that works closely with leaders “to turn big ideas into action
New Climate Analysis Indicators Tool From WRI Read More 👉
Originally Published in the ECOreport While the US has been embroiled in internal conflict about the XL Keystone, five more pipelines have been proposed in Canada. Two of those may go into British Columbia. Faced by opposition from local communities and First Nations along the route, the provincial government came up with a scheme to
166,000 People Demand Repeal of BC's Park Amendment Act Read More 👉
http://youtu.be/IFjVj-ow9K8 It’s not often that hip-hop and environmental issues such as fracking go hand in hand, but in this case, female rapper Kellee Maize breaks it down for us. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is fraught with environmental risks, from groundwater pollution to the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and while the proponents
Female Rapper Kellee Maize Lays Down an Anti-Fracking Track Read More 👉
US “clean gas” wells in operation (Irekia-Eusko Jaurlaritza in blogs.lse.ac.uk) Turns out that just about everyone (including President Obama) has been hugely underestimating the methane pollution levels of so-called “clean gas.” The booming American economy now seems to come at a greater cost than we originally thought when we found out that natural gas produces
"Clean Gas" More Dangerous Than Coal, Industry Expert Tells TV Read More 👉
Originally Published in the ECOreport Green Party Leader Elizabeth May describes her experience as an intervenor in Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion application in a column called “The Twilight Zone” (page 3 of attached). She found most of the National Energy Board’s 15,000 page report “deliberately redundant and impenetrable. Some pages are repeated dozens
Has Kinder Morgan Done its Homework? Read More 👉
Originally Published in the ECOreport The City of Vancouver will not be holding a plebiscite next November after all. Vancouver wants a Referendum on Kinder Morgan Pipeline. They will be calling on the Canadian Government “to provide for any local government affected by Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker expansion project to hold a
Vancouver Wants A Referendum On Kinder Morgan Pipeline Read More 👉
Originally Published on the ECOreport The Federal Government responded within 24 hours of Vancouver’s calling for a referendum on Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain expansion project. Not by ensuring BC residents can obtain a proper hearing before the National Energy Board – Vancouver’s complaint – instead, Harper stiffens regulations for oil spills. The possibility of
Prime Minister Harper Stiffens Regulations For Oil Spills! Read More 👉
Originally Published on the ECOreport While most of us are attempting to do away with fossil fuels, British Columbia is trying to ramp up production. Some plan to make this most beautiful of Canadian provinces a major exporter of American coal and tar sands bitumen. One of the most promising natural gas fields in the
A Must-See Video called “Save the Salish Sea” Read More 👉
A Continuation of BC’s Coal Saga compiled from stories in the ECOreport Lafarge Canada’s coal facility on Texada Island is involved in BC’s plan to become the biggest coal exporter in North America. It currently handles Close to 400,000 tonnes of coal a year, from Quinsam Mine in the Comox/Courtenay region of Vancouver Island. If
The Texada Island Connection, Read More 👉
A compilation from stories in the ECOreport Not too long ago, there were plans to ship 80 million tons of coal through six terminals in Washington and Oregon. Now there are three. Domestic coal burning plants are being phased out in both states. Their Governors expressed concerns further expansion would lead to “air quality and climate impacts
The Biggest Coal Exporter in North America Read More 👉
Cherry blossoms in the foreground of Mount Fuji (image: ladyadventurer.co.uk) So far, at least, the famed blossoming cherry trees of Japan don’t discriminate geographically. This time of year, they grace even the surroundings of nuclear power generators shaken by earthquake, tsunami, and meltdowns three years ago. Otherwise, though, the Fukushima landscape remains desolate. Despite widespread
Drone Captures Fukushima Desolation Amid Cherry Blossoms Read More 👉
By now, many of us have heard that the President spent a little time this morning at a Wal-Mart store in in Mountain View, California, near San Jose. Solar deployment and energy efficiency were the two main thrusts of his speech. He spoke about more than 300 recent private and public sector commitments to create
President Announces Solar Deployment and Energy Efficiency Actions Today Read More 👉
(All figures are from the 2014 National Climate Assessment draft.) Later today (Tuesday, May 6), at 8 a.m. EDT, the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee of experts meets by conference call to approve the final version of the Third National Climate Assessment. The gist of their message, as Suzanne Goldenberg of The Guardian
National Climate Assessment Pulls No Punches About US Options Read More 👉
Building on yesterday’s post from GatesNotes (Bill’s official blog) about killer mosquitoes, and our previous stories about deadly sharks and deadlier humans, here’s a visual statement about Earth’s real #1 predator—plastic. This predator is not living now, but it used to be, and it’s multiplying. Thanks to The Unbounded Spirit via the Sierra Club on
The World’s Deadliest Predator, Revisited Read More 👉
You want solar power? These guys seem unlikely to provide it. (Found on Facebook—thanks to Greenpeace UK.)
