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Americans favor conservation and see economically sound opportunities in protection

Standard survey questions often uphold (or manufacture) false dichotomies. Case in point: the perpetual practice of pitting the environment against the economy. Nonetheless, these questions can reveal interesting trends over time. And every now and then, the numbers show that the public sees right through "either/or" questions that just don't add up -- like recent research that shows Americans link economic opportunity to environmental protection.

First, recent trends on that pesky "environment vs. economy" question:

According to a new Gallup poll conducted March 6-9, despite fears of a looming recession, Americans continue to favor protecting the environment even at the risk of curbing economic growth: 49 percent to 42 percent. But this seven-point margin is down from the 18-point margin of a year ago, when 55 percent favored the environment. Further, the 49 percent of Americans currently favoring the environment over growth is only two points above the historical low over the past couple of decades.

Earth Google

Google is celebrating Earth Hour. More here. Don’t forget to turn your lights off for an hour tonight at 8pm.

Report: carbon tariffs could bring manufacturing jobs back from China

Via Greenwire (sub rqd), a new report from Canada-based investment bank CIBC shows that if the U.S. passes domestic carbon caps, and China doesn’t, and the U.S. responds with "carbon tariffs," it could spark a return of manufacturing jobs: The report finds that a carbon tariff, combined with triple-digit oil prices, “could reverse the migration […]

Plush toys recalled due to fire hazard

Polar bears soon to be extinct due to risk of overheating!

A Nobelist speaks

This talk (about 85 min) by Prof. Steven Schneider (of the IPCC) is titled "Climate Change: Is the Science Settled Enough for Action?" That turned out to be a bit of a trick -- the talk is actually more of an exploration of what "settled enough" would mean, and why we need to be acting.

It's a little slow in spots, but it picks up towards the end, and he really shines during the Q&A. There's something in here for almost all the regular Gristies who post or comment about the subject, and an interesting response on the "mitigation vs. adaptation" question.

Friday music blogging: The Black Keys

The Black Keys are an indie band that’s gained a bit of a cult following over the last few years for their swampy lo-fi blues — like the White Stripes with less polish. On April 1 they’re releasing Attack & Release, which I think is going to be a breakthrough for them. It’s more varied […]

‘Run of river’ projects set for a boom?

When I bought my house, I didn't realize that the stream that travels its acres is perennial and spring-fed ... which seemed like the perfect scenario for a microhydro generator. These units make a lot of power all day and night, unlike solar and (usually) wind. It works by siphoning off a portion of water to run through a pipe, then through a generator, and then back into the creek. Voilà! So I did the measurements and found 140 gallons per minute, which is about enough for the purpose, but less than a 20 foot drop in elevation, which is the killer. Microhydro usually requires either high head or high volumes to pencil out, but I have barely the minimum of each.

At best, it would account for 20 percent of the house's needs -- not quite good enough for me to think too deeply about the capital expense or the fact that the town's Conservation Commission probably wouldn't allow the use. Other nearby commissions have also been unfriendly to residents employing or proposing it on their properties, even though microhydro is not a consumptive use and requires no dams.

I have some small consolation, though, knowing that all the electricity in this portion of my county's grid is already 100 percent hydro, due to its proximity to the Deerfield River (one of the most developed rivers in the country, with small dams working up a good portion of its length from southern Vermont into western Massachusetts). Which is nice, in a way: the next nearest power plant to my community uses coal from a mountaintop removal mine in Appalachia, so this somewhat green power is welcome.

So I was interested to see news that small hydro is possibly on the verge of a boom, with new estimates of 30,000 MW of potential small hydro capacity in the U.S. alone. This would build on small hydro's ubiquity in the industry, if the article is right that 80 percent of the existing hydro projects in the U.S. are low power (under 1 MW) or small hydro (1 to 30 MW).

The industry is saying it can get more power out of falling water without any more dams:

Sierra Club removes leadership of its Florida chapter

The following is a guest essay from Peter Montague¹, executive director of the Environmental Research Foundation.

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The Sierra Club's national board voted on March 25 to remove the leaders of the Club's 35,000-member Florida chapter, and to suspend the chapter for four years. It was the first time in the Club's 116-year history that such action has been taken against a state chapter.

The leadership of the Florida chapter had been highly critical of the national board's decision in mid-December 2007 to allow The Clorox Company to use the Sierra Club's name and logo to market a new line of non-chlorinated cleaning products called "Green Works." In return, Clorox Company will pay Sierra Club an undisclosed fee, based partly on product sales. The Clorox Company logo will appear on the products as well. A 2004 report [PDF] by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund named The Clorox Company as one of the nation's most chemically dangerous.

Things that make you go hm

On Thursday at his speech on the economy, Obama was introduced by Michael Bloomberg. Today in an interview with a N.Y. TV station, Obama expressed his support for congestion pricing. Hmm …

A roundup of news snippets

• On Saturday at 8:00 p.m., cities and businesses around the world will turn off their lights for Earth Hour. • Canada’s annual seal hunt kicked off today. • Today is also the 29th anniversary of the meltdown at Three Mile Island. • The U.S. EPA will reopen five closed libraries this fall. • Parkinson’s […]