News Archive - June 2008

June 30, 2008

Global Warming to Melt North Pole Ice Cover For First Time in Recorded History
After last year's thin ice cover, the North Pole is poised to vanish due to global warming in a short time DailyTech has previously covered the frantic pace of melt in Greenland, which is accelerating, dumping vast amounts of water into the sea. Meanwhile, the North Pole has been steadily melting away as well. Fortunately, the North Pole ice is floating, and thus will not affect sea levels, but its dissolution is an important indicator of warming.

Recycling CFLs is Finally Easy to Do!
If you like the idea of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs but worry about the mercury they contain, now you can worry a lot less. The Home Depot is selling bulbs that have cut the amount of mercury most bulbs contain in half. And when you’re finished with the bulbs, you can recycle them — along with any other CFLs you have — at any of the company’s 1,973 stores.

Smart camera keeps an eye on rare penguins
You may think penguins all look the same, but a computer system on a South African island knows better. It can identify individual birds from subtle differences in their plumage. The technology could help researchers monitor threatened populations without using more invasive methods that can distress or harm the birds.

Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming
The battle to reduce carbon emissions is at the heart of many eco-friendly efforts, and researchers from the University of Missouri have discovered that nature has been lending a hand. Researchers at the Missouri Tree Ring Laboratory in the Department of Forestry discovered that trees submerged in freshwater aquatic systems store carbon for thousands of years, a significantly longer period of time than trees that fall in a forest, thus keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.

The Greening of the Hotel Industry
Going ”?green’ is more than a mere fad in the hotel industry. The San Francisco based Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants began implementing environmental initiatives in 1985. Twenty years later Kimpton created EarthCare, which has over 40 eco-friendly practices, including energy and water conservation. In 2006 Kimpton earned the National GeoTourism Award given by National Geographic Traveler and the Travel Industry Association of America. The state of California acknowledged Kimpton’s efforts.

Coming Clean: Struggle over Label Fraud in Organic Body Care Products
The I-Team investigates non-food organic products being sold in stores. Both "100% natural" and "Pure and Organic" sound great for the consumer and safe for the environment but exactly what kind of products have consumers been using?

Solar Water Heaters Now Mandatory In Hawaii
Hawaii has become the first state to require solar water heaters in new homes. The bill was signed into law by Governor Linda Lingle, a Republican. It requires the energy-saving systems in homes starting in 2010. It prohibits issuing building permits for single-family homes that do not have solar water heaters.

Green Barista
Any working baristas out there? I know KGG contributor Alex has spent some time in the specialty coffee industry, and I’ve been working with a coffee company here in town for the last two-plus years.

Electronics makers want incentives to green product lines
Europe's electronics and electrical engineering industries say they can make big contributions to cutting EU CO2 emissions, especially through energy efficiency improvements. But investment incentives and greater certainty on exemptions to emissions rules are needed, they say.

G8 may invest billions to cut CO2
The Group of Eight wealthy nations are looking at investing more than $10 billion a year to support new technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), a Japanese daily reported on Sunday. A draft statement on economic issue is being considered for release at the July 7-9 summit of G8 leaders in Hokkaido, northern Japan, the business daily Nikkei said.

China Watch: Plastic Bag Ban Trumps Market and Consumer Efforts
China's recent plastic bag ban has been immediately accepted by consumers. In a country where billions of plastic bags are used each day, the government's top-down policy move will likely benefit the country's environment and energy security well before market forces or consumer-led efforts are able to achieve similar impact.

China calls for help on climate change
Addressing climate change head-on is in China's best interests, but it needs developed countries to do their fair share, president Hu Jintao said in a speech reported by the Xinhua news agency on Saturday. Hu called on developed countries to "step up efforts" on emission reduction and provide financial and technical support for developing countries.

June 27, 2008

Beating the Oil Barons
Over the past eighteen months, oil prices have more than doubled, inflicting huge costs on the global economy. Strong global demand, owing to emerging economies like China, has undoubtedly fueled some of the price increase. But the scale of the price spike exceeds normal demand and supply factors, pointing to the role of speculation—and underscoring the need for policy action to clean up the oil market.

Blair urges G8 2050 climate pact
Tony Blair urged the Group of Eight rich nations on Friday to agree to a global goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, despite signs top carbon emitter the United States would not back the target. "What we should do this year is to establish the workplan necessary so that we can get an interim target next year that is realistic," Blair told a news conference.

Brown researchers create mercury-absorbent container linings for broken CFLs
With rising energy prices and greater concern over global warming, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are having a successful run. Sales of the curlicue, energy-sipping bulbs, which previously had languished since they were introduced in the United States in 1979, reached nearly 300 million last year. Experts expect that figure to rise steeply by 2012, when a federal law requiring energy-efficient lighting goes into effect.

Greenpeace crashes coal meeting using phony front
Greenpeace posed as a pro-coal organization to become a sponsor of the 2008 McCloskey Coal USA conference, which was surprised but allowed them to deliver a brief anti-coal message, officials said Friday. When The McCloskey Group figured out who the Institute for Energy Solutions really were, they decided to let Greenpeace have their booth under the phone name and make brief remarks, organizers said.

U.S. Ecosystem Report Indicates Trouble
Years of industrial and agricultural growth have left an indelible imprint on many formerly vibrant U.S. ecosystems. While nature is adept at resilience, the depletion and contamination of natural resources, especially water, may affect human health and wellbeing, a new report suggests.

EU reaches landmark deal to cap airline emissions
The European Union reached a landmark agreement Thursday to cap emissions from aircraft, raising the stakes in an increasingly ferocious battle with the United States over how to regulate global greenhouse gases.

New "carbon revolution" urged to slow warming
The world needs a shift as radical as the Industrial Revolution to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while safeguarding economic growth, the McKinsey Global Institute said on Thursday.

Foreigners threaten Afghan snow leopards
Afghanistan's snow leopards have barely survived three decades of war. But now the few remaining mountain leopards left in Afghanistan face another threat -- foreigners involved in rebuilding the war-torn country. Despite a complete hunting ban across Afghanistan since 2002, snow leopard furs regularly end up for sale on international military bases and at tourist bazaars in the capital. Foreigners have ready cash to buy the pelts as souvenirs and impoverished Afghans break poaching laws to supply them.

North America's 1st carbon tax rolls out under fire
Civic leader Scott Nelson says he is as worried as anyone about global warming, but that does not make him happy to be one of the first North Americans to pay a carbon tax to curb climate change. Nelson, mayor of Williams Lake, British Columbia, says record high energy prices mean that the levy, for all its good intentions, could not come at a worst time for residents in his community, a lumber and ranching town about 525 km (340 miles) north of Vancouver.

Missouri levee breaks as flooding continues
A levee near Winfield, Missouri, that was holding back the flood waters of the Mississippi River broke early Friday morning, said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

California unveils ambitious climate plan
California on Thursday took a major step forward on its global warming fight by unveiling an ambitious plan for clean cars, renewable energy and stringent caps on big polluting industries. The plan, which aims to reduce pollutants by 10 percent from current levels by 2020 while driving investment in new energy technologies that will benefit the state's economy, is the most comprehensive yet by any U.S. state.

