Climate Climate & Energy

Unto the Lease of These

Judge halts oil lease sale to protect Alaskan wetlands Ruling that the Bush administration failed to properly consider the impact of oil development on sensitive wetlands, a U.S. district judge has temporarily blocked an upcoming Alaska oil-lease sale of about 1.7 million acres. The Bushies had heard the call of up to 2 billion barrels […]

Green Is the New Camouflage

U.S. general in Iraq calls for renewable power The latest dirty hippie to issue an urgent call for renewable power is … U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer. The top U.S. commander in western Iraq recently sent the Pentagon a “Priority 1” request for solar panels and wind turbines to augment traditional diesel generators. […]

Eur-eek!-a

Fat new oil deposits found in the Gulf of Mexico Beneath some 20,000 feet of earth and 7,000 feet of water, 175 miles off the U.S. coast in the Gulf of Mexico, lies an enormous field of oil and gas — enough to potentially double U.S. oil reserves. The lucky SOBs who found it are […]

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Methane emissions from Siberian bogs are “time bomb,” scientists warn Thawing Siberian bogs may be releasing up to five times more methane than previously thought, potentially creating a vicious cycle wherein more warming releases more methane, which causes more warming, which … well, you get the picture. “It is a ticking time bomb,” says Katey […]

A project on the effects of coal mining in Appalachia

Photographs and oral histories from Coal Hollow -- a project on the effects of coal mining on poor Appalachians in West Virginia -- will be on display at the Southeast Museum of Photography on the Daytona Beach campus of the Daytona Beach Community College from August 31 - October 29.

Whether or not you make it down to Florida, check out the book and DVD. The kind of poverty that wouldn't be out of place in the most desolate developing nations exists in the hills of our own American Southeast, and very few people seem to give a damn. Every American citizen should have to look these people in the eye.

Take Backs

Russia sues to overturn approval for giant Shell energy project Russia is suing to overturn its initial approval of a $20 billion Royal Dutch Shell oil and gas project, citing alleged environmental violations. (As Shell is locked in an ownership dispute with state-run oil company Gazprom, some analysts suspect the litigation has more to do […]

The Texas Planet Massacre

Texas may approve 16 new coal-fired power plants The state of Texas, which spews more greenhouse gases than Canada or the U.K., is set to reduce its emissions. And by “reduce” we mean “massively increase.” Texas may soon approve construction of 16 new coal-fired power plants. And not the fancy new “clean coal” kind, either […]

National efforts to cut GHG emissions will suffer

Everyone is justifiably excited about the good news out of California, but a much more representative microcosm of the climate debate can be found in the great state of Texas.

Texas leads the nation in GHG emissions -- it spews more than Canada or the U.K. It has no plan for reducing those emissions. It has rejected legislative efforts to reduce them for years. In essence, Governor Rick Perry has said that he won't do anything until the feds do, which we all know is never.

Now it seems Texas is set to dramatically increase its emissions.

The state may soon approve the construction of 16 old-school coal-fired power plants:

The approval of 16 new power plants that burn coal, by far the most carbon-intensive fuel for making electricity, would add an estimated 117 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, more than the individual emissions from 33 other states and 177 countries.

The power companies say cleaner-burning coal technologies aren't "proven." The business lobby and the governor's office say curbs on GHG gases would hurt the economy.

Not Management Material

BLM slacks on environmental monitoring in Wyoming For the past six years, the Bureau of Land Management has been slacking on its commitment to assess and limit the impact of natural-gas drilling on wilderness in western Wyoming, says, um, the Bureau of Land Management. A leaked internal assessment for the BLM’s Pinedale, Wyo., field office […]

They Should Eat Their Spinach

Iron-deficient phytoplankton don’t absorb as much CO2, study finds Phytoplankton’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide is hindered by a lack of iron in their diet, according to a study in Nature. Climate models have estimated that phytoplankton in the world’s oceans have absorbed about 55 billion tons of carbon dioxide, but the new research suggests […]