Climate Climate & Energy
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The 100 most vulnerable nations have contributed least to climate change
Another short new briefing (PDF) from the International Institute Environment and Development (IIED), this one on the 100 countries most vulnerable to climate change: • Human-induced climate change is likely to have the heaviest impact on small low-lying island and coastal states, African nations, Asian mega-deltas and the polar regions. • The 100 most vulnerable […]
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CCS: Always almost ready, but never quite
Over at Earth2Tech, reflecting on Washington’s recent rejection of a coal plant application, Alexix Madrigal stumbles across the essence of the carbon capture and sequestration issue: It highlights an interesting aspect of the CCS debate. Fossil-fuel energy companies are well-served by having the technology remain on the drawing board, devoid of any "industrial-scale" field deployments. […]
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What’s up with the climate conference in Bali?
Have you been hearing chatter at cocktail parties and on witty webzines about a big climate-change bash in Bali? Wondering what the deal is? We’re so glad you asked. The action in Bali isn’t on the beach. Photo: iStockphoto The rumors are true: From Dec. 3 to Dec. 14, more than 15,000 people from 190 […]
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New briefing finds improvement but new challenges for climate reporting
A short new briefing (PDF) from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) says that media coverage of climate change has improved, but still shows several flaws: • There are many criticisms of how the media has covered climate change to date, but many signs of improvement too. For journalists new to the topic, […]
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The question for China and India is not whether to make the transition away from coal, but how soon
In part one I made the point that if China and India develop along the same path as the West, we’re all doomed. This fact is becoming increasingly clear to everyone. One way or another, whoever foots the bill, they’ll have to change, and that means shifting to a more expensive-in-the-short-term source of electricity, of […]
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Another distraction debunked
Fertilizing the ocean with iron looks to be just so much ... fertilizer.
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U.S. could slash emissions at little cost through boosted efficiency, says report
The U.S. could significantly slash its greenhouse-gas emissions “at manageable costs to the economy,” says a new study from consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Assuming no significant change in consumer lifestyle, researchers did an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of various options for reducing GHG emissions. Their conclusions: “clean coal” is expensive and unproven, increasing renewable energy […]
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McKinsey & Co. on how to reduce greenhouse gases
McKinsey & Company is a very large, very old, very prestigious consulting company. They’ve just released an ambitious report called "Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost?" Here’s what they did: Starting in early 2007, a research team from McKinsey worked with leading companies, industry experts, academics, and environmental NGOs to develop […]
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Kansas Supreme Court to hear case against landmark coal-plant permit denial
In October, Kansas made an important first by denying a construction permit to a coal-fired power plant due to its carbon dioxide emissions, saying such emissions could harm human health and the environment. The companies behind the $3.6 billion project, as well as other business groups, were outraged by the decision. (Enviros rejoiced.) Attack ads […]
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Energy efficiency just leaves more money to squander, says study
As more and more vehicles and appliances become energy efficient, Americans save money — then spend that money on more and bigger vehicles and appliances, a new study finds. Sigh.