June 26, 2008

Major technological progress needed to make renewable energy affordable.
Dramatic progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the United States desires to produce 25 percent of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.

Take This Quiz to Find Out if Your are a Water Waster or Saver
With a single flush, you put as much water down the drain as an average person in the developing world uses all day. Where does the water piped into our homes go? The average American uses about 100 gallons of water a day. The French and Germans use about 60 gallons a day per capita, and people in some tribal communities use fewer than 10.

Exxon Valdez $2.5 bln oil spill ruling overturned
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned on Wednesday the $2.5 billion in punitive damages that Exxon Mobil Corp was to have paid for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska.

Earth Near Tipping Point, Climatologist Warns
WASHINGTON-James Hansen returned to Capitol Hill a hero yesterday, but certainly not a conquering hero. The soft-spoken scientist, hailed as the "whistle-blower for the planet," tried to quiet a standing ovation from environmentalists here with a typically blunt admonition.

Looming tropical disaster needs urgent action
A major review by University of Adelaide researchers shows that the world is losing the battle over tropical habitat loss with potentially disastrous implications for biodiversity and human well-being. Published online today in the Ecological Society of America's journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the review concludes we are "on a trajectory towards disaster" and calls for an immediate global, multi-pronged conservation approach to avert the worst outcomes.

Scientists Are Developing Alloy Based Fridges Running On 50% Less Energy
European researchers say they have begun to develop fridges that are powered by a 100% alloy which will reduce their energy usage by 50%. In the last 15 years, fridge technology developers have had to consider what option would be the lesser of two evils. Environmentalists alerted them to the harmful side effects of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the refrigerant chemical, but alternative refrigerants require a lot more energy.

Fisheries, not whales, to blame for shortage of fish
The argument that increasing whale populations are behind declining fish stocks is completely without scientific foundation, leading researchers and conservation organizations said today as the International Whaling Commission opened its 60th meeting in Santiago, Chile.

Climate change could severely impact California's unique native plants
The native plants unique to California are so vulnerable to global climate change that two-thirds of these "endemics" could suffer more than an 80 percent reduction in geographic range by the end of the century, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study. Because endemic species - native species not found outside the state - make up nearly half of all California's native plants, a changing climate will have a major impact on the state's unparalleled plant diversity, the researchers warn.

Utility-Scale Solar Thermal Growing Fast
Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants produce electricity at a utility scale by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight. New technology has made CSP the fastest growing utility-scale, renewable energy source in the U.S. after wind power, with utility companies such as California’s Pacific Gas and Electric and Arizona Public Service planning to add over 4,000 megawatts (MW) of new CSP over the next ten years.

June 25, 2008

Border fence will skirt environmental laws
In an aggressive move to finish building 670 miles of border fence by the end of this year, the Department of Homeland Security announced today that it will waive federal environmental laws to meet that goal. The two waivers, which will allow the department to slash through a thicket of environmental and cultural laws, would be the most expansive to date, encompassing land in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas that stretches about 470 miles.

EU to fine, blacklist illegal fishing operators
European Union ministers agreed on Tuesday to tighten inspections on illegal fishing in EU waters and slap stiff fines on lawbreakers and to compile blacklists of boats and countries. The EU has one of the world's largest fishing fleets and is the top market and importer of fisheries products, worth around 14 billion euros ($21.7 billion) a year.

Abandoned farmlands are key to sustainable bioenergy
Stanford, CA—Biofuels can be a sustainable part of the world's energy future, especially if bioenergy agriculture is developed on currently abandoned or degraded agricultural lands, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution and Stanford University.

Cooperative system could wipe out car alarm noise
The persistent, annoying blare of an ignored car alarm may become a sound of the past if a cooperative, mutable and silent network of monitors proposed by Penn State researchers is deployed in automobiles and parking lots. "The basis of this system is trust," says Sencun Zhu, assistant professor of computer science and engineering. "You need to trust the entity that distributes the system's sensors, so you can rely on all the monitored cars having the goal of protecting your car and others from theft."

June 24, 2008

Grow your own
Buried in the news a few weeks ago was an announcement by a small Californian firm called Amyris. It was, perhaps, a parable for the future of biotechnology. Amyris is famous in the world of tropical medicine for applying the latest biotechnological tools to the manufacture of artemisinin, an antimalarial drug that is normally extracted from a Chinese vine.

Scientist urges carbon tax to help climate
The U.S. scientist who 20 years ago first told Congress that the Earth's climate was warming said on Monday that urgent action was needed to cut greenhouse gases and proposed a tax on carbon emissions. James Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said at a congressional briefing that a carbon tax would be the most efficient way to cut global warming emissions and encourage non-fossil energy sources.

1988 and 2008: Climate Change Turning Points
Exactly 20 years have passed since Dr. James E. Hansen of NASA first testified to Congress on June 23, 1988 that global temperatures had risen beyond the range of natural variability. Waiting another 20 years before taking decisive action is not an option.

How much should I spend for my Indulgences: Voluntary Carbon Offset Pricing
So you've heard about all the pitfalls in the voluntary carbon offset market, and you still want to buy. How much is the right amount to spend? You might think that bargain shopping is a good idea--that it's no different than shopping around for the best deal on paper towels. In the carbon offsets industry, cheap offsets are the equivalent of off-brand condoms: they might be fine, but the stakes are so high they are not really worth messing around with.

Iowa: Agricultural Methods Exacerbate Flooding
In all of our reading about the floods and rebuilding Iowa, there is no mention of the role of agriculture in these recent events. Out of this catastrophe needs to come some understanding that industrial agriculture has caused many of the issues that happen downriver from cultivated land. A deterioration of good conservation and resource-management practices over the last 50 years has helped make these "rain events" even more catastrophic.

McCain defends position switch on offshore oil
Republican presidential candidate John McCain is defending his decision to switch position in favor of U.S. offshore oil drilling as he seeks votes in environmentally conscious California. In appearances in coastal Santa Barbara and inland Fresno, McCain said on Monday he believed he had made the right decision at a time of record-high gasoline prices but that it would be up to individual states to choose whether offshore drilling is right for them.

Technology and climate change
How much computing can mankind afford? That is a question the computer and telecoms industries hate to hear. They do not see themselves in the same dirty league as airlines or carmakers, sources of huge amounts of carbon dioxide, but instead as part of the solution. In a pre-emptive strike, a group of technology firms calling itself the Global eSustainability Initiative (GeSI) has joined the Climate Group, a non-profit environmental club, to examine how information and communications technologies (ICT) affect climate change.

Natural disasters contribute to rise in population displacement
A new report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR)says conflicts, climate change and rising food prices are some of the factors leading to the rise in global displacement to 11.4 million refugees worldwide-up from 9.9 million last year.

