Pass Green Gas

Sarah Palin's record on wildlife...not so good...

2008-09-03T17:19:00.002-04:00

Before anyone falls in love with Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin check out this video:

I'm over on altcon....

2007-01-23T16:27:00.000-05:00

Check out my gaseous post on biodiesel at our sister site.
http://www.alternativeconsumer.com/2007/01/23/biodiesel-brown-gold/

I'll be back soon.
ggss

Sorry

2007-01-13T09:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been working "the Gas" like I should. All my energy has been focused on our new site, well our old site with a new look.

Check it out if you get a chance and let me know what you think.
The Alternative Consumer

Manhattan Stinks

2007-01-09T08:29:00.000-05:00

A mysterious odor enveloped the Westside of Manhattan and parts of Jersey yesterday, Click Here, providing fertile material for this stinky little blog. I always like a noxious smell that passes through town with no explanation, sort of an olfactory Paris Hilton.
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Warm Winter Worries

2007-01-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

This warm Northeast winter which has been a bust for skiers,is starting to scare some farmers too. Bees buzzing and sap running in January is not the way it's supposed to be. If I get a bear on my deck this week I've got a bone to pick with someone at Exxon.
Click here for article
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Exxon Pays Off

2007-01-03T22:51:00.000-05:00

The Union of Concerned Scientists asserts that from 1998 to 2005, Exxon Mobil paid $16 million to various groups to attemp to discredit research that supported the prevalent science on global warming.
STORY

Global Heatwave for 2007

2007-01-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

As I prepare to depart our balmy Catskills perch with its 40 degree, rainy conditions, I can't help but wonder what awaits on the climate front in the coming year. No doubt we are experiencing some cyclical weather patterns and I know I can find similar weather scenarios in the weather archives. But the big issue of the incremental warming of the earth via the burning of fossil fuel still hangs over us all. Click here for a sobering analysis of the coming year.
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Polar Bears Re-classified

2006-12-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

Our appologies for our lapse in posting during the past week's holiday mayhem...

Back to business...

Bush Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne recently proposed listing polar bears as a "threatened species". Could this be the Bush Administration's first tangible acknowledement of global warming? Click here

Get That Wolf Away From My Cow....

2006-12-19T23:52:00.000-05:00

The Feds are removing the Endangered Species status of the gray wolf in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, eastern Washington, and ultimately, Wyoming. Trophy hunters seeking elk, ranchers protecting livestock, and some special-interest-loving hookers from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service want to place the wolves firmly back in the crosshairs of their high-powered rifles. Is this the American way? I don't think so! The gray wolf represents all the flag-waving grandeur, resourcefulness, agression and predatory instincts that make America great.

Embarking, once again, on a misguided quest to make the great American frontier safe from alpha-predators -- weakens national security, promotes the proliferation of fat, flatulent, cattlemen and drags us all back into the 19th century. For more facts, click here.
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A roadmap for the future

2006-12-19T09:45:00.000-05:00

Environment Northeast, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization addressing a broad range of environmental issues affecting New England and eastern Canada, has produced a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region by 75% by 2050. For more info checkout their website . (click here)
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Europe, Kyoto and trade...

2006-12-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

Something a little heavier but nonetheless important...The European Union is rejecting a proposal by the French to place a green tax on goods and imports from countries that have not signed on to the Kyoto Treaty. (click here)
Though they are not endorsing this particular proposal, Europe is generally taking the moral and economic "high ground" on green trade issues. Ultimately, international trade, manufacturing and innovation in green industries will be become big business. The United States and other bigtime polluters, (see China), will eventually be forced to change due to greener economic realities and global political pressure. It's far better to get on-board now and take a leadership position (like Europe) than end up the victim of tariffs and restrictions on our products and services. The U.S. should not allow itself to be lumped in with China on the "polluting badboys" list.
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Asian Economic Boom Clouds Skies

2006-12-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

Personal freedom and materialism are vibrant components of any modern economic expansion. Asia's booming economies are creating a culture that finds the environment and public transportation taking a backseat to the ultimate expressions of personal wealth and freedom, cars, motorcycles, scooters (story) and the ensuing air pollution problems.
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Private Land Conservation

2006-12-14T07:28:00.000-05:00

Private land set aside for conservation grew to 37 million acres - an area larger than New England - between 2000 and 2005, according to a recent study by the Land Trust Alliance, a Washington-based umbrella group of local, state, and national land conservation groups. STORY

In an effort to save endangered shorelines, marshland and open terrain, private citizens are forming private trusts and conservation easements. Some do it for tax benefits, some for truly altruistic conservation principal. In either case, they're preserving valuable resources for future generations, obviously, a good thing.
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These guys are starting to scare me...

