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Let there be (more efficient) light

Big savings possible:

A global switch to efficient lighting systems would trim the world's electricity bill by nearly one-tenth.

That is the conclusion of a study from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which it says is the first global survey of lighting uses and costs.

The carbon dioxide emissions saved by such a switch would, it concludes, dwarf cuts so far achieved by adopting wind and solar power.

Made to Break reveals the roots of our throwaway culture

What could be more American than reaching for something new? The U.S. is, after all, a nation founded on the rejection of tradition and a profound belief in invention. This urge has given us more than two centuries of powerful technology, but has also made Americans the world’s most voracious consumers. The propensity to buy, […]

GM CEO admits killing electric car was a blunder

So Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, is asked in the June issue of Motor Trend magazine (not online) which decision he most regrets as CEO. His answer is appropriate, what with a certain documentary coming out soon, and it's under the fold.

Geoengineering redux

RealClimate weighs in on the debate over geoengineering (which was featured in a much-discussed NYT piece yesterday). There's some technical discussion, but here's the take-home point:

... in my opinion, the proposals are unlikely to gain much traction. Maybe an analogy is useful to see why. Think of the climate as a small boat on a rather choppy ocean. Under normal circumstances the boat will rock to and fro, and there is a finite risk that the boat could be overturned by a rogue wave. But now one of the passengers has decided to stand up and is deliberately rocking the boat ever more violently. Someone suggests that this is likely to increase the chances of the boat capsizing. Another passenger then proposes that with his knowledge of chaotic dynamics he can counterbalance the first passenger and indeed, counter the natural rocking caused by the waves. But to do so he needs a huge array of sensors and enormous computational reasources to be ready to react efficiently but still wouldn't be able to guarantee absolute stability, and indeed, since the system is untested it might make things worse.

So is the answer to a known and increasing human influence on climate an ever more elaborate system to control the climate? Or should the person rocking the boat just sit down?

We hold these truths to be self-evident …

With July 4th nearly here and all the Declarations of Energy Indpendence out there, it is time to ponder what American leaders of the past would have to say about energy and environmental issues confronting the nation today.

Perhaps they would like energy judged not by the color of money, but by the content of its carbon? Or maybe they would challenge us to ask not what our country could do for our cars, but what cars we could drive for our country?

Get your creative juices flowing and leave your adaptations in the comments.

Here's what I think Lincoln might say:

And even more fun if it’s recycled

This site is pretty awfully designed, but I like it because it's called news.com.com. Hee hee. Oh, and also because it brings news(.com.com) of an Israeli firm that's experimenting with extracting oil from sewage sludge.

"Sludge is a major problem in the world. Cities pay $50 a ton or more to get rid of it," [Eco Energy CEO Amit Mor] said. "And it's good-quality light oil."

A ton of high-quality sludge can produce about 30 kilograms, or 66 pounds, of such oil, Mor said. The process can also convert pulp, agricultural waste, plastics and tires into oil.

Recycling: good. Producing conventional oil: bad. Chances of this going mainstream: about as good as the chances of fighting global warming with floating white plastic islands.

Port Reform

Two busiest California ports propose pollution regulations The peerlessly polluting ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., will propose far-reaching environmental policies today. “What we’re doing right now is a no-growth, job-losing, cancer-causing plan, and we’re just not going to do that anymore,” said David Freeman, chair of the L.A. Harbor Commission. What they […]

The Mend Is Nigh

Some scientists look to geoengineering to stave off climate change What will it take to stop global warming? Reducing developed-world consumption and funding clean technologies in the developing world? Boooring. Human-engineered ultra-reflecting clouds, altered carbon-soaking oceans, trillions of little sunshades floating in space? Now we’re talking! “We should treat these ideas like any other research […]

When It Uraniums, It Pours

New nuke-waste plan follows license for new nuclear facility The U.S. government could store nuclear waste for up to 25 years at interim sites on federal land (including national forests) under a new proposal by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.). Over 50,000 tons of radioactive waste sit at nuclear power plants awaiting transfer to the proposed […]

Something in the Way She Moves

Umbra on moving When it comes time to transport your worldly goods, finding a green moving company is probably low on your list of priorities — somewhere below “clean out that gooey thing in the back of the crisper.” But even if you found time to think about going the eco-route, would it be possible? […]