HHO Generators — The Surge Is Working
I’ve been talking about HHO generators for a few months now. It’s been amazing how many critics have stated boldly and defiantly that HHO generators cannot work due to one math calculation or another. But, this theoretical “cannot work”? has flown in the face of practical application. There are throngs of people using hydrogen generators on their cars and trucks right now that swear by the results.

Analysis Shows Drastic Climate Change Near End Of Last Ice Age
Information gleaned from a Greenland ice core by an international science team shows that two huge Northern Hemisphere temperature spikes prior to the close of the last ice age some 11,500 years ago were tied to fundamental shifts in atmospheric circulation. The ice core showed the Northern Hemisphere briefly emerged from the last ice age some 14,700 years ago with a 22-degree-Fahrenheit spike in just 50 years, then plunged back into icy conditions before abruptly warming again about 11,700 years ago.

Nuclear Prospects Unclear
Global nuclear power capacity grew by less than 2,000 megawatts in 2007, a figure equivalent to just one-tenth of the new wind power installed globally last year, according to the latest Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute. Global nuclear capacity stands at 372,000 megawatts, but ranks as the slowest growing energy source-just 0.5 percent in 2007, compared to wind at 27 percent.

No major deal in Seoul on G8 climate draft: sources
Leading economies reached a draft accord on greenhouse gas emissions that will be presented at the G8 summit next month, South Korea said on Monday, but sources at the talks said there were no breakthroughs in the pact. Members of the Group of Eight leading powers, eight other major countries and the European Union met in Seoul at the weekend seeking long-term pledges on cutting greenhouse gases.

June 23, 2008

Small farms best for environment: organic group
Small-scale, not industrial farming, is the answer to food shortages and climate change, organic farmers argued this week. Meeting at the Organic World Congress this week, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM -- www.ifoam.org -- criticized a recent U.N. food summit for touting chemical fertilizers and genetically modified (GM) crops rather than organic solutions to tackle world hunger.

Costs mount as Mississippi floodwaters crest
The crest of the swollen Mississippi River moved relentlessly downstream on Saturday as volunteers manned sandbagged levees, nursed hopes and coped with the costs of the worst Midwest flooding in 15 years. "At times like these you don't know whether to cry or laugh. But here in the Midwest we tend to favor the latter," said Charlotte Hoerr, who with her husband Brent farms land not far from the river in this small Missouri town.

How Do You Run An Entire Country Without Oil?
Shai Agassi, founder of Project Better Place, is largely regarded as one of today's hottest eco-entrepreneurs. Watch him explain his incredibly innovative business model, "Zero-Emissions for Zero-Dollars," at the recent "Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?"

June 20, 2008

Crefdfdibility Gap: Toxic Chemicals in Food Packaging and DuPont's Greenwashing
In 2006, under pressure from the U.S. EPA, DuPont and 7 other companies promised to phase out by 2015 a cancer-causing chemical called PFOA, used to make Teflon and also found in grease-resistant coatings for food packaging. In its place, the chemical industry is pushing new, supposedly “green”? food package coatings.

Global business leaders urge huge cuts in emissions
Detailed climate change recommendations to the Group of Eight leaders, backed by an influential group of CEOs from many of the world’s largest companies, were delivered today to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan, who will host the G8’s annual summit next month in Hokkaido, Japan. The document outlines a new, more “environmentally effective and economically efficient”? long-term policy framework to succeed the Kyoto Accord.

U.N. calls on Asian nations to end deforestation
The United Nations has called on more Asian leaders to agree to a plan to end deforestation by 2020 to slow down the destruction of plants and animals, a top official said on Friday. About 80 percent of the world's known biodiversity could be found in forests, where about 1.6 billion people also depend for their survival, Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive director of U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), told a news conference in Manila.

Changing climate will lead to more extreme weather: Report
As greenhouse-gas emissions rise, North America is likely to experience more droughts and excessive heat in some regions even as intense downpours and hurricanes pound others more often, according to a report issued yesterday by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

Smart Technology could reduce global emissions by 15 per cent
Transformation in the way people and businesses use technology could reduce annual man-made global emissions by 15 per cent by 2020 and deliver energy efficiency savings to global businesses of over EUR 500 billion(GBP400billion/USD 800 billion), according to a new report published today by independent non-profit The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI).

Tourism boom threatens Costa Rica eco-paradise
Pungent brown sewage spews into the Pacific ocean. In the background, cranes put up hotels and beachfront apartments. Once home to monkeys, turtles and other rare wildlife, this stretch of coast in northwest Costa Rica is developing so fast that it is tarnishing the country's reputation as a destination for eco-tourists.

Why is US Senate delaying on ship pollution legislation?
It’s understandable that there would be an aggressive Democratic response to the calls by President Bush and John McCain to drill off the coasts.

Tuna Populations at Risk
A historic meeting next week may decide the fate of tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, one of the world’s most important marine resources. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) has an opportunity at its annual meeting June 23 — 27 in Panama City, Panama, to reverse a trend of inaction, and take concrete steps to stop the decline of tuna stocks. Failure of the IATTC to compromise effectively in the past has blocked the consensus required for the adopt ion of binding resolutions.

Whales set to chase shrinking feed zones
Endangered migratory whales will be faced with shrinking crucial Antarctic foraging zones which will contain less food and will be further away, a new analysis of the impacts of climate change on Southern Ocean whales has found.

Ocean satellite launch critical to Australian science
"There's plenty resting on this satellite in terms of where our ocean and climate science is going," says Dr David Griffin, an oceanographer from the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans National Research Flagship and a member of the international Science Team which advises on satellite altimeter missions.

June 19, 2008

In Midwest Floods, a Broad Threat to Crops
NEWHALL, Iowa - Here, in some of the best soil in the world, the stunted stalks of Dave Timmerman's newly planted corn are wilting in what sometimes look more like rice paddies than the plains, the sunshine glinting off of pools of collected water. Although time is running out, he has yet to plant all of his soybean crop because the waterlogged soil cannot support his footsteps, much less heavy machinery.

Scientists may have solved an ecological riddle
In a paper published this week in Nature, the authors — including Dr Ying Ping Wang from The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research — say that nitrogen fixation has long been recognised as an important process in controlling responses of many ecosystems — particularly boreal and temperate forests — to global environmental change.

Ocean temperatures and sea level increases 50 percent higher than previously estimated
New research suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961 and 2003 were 50 percent larger than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The results are reported in the June 19 edition of the journal Nature.

NZ engineers convicted for depleting ozone layer
Two refrigeration engineers have been convicted by a New Zealand court for depleting the ozone layer. The country's Ministry for Economic Development prosecuted the two men in the first ever case taken under a 1996 law protecting the ozone layer.

International Carbon Initiative Failing: The Case of Papua New Guinea
In the pacific region countries have joined forces to tackle land-clearing in an attempt to reduce regional emission levels. One of the latest carbon partnerships, agreed to in April this year, is between Papua New Guinea and Australia. The agreement has been criticised from its inception and with the release of a recent forest analysis report covering PNG, the potential usefulness of the program going forward is further questioned.