2006-12-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

No summer ice at the North Pole by the year 2040. A NASA study has estimated that the combination of global warming and the resulting warming of ocean currents is accelerating the melting process, which will really kick into high gear around 2024, when the speed of melting ice will increase precipitously. STORY

Joshua Tree

2006-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

OK, I admit it. I am not, most certainly, the most shining manifestation of personal activism, but I can surely appreciate it when I see it. Individuals can sometimes stand-up to 'the man', hold their own, and even prevail. Such is the case of Larry and Donna Charpied, who have fought a long, hard battle against the creation of a giant landfill adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park in California. The Charpieds' existence has been consumed by the conflict and the endless lawsuits -- to the extent that it is the focus of their existence. With development spreading across the globe like wildfire, there are many opportunities to get involved in local, environmental issues. The balance and evaluation of economic growth and environmental concerns is a constant, on-going process; sometimes you just have to pick up a mitt and get in the game.
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Climate Consensus

2006-12-11T08:26:00.000-05:00

Last week, in his last days as chairman of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma held Senate hearings on the global warming issue that featured many of the scientific community's skeptics and doubters on the issue. The overwhelming weight of opinion in the scientific community points toward global warming as looming danger of catastrophic proportions. but there are still scientists who question the evidence and point to climate change as a long, recurring, natural cycle. Skepticism is a good thing and without scientific debate and exploration the earth wood still be flat and I'd be hacking this post out on piece of bark. The danger inherent in the "global warming is a media hoax" theory put forth by the tenacious Inhofe is that such thinking slows down the process of change and energizes the right-wing, talk-radio crowd to dig in with a self-righteous smirk as they throw darts at the DVD jacket of "An Inconvenient Truth".

I, myself, usually hate to part of the "consensus" because thinking with the crowd isn't as much fun as doing battle with "the man" (in this case "the man" may be General Motors so I'm getting mixed signals). In the case of global warming the debate is really over, the impending risks too high, and the benefits to change, though economically painful, will ultimately create a global culture that is richer, safer, and more eco-friendly. Now that's what I call evolution.
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Monkey Business

2006-12-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

New Delhi has a monkey problem. This is the kind of thing that happens when critical habit is destroyed or altered. You find a monkey eating your lunch.
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South Carolina

2006-12-08T08:32:00.000-05:00

It seems the ocean is rising everywhere. Scientists and regional planning groups in South Carolina fear that the ocean could move the beach 100 feet inland in the next century endangering shorefront construction and housing. The Southeast Regional Workshop on The Nation's Coasts wants to help communities deal with rising sea levels associated with global warming.

I've seen 2 million dollar homes lost to storm surge and beach erosion on Fire Island and other communities on eastern Long Island and it's not a pretty sight.
STORY

Is something going on here?

2006-12-06T18:48:00.000-05:00

So, the Alps are experiencing there warmest temps in 1,300 years. Ski areas in Europe are postponing opening for the season. My local ski areas in the Catskills have been making snow only to watch it melt in unseasonably warm conditions. In the past in the Catskills we've had some mucho big snow storms by the first week of December, this year we've enjoyed nice, balmy 40's, 50's and even 60 degree temps well past TurkeyDay. Is something going on here?
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and another thing...

2006-12-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

The city has 20 jackhammers working on the FDR nearby so I'm just going to dump some eco-news on the table and head for cover.

A Montana man, combining old-school frontier instincts with nouveau cuisine, plead guilty to attempting to irradicate the Rocky Mountain wolf population with poisoned meatballs...LINK

Finally some good rain forest news. Brazil has created a rain forest preserve the size of of Alabama, the Guayana Shield. LINK

...and finally my favorite story. The moose population of the Adirondacks is on a steep growth curve. My advice to the giant herbivores, resist eating those tasty little meatballs...LINK

New York's Getting Hotter

2006-12-01T06:45:00.000-05:00

Looks like the global warming issue is heating up here in NY State. The incoming governor, Elliot Spitzer, has deemed global warming the number one environmental issue facing the state and is proposing state level action. This could get interesting. STORY

Concepts like, pay-as-you drive car insurance and registration pricing, should get an interesting reception.

Here in the Empire State, there are definite signs of climate change. I know from personal experience that the saltwater fishing season for migratory striped bass and blue fish keeps getting extended, (I have a buddy talking about going to Montauk for some surf fishing next week), ski season never starts, southern critters like the possum keep extending their range northward and acid rain has damaged much of the Adirondack's lakes, streams and vegetation.
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Solar Cell Research

2006-11-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

Here in the USA, private and federal funding for research into solar and other green energy technologies is the critical component in fast-tracking our transformation from a gluttonous, fossil fuel burning nation into a leader in alternative energy production. Here's an article on one such research effort into the development of more commercially viable solar cells.
STORY
The downside of this story is that developing a working prototype will take years. Maybe the newly elected Democratic Congress can cancel the funding of "The Bridge to Nowhere" and other me-first, pork-barrel programs and put the money where it will make a difference.

The Nordic countries, including Norway, Finland and Denmark have organized their research efforts to keep their commercial production of solar energy products at the forefront of the industry. LINK
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Global Warming & National Security

2006-11-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, there are still plenty of global warming skeptics out there spewing their "scam science" drivel. One way to difuse some of that "oil-based economy" vitriol is to introduce the proposition that the burning of fossil fuels is a growing threat to national security. Even if some in-denial-dolt still doubts the mountains of scientific evidence piling up on the impending global warming problem, they will undoubtedly warm to the idea that we should cut our dependence on middle-eastern oil and get out of bed with the unstable, volatile countries that control it. Yes, they may spout some blather about pumping more black gold out of our reserves in wildlife sanctuaries and offshore domestic oil fields, but ultimately it will dawn on them that cutting consumption and developing new, cleaner energy technologies is more productive than investing in some new pork-barrel weapons system and/or waterboarding thousands of suspected Jihadists.
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Deep Ocean Bottom Trawling to Continue

2006-11-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

The United Nations has once again proven why it is really nothing more than an ineffective "nice idea", with no practical enforcement power or influence. In a system set-up to fail, where any one nation on the committee can halt progress on regulation, Iceland, Russia, China and South Korea, resisted a proposed ban on deep sea ocean trawling that had the backing of President Bush (yes that president Bush) and U.S. allies, Britain, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. The measure before the committee would have regulated bottom trawling, a fishing method that catches orange roughy, blue ling and other bottom fish while smashing coral reefs and creating clouds of sediment that smother sea life.

