Climate Climate & Energy
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NSIDC stunner: Arctic ice at ‘Likely record-low volume’
Looks like the Arctic may have set a record this year after all. The National Snow and Ice Data Center said today that Arctic sea ice volume likely hit a record low in 2008. They reconfirmed that the sea ice extent (or area) “dropped to the second-lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979” and […]
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CFL study argues against a mandate to switch from incandescents
Choose your metaphor: losing sight of the forest for the details of the leaves in the trees, Pyrrhic victory, you name it. All could be applied to this study here, which looks at countries and states according to how much mercury would drop or rise in their air if they switched from incandescent lighting to […]
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Credit crunch slows clean energy development
A few weeks ago, I made some guesses about how the big picture trends in the economy would affect the development of clean energy. And though it’s still early days for the financial crisis, so far my guesses look pretty good. The Times talks to a few industry insiders, who confirm that the credit crunch […]
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Finding out what’s important at the Rocky Mountain Institute
This is a guest post by my travel partner, Todd Dwyer, head blogger for Dell’s ReGeneration.org, where this post originally appeared. —– OK, so maybe that isn’t an accurate account of what Sarah and I did during our visit at the Rocky Mountain Institute, but believe it or not, it still applies to what we […]
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Google unveils plan to move U.S. off fossil fuels by 2030
Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the search giant, has unveiled a plan to move the U.S. to a clean-energy future. The vision: In 2030, electricity will be generated not from coal or oil but from wind, solar, and geothermal power. Energy demand will be two-thirds what it is now, thanks to stringent energy-efficiency measures. Ninety […]
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The offshore drilling moratorium lapses today
Today is Energy Freedom Day — the day the Congressional moratorium on offshore drilling lapses. Let’s all sit back and watch the psychological benefits pour in. Cheap gas is back! Um, soon! Right? (The grumpuses on the Washington Post editorial board don’t think so. They’re just not thinking psychologically enough.) (More on today’s non-celebration from […]
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Umbra on driveways
Dear Umbra, What is the most eco-friendly driveway material? Jean K.Newington, Conn. Dearest Jean, Other than “no driveway because no car,” dunno. I can tell you all the characteristics possessed by a good eco-friendly driveway material, but no single material pulled ahead of the rest and parked itself in first place. Since I don’t know […]
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Bailout no reason to delay needed public investment
I have been making the point (here, here, here) that we should resist the emerging Very Serious D.C. conventional wisdom that the financial bailout will constrain our ability to make other much-needed public investments. It’s wrong, wrong, wrong. Obama was a little wishy-washy on the subject in the debate, but as Kate noted, in a […]
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Who’s the ultimate climate-denying, Anti-Gore superstar?
The excerpt below originally appeared on The Center for Public Integrity blog Paper Trail under the title, “Auditioning to be the Anti-Gore,” by Nikola Horejs. —– Climate change deniers in search of their own, Al Gore-like figurehead have an unlikely candidate: Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, who is touring the United States this […]
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An excellent report on energy efficiency
The American Physical Society has released a major study on the crucial role that energy efficiency must play to achieving energy security and reducing global warming. According to the APS, Energy Future: Think Efficiency “differs from other energy efficiency reports in its emphasis on scientific and technological options and analysis.” The report has three overarching […]
