Energy & Environmental News

Europe is set to release its first non-native "biological control" species to curb the spread of Japanese knotweed.

MIT analysis suggests generating electricity from large-scale wind farms could influence climate — and not necessarily in the desired way.

A reader's account of a powerful bison encounter.

Proposals to ban the trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna and to impose restrictions on the shark trade top the agenda as the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) opens this weekend in Qatar. Many of the nearly 40 proposals slated for discussion at the 12-day meeting relate to marine species, which negotiators and conservationists say reflects increased awareness of the hazards faced by the world’s oceans. Among the most controversial will be a recommendation that the bluefin tuna trade be banned until populations of the fish can recover from decades of overfishing. U.S. officials say they will support a ban, as will the European Union, albeit with conditions; Japan, which represents more than half of the world market for tuna, opposes a ban. Governments from 175 nations are participating in the CITES meeting, which will also deal with proposals relating to hammerhead sharks, red coral, and polar bears, as well as a proposal by Tanzania and Zambia to resume trade in their stocks of elephant ivory.

For those who have misguidedly failed to develop an Armageddon plan, it's not too late. Here are the 6 phases you would probably go through if you were the only human left on Earth.

48% of Americans now believe that the seriousness of global warming is generally exaggerated, up from 41% in 2009 and 31% in 1997, when Gallup first asked the question.

Spread among the billions of trees around the globe are a few special ones, especially worthy of attention. Here are seven of the world's most amazing trees.

Subtitle:  Answers to persistent questions about vapor diffusion Images: 

Although building science has evolved rapidly over the last 40 years, one theme has remained constant: builders are still confused about vapor barriers.

Any energy expert who fields questions from builders will tell you that, year after year, the same questions keep coming up: Does this wall need a vapor barrier? Will foam sheathing trap moisture in my wall? How do I convince my local building inspector that my walls don’t need interior poly?

More than 235 U.S. scientists, including some of the nation’s most prominent climate researchers, are recommending new procedures for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including acknowledging errors on the organization’s website as soon as they are known. In an open letter, the scientists, some of whom have contributed to IPCC reports, defend the quality and transparency of the panel’s research. But they suggest the IPCC should become more responsive in acknowledging mistakes and should publish an erratum online that corrects any errors discovered after publication. The recent controversy surrounding mistakes in the group’s 2007 report caused a distraction in the climate debate, the letter says. “Given the recent political and media commotion surrounding a few clear errors, it is now equally essential that we find ways to restore full trust in the integrity of the overwhelming majority of the climate change research and policy communities,” says the letter, whose original signers include Stephen Schneider of Stanford University, Cynthia Rosenzweig of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Gary Yohe of Wesleyan University. The letter can be found at www.openletterfromscientists.com.

Two years after Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency, the new institution sent out 100 photographers to document the nationâs environment writ large.Now, those photos have made it out of the root cellar of the National Archive and onto Flickr Commons, where they are getting a wider viewing than they hâve ever received.

Lisa Cohn of Energy Efficiency Markets continues her interview with Dan Pauley, principal, American Renewable Energies, about why it's tough for small- to mid-sized businesses to get startup funding in EE.

A group of women are upset that a new United Nations climate change financing group has 19 members, but no women.

Local Leaders Must do more to Save on Transportation Costs

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, Chicago residents celebrate Transportation Freedom Day, the date a typical area household has earned enough to cover its annual transportation costs. To mark the occasion, community and transit advocacy groups joined together at Union Station to push for better transportation. It is based on Census data includes gas, repairs, parking, vehicle depreciation and transit fares.

“Transportation Freedom Day is an eye opener,” stated Kate Lehman of Illinois PIRG. “It shows the need for greater investments in more efficient ways to get around, such as public transit. When government makes the right kind of transportation investments, citizens save a lot of money.”

Americans on average spend an astounding 19 percent of their annual income on transportation, far more than they pay for food, clothing, entertainment, income taxes or even health care. New findings released by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group (Illinois PIRG) show that a typical Chicago household shells out the equivalent of 19 percent, or 70 days of a typical annual salary to pay for transportation costs. In more walkable communities and better transit systems households spend less. In New York City, for instance, residents could expect to spend the equivalent of about 3 and a half fewer weeks of income to get around.