Nations are left to regulate themselves, and we all know how well that works.
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Birds and Property Rights

2006-11-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

If you were to own shore-front property in Maine, how would you feel if you couldn't build within 250 feet of the high tide line? That's a question the state of Maine is revisiting after enacting just such legislation earlier this year. Fragile nesting and roosting areas need protection from human foot and vehicular traffic. Wildlife is to be enjoyed by the many, sometimes at the expense of the few. Perhaps a grandfather clause that might protect current property while prohibiting future construction might be the compromise answer to this one.

Sections of beach along the eastend of Long Island have restricted access when plover's are nesting and people, particularly fishermen with four-wheel beach access permits, have gotten used to it. Bottom-line, you have to protect the wildlife, even if it's an inconvenience (work on that tan somewhere else), or hurts economically.
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Personal Recreational Vehicles

2006-11-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

American's love their ATVs, jet-skis and snowmobiles. Most of these "toys" are designed for two or less riders, and provide thrills and pleasure for the few while disturbing the many. While there are practical, utilitarian uses of ATVs and snowmobiles, a vast number users just want to ride them as fast and dangerously as their skill allows. Unfortunately, these vehicles create a tremendous amount of air and noise pollution and environmental destruction. Aided by Federal laws on the books dating back tho the 1800's there is vehicular access to much of our Federal parks system. In the entire National Forest system - covering more than 190 million acres in 155 forests - only 2 forests, the Hoosier in Indiana and the Monongahela in West Virginia, do not allow off-road vehicle use. Use of snowmobiles in Yellowstone Park is up for review and it looks like they will be allowing some 750 snowmobiles a day to access the park. Towns like Easthampton on Long Island have regulations banning jet-skis from most public beach areas to protect the many from the few.

I'm not advocating eliminating off-road vehicles from the American landscape (it would never happen); but there has to be controls on their operation, noise and air emissions and terrain access. I have a home in a developing rural area, the Catskills, and I have seen mountain hiking trails turned into rock and bare root- strewn, mud-streams. Anyone hiking or living anywhere near an ATV or dirt bike enthusiast can attest to the disruption of nature and serenity that accompanies their use. Many states do not require any type of a license, permit or insurance to operate these vehicles and helmet laws are few and far between. I see 10-year-old kids blasting through the woods at 30 mph without a care in the world...and have had the same ATV novices pull out in front of my car on my road -- cluless that my car could accidentally crush them (they can't hear a thing).

Ultimately, large areas of our national parks and wilderness should remain accessible only by foot - to prevent the introduction of non-native plant species tracked in by vehicles used in other eco-systems, and to allow nature to exist as it should - undisturbed by mechanized intruders. Let specific areas and terrain be designated for off-road toys and let regulations reflect their hazardous characteristics and operation. Rant over.
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There's always another study...

2006-11-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

Science is always coming up with a study that debunks or disagrees with widely held presumptions. Sometimes someone sees something that no one else has considered. In the case of global warming, consensus and the vast preponderance of data are the tools to be used in making a valid analysis of the issue. There will always be studies that create doubt on, if and how, something contributes to global warming. A case in point, forest fires. A recent study of one northern hemisphere fire indicates that the net global warming impact from a forest fire in northern forests may be close to net neutral. The study brings into question the firmly held scientific belief that carbon dioxide and ash created by forest fires is a significant contributer to global warming. The study found that sunlight reflected back into space from the newly de-nuded landscape reflects back out into space lessening the heat generated, and thus, the impact of the carbon dioxide created by the fire. As with evolution and a lot of science, global warming causes and solutions, though not totally proven and far from black and white - are logically apparent and obviously a big problem. Skeptics point to natural climate cycles that can take thousands, or millions, of years to manifest themselves, as a potential explanation for our current warming. That would make for one long scientific study and I am confident mankind will be toast long before the tally is in. There's no denying there will be consequences to our pumping millions of tons of crap into the atmosphere, so let's get on with the job at hand while science comes up with some more fascinating studies of the issue.
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Getting greener - a beginners guide

2006-11-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

Let's try to get a little greener today, nothing painful, start with something simple.
Why not get a little Green Peacie and harass that neighbor illegally burning those leaves...
Actually separate those recyclables and put them in the right containers...
Plant a tree, it can be a small one...
Buy something organic, start small, like milk...
Don't sit in an idling car while you wait for the kid after soccer practice (or detention) shut that thing down...
Relax, don't mow that lawn every five minutes. Those little 2 cycle engines pollute like hell...
Use paper instead of plastic and recycle it...
Conserve a little water, take a 5 minute shower instead of that 20 minute gropefest...
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Is More Air Pollution the Answer?

2006-11-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

Is global shading a practical antidote to global warming? Could more particulate matter splooged into the atmosphere protect the earth from harmful ultra-violet rays? Do we need to face the fact that we can't reduce our production of emissions so we should create more? Is smog laden L.A. really a model city in the fight against global warming?

