Latest Articles

Climate Security Act gets support from labor unions

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act has picked up a decent amount of support from labor groups. So far: The Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, which includes: International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship […]

Let’s shoot a little higher

Charles Blow says “we need to declare a coordinated war on climate change akin to the wars on drugs and terror.” Surely we can do better than that.

An Inconvenient Musical plays on

Think the idea of An Inconvenient Opera is a bit off-key? You might be singing a different tune after reading this: Apparently, An Inconvenient Musical opened to sold-out crowds in Toronto last summer. Says Kurt Firla, co-director/writer of the production: It’s a satirical look at the climate crisis, corporate greed, and the general public’s reluctance […]

Your sporting roundup for the month

Apparently, people are still playing sports. Who knew? Beijing Olympics 2008: The Games will be “basically” carbon neutral, according to one official. Technology Minister Wan Gang predicts that the Olympics will emit 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide — thanks in large part to athletes’ travel — but that keeping cars off the road and […]

Sustainability a big theme at the World Science Festival

What do vertical farms, green roofs, soft cars, breathing walls, and Dongtan, China, have in common? They were all subjects of discussion at Friday's Future Cities event in New York City, part of the four-day 2008 World Science Festival.

To a packed house, Columbia University microbiologist Dickson Despommier described his vision for feeding the planet's burgeoning, and increasingly urban, population. The vertical farm takes agriculture and stacks it into the tiers of a modern skyscraper. Instead of stopping at the corner pizzeria for dinner, Despommier suggested, you could pluck a nice head of lettuce, maybe some corn, and some tomatoes for a big salad, all in your own building, on the way to your apartment. You can't get fresher or more local than that.

According to Despommier, the farms will be "grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers." (Of course, being indoor, there won't be many insects to spray for.) The farms will also require much less irrigation since all water can be re-circulated, and they'll curb the growing pressure to turn forest into farmland.

The vertical farm sounds (and looks) pretty amazing, and certainly Despommier deserves much credit for thinking boldly ... but I was left with several questions.

Ozone-depleting asthma inhalers being phased out

Asthma inhalers containing ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons will be phased out by the end of 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. The phaseout of CFCs is required under the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that the United States actually deigned to sign on to. Alternatives to CFC inhalers use hydrofluoroalkanem as a propellant; HFA […]

National Association of Manufacturers releases anti-climate legislation video

If you want a sense of the kind of opposition the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act is up against from industry groups, you’ll find a crystalline example in a video just put out by the National Association of Manufacturers. It’s an attempt to stoke fear and anger about the legislation, primarily through the artful deployment of […]

Best Buy tests free e-waste recycling program to ease its eco-impact

Electronics retailer Best Buy announced on Monday that it’s testing a free electronic-waste recycling program in 117 of its stores in the Baltimore, Minneapolis, and San Francisco areas, plus a few other select stores in the East and Midwest. Customers can bring in up to two e-waste items per day for free recycling, including TVs, […]

Ocean acidification to weaken coral reefs, make islands more vulnerable to storms

Acidification of the ocean could make low-lying island nations like the Maldives and Kiribati more vulnerable to storms since it can significantly weaken coral reefs, according to a new report. When the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, carbonic acid forms, which makes it more difficult for sea critters like coral and starfish to […]

Lieberman-Warner climate bill hitting the Senate floor

After months of hearings, haggling, and revision, a climate change bill will reach the floor of the Senate this week. The showdown over the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (CSA) marks the first time the full chamber has focused on a dedicated piece of global warming legislation since 2005, when the McCain-Lieberman climate bill was voted […]