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California judge rules against automakers in lawsuit against Calif. tailpipe GHG standards
A federal judge in California has just ruled against automakers in their lawsuit against California’s tailpipe greenhouse-gas emissions standards (AB 1493, known as the Pavley law). This is a huge blow to the Bush administration, and in particular a huge blow to their 11th hour efforts to f*ck with the energy bill to make it […]
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Dear news,
Please stop happening so fast. You’re overwhelming and paralyzing me. Sincerely,DR
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U.S. EPA considers regulating hydrogen sulfide, industry not into the idea
It may be shocking to learn that a gas with the odor of rotten eggs is actually not good for you, but sure enough: the U.S. EPA is considering regulating hydrogen sulfide, a nasty-smelling gas that emanates from oil refineries, paper mills, landfills, CAFOs, and any other place where organic material containing sulfur decomposes. Hydrogen […]
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San Francisco sues over oil spill, South Korea spill cleanup ongoing
The city of San Francisco has sued the owners of the container ship that hit the iconic Bay Bridge last month and blackened the bay with 58,000 gallons of oil. The “wholly avoidable” accident caused “more injury to the San Francisco Bay Area than we can yet begin to fathom,” says the suit, which seeks […]
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Al Gore and IPCC awarded Nobel Peace Prize, climate protests heat up worldwide, and more
Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: One Prize Fits Al Leaders: Follow, or Get Out of the Way Political Science 215 Stall That and More Don’t Say We Didn’t Warner You Loggin’ Went a-Courtin’ Can You Believe That Ship? Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Sterile Soil, […]
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What the fate of two old turtles says about China’s future
Having spent two summers researching amphibians and reptiles, I have a poster of endangered frogs and salamanders on my wall what one might call a healthy fascination with these endearing ectotherms. Being thus inclined, my eyes lit up when I stumbled on The New York Times’ latest feature, “China’s Turtles, Emblems of a Crisis.” It’s […]
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French government charges fees to new owners of gas-guzzling vehicles
France is supercharging vehicle efficiency -- not by doling out big R&D subsidies for cars that never make it to market, but by instituting a system of efficiency feebates.
In a nutshell: the French ministry of ecology has announced a program that would require purchasers of new gas guzzlers (luxury Mercedes, for example) to pay an extra fee for the privilege. That money is rebated to people who buy super-efficient cars. If it's done right, the system doesn't really involve taxpayers, since the rebates balance out the fees. And it gives huge incentives for sales of the most gas-miserly vehicles.
Voila -- instant fuel efficiency!
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Ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s just better than knowing
It's well known in environmental advocacy that people can easily be overwhelmed by problems. They wind up feeling paralyzed rather than motivated. I've always treated this as a theoretical point about communications, but I've had to admit that I'm an example. Here's how.
Mountain Equipment Co-op, (aka "the REI of Canada"), just pulled from shelves a batch of polycarbonate plastics, including those ubiquitous Nalgene bottles. According to an article in the Globe and Mail:
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Whales on treadmills and dolphin harassment
New Zealand installed its first acoustic fish fence, designed to herd salmon smolt in the right direction during migration ...
... Polish fishermen who obeyed a ban on cod will receive up to $11,000 in revenue lost, but those who defied the ban will face fines up to $7,500 ...
... salmon returns for the year in Vancouver were called "dismal" ...
... for the first time, scientists were able to estimate how much a fin whale can swallow in one lunge for krill, finding that they engulf 2,900 cubic feet in a single gulp -- the equivalent of the volume of a school bus. Measuring the amount is tricky, said one scientist, because "you can't get whales to run on a treadmill in a laboratory" ...