Nobel Prize winning scientist, Paul J. Crutzen, of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Chemistry presented just such a proposal to a U.N. conference on climate change. "If they don't take action much more strongly than they have in the past, then in the end we have to do experiments like this." CNN STORY
Crutzen made the proposal to increase particulate pollution in the atmosphere, partly for shock value in reaction to a "grossly disappointing international political response" to global warming.

Scientists are actually discussing this type of solution to a global warming problem that is spiraling out of control and unchecked. This weekend at Moffett Field, California, NASA's Ames Research Center hosts a closed-door, high-level workshop on the global haze proposal and other "geoengineering" ideas for fending off climate change.

Kofe Annan is stating global warming is a great a danger and as immediate a problem as Weapons of Mass Destruction.
LINK

Can this ship get turned around?
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OneManBandwidth

2006-11-16T16:09:00.001-05:00

Please explore our new renter's blog, OneManBandwidth, which is published by an American professor teaching in China. Humor abounds - and you benefit from an expat's firsthand experience of China. I particularly like today's post, "Addicted to Mediocrity II, A monkey with a hat on...", a concept and feeling which I can fully embrace.

Please click on Lonnie's thumbnail.
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Deep Sea Destruction

2006-11-16T08:58:00.000-05:00

Deep-sea trawling is doing irreparable harm to the deep ocean fish and coral populations of undersea mountains. Commercial fishing operations have exhausted many in-shore and traditional fishing grounds which has necessitated their move to deeper unregulated waters. The United Nations may take action.
STORY
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The winds of change are a blowin'.....

2006-11-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

Oye vey!
Barbara Boxer is taking over for my favorite dipstick, Senator James "that ain't global warming I just left the stove on" Inhofe, as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Could we actually see some new emissions standards or at the very least enforcement of the old ones? Stay tuned for G.W.'s reaction to the first piece of environmental legislation that hits his desk.
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An issue of values...

2006-11-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

As global warming starts to impact ocean levels, ice packs and global weather patterns... and portions of Africa, Asia the Middle-East and other impoverished regions face flooding, disease, drought and crop failures, it becomes more and more apparent that developed nations, particularly the United States, must rapidly enact legislation to fight emissions and robustly fund programs to develop alternative energy technologies. The U.S., the #1 emitter of green house gases, must move proactively to take the lead on the global warming issue. Stop denying the science just because the economic challenges are extreme. The other major source of greenhouse gases, China, will only react to the global warming issue when it begins to directly impact their population and people start dying, conversely, the United States, with a supposed ideological edge over our communist competitors, should stop dodging the issue and take the ethical high ground. It's the right thing to do.
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Climate change ratings

2006-11-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

Is it surprising that the U.S. ranks near the bottom of the list of countries fighting greenhouse gas emissions? Of the 56 nations that are ranked by the Climate Action Network-Europe, Sweden is ranked #1 while the U.S. wallows around at #53. Ouch!

Christoph Bals, political director of Germanwatch, said policy had an enormous effect on the rankings. "The U.S. could move up 30 spots if its policies were akin to the U.K.'s", he said. Time for a change. (USA Today)
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First signs of Congressional Compromise

2006-11-13T11:37:00.000-05:00

Congressional policy regarding oil drilling expansion looks to turning green. The lame duck Republican House will revisit its bill for virtually unlimited drilling expansion in the face of the incoming Democratic Congress. A Senate bill restricting drilling expansion to offshore areas in the Gulf of Mexico may now gain Republican support. The Bush administration and oil and gas interests are now pushing for passage of the Senate bill to get it to the President before the new Congress is sworn in. Compromise is a beautiful thing.
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Global Carbon Emissions Spiral Up

2006-11-12T18:30:00.000-05:00

The Global Carbon Project, an international collaboration of researchers warned yesterday that global carbon emissions are spiralling out of control. Much of the increase can be attributed to the expansion of the Chinese economy and the resulting increased burning of fossil fuels to generate power and energy.

The rate of increase of emissions suggests it may soon be impossible to avoid the most catastrophic scenarios. Josep Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project. "On our current path, we will find it extremely difficult to rein in carbon emissions enough to stabilise the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at 450ppm, and even 550ppm will be a challenge," he said. "At some point in the near future, we will miss the boat in terms of achieving acceptable levels." In other words we're going to be in deep do-do.
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Keeping NYC Afloat

2006-11-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

Much of New York City, which is home to 8 million people, is only 10 feet above sea level. This poses a grave threat of flooding when you anticipate the 30-foot storm surge accompanying a Category 3 hurricane, a disaster that could flood portions of all five burroughs. Studies are underway to create plans to mitigate the damage of just that type of disaster, as sea levels rise and ocean temperature increases provide the energy for bigger more dangerous storms. Power outages, tunnel and subway flooding, sewage back-up, water supply contamination and vast flooded portions of downtown are all potential consequences of ignoring the threat. In an ironic nod to NYC's Dutch heritage, the city that never sleeps may end up looking a lot more like Holland than it does now.
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Boxer takes on the environment....

2006-11-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

Maybe I've been a little cynical about the impact of the current shift of power in Congress. Senator Barbra Boxer is now chairwoman of the Senate Environmental Public Works Committee replacing the frequently insane Senator James Inhofe, a man in total global warming denial. Boxer said she intends to introduce legislation to curb greenhouse gases, strengthen environmental laws regarding public health and hold oversight hearings on federal plans to clean up Superfund sites across the country.

