Thursday, February 02, 2006

[Biofuels] Professor Attacks Enthusiasm for Bio-Fuels A growing number of Americans are embracing ethanol and bio-diesel as possible alternatives to gasoline. But one Berkeley engineering professor is waging a campaign against what he considers a delusion about bio-fuels. [NPR Topics: Environment] 4:23:17 PM Google It!    [Biofuels] Switch Grass: Alternative Energy Source? David Bransby, professor of energy crops at Auburn University, is an expert on switch grass, which President Bush mentioned in his State of the Union address. Bransby says switch grass is cheap to grow and provides a high yield crop that can make a lot of ethanol for a low cost. [NPR Topics: Environment] 4:22:00 PM Google It!    [Energy policy] Bush Sends Mixed Message on Clean Energy President Bush vows in his State of the Union speech to increase funding to develop coal-fired power plants that produce no polluting emissions. But the federal government is currently undermining efforts by states to require power companies to use an existing "green" technology that's already available. [NPR Topics: Environment] 4:20:32 PM Google It!    [Renewable energy] Landfill Methane an Alternative Source of Power With rising oil and natural gas prices, alternative energy sources are getting another look -- including the prospect of generating electricity from methane. The gas is created naturally by landfills, and power plants all over the United States are now burning it to make electricity. Jessica Jones of North Carolina Public Radio reports. [NPR Topics: Environment] 4:18:38 PM Google It!    [Climate change] NASA Scientist Feels Pressure Over Global Warming A government scientist claims that his superiors are silencing his public statements on global warming. NASA climate expert James Hansen went public with these accusations in The New York Times and The Washington Post. [NPR Topics: Environment] 4:17:27 PM Google It!    [Climate change] Science Fiction Writers Target Global Warming Debates over global warming are not confined to scientists and policymakers. They're showing up in science fiction. Rick Keffel of member station KUSP looks at how writers Michael Crichton, Kim Stanley Robinson and others treat the subject. [NPR Topics: Environment] 4:15:36 PM Google It!    [Schools] Collections of Visualizations on Geoscience Topics The Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College, with support from the National Science Foundation, offers geoscience resources such as these annotated links to visualizations of a wide range of Earth and environment-related phenomena. The collections originate from a mix of media sources and government agencies, and cover topics from Atmosphere, Biosphere, and Climate to Earth Surface, Human Dimensions/Resources, Ocean (including hurricanes & tsunamis), Solid Earth, and more. [SEJ Useful links] 4:14:03 PM Google It!    [Climate change] Climate and Energy Series of Maps Today, Maplecroft launches its "Climate and Energy Series 2006." The series is comprised of four interactive global maps which explore the interrelated issues of carbon resources, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and renewable energy use. The maps use unique indices designed by Maplecroft which measure levels of fossil fuel reserves, greenhouse gas emissions, exposure to the impacts of climate change, and levels of renewable energy use in 189 countries. The research shows that, although developed countries are the most important emitters of greenhouse gases, it is the developing world that is on the front line of climate change. Ten countries at highest risk of the impacts of climate change are found to be responsible for only 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The map series was researched, designed and developed by Maplecroft. The project was informed by data from respected sources including the International Energy Agency, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Health Organization. A movie of this map is available at http://maps.maplecroft.com/climate. (Editor's Note: Browse NextBillion.net's BOP Activity Database - including Environmental activities at the base of the pyramid - here) [NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Eradicating Poverty through Profit] 4:12:19 PM Google It!    [Environmental policy] Two from How to Save the World Via How to Save the World: Some interesting news links: If you're thinking of investing in wind energy, here's a US government map showing places in the US where wind turbines make sense.  James Lovelock, author of the Gaia theory (that our planet operates as a single self-regulating organism) has revealed that his upcoming (next month) book, The Revenge of Gaia, claims it is already too late to halt the accelerating consequences of global warming, which he predicts will increase average global temperature by 6-8 degrees celsius by the end of this century and will have consequences that will create 'hell on earth'. Forget about just slowing down CO2 emissions, he says, and start preparing for a planet that will become largely uninhabitable within our grandchildrens' lives. Wow, a scientist even more pessimistic than I am. Watch for my review when the book comes out next month -- I may surprise you. Thanks to Cyndy for the link. 4:01:37 PM Google It!    [Recycling] St. Vincent de Paul turns old into new Rather than tossing out un-saleable items, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is turning outdated book covers into new products. [Recycled Markets] 3:55:27 PM Google It!    [Recycling] Building a better box Pet Appeal Inc. is making its boxes out of recycled paper. [Recycled Markets] 3:50:34 PM Google It!    [Perchlorate] EPA issues new rules for cleaning up perchlorate Federal environmental regulators have issued new protective guidance for cleaning up perchlorate contamination. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended a preliminary cleanup goal for perchlorate of 24.5 parts per billion in water. [Source: Waste News] 3:47:08 PM Google It!

© Copyright 2006 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 3/6/2006; 11:32:01 AM.