“Here in the Chicago region, average annual transportation costs can range from $7,034 for a household in Chicago’s Roscoe Village Neighborhood, to $11,783 in suburban West Dundee, a savings of more than $4,500 per year,” noted Scott Bernstein, President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

People may not recognize how much they pay for transportation. The average American household spent more than $8,000 per year on its vehicles in 2008 according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Americans who live in areas with good access to public transit generally spend less on transportation than those who are fully dependent on cars. Residents in transit-friendly areas tend to attain “Transportation Freedom” earlier in the year, but Chicago still lags behind other major cities. By highlighting these dates, Illinois PIRG, CNT, and Midwest HSR Association seek to raise awareness about how access to public transportation is a crucial for saving Americans money.

For example, while 70 days must pass before the income from a median-income household living in Chicago would cover their annual transportation bill. However, a typical household that would live in car-dependent Sugar Grove could expect to wait 93 days, equivalent to twelve weeks of income before their transportation costs are covered.

“Little Village is among the ten lowest-income community areas in Chicago. Transportation costs hit much harder for struggling families in these neighborhoods. Without our fair share of funding, the transit system cannot meet the transportation needs of our communities,” said Michael Pitula of Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Advocacy groups are calling on Mayor Daley to push for better transit. Chicago is famous for its elevated and historic transportation system, but its past due for our city’s transportation to be known for efficiency and cost effectiveness for all Chicagoland residents.

Transportation Freedom Day data comes from the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago, which is a leader in statistically based analysis of transportation and housing. Transportation costs are controlled for differences of income, family size, and number of working individuals in a household. Transportation demand is modeled using the most recent census data, and costs are calculated to include car ownership, maintenance, gas, and transit fares. A detailed description of their transportation cost methodology can be found at: http://htaindex.cnt.org/model_summary.

Transportation Freedom Day logo found at http://www.uspirg.org/transportation/freedom-day

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Source:  Center for Neighborhood Technology Read full article at:  http://www.cnt.org/news/2010/03/11/today-is-transportation-freedom-day-chicagoan...

A pioneer in energy efficiency is poised to have an energy unit named for him.

A council of the world’s top scientists will review the research and management practices of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate to Change (IPCC) to try to prevent the types of errors that have shaken public confidence in the group in recent months. UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon said the InterAcademy Council — a consortium of the world’s top scientific bodies, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences — will name scientists to take a closer look at the IPCC’s work following revelations of mistakes in its 2007 report, including an unsubstantiated claim that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035. In the furor that followed, critics have used the mistakes to discredit the entire report and climate science in general. The international group of scientists will not dissect the entire IPCC report, said Robert Dijkgraaf, the InterAcademy co-chairman and president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science. Instead, he said, it will help IPCC leaders install better quality control procedures for the future and recommend stricter citation standards before its next report, which is due in 2014. “We are ready to take on the important task of assuring nations around the world that they will receive sound climate advice,” Dijkgraaf said.

An extremely rare sight in Antarctica makes one bird appear underdressed.

An Oscar-winning filmmaker describes his goals in revealing details of the ongoing dolphin slaughter in a Japanese town.

Despite strong evidence that growing food crops to produce ethanol is harmful to the environment and the world’s poor, the Obama administration is backing subsidies and programs that will ensure that half of the U.S.’s corn crop will soon go to biofuel production. It’s time to recognize that biofuels are anything but green.
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I had never quite understood why federal agencies were so focused on green building certification.  That was, until I read this:

"U.S. agencies are required to have 15 percent of their existing building inventory incorporate sustainable elements by 2015 under Executive Order 13423, signed by George W. Bush in 2007.  

To comply with the order, the Department of Veterans Affairs aims to have 21 facilities reviewed and rated by third-party green building systems by the close of this year.

'Reaching the goal of 21 third-party certifications in 2010 will make VA a leading example of green achievement,' said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki in a prepared statement. 'We will proudly reach and surpass the 15 percent requirement before 2015.'" In order to demonstrate sustainable elements in its existing building stock and satisfy Executive Order 13423, Veterans Affairs is obtaining Green Globes certification for existing buildings.  As we move closer to 2015, obtaining green building certification for a federal building will be an important step towards an agency's compliance with Executive Order 13423.

The consequences are growing for failing to achieve green building certification.  Simultaneously, the importance of negotiating a balanced green building contract is also growing.

Related Links:
15 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers Attain Green Globes Certification (GreenerBuildings)

Photo credit: cisc1970

Alex Steffen: Here are three talks I found thought-provoking and inspiring. All three demand some attention (and probably some time after to ponder what was said), but...