On global warming, Boxer said she would model federal legislation after a California law signed this summer by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. That law imposes the first statewide cap on greenhouse gases and seeks to cut California's emissions by 25 percent, dropping them to 1990 levels by 2020.

The White House signaled Thursday that the administration would work with Boxer. We'll see.
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Shark Extinction

2006-11-09T15:03:00.000-05:00

Bio-diversity and the integrity of the ocean's food chain are being gravely threatened by over fishing of many shark species. One-third of the more than 500 shark species are threatened with extinction or are close to being threatened, said Sarah Fowler of the World Conservation Union. China is a major consumer of all things shark and shark-fin soup happens to be a Chinese delicacy. The booming Chinese economy has made various delicacies available to China's vast populous with the resulting increase in the consumption of shark-fin soup.
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CoolAdzine for Marketers...

2006-11-08T08:13:00.000-05:00

has just graced Green Gas by renting a little space in our sidebar. Click on the CoolAdzine thumbnail and experience CyberCelt's clever and humorous take on what's really happening on the net and elsewhere. I particularly like today's post, her perspective on Microsoft's Virtual Earth 3D geo search program. Cybercelt also publishes, Texas RV Travel Blog, which will put you in touch with all the travel and outdoors stuff the Lone Star State has to offer. It's all just a click away.

What's Next?

2006-11-07T18:43:00.000-05:00

It's election night and it looks like the Democrats will probably take back the House, if not the Senate. What will this mean for those with environmental concerns? Probably not a helluva lot. The Dems are not the bosom buddies of Arab oil concerns that the Bushies are so that is a positive. The Dems will attack Big Oil tax breaks and probably not get much traction, but it will sound good. Dems will push for a stop payment on Big Oils blank check on oil drilling and exploration, but any progress in protecting Federal Wildlife preserves and preventing offshore drilling will be mitigated by increases in the price of gas at the pump. There may also be an investigation of the White House meddling with the EPA and the muzzling of some of the Feds global warming scientists.

The harsh reality is that Democrats are politicians very similar to the ones that they may chase from office, they just need a little time to get those lobbyists phone numbers programmed into their speed dialers before they can fully enjoy their newfound benefits as elected representatives of the American people. A Democrat controlled Congress will definitely help, but we can't kid ourselves. The mandate for change on environmental issues will have to be massive for the suits from either party to do the meaningful work that needs to be done. The battle has just begun.
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White House Muzzles Enviro-docs...

2006-11-04T10:25:00.000-05:00

Is it possible that the Bush administration has muzzled and squashed unwanted global warming info? LINK

In a harbinger of what may become a pattern with a Democratic Congress, two Federal agencies are investigating whether the Bush Administration tried to block government scientists from speaking freely about global warming while censoring their research, Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said Wednesday.

Could it be that info from within U.S. government agencies is cynically manipulated to fit the current administration's policies (see Iraq)?
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Ocean Fish Populations Face Collapse

2006-11-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

A recent study has found that the decline in ocean biodiversity may eventually lead to the collapse of wild fish populations within our lifetime and the degradation of ocean eco-systems in general. "It's a gloomy picture," says lead author, the unfortunately named, Boris Worm, of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. There is hope. On a positive note, closing fisheries and establishing protected areas can boost the number of species in these protected waters by 23 percent on average and increase catch-per-unit effort four-fold in nearby waters, although overall yield does not increase significantly. The report was published on Science Express.
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Jatropha

2006-11-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

The economics of alternative energy will ulimately determine how quickly we transform from an oil engorged society into one based on conservation and planet-friendly practices.

Jatropha, a common tree in arid and semi-arid countries in the third world, may provide a source of bio-diesel fuel and economic relief for underdeveloped nations in Asia and Africa. The jatropha tree produces oil-rich nuts which can be processed into bio fuel. The tree, which originated in Latin America, grows quickly, producing seeds within four or five years and continuing to do so over its thirty to forty year life span. India has embarked on a program to replace 5% of its diesel fuel consumption within 5 years with jatropha based bio-diesel. Poor farmers and the agri-industry being subsidized to cultivate more land with jatropha trees. African countries, like Zimbabwe and Mali, are also embarking on programs involving jatropha which is drought resistant, a source of soap, fuel and fertilizer and a deterrent to crop damage because it's leaves and seeds are toxic to live stock and animals.
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Do the Brits Get It?

2006-10-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

Tony Blair is often viewed as the Bush administration lap dog, at least as far as the Iraq war is concerned. Blair took a distinctly non-Bushian view of global warming this week when the British government published a report emphasizing the growing threat. Blair not only firmly acknowledged growing potential for catastrophe, but hired the global-warming-devil himself, Al Gore, to consult on ways to mitigate the effects of the on-coming heat wave. Bloody good job!

OPEC's Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo issued a statement on Tuesday stating that the British report "has no basis in science or economics", further evidence the Brits are onto something here.
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It's a Buoy!

2006-10-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

I'm just now looking into this technology for generating electricity from the power of waves through a system of offshore buoys. LINK

Here's the Wikipedia info on this source of alternative energy. It appears the greatest challenge is creating a device that can withstand the destructive power of the ocean while remaining affordable. Many systems for producing alternative power have great theoretical potential but, at least at present, fail to deliver economically.
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Green

2006-10-26T09:04:00.000-04:00

Click on our latest renter's thumbnail in the sidebar, appropriately titled, "Green". Green's publisher is a lovely young lass from the British Isles conveying all the fresh possibilities and insights of a young vibrant mind. Check it out, you won't be disappointed...and don't forget it's... "Green".
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MIT scientists develop new engine tech...