So You Want Solar Power, Do You? (cartoon) Read More 👉
Last week something rare and extraordinarily positive occurred on American television. Fortunately, through YouTube and 350.org, the rest of the world got to see it too. “Something positive?” a critic questions. “If climate change is as bad as you tree-hugger people claim it is, how can anything about it be positive?” The phenomenon tends to
Caution: Now Entering The "Years Of Living Dangerously" Read More 👉
Agora Energiewende this week released the results of a cost analysis of four different CO2-free power scenarios in Europe. Says Patrick Graichen, executive director of Agora: Wind and solar systems will dominate the power system in increasingly more countries. The battle for the cheapest CO2-free power mix is decided. In the future wind and solar
CO2-Free Study Finds Wind/Solar Power Cheaper Than Nuclear Or CCS Read More 👉
The Keystone pipeline proposal has hit a Nebraska stop sign, but it has deeper problems than right-of-way issues across the United States. After all, the controversial proposal for transporting Canada’s tar sands was never just about the pipeline. Just ask the thousand students who rallied in front of the White House recently, who were willing
Millennials See Keystone As More Than Just A Pipeline Read More 👉
This is absolutely hilarious… but also absolutely sad. Most of what is in this Daily Show fracking video is no joke at all. The ramifications from fracking that are highlighted here are real — even the earthquakes. And Chevron’s attempt to pacify a community that had just seen an explosion that killed one of its
Hilarious Daily Show Clip On Fracking (VIDEO) Read More 👉
By Dayna Reggero The upcoming SHOWTIME® docu-series, Years of Living Dangerously, premiering on April 13, provides an opportunity to meet the people and see the places affected by climate change. Sharing these stories is a host of major film, television and news figures, including Jessica Alba, Mark Bittman, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, and many more.
Coal–Climate Connection To Hit TV Screens Nationwide Read More 👉
There’s a decent chance you’ve seen the ridiculous “young Republican” or “Republican hipster” commercials that came out on March 16. They’re so ridiculous that I think most of us thought they were parodies. Apparently, not. Of course, parodies have since been made. Below are the original commercials in case you missed them (first two), followed
Republican "Hipster" Commercials & Two Great Parodies (Videos) Read More 👉
For this little Fukushima irony, many thanks to Fukushimaemergencywhatcanwedo.blogspot.com!
No control at FukUShima (cartoon) Read More 👉
Though we try to keep a very positive focus here, PlanetSave isn’t just a blog about the wonders of the natural world and the glory of Mankind’s inventions. It also offers knowledge and a caution about our failures as individuals and as a species. We’ve all made mistakes before, big and small. By acknowledging anthropogenic
Review: The Long Shadow Of Chernobyl Read More 👉
Construction of the Advanced Liquid Processing System at TEPCO’s ruined Fukushima nuclear power complex (photo: TEPCO, via mainichi.jp). Still dealing with the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, subsequent tsunami, and three meltdowns at its Fukushima I nuclear power complex, Tokyo Electric Power Company had more bad news yesterday about its Fukushima ALPS cleanup efforts.