It's Like Oil, But Different
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are missing a monumental opportunity to save millions of lives and radically change the course of world history. Global warming, the oil crisis, and HIV/AIDS are finally receiving serious attention, and yet we continue to avoid an issue that perennially threatens the lives of children. The issue could not be more basic, more important, or more ignored: The issue is water.

New Hybrid Recycling Trucks on the Road
The Peterbilt Motor Company has rolled out two medium-duty hybrid work trucks to be used for garbage and recycling pickup, reports Riverwired.

How green is my low-cost car? India revs up debate
Shweta Kumari is waiting impatiently for Tata Motors' new Nano to hit Mumbai's car showrooms later this year. With a price tag of about $2,500, the Nano will cost about half the price of the cheapest car currently on the market, easily affordable for Kumari, who works as a software developer.

Bridging the Iran-West divide to save cheetahs
Iranian and Western wildlife experts are working together to save rare cheetahs from extinction in this arid, mountainous region, despite a nuclear row between their governments. U.S.- and British-based conservation groups are backing a campaign spearheaded by Iran's Department of Environment (DoE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to prevent the endangered Asiatic cheetah from dying out.

June 18, 2008

CO2 and Other Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important of many human-generated “greenhouse gases” —gases that are contributing to a gradual warming of the planet. These gases, many of which have always existed in the atmosphere, contribute to a balance of heat flows that has given us a relatively stable climate. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, however, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has grown from its historical average of 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm and counting.

The global food crisis deepens
The list of countries on the brink of disaster because of the global food crisis is growing by the week. Terrorism and security experts predict widespread social and political unrest and violent conflict in the second and third world. Last week the United Nations’ World Food Program announced it is to provide U.S. $1.2 billion (£600 million) in additional food aid in the 62 countries hit hardest by the food and fuel crisis.

Japan 24-hour shops hit by emission limits
Japan's 24-hour convenience stores, already struggling with lagging sales and growth, may soon face yet another threat -- moves to limit business hours and close the stores late at night. The prefecture of Saitama, which borders Tokyo, may follow in the footsteps of the western city of Kyoto and urge convenience stores to close during late night hours in an effort to limit carbon dioxide emissions, Japanese media reported.

Hit by fuel price, which way will motorists turn?
With oil prices near $140 a barrel, motorists are starting to look seriously at both alternative fuels and electric vehicles as a way to be able to keep driving their cars. But experts say it will take five to 10 years for these alternatives to take root, given the capacity challenge for an auto industry that is adding 65 million new cars a year to a fleet of 1 billion.

Compostableware that leaves the others far behind
These days, "compostableware" is becoming increasingly common. Whether it's your to go box, or the lidded soup bowl, or the bio plastic cups for your drinks. And yet, something's not quite right. That soup bowl starts to bend. The to go box gets soggy. The cup is made from corn, which, GMO or not, is unsustainable and responsible for many issues both agricultural and economic in our society today. And that's just the beginning.

Sustainable Agriculture: The Food Revolution That Starts With Rice
Many a professor dreams of revolution. But Norman T. Uphoff, working in a leafy corner of the Cornell University campus, is leading an inconspicuous one centered on solving the global food crisis. The secret, he says, is a new way of growing rice. Rejecting old customs as well as the modern reliance on genetic engineering, Dr. Uphoff, 67, an emeritus professor of government and international agriculture with a trim white beard and a tidy office, advocates a management revolt.

How Green is that Product?
Stroll around a typical home-goods store and you might feel as though you're walking outdoors ¬ everything is turning green. Over the past year, more mainstream companies have jumped on the green bandwagon, unveiling "natural" cleaners, recycled products and packaging, sustainably made furniture, and housewares aimed at a growing market niche: the green consumer.

Geobulb: A LED Bulb That Replaces A 60W Bulb
The Geobulb is a 8 watt LED light that replaces a 60 watt incandescent bulb. It generates 800 lumens of light to be exact — either warm white light or cool white. This bulb has a sleeker design than some of the LED lights I’ve seen check out that aesthetically pleasing heat sink.

It's the way you say it: using the right words can cut environmental conflicts
Ecologists have developed a new "tool" that could in future help prevent costly and acrimonious environmental conflicts such as campaigns against culling problem populations of charismatic animals and arguments over genetically modified organisms.

Senate blocks debate of clean energy tax credits
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday blocked debate of a bill to offer about $17.7 billion in tax incentives for consumers to build renewable energy sources like windmills and solar arrays, and buy plug-in cars that run on electricity rather than gasoline. The Energy Independence and Tax Relief Act of 2008 would have extended a tax credit to build windmills by one year through December 31, 2009, and extend for three years similar credits for renewable energy sources like biomass, geothermal, landfill gas and trash combustion.

June 17, 2008

Virgin America to cut flights as fuel soars
Virgin America, the low-cost U.S. airline partly owned by Britain's Virgin Group, said on Tuesday it would cut flying capacity about 10 percent in the fourth quarter from previously estimated levels, as it deals with high oil prices. The carrier, which began operating last summer, is the latest U.S. airline to announce plans to cut back on flights in the fourth quarter as jet fuel costs hover around all-time highs.

TAU Announces New "Supercenter" for Renewable Energy at Conference Opened by Al Gore
Natural resources are rapidly being depleted. Traditional energy sources, like oil, have become hostages to a weakening world economy. The future, it seems, may depend on renewable energy -- new technology that bridges scientific disciplines and commercial opportunities.

Sustainable Real Estate: UN urges investors to embed PRI in property portfolios
Institutional investors world-wide are being urged to engage with property fund managers to embed the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment(PRI) in their decision-making. The call is being made today by the UNEP FI Property Working Group, whose members include 18 property fund managers from Japan, India, Austria, Europe and the US, amid concern that the property industry is moving far too slowly to address its environmental footprint including greenhouse gas emissions.

The Regulatory Arena for Voluntary Offsets
In the wild west of offset sales, regulators are the saloon owners who kept their guns locked and loaded under the counter. Regulation schemes are filling in to provide some consistency in a wildly unreliable marketplace. As you know, carbon offsets are extremely abstract. A buyer can't kick the tires, check the teeth, or do any sort of personal examination of the product before buying it. That's why regulation is so important.

Steal a Tree Go to Prison; Steal a Forest Meet the President
Stealing trees is as old as the King's timber reserves. The sanctions for such sylvan thievery have always been harsh. In medieval England, it meant public torture and slow death. In the US, the levy was a kind of financial death penalty --triple damages plus serious jail time.

Major economies must take lead in climate battle: U.S.
The world's major economies emit most of the world's climate-warming greenhouse gases and must take the lead in reducing them, a senior American climate negotiator said on Tuesday. Paula Dobriansky, U.S. under secretary of state for global affairs, said the 16 countries and the European Union in the Major Economies Meeting (MEM) forum were responsible for 80 percent of the world's greenhouse gases and consumed 80 percent of the world's energy.

Unusual Green Architecture In Japan: Namba Parks
In a city with few green spaces, Namba Parks is a welcome swath of green for the inhabitants of Osaka.

