News: Author Archive
‘JAKARTA Reuters – Indonesia has drafted rules for a two-year ban on permits for forest clearing, after signing a $1 billion climate aid deal with Norway aimed at avoiding greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.’
via Q+A: Indonesia issues draft rules on forest clearing | Reuters.
‘GUANGZHOU, China — Premier Wen Jiabao has promised to use an “iron hand” this summer to make his nation more energy efficient. The central government has ordered cities to close inefficient factories by September, like the vast Guangzhou Steel mill here, where most of the 6,000 workers will be laid off or pushed into early retirement.’
via China Fears Warming Effects of Consumer Wants – NYTimes.com.
‘WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama announced Saturday the awarding of nearly $2 billion for new solar plants that he said will create thousands of jobs and increase the country’s use of renewable energy sources.’
‘KINSHASA, Congo – At least 204 people were killed in Congo when a tanker truck transporting oil flipped over and exploded overnight in the east of the country, a Red Cross official said Saturday.’
via Congo: Red Cross says 204 dead in oil explosion – Yahoo! News.
‘Many energy experts contend natural gas is the ideal fuel as the world makes the transition to renewable energy. But since much of that gas will come from underground shale, potentially at high environmental cost, it would be far better to skip the natural gas phase and move straight to massive deployment of solar and wind power.’
via Natural Gas as Panacea: Dubious Path to a Green Future by Daniel B. Botkin: Yale Environment 360.
‘In the wake of the failed Copenhagen summit, prospects for cutting global CO2 emissions are worse than they’ve been in years. With talk of mandated cuts now fading and with countries exploiting loopholes, the world appears headed toward a flawed agreement based not on science but on politics.’
via A Grim Outlook for Emissions As Climate Talks Limp Forward by Fred Pearce: Yale Environment 360.
‘(Reuters) – Congress on Wednesday took major steps to rein in Big Oil’s offshore drilling practices, as one Senate panel voted to lift all caps on liability in oil spills and another moved to deny offshore leases to companies with poor track records.’
via Senate panel votes to end oil spill liability cap | Reuters.
‘Working climate scientists are almost unanimous in their view that the earth is slowly warming up and that human activity, particularly the combustion of fossil fuels, is the primary cause. But beneath that surface unanimity, predictions vary about how much the planet will warm in the future because of rising greenhouse gases.’
via Why Climate Stumps Even the Brightest Scientists – Green Blog – NYTimes.com.
‘Russia Reuters – Russia on Wednesday took a big step toward the controversial creation of the world’s first floating nuclear power station, putting a barge that will house the plant into the water.’
via Russia floats barge for waterborne nuclear plant | Reuters.
‘For some, the most worrisome thing about geoengineering is the idea that, once people know about it, they will think of it as a technological quick fix that makes it unnecessary to control emissions of greenhouse gases, an effort everyone takes pains to point out is by far the most important step to be taken now.’
via Books on Science – When the Day After Tomorrow Has Come – NYTimes.com.