2006-10-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

Innovation and economic feasibility will hold the key to creating widespread consumer acceptance of hybrid and alternative fuel automobile technologies. MIT scientists have started a company to develop and market new ethanol injection technology that can increase power, cut engine size, provide fuel efficiency equal to current hybrids and do so at a much reduced price. What's not to like? Vehicles with the new direct ethanol injection system could be on the market by 2011.
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It's un-American...

2006-10-24T19:52:00.000-04:00

I happen to be of the mind that predators, both large and small, are integral components of any healthy eco-system. Here the the USA, large predators have been completely eliminated from many portions of the country. Deer, possum and raccoon populations are controlled, not by coyotes, wolves and mountain lions but by Fords, Chevies and Toyotas. Can we overcome prejudice, fear and loathing of large predators and rehabilitate their images? Should we even try? There are large economic forces that oppose the re-introduction of predators in many areas of this country, including the far west, where wolves are still viewed as a blood thirsty enemies of farming and cattle interests. Until we, as a country, can embrace the full spectrum of traditional predators in appropriate habitats, we will still just be paying lip service to wildlife management.
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Gridlock

2006-10-20T09:17:00.000-04:00

The upcoming mid-term elections appear to be shifting Congressional power away from total Republican dominance. The Democrats may take majority control (albeit slim) of the House and possibly the Senate. Ironically the shift in power may not usher in much change. George Bush will remain in the White House fiddling with his pen awaiting the opportunity to veto or delay any meaningful environmental legislation. Even in the House, a thin Democratic majority may only insure gridlock on green initiatives like tightening automobile emission controls. U.S. Rep. John Dingell could rise to head the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee but change may be hard to come by when Dingell's home district includes Detroit and he is highly unlikely to support tougher vehicle fuel standards. The volume and tenor of the environmental debate may rise but meaningful change and legislation will may not be a byproduct of a Democratic Congress.
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A prime example...

2006-10-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week Brazil rejected an international plan to buy and protect large tracts of the Amazon rainforest. Environment minister, Marina Silva, cited sovereignty issues and Brazilian support for their own rainforest-protection plan as the basis for their rejection.

The quandry facing Brazil, a country with vast poverty and vast natural resources, is one the that is all too common around the globe. Even in developed nations like the good'ol USA -- development, oil drilling, strip mining and Federal Land Use are very contentious subjects not always decided in the environment's favor.

A gaping hole in the Kyoto protocol is the provision that exempts developing nations from playing a role in the reduction of greenhouse emissions. Until economic issues are resolved developing nations will continue to reach deep into their cookie jar of natural resources to feed their poor and line the pockets of government and business criminals.

I believe Brazil has every right to responsibly control the harvesting of their natural resources (though they've done a tragically crappy job thus far). But I would help them make the right choices through a combination of incentives and/or trade restictions that promote sustainable practices and preservation of the rainforest. If no market exists for ill-gotten gains of the burning rainforest, then the destruction will slow. They are now looking at reducing the advance of "progress" to 1990's levels, which is not enough, but probably practical. Unfortunately the ultimate end to the burning may be when the last tree goes up in flames sometime later this century.
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Google goes green...

2006-10-17T09:45:00.000-04:00

Google is turning to solar power to supply as much as 30% of its giant headquarter's power needs. The project, which will be the largest corporate solar energy project in the world, should pay for itself in 5 to 10 years. LINK
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What's Arnold doing here?

2006-10-16T08:44:00.000-04:00

Gov. Schwarzenegger has invaded my space.. The campaigning Gov is here in New York to do some carbon emissions research while trying get California into the Northeast's program of trading and reducing carbon emissions. Finding creative means to offset the economic burdens of the transition to lowered carbon emissions from power plants and manufacturing sources is a key component of any plan to reduce global warming through regs or legislation. Arnold seems to have found an issue that may just keep him in office out in liberal Cali, maintain his national profile and actually accomplish tremendous good.

Growing Growin Gone

2006-10-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

Please welcome our new renter, Growing Growing Gone. GGG has great commentary, articles and info, on a wide range of green topics. Expend your energy resources wisely, and show some green love, by clicking on the thumbnail in our sidebar.

ps: had a couple of other bidders for the spot and just wanted to try the "new green guy". Next time.
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Does this water taste funny?

2006-10-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

A Rawstory investigative report has uncovered widespread fraud and discrepancies in drinking water testing for, and by, the EPA. Labs used by the EPA to test drinking and wastewater were found to have hundreds of weaknesses, including, missing data, no log books and falsified measurements...all not noted or ignored by the EPA. Scary stuff.
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I Feel Better Already...

2006-10-11T08:16:00.000-04:00

The EPA mandated, ultra-low sulphur formula for diesel fuel, scheduled to start pumping on October 15th, is projected to save tens of millions of dollars in health and pollution related costs. After switching to the new formula existing diesel engines in trucks and buses will cut harmful particulate emmissions by 10% and newer technologies mandated to be implemented in all new diesel engines after 1/1/07 will reduce the emmissions by 95%. Changes in the refining process enable the improvements.