Honda rolls out new zero-emission car
Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring. The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the gases believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.

Intel spins off solar energy technology
Intel Corp, the world's biggest maker of semiconductors, said on Monday it is leading a $50 million investment round in a new start-up and spinning off solar technology that it had developed.

Sustainable agriculture will help stop desertification, UN agency says
Poor farmers and herders in countries bearing the brunt of desertification and land degradation can help stop or reverse those processes by engaging in sustainable agriculture, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says.

Midwest flooding spurs record corn prices
The worst flooding in the U.S. Midwest in 15 years sent fresh shocks to global markets and consumers as corn prices hit record highs on devastating crop losses in the heart of the world's top grain exporter. The price of corn at the Chicago Board of Trade soared above $8 a bushel for the first time as relentless rains and overflowing rivers raised fears that Midwest farmers will not be able to grow much of anything on as many as 5 million acres.

June 16, 2008

8-day undersea mission begins experiment to improve coral reef restoration
Scientists have begun an eight-day mission, in which they are living and working at 60 feet below the sea surface, to determine why some species of coral colonies survive transplanting after a disturbance, such as a storm, while other colonies die. Coral reefs worldwide are suffering from the combined effects of hurricanes, global warming, and increased boat traffic and pollution. As a result, their restoration has become a priority among those who are concerned. Using as a home base the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquarius--an underwater facility for science and diving located in Key Largo, Florida--a team of "aquanauts" is working to protect coral reefs from this barrage of threats by investigating ways to improve their restoration.

Aurora's Heifer Supplier, 'Promiseland', Busted by the USDA
The National Organic Program (NOP) of the US Department of Agriculture said today that Promiseland Livestock, L.L.C., could have its organic certification suspended for two years. In a formal administrative complaint, Promiseland, a Falcon, Missouri crops and livestock producer (which sold Aurora Organic Dairy more than 13,000 cattle between 2004 and 2006) was charged by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) with "willful violation" of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) and with failure to provide access to records regarding its operations.

New eco-friendly car that runs on nothing but water.
It is claimed the Water Energy System (WES) developed by Genepax can generate power by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes. The basic power generation mechanism of the system is similar to that of a standard fuel cell. The main feature of the new system is that it uses a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains a material that breaks down the water to hydrogen and oxygen.

Ebb and flow of the sea drives world's big extinction events
If you are curious about Earth's periodic mass extinction events such as the sudden demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, you might consider crashing asteroids and sky-darkening super volcanoes as culprits.

A greener lcd monitor from LG
If you’re sitting in front of your broken down monitor contemplating an upgrade you may want to wait a couple of months until LG comes out with this new model.

Southern collaboration 'key to adaptation', says climate scientist
Adapting to climate change — unlike mitigating it — will succeed in developing countries only by sharing local understanding and knowledge with other low-income nations. These were the words of a leading climate scientist speaking at a Commonwealth Foundation briefing on climate change and health in London, United Kingdom, this week (11 June).

Despite Economic Dip, Organic Food Sales Soar
If there's a recession, organic food doesn't know it. Even in a down economy, green consumers have shown a willingness to pay more for organic, natural or environmentally-friendly products, per a study released last week by the Natural Marketing Institute and The Nielsen Co. (which is parent to Brandweek).

China leaps ahead of U.S. in gas emissions
China has now clearly overtaken the United States as the world's leading emitter of climate-warming gases, a new study has found. The increasing emissions from China - up 8 percent in the past year - accounted for two-thirds of the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions in 2007, the study found. The report, released Friday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, is an annual study. Last year, for the first time, the researchers found that China had edged ahead of the United States as the world's leading emitter.

Iowans assess damage from deadly flood waters
Officials moved paintings, books and documents out of harm's way on Sunday as record flooding in parts of the U.S. Midwest partly submerged the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. Fifteen campus buildings were flooded, including the Iowa Museum of Art, despite what university president Sally Mason termed "herculean efforts" to contain the rushing Iowa River.

Future belongs to electric cars: VW chairman Winterkorn in report
The future belongs to electric cars because of high fuel prices and environmental considerations, the head of the biggest European car maker, VW, said on Monday. "In the next few years, we are not going to do without petrol and diesel motors, but the future belongs to the electric car," VW chairman Martin Winterkorn told the mass-circulation German newspaper Bild-Zeitung. U.N. climate deal said "daunting" as Bonn talks end

U.N. climate deal said "daunting" as Bonn talks end

The world faces a daunting task to agree a new deal by the end of 2009 to slow climate change, the United Nations said on Friday as 170-country talks ended with recriminations about scant progress. Developing nations at the June 2-13 meeting accused the rich of dragging their feet in setting new cuts of greenhouse gases and failing to offer enough ideas for sharing new technology or for aiding the poor to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

June 14, 2008

The Death of the SUV and the Wisconsin City That Will Deal With the Repercussions
The GM auto plant in Janesville, WI is the company’s oldest in the country. Remember that television jingle we grew up hearing about Chevys being the “Heartbeat of America”?? I think they were actually referring to Janesville. Opened in 1919, it survived both the Great Depression and WWII. The place is an institution. And according to GM CEO, Rick Wagoner, that institution is going to close by 2010.

June 13, 2008

New European Chemical Safety Law Has Global Impact
Europe this month rolled out new restrictions on makers of chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems, changes that are forcing U.S. industries to find new ways to produce a wide range of everyday products. The new laws in the European Union require companies to demonstrate that a chemical is safe before it enters commerce -- the opposite of policies in the United States, where regulators must prove that a chemical is harmful before it can be restricted or removed from the market. Manufacturers say that complying with the European laws will add billions to their costs, possibly driving up prices of some products.

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does climate change?
There are roughly 42 million square kilometers of forest on Earth, a swath that covers almost a third of the land surface, and those wooded environments play a key role in both mitigating and enhancing global warming. In a review paper appearing in this week's Forest Ecology special issue of Science, atmospheric scientist Gordon Bonan of the Natinoal Science Foundation's National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., presents the current state of understanding for how forests impact global climate.

Road pollution blamed for higher allergy risk in kids
New evidence blames traffic-related pollution for increasing the risk of allergy and atopic diseases among children by more than fifty percent. What's more, the closer children live to roads, the higher their risk.

UN roadmap paves way for curbing biopiracy
Countries have agreed a roadmap for negotiating an agreement for the sharing of genetic resources, following a UN biodiversity conference. The two-week conference in Bonn, Germany, ended last month (30 May) with renewed promises from countries to substantially reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

Vinyl Shower Curtains Release 100 Toxic Chemicals
As many as 100 toxic chemicals associated with adverse health effects are released into the air from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower curtains. These chemicals make up that "new shower curtain smell" unique to PVC vinyl shower curtains and shower curtain liners, according to "Volatile Vinyl: The New Shower Curtain's Chemical Smell."

