Climate Technology

Mining giant Newmont cleared in Indonesian pollution suit, again

An Indonesian court cleared a subsidiary of Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp. of wrongdoing in a lawsuit filed against the company by an environmental group. The group, Walhi, had sought cleanup and an apology from Newmont’s subsidiary for dumping mine waste from a now-closed gold mine directly into Buyat Bay, allegedly killing fish and sickening area […]

FutureGen on at 5:00 p.m. Central, tonight

Fox News is doing a special report on the FutureGen project and -- rather remarkably -- couldn't find anyone to argue that $6500/kW coal-fired power coupled to a hydrogen plant is a dumb idea.

Then along came Grist, and this crazy blogger who thinks FutureGen is dopey. The interview was last Friday; they're running the coverage tonight, in advance of tomorrow's decision on whether Illinois or Texas will "win." (Nice plug for Grist here, eh? Apparently, nowhere else in the world can you find someone who won't sing the praises of this particular boondoggle.)

Now to see whether I look as smart as I think I am after editing ...

UPDATE: Watch the segment here.

Assessing my predictions from last year

At the end of last year, I made 20 predictions for 2007. As a pundit in good standing I am, of course, unaccountable for my predictions. (How do you think we all stay employed?) Nonetheless, it’s worth looking back and seeing how the predictions panned out, drawing sweeping conclusions from the things I got right […]

Synthetic DNA could soon yield entirely new life forms

For opponents of genetically modified crops, the possibility that scientists could soon create entirely new life forms out of synthetic DNA may provoke similar worries and safety concerns. Recent improvements in technology have made the lab creation of complex DNA strands possible, and some researchers intend to use them to manufacture new life forms — […]

Green group ranks eco-friendliness of shipping companies

We haven’t even bought our Christmas presents yet, but if yours are all wrapped and ready to ship, be aware: green group Climate Counts has ranked shipping companies on their eco-friendliness. DHL and the U.S. Postal Service are tops, according to the ranking, although with scores of 45 and 43 out of 100, they indicate […]

Honda plans small “affordable” hybrid car for U.S. market by 2009

Honda Motor Co. has announced it plans to improve the fuel-efficiency of its U.S. fleet by using “affordable” hybrid-engine technology in at least one model of subcompact car by 2009, as well as offering diesel versions of its larger vehicles. A company official characterized the plan this way: “At this moment, we say hybrid for […]

Sears and KMart will phase out PVC, Wal-Mart accused of eco-naughtiness

Big-box behemoths Sears and Kmart have agreed to phase out nasty plastic PVC from all products in their 3,800 stores. While admirable, the announcement merely makes those stores the lemmings of PVC abandonment; IKEA, Wal-Mart, and Target have all previously agreed to go PVC-free. In other big-box news, the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency has accused […]

Big ideas come out of Hollywood Goes Green summit

“Hollywood has gone from the capital of conspicuous consumption to the cutting edge of conspicuous conservation,” Arianna Huffington declared recently. Case in point: A two-day Hollywood Goes Green summit that wraps up today. At the summit, tech giant IBM announced a plan to design new technologies that will increase computing capacity by a factor of […]

New Green Exchange to be launched

In a huge boost for carbon trading, Nymex Holdings Inc. and a group of Wall Street trading houses are planning to launch a Green Exchange for trading environmental products, including carbon credits. Trading is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2008.

Why the Happy Meals-for-good-grades scheme deserves an ‘F’

Why is it acceptable to reward our children for successful academic performance with something that will harm them? How can we, as a society, allow this kind of corporate conduct when the most recent study on Body Mass Index (BMI) states that over 19 percent of American children are currently overweight or obese, and that a higher BMI in children is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease as an adult?