In making the announcement on Tuesday, the Bush administration took credit for the change although the original regulations were created in the Clinton administration and delayed earlier in the current presidency. LINK

Truckers remain skeptical.
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The Modern Humanist

2006-10-10T13:54:00.000-04:00

Do yourself an intellectual favor and click on the thumbnail of our renter, Modern Humanist, in our sidebar. A very heady and sophisticated look at society from the Humanist perspective.
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Asia Will Take a Hit

2006-10-10T08:02:00.000-04:00

Australia's main research agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, predicts a 4 degree rise in global temperatures by 2030. Flooding and displaced populations, the spread of disease, crop damage, extreme weather patterns and food and water shortages will result in an ugly economic scene. As in much of the rest of the world, optimism is low for enactment of the changes needed to slow or reverse the global heatwave. LINK

That's Hot!!!

2006-10-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

Ah...fall in the Catskills. In the near future my favorite season may be coming a little sooner. My weekend bunker happens to be in the Catskill Mountains in close proximity to a couple of ski areas. I hope the Wall Street guys who recently bought the local ski mountain don't read this article on global warming in the Northeastern U.S and have second thoughts. A ten degree jump in temps would make skiing a fond memory and trout fishing something grandpa did. "Local Warming" may be the issue that get's many individuals into smaller cars, or if they stay the present course, speedos instead of ski parkas.
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Falling gas prices....

2006-10-03T09:12:00.000-04:00

Could there be a connection between big oil's rapid reduction in prices at the pump and the fall elections going against the Republican party? One more "naughty" email and we may see gas prices rolled back to pre-Vietnam War levels.
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East Coast Seals...

2006-10-02T09:31:00.000-04:00

Seems fishermen on both coasts have taken issue with growing, protected seal numbers. Fishermen in my old stomping grounds in Massachusetts are blaming dwindling fish populations on the exploding gray seal population. STORY

Predators are often the most obvious suspects when human economics and wildlife management practices collide. In the fishing industry, major fish population problems are usually created by commercial overfishing and poor fish management practices. Seal and fish populations have existed in harmony and balance for centuries. Commercial fishing is the new variable in the foodchain equation.
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Seeing is believing...

2006-10-02T08:19:00.000-04:00

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I found this Fox interview with Senator Inhofe. He spouts the same tripe debunking the global warming "myth" and attacking the pinko mainstream media for creating the hysteria on the issue... LINK

I promise I'll post something on the chickadee population explosion that's threatening the northeastern U.S. or some other compelling enviro-topic. Just give me a minute.
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Is It Hot In Here?

2006-09-29T09:56:00.000-04:00

He's back and he's bad...he white and he's mad...the good Senator Dustbowl is back with a vengence, Senator Inhofe snaps back at critics of his 9/25/06 speech, dumping a big bucket of hellfire on global warming's parade. He hits the media, he hits the science, he praises that feisty, misguided swath of America that has embraced his non-science...he's well...he's acting like he's the lead blogger in God's army. A couple of quick reality checks, those 60 Canadian scientists Inhofe cites as rejecting global warming are in reality a motley bunch of low end crackpots later refuted by 90 reputable scientist and if my remedial math holds up, 90 is a larger number than 60. There's a ton of info out there on global warming and here's just a few reality based opinions (link):
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - created by the U.N. asserts in its most recent assessment, "IPCC states unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion is that Earth's climate is being affected by human activities:

The National Academy of Sciences reports, "Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth's atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise" The report explicitly asks whether the IPCC assessment is a fair summary of professional scientific thinking, and answers yes: "The IPCC's conclusion that most of the observed warming of the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations accurately reflects the current thinking of the scientific community on this issue"

A few more: The American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) all have issued statements in recent years concluding that the evidence for human modification of climate is compelling.

I guess Senator Dustbowl would say we are cherry-picking again (I do believe there are no indiginous cherry trees in Oklahoma hmmmm...) but I dare say most of the scientists predicting a growing global warming "problem" are slightly more qualified than oil company hatchetman Inhofe, who espouses that great Oilman credo, "drill first ask questions later". Just a few of the injustices Mr. Inhofe tirelessly battles against: the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Superfund legislation. It's unfortunate that our festering political cesspool has created a forum where nasty, eco-hating, little turd like Mr. Inhofe (characterized as one of the "dumbest men in Washington" by Slate) has risen to the top of that steaming coil of poop we call Congress and assumed a position of power on (ironically) an important environmental committee...only in America. For a reallly comprehensive look at this evangelical windbag, his career and politics of fascism, checkout this article by Dr. Steven Best (link) which highlights, among many other things, Heir Inhofe's characterization of the American Humane Society as a front for a terrorist animal rights organization...it only gets better.
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Colorado River and Water Management

2006-09-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

Water management and consumption rights are quickly becoming major political and environmental issues worldwide. The Colorado River, which is shared by several states and two countries, will undergo a series of experiments in the coming months to design ways to conserve and distribute its water more efficiently to meet the growing demands of Arizona and six other Western states. Efforts include building a small resevoir, testing an existing desalinization plant and giving subsidies to farmers to leave some farmland fallow. The states are taking positive steps in anticipation of the growing demand for water and the potential for drought. Many will point to golf courses and green lawns as wasteful consumers of H2O and though that may be the case, when water management reaches that level of legislation and impact the problem has probably already gone too far.
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Senator Inhofe trashes global warming...

2006-09-27T10:33:00.000-04:00

What is the Republican agenda on global warming? Check out my man, Senator James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee's latest speech debunking global warming. The good senator from Oklahoma states that wacko headline seeking scientists, misguided, meddlesome, Hollywood elites and environmentalists of all stripes, armed with their bad science have created the global warming myth which the headline chasing media has gobbled up whole.