Toward A Greener Blacktop
When it comes to greening America's transportation system, most people focus on cars - producing their fuel differently, using different forms of energy, or shifting commutes away from them entirely. But what of the roads we drive on? Asphalt, which is used to pave over 90 percent of American roads, is processed in Western countries through a process requiring the tar-like substance to be heated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, an energy-intensive procedure that also produces carbon emissions.

Invention to Make Water Recycling Faster, Cheaper
California scientist Meng Lean has invented a new water filtration method that is cheaper and can recycle about five times faster than today’s system, according to ABC7. The water is not safe for drinking but can be used for activities such as agriculture.

Chinese Eco-City Planned For One Million Inhabitants
The Tangshan region near Beijing will soon be home to a new ecological city with one million inhabitants. The new city in China will consist of 150 square kilometers with an initial stage that will have a scope of 30 square kilometers. A deep-water port and industrial area are also being planned in conjunction with the city.

Calif. gov declares water emergency in farm area
Following his declaration last week of a drought in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed on Thursday a state of emergency in nine counties in the state's farm-rich Central Valley. "Just last week, I said we would announce regional emergencies wherever the state's drought situation warrants them, and in the Central Valley an emergency proclamation is necessary to protect our economy and way of life," the Republican governor said in a statement.

EU to ban Med bluefin tuna fishing from next week
EU fisheries regulators have banned trawling from next week for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean to stop overfishing of a species that is approaching stock collapse, the EU executive said on Friday. Bluefin tuna is prized by sushi lovers and its numbers have fallen sharply after heavy exploitation by EU countries that hunt for it in these waters -- Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.

June 12, 2008

Japan whaling town battles for survival
When Tameo Ryono first sailed about five decades ago from the remote Japanese village of Taiji to catch whales, he was filled with pride. "Whalers were stars here in Taiji. I got what I had dreamed of since I was a little boy," the tall, softspoken Ryono told Reuters at a community centre in Japan's oldest whaling village, nestled in a sprawling national park near the craggy Pacific coast.

Freshwater runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet will more than double by the end of the century
The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting faster than previously calculated according to a recently released scientific paper by University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Sebastian H. Mernild. The study, published in the journal Hydrological Processes, is based on models using data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as satellite images and observations from on the ground in Greenland.

FDA has tomato Salmonella reports in 17 states
U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are still receiving reports of people falling ill from eating Salmonella-tainted tomatoes and that they now have 167 reported cases from 17 states. Representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they are continuing to search for the source of the Salmonella outbreak, which has hit New Mexico and Texas the hardest.

Environmental Skeptics Are Overwhelmingly Politicized, Study Says
A review of environmental skepticism literature from the past 30 years has found that the vast majority of skeptics, often identified as independent, are directly linked to politically oriented, conservative think tanks. The study, published in this month's issue of Environmental Politics, analyzed books written between 1972 and 2005 that deny the urgency of environmental protection. The researchers found that more than 92 percent of the skeptical authors were in some way affiliated to conservative think tanks - non-profit research and advocacy organizations that promote core conservative ideals.

USDA Refuses to Admit What 50 Million Organic Consumers Know: Organic Food is Healthier
Mum's the word among federal officials about the health benefits of eating organic foods. The Department of Health and Human Services defers questions about organic foods to the Food and Drug Administration. But the FDA has no policy on organics because it says they're the domain of the Department of Agriculture, which will admit to using the "o-word," but says its mandate is simply to regulate use of the certified organic label, not to judge the relative benefits of organic versus conventional foods.

Overdue Protections for Chinook Salmon Move Forward
A hard cap on salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery moved closer to reality today. The pollock fishery has been unintentionally catching alarming numbers of Chinook salmon in recent years, peaking at more than 130,000 salmon caught in 2007. To address this growing problem, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is moving forward on setting a limit of 68,392 as the number of Chinook salmon that pollock trawlers are allowed to catch before the fishery is shut down. This cap is contingent on the pollock industry establishing an incentive program that also addresses bycatch on a vessel-by-vessel basis.

Israel site for California solar power test
Energy company BrightSource Energy Inc said it will open a solar "power tower" in Israel this week to test new technology it will use when building power plants next year in California. California utility PG&E Corp signed contracts with BrightSource in April to buy up to 900 megawatts of solar thermal power in the next few years, enough to power about 630,000 homes.

Dell Recycles 100 Million Pounds of Equipment
With 100 million pounds of equipment recycled, 2007 marked a new record for Dell as the year with the largest product recycling volume. This is a 20 percent increase from 2006. “Our customers and stakeholders are inspiring us to lead a new era of environmental responsibility,”? said Director of Sustainable Business Tod Arbogast in a news release. “We are at a historic point in time when the combined efforts of companies, customers, employees and suppliers will make the critical changes to protect our shared Earth.”

Rich nations fail to take lead at climate talk: U.N.
Industrialized nations are failing to lead enough at U.N. climate talks in Bonn even as developing states are showing interest in a new global warming treaty, the U.N.'s top climate official said on Wednesday. Yvo de Boer also predicted that U.S. climate policy would be more ambitious under either Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, the two main candidates to succeed President George W. Bush from January 2009.

Airlines Analyze Operations to Save Fuel
Airlines have recently announced fees for checked luggage, flight reductions and jobs cuts in their bid to offset rising fuel prices. Behind the scenes, they are studying their business operations to find ways of becoming more efficient to take the sting out of fuel costs that have risen nearly 85 percent compared to last year. Fuel now accounts for about 40 percent of a typical airline ticket, compared to 15 percent eight years ago.

June 11, 2008

OPEC chief appeals for calm over oil
LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC's Secretary General on Tuesday appealed for calm, saying the record-high crude oil price was unbearable and did not reflect any shortage of supply in the market. Abdullah al-Badri also called for measures to curb market speculation, a factor OPEC says is sending prices to unjustified levels. Oil hit a record $139.12 a barrel on Friday and was trading near $136 on Tuesday.

Africa's deforestation twice world rate, says atlas
Africa is suffering deforestation at twice the world rate and the continent's few glaciers are shrinking fast, according to a U.N. atlas on Tuesday. Satellite pictures, often taken three decades apart, showed expanding cities, pollution, deforestation and climate change were damaging the African environment despite glimmers of improvement in some areas.

Living near green areas doesn't mean more exercise
Living near green space makes little or no difference in how much people exercise during their leisure time, Dutch researchers said on Wednesday. In fact, people who live closest to green areas in urban or rural areas walk and cycle less often and for shorter amounts of time than other residents, they reported in the journal BioMed Central Public Health.

MIT: European system for cutting CO2 emissions is working well
In a bid to control greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, the European Union has been operating the world's first system to limit and to trade carbon dioxide. Despite its hasty adoption and somewhat rocky beginning three years ago, the EU "cap-and-trade" system has operated well and has had little or no negative impact on the overall EU economy, according to an MIT analysis.

Mediterranean shark numbers drop dramatically
The number of sharks in the Mediterranean has fallen by 97 percent in the last 200 years, putting the sea's ecological balance at risk, a report released on Wednesday said. The report, by the Washington-based Lenfest Ocean Program, used records such as fishermen's logs, shark landings, museum specimens and visual sightings to estimate the number and size of the Mediterranean sharks over the last two centuries.

