News: Archive for April, 2010
‘NEW ORLEANS —Coast Guard officials were investigating reports early Friday morning that oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico had washed ashore overnight, threatening fisheries and wildlife in fragile marshes and islands along the Gulf Coast.’
via Oil From Spill Is Reported to Have Reached the Coast – NYTimes.com.
‘(Reuters) – Confidence in climate change investments should return in the second half of this year as the global economy recovers and a U.N. climate panel review reaffirms the severity of climate change, an HSBC report said.’
via Climate investor confidence should return in H2: HSBC | Reuters.
April 27, 2010 Free Speech Cafe, UC Berkeley.
Part 1. Panelist Gopal Dayeneni likens the climate crisis to an inevitable deadly descent of a damaged passenger airliner, using first class and coach seating to represent equity issues.
Also speaking was Christie Keith of GAIA, the Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance.
‘Although the public progress of the Senate attempt to write a comprehensive climate change energy bill has ground to a halt because of a protest by one of its chief sponsors, an outline of the bill’s major provisions is moving forward.’
via Quiet Progress on Senate Climate Bill – The Caucus Blog – NYTimes.com.
‘BOSTON (Reuters) – The first U.S. offshore wind farm, a giant project 5 miles/8 km off the Massachusetts coast, was approved on Wednesday after years of opposition involving everyone from local Indian tribes to the Kennedy family.’
via Cape Wind, first U.S. offshore wind farm, approved | Reuters.
‘HOUSTON (Reuters) – A giant oil slick from a deadly offshore drilling rig explosion could hit the fragile U.S. Gulf Coast shoreline this weekend as the White House and Congress launched separate probes into the worst offshore incident in nearly a decade.’
via Gulf of Mexico spill may hit coast this weekend | Reuters.
‘US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encourages at the recent summit of the Organization of the American States (OAS) other countries in the American hemisphere to tap US academic expertise on clean energy and energy efficiency. For this purpose three leading US scientist were appointed to a special fellowship position at the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). Nobel laureate Dan Kammen from the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) at UC Berkeley was named as first fellow, next to Ruth DeFries from Columbia University and Gerry Galloway from the University of Maryland.’
‘Reuters – Analysts are predicting solar companies will report strong first-quarter sales but say profit margins could suffer, keeping their share prices from benefiting.’
via Solar sales to soar, but will profits follow? | Reuters.
‘Using solar energy to cool buildings is enticing because the hottest times of the day coincide with the best times to harvest sunlight. Rather than use solar panels to make electricity, though, Chromasun’s system converts heat into usable energy for cooling.’
via Chromasun progresses on solar air conditioner | Green Tech – CNET News.
‘The White House is gearing up for five days of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and they’re starting big. Vice President Joe Biden announced today a plan to invest $452 million in Recovery Act funding to go toward energy-efficient building retrofits in 25 communities.’