Tuesday, December 3, 2002

Leading the way once again Oakland Tribune: The city of Berkeley's entire fleet of recycling trucks are now running on biodiesel from restaurants and doughnut shops. Under consideration: the city's public works fleet. Biodiesel is nearly double the cost of petroleum-based diesel, but prices are beginning to fall. 7:08:48 PM    comment []  trackback []

A Carbon-Atom Combo: Diamonds Found in Crude Oil. Tiny diamond fragments found in crude oil might be just what scientists want: potential building blocks for the construction of molecular-scale machinery. By Kenneth Chang. [New York Times: Science] I've always felt that oil was far too valuable to burn... 2:02:14 PM    comment []  trackback []

Can Global Warming Be Studied Too Much?. Many climate experts say the perennial need for more study can no longer justify further delays in emission cuts. By Andrew C. Revkin. [New York Times: Science] 2:01:02 PM    comment []  trackback []

Jay Leno's thinking about climate change too: What's the difference between Chanukah and an SUV? Chanukah is about a day's worth of oil lasting 8 days, whereas an SUV is about 8 days worth of oil lasting one day. :-) 11:49:55 AM    comment []  trackback []

Executives Could Face Liability Over Climate Change CERES: Company executives could find themselves losing protection against climate change-related liability claims brought by shareholders. SwissRe, the world's second-largest reinsurer, has announced it will withdraw coverage of such claims for senior executives of companies that fail to adopt adequate climate change policies. In the November issue of Environmental Finance, Roger Wenger of SwissRe said, "As an insurer, we only give coverage to 'fortuitous events.' If it is predictable that a liability would arise, we would have to exclude that cover from the policy." The insurance industry understands the issue far better than the White House. They don't need scientific certainty; their whole business is about playing the odds. And they can't even afford the risk of climate change and its consequences. Look for actions like these to have far more impact on business practices than treaties and regulations. 11:42:36 AM    comment []  trackback []