Gap executive urges global manufacturing standards
When clothing giant Gap took its first steps toward corporate responsibility in 1992, it wasn't aiming for anything extraordinary, said Dan Henkle, senior vice president of social responsibility at the San Francisco-based company.

As oil rises, Americans rediscover the railroad
Amtrak, America's struggling passenger railroad, saw record numbers in May when ridership rose 12.3 percent from a year earlier, and ticket sales climbed 15.6 percent, according to company data.Amtrak President Alex Kummant said the numbers point to a sixth straight year of record passengers.

Sea Ice Melt Could Thaw Permafrost, Too
Scientists tracking a dramatic shrinkage in Arctic sea ice over the past few years have come to a worrisome conclusion: If the trend continues, it could speed up the melting of Arctic permafrost as well. The environmental consequences of such a development are uncertain, but they could spell trouble for plants, animals, and humans in those regions that depend on solid ground underfoot.

Environmental Change Re-Draws Atlas of Africa
Johannesburg/Nairobi/London, 10 June 2008-Africa's rapidly changing environmental landscape, from the disappearance of glaciers in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains to the loss of Cape Town's unique "fynbos" vegetation, is presented today to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment(AMCEN).

The New Environmentalism
Private innovation is the wellspring of progress on environmental matters. Where once environmental policy inherently mistrusted markets and punishment was pursued more vigorously than progress, today wealth creation, appropriately harnessed, is the main engine of environmental progress. This is the new environmentalism.

June 10, 2008

Farmers who plant, or replant , after June 20 may see yields drop by half
A costly deadline looms for many growers in the Midwest, as every day of waiting for the weather to cooperate to plant corn and soybeans reduces potential yields. Illinois growers who plant corn or soybeans near the end of June can expect a 50 percent reduction in crop yield, according to a University of Illinois agriculture expert.

Biotech Giants Demand a High Price for Saving the Planet
According to the report, conventional, non-GM breeding techniques are making remarkable progress in developing crops that can tolerate heat, floods and drought. A new Asian rice, due to go on the market next year, can stand being submerged for two weeks without affecting yields, while a new African one flowers early in the morning, escaping the heat of the day.

Forging African Strategies on Climate Change Adaptation
Africa, the continent most vulnerable to climate change, contributes little to global greenhouse gas emissions. How will the vulnerable populations, sectors and regions cope with the consequences of climate change? African environment ministers are poised to take action, what should they do?

Mercury contamination found in stranded Victorian dolphins
Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences have confirmed levels of mercury found in the dolphins were within a range considered to cause negative health and mental effects and were higher than mercury levels found in populations around the world.

Celebrities join World Bank in saving tigers
Hollywood celebrities Harrison Ford, Bo Derek and Robert Duvall on Monday threw their support behind a new global initiative by the World Bank to save tigers from extinction. While the global development agency's main mission is to fight poverty in developing countries, it has rarely taken on wildlife conservation efforts of endangered species.

Is LEED green enough? Conversations from Dwell on Design LA 2008
At this past week's Dwell on Design LA conference and expo, one of the most striking conversations centered on whether LEED standards are enough to meet the growing climate challenge. Energy consumption by buildings contribute to almost half of carbon emissions in the U.S. As a result, many city governments, including Los Angeles, have created ordinances for new buildings to comply with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

Upcycled plastic bottles become lamps
Artist-designers and sisters, Reta and Vana Howell create funky, art quality lighting fixtures from upcycled plastic bottles, household plastic containers and recycled scrap metal. Each fixture contains 30-55 plastic water bottles, depending on size and shape. The plastic materials are hardened via THIS’s secret fusion process to create the appearance of glass. Life Expectancy of each “THIS”? fixture - 700 YEARS (excluding electrical parts).

Experts welcome World Bank's commitment to tiger conservation
The 39 member organizations of the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) applaud the World Bank’s announcement today that it will undertake a global joint venture to help reverse the decline in wild tigers — the first-ever species initiative by the Bank.

Prices Leap for Corn and Crude Oil
Chris Flood, writing on Friday at the Financial Times Online, reported that, "Torrential rain across parts of the Midwest pushed US corn prices to record levels on Friday, prompting concerns about the outlook for this year's harvest. "In Chicago, CBOT July corn jumped 20¾ cents to a record $6.63¼ a bushel, taking gains for this year so far to 45.6 per cent."

UK to give waterless washing machine a spin
A washing machine using as little as a cup of water for each washing cycle could go on sale to environmentally conscious Britons next year. Xeros Ltd, which has been spun out of the University of Leeds to commercialize the technology, said on Monday the new machines would use less than 2 percent of the water and energy of a conventional washing machine.

Science academies urge 50 pct CO2 cuts by 2050
Major economies should aim to halve world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and work out ways to bury gases in a wider assault on climate change, the science academies of 13 nations said on Tuesday. "Progress in reducing global greenhouse gas emission has been slow," the academies of the Group of Eight (G8) nations and China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa said in a statement targeting leaders at July 7-9 summits in Japan.

June 9, 2008

World Bank prices first U.N. carbon offset bond-lead
The World Bank on Monday priced a $25 million bond linked to United Nations-approved carbon emission offset credits, the market's first such bond, lead manager Daiwa Securities SMBC Europe said. Payments on the bond are linked to Certified Emissions Reduction credits (CERs), which are issued under the Clean Development Mechanism, a trading scheme that allows rich nations to invest in clean energy projects in developing countries.

Report confirms drilling, not earthquake, caused Java mud volcano
A mud volcano which has caused millions of dollars worth of damage was caused by the drilling of a gas exploration well, an international team of scientists has concluded. The two-year old mud volcano, Lusi, is still spewing huge volumes of mud and has displaced more than 30,000 people.

How coal got a dirty name
When developers raised the idea of building a new coal-fired power plant in Will County five years ago, the Midwest was leading a resurgence of interest in the dirty-but-plentiful fossil fuel. But growing concerns about global warming, lingering problems with noxious air pollution and skyrocketing construction costs are slowing the nation's coal rush to a crawl.

Vehicle idling adds to greenhouse gas emissions
It's not the biggest contributor to global warming. But unlike the length of our commutes or the fuel efficiency of our SUVs, it's something we can change, right now. We can simply stop idling: Turn off the engine while waiting to pick up the kids from school. Park and enter McDonald's to order lunch.

Caribbean Monk Seal Gone Extinct From Human Causes, NOAA Confirms
After a five year review, NOAA’s Fisheries Service has determined that the Caribbean monk seal, which has not been seen for more than 50 years, has gone extinct — the first type of seal to go extinct from human causes. Monk seals became easy targets for hunters while resting, birthing, or nursing their pups on the beach. Overhunting by humans led to these seals’ demise, according to NOAA biologists.