All 3 Fukushima ALPS Nuclide Scrubbers Shut Down Tuesday Read More 👉
Travelers cherish the city of Paris for the charm of its luxurious springtime, but maybe not this year. Since last Wednesday, air pollution in Paris and 22 suburbs has topped the safe limit for PM10 particulates (80 mg/cubic meter). The Paris smog readings hit 180 mg on Friday, more than twice the accepted safe limit. This
Paris Smog Can Take Cars Off The Streets Read More 👉
Ignoring the tremendous risks of global warming and climate change (you know, the ones that threaten human civilization as we know it), how risky is it from a purely financial perspective to invest in oil companies? I can’t say that I (or anyone) can answer that question, but some numbers recently shared in an article
Is Investing In Oil Companies Risky? Read More 👉
Laying a pipeline across agricultural land (photo: eponline.com). Friday afternoon, and officials at the State Department are probably breathing a huge sigh of relief. The official public comment period on the northern extension of the $5.4 billion Keystone XL pipeline expired today. And the unofficial public comment that’s making the news is today’s release of
XL, Or No XL? Public Comments End With Poll Surprise Read More 👉
When the hydraulic fracturing measure passed the Los Angeles City Council today, several tweeters posted photos of this meeting (source of the above: Walker Foley on twitter). The City Council of Los Angeles, second-most populous metro in the United States, voted 10-0 today to prohibit hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and other “unconventional” deep-underground drilling methods to produce
Los Angeles Council Unanimously Puts Off Fracking Read More 👉
A facilities engineer for Shell is featured in the video below in order to inform us of how swell it is to work for Shell. You know, if you can just block out that whole “destroying the world” thing. Anything for a little money, eh? Truthfully, this video really stands out to me for how
Destroying The World For A Little Money (+ Benefits) — Video Read More 👉
Bad news from the annual American Geophysical Union’s Ocean Sciences Meeting in Honolulu. Researchers there announced today that radioactive isotopes from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, when three reactors melted down after the March 11, 2011, Tohoku earthquake and subsequent mega-tsunami, have finally reached the West Coast. John Smith, a research scientist at Canada’s Bedford Institute
Canada Water Tests Positive For Fukushima Cesium-134 Read More 👉
The EU Commission recently proposed new renewable energy and carbon targets. This is great news for Europe. (Well, it would be better if they were a bit more aggressive, but….) The new video above from DG Clima gives a good overview of the new targets and some reasons why such targets rock. For example, it
EU's New Renewable Energy Targets Explained (VIDEO) Read More 👉
http://youtu.be/J_QAdup7G0o Legendary rocker Neil Young, born in Toronto, recently went on a tour in Canada aiming to support the rights of First Nations when it comes to tar sands development. Needless to say, First Nations citizens are being almost completely ignored and greatly harmed by reckless development of the tar sands. Young asserted that Canadian
Neil Young Tour Took On Tar Sands — 10 Reasons The Tour Rocked (Other Than The Music) Read More 👉
Beijing has been getting a lot of attention for its crazy bad/deadly air. However, a reporter at the New York Times has noted that Delhi’s air is often even worse. “Despite Beijing’s widespread reputation of having some of the most polluted air of any major city in the world, an examination of daily pollution figures
Beijing Air Not As Bad As Delhi Air Read More 👉
Crude oil is a fossil fuel and was made naturally from decaying plants and animals, like this prehistoric dunkleosteus, living in ancient seas millions of years ago. Damn dunkleosteus, why couldn’t your decayed remains have become solar PV cells? Joe Mohr is a cartoonist for a variety of publications and children’s writer and illustrator. His
Winter brings darkness and poor air quality to Beijing again this year. A viewscreen in Tiananmen Square produces a synthetic sunrise (China Foto Press/Wang Jinghua). On Thursday, a gray murk of smog displaced the dawn in Beijing. This time, China implemented an unusual and futuristic way for citizens to watch the sun come up. Video.
Second-Hand Sunrise In Beijing Smog Read More 👉
A diver in California’s kelp forest. A new study will explore possible radioactive contamination from the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns (Wikimedia Commons/Ed Bierman). Biology professor Steven L. Manley of California State University, Long Beach, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Head of Applied Nuclear Physics Kai Vetter have set up monitoring off the state’s coast throughout
Academic, Government Researchers Watch Coastal Kelp For Fukushima Contaminants Read More 👉
This is part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). 4. Petroleum Coke (Pet Coke) Fossil Fuel Source: Oil Pet coke is a rapidly expanding byproduct
Pet Coke — #4 In "Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries" Series Read More 👉
This is part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on pet coke. 5. Formaldehyde Fossil Fuel Source: Natural Gas Formaldehyde is a carcinogen with known links to leukemia and rare nasopharyngeall cancers, according to the International
This is part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on formaldehyde. 6. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) Fossil Fuel Sources: Oil and Coal In actuality, this is not a single listing — polycyclic aromatic
This is part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. 7. Mercury Fossil Fuel Source: Coal Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin. It damages the brain and the nervous system either through
Mercury — #7 In "Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries" Series Read More 👉
This is one part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on mercury. 8. Silica (Silicon Dust/Fracking Sand) Fossil Fuel Source: Natural Gas Crystalline silica (“frac sand”) is a known human carcinogen; breathing silica dust can
Silica — #8 In "Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries" Series Read More 👉