To Cope with Oil Shock, Emulate Japan
With the price of oil rocketing to the unprecedented level of $130 a barrel, there is a talk of another oil shock. Unfortunately, unlike past instances, this one is unlikely to subside, and may indeed keep intensifying. The only way out is for Western nations, the gluttonous users of petroleum, to cut their consumption and emulate Japan in its consistent drive for energy efficiency and alternate sources. The present explosion in oil prices is the fourth of its kind, but different from the previous ones in 1973—74, 1980, and 1990—91.

The end of abundance: Food panic brings calls for a second 'green revolution'
By 1968 the jump in farm productivity was so clear - India, for example, harvested a record wheat crop, as did the Philippines for rice - that William Gaud, administrator of the US Agency for International Development, said the world was witnessing the "makings of a new revolution". "It is not a violent red revolution like that of the Soviets, nor is it a white revolution like that of the Shah of Iran," Gaud said in a speech 40 years ago. "I call it the green revolution," he added, coining a term that has long survived him.

Gasoline rises above $4 a gallon for first time
The U.S. average price for a gallon of regular gasoline topped $4 for the first time, a survey issued on Sunday by the travel group AAA showed. AAA's survey showed a national average price of $4.005 per gallon, up from $3.67 a month ago and $3.10 a year ago.

Why Are Rising Sea Levels a Threat?
Recent NASA photos showed the opening of the Northwest Passage and that a third of the Arctic’s sea ice has melted in recent. Are sea levels already starting to rise accordingly, and if so what effects is this having?

Modest African footprint still approaching limits
Individual Africans might consume less on average than residents of any other continent, but rising population is bringing Africa close to its ecological limits, the first ever detailed assessment of Africa’s ecological footprint has found. Africa-Ecological Footprint and human well-being, prepared for WWF by the Global Footprint Network and released at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment today finds the average African had an Ecological Footprint (an estimate of the area of land or sea used annually in providing for personal consumption) of 1.1 global hectares in 2003, well below the global average of 2.2 hectares per person.

China's shoreline waters seriously polluted: expert

Vast stretches of China's coastal waters are seriously polluted, and the country's coastal wetlands and mangrove forests are vanishing, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, citing a marine specialist. Luan Weixin, a professor at the Economics and Management College at Dalian Maritime University, said 50 percent of inland coastal wetlands had disappeared because of excessive reclamation and 80 percent of coral reefs and mangrove forests had been destroyed over the past 50 years.

Downturn forces more in U.S. to rely on free food
In the richest nation on earth, a rising number of people line up for free food because they are struggling to put meals on the table at home. Demand at food banks in the United States is up 15 percent to 20 percent over last year and many food banks are having difficulty coping, according to America's Second Harvest, the largest U.S. food bank provider with 200 in its network.

June 7 , 2008

Food Is Gold, and Investors Pour Billions into Farming
Huge investment funds have already poured hundreds of billions of dollars into booming financial markets for commodities like wheat, corn and soybeans. But a few big private investors are starting to make bolder and longer-term bets that the world's need for food will greatly increase - by buying farmland, fertilizer, grain elevators and shipping equipment.

Energy ministers split on subsidies as oil surges
Energy officials from five top consumer nations urged producers to step up investment on Saturday, a day after crude's biggest surge ever, but they offered no new ideas on how to deal with record prices and remained divided on fuel subsidies. Japan, the United States, China, India and South Korea -- who together guzzle nearly half the world's oil -- said that they had agreed on the need for greater transparency in energy markets and more investment by consumers and producers both, while stopping short of calling on OPEC to pump more crude today.

Carbon-capping climate Senate bill dies
U.S. legislation that would have set up a cap-and-trade system to limit climate-warming carbon emissions died on Friday after a procedural vote in the Senate. The bill, which had bipartisan support but not enough to overcome opposition, aimed to cut total U.S. global warming emissions by 66 percent by 2050. Opponents said it would cost jobs and raise fuel prices in an already pinched American economy.

In conversation, Albright lays out global challenges facing the next president
In a conversation with Scott Sagan last week, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discussed a wide range of international conflicts facing the next president, as well as her experience as a high-powered woman in politics. As Sagan, a professor of political science, and Albright rhetorically toured the globe, pausing at hot spots to probe serious policy issues, Albright delivered her advice with a dose of humor.

Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean Dolphin Populations Improving
The numbers of Northeastern offshore spotted and eastern spinner dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are increasing after being severely depleted because of accidental death in the tuna purse-seine fishery between 1960 and 1990, according to biologists from NOAA's Fisheries Service.

"Kick the CO2 Habit" - UNEP Says It May Be Easier Than You Think
Adopting a climate-friendly lifestyle needn't require drastic changes or major sacrifices. People in the developed world, as well as some rapidly developing countries and cities - from Manchester and Manhattan to Moscow and Mumbai - can start right away to "Kick the C02 Habit", the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) says.

Take biofuel crops off the land and grow them at sea
The environmental and social costs of producing biofuels on land can be avoided by farming seaweed, says Ricardo Radulovich. The dream of tackling climate change with biofuels has been tarnished by the rush to produce them on land.

European Union Poised to Increase Recycling
The European Union is currently debating waste management targets that could significantly increase recycling rates throughout Europe. Legislators on the European Parliament's Environment Committee overwhelmingly supported reforms earlier this year that would halt the steady rise in the region's garbage. By 2012, waste production would have to stabilize at 2009 levels, the committee recommended.

Brazil Clashes With the World on Biofuels and the Global Food Crisis
At the UN Food and Agriculture Food Organization (FAO) summit that concluded today in Rome, Brazilian President Lula da Silva said the US is full of bad cholesterol. Defending his nation’s ethanol production against arguments that biofuels are causing deforestation and worsening the global food crisis, Lula said that the real problems are agro-subsidies and food crop-based biofuels. He compared ethanol to cholesterol in a speech last night to the FAO Committee, saying, “There is good ethanol and bad ethanol. Good ethanol helps clean up the planet and is competitive. Bad ethanol comes with the fat of subsidies.”

Wealthy Financiers Looking to Agriculture for Major Investment
Huge investment funds have already poured hundreds of billions of dollars into booming financial markets for commodities like wheat, corn and soybeans. But a few big private investors are starting to make bolder and longer-term bets that the world's need for food will greatly increase - by buying farmland, fertilizer, grain elevators and shipping equipment.

Toyota develops improved hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle
Toyota Motor Corp said on Friday it has developed an advanced fuel-cell vehicle that can run for 830 km (516 miles) on a single tank of hydrogen and in temperatures as low as 30 degrees Celsius below freezing (-22 F). The zero-emission FCHV-adv will be leased to government agencies, among other possible users, in Japan starting later this year, a spokeswoman said.

Concentrated solar power has a bright future
Concentrated solar power (CSP) has better prospects than wind when it comes to renewable energy investment, according to a leading investor in the sector. CSP involves using mirrors to focus the heat from the sun onto water-filled tubes, turning the water into steam that drives turbines. The technology is easily combined with a gas or biomass-fired plant to provide electricity day and night. So far, CSP is only responsible for around 400MW of electricity generating capacity worldwide, but this is rising fast.