Here's a nice article eviscerating most, if not all, of the senator's evidence.

A little background on the Senator, the NAACP gives the dude a 5 rating on a scale of 1 to 100, Republicans for Environmental Protection give him a robust -3, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and the American Wilderness Coalition give him a zero, Gun Owners of America gave him a tidy 100, whilst the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence handed him a zero, and the American Land Rights Association which advocates access to federal lands by recreational vehicles etc., while opposing all manner of wildlife, environmental protections and predator intro programs (it goes on an on...) give the pillar of Oklahoma society a full 100 rating.

Here' an article reviewing Inhofe environmental standing upon his appointment in 2002 as chair of the committee. LINK

The Inhofe voting record and ratings on various topics and bills.

The esteemed senator's position on Abu Ghraib. "Many of them probably have American blood on their hands. And here we're so concerned about the treatment of those individuals."

He also was the major proponent of the use of the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques as a target range of American armed forces. Earlier this year Inhofe described the Iraq situation as "nothing short of a miracle".

It's also rumored that Ihhofe and Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska disuss their various pork barrel enterprises while taking baths together...(just wanted to see if anyone stuck with me here).

I have to marvel that a man with such a glowing resume on environmental issues would chair such an important committee. America is indeed in good hands.
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Bold Contemplations

2006-09-26T17:28:00.000-04:00

Please pop into our renter's blog, Bold Contemplations, for an exciting exchange of ideas and perspectives on an eclectic range of topics. Angela has a classy, meaningful blog, worthy of your investment of time and energy.
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Heating up the globe....

2006-09-26T09:25:00.000-04:00

Is anybody really listening on global warming? Another esteemed research team led by James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York has weighed in on the heating up and we could be facing the warmest globe in 12,000 years. I don't think people, particularly in the U.S., are psychologically reading to deal with the magnitude of the issue. Our President downplays the issue or out and out denies it exists, soccer moms shuttle soccer kids to games day after day in giant trucks and go to the beachhouse on weekends in a caravan of SUV's, well if that ocean rises 10 or 15 feet Long Beach Island will become Long Beach Reef and I'll be surf fishing for mahi mahi off the rocks in Montauk. I think I'll go shut off some lights and shop for that solar panel.
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Oil prices drop...

2006-09-25T08:38:00.000-04:00

Plunging gasoline and home heating oil prices will undoubtedly de-energize the pursuit for more efficient vehicles and the development of alternative energy sources, it's only human nature. The public still hankers for the days of cheap oil and an environment free of environmentalist, where kids collected toy Hess oil trucks and you could dump anything in that backyard stream. The opposite effect is well documented. The pace of the greening of America and the world may well depend on just how badly we get hurt at the pumps and how (the Karl Rove effect) frightened the public becomes about global warming. So as oil prices drop watch the slow down in Prius sales and wonder are the oil producers sophisticated enough to drop prices to manipulate public sentiment and opinion and take the wind out of the Gore, Clinton and Branson message...they just might be.
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Sea Lions Must Go?

2006-09-22T12:12:00.000-04:00

Protected California sea lions on the Columbia River are facing a possible death sentence as state wildlife reps from Washington and Oregon look to protect migrating salmon populations. Selective "lethal removal" is being proposed for sea lions who are repeat offenders and continually outsmart and outmaneuver efforts to deter them from gorging on the salmon population at fish ladders during the salmon spawning run. The effects of hydroelectric dams, man-made pollution and fertilizer run-offs on the salmon population muddy the whole issue. The sea lions are estimated to consume about 3% of the salmon moving upriver on the Columbia. The Humane Society has taken the position that this approach would make it look like something was being done without tackling the larger issues. MYWAY STORY

This is a classic manifestation of man's competition for resources, in this case salmon, where-in the more valuable commercial species is favored over a predator. I think we have to work harder to protect and create predator populations wherever possible even at the expense of commercial interests. A complete and healthy foodchain is an indispensilbe component of our eco-system. Economic issues must be heeded but in balance with nature.
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Emissions standards won't be met....

2006-09-20T23:08:00.000-04:00

Exhibit A:
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California filed a global warming lawsuit on Wednesday against Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and three other automakers, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have cost the state millions of dollars.

Exhibit B:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration says the United States needs an extra 20 years to meet Congress' goal of having almost a third of U.S. motor fuel supply come from energy sources other than gasoline.

Congress passed energy legislation in 1992 mandating that 30 percent of the fuel used to run U.S. cars and trucks by 2010 come from ethanol, natural gas, hydrogen, electricity or other replacement fuels.

Anyone see a pattern here?
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Gore Proposes Solutions...

2006-09-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

Monday: In a speech at NYU, former Vice-President Al Gore laid out some of his proposals for slowing the overheating of our planet, urging a series of steps, including freezing carbon dioxide emissions, revamping the car industry, factories and farms, establishing an "electranet" to enable consumer and businesses to buy and sell excess electricity and creating mortgage based incentives for retro-fitting homes for energy efficiency. TEXT OF THE SPEECH

In focusing on solutions to the global warming crisis, Gore is displaying more than just 'hot air'. I would speculate that Gore's solutions may ultimately include running for the presidency. If nothing else, a Gore run for the presidency would make for compelling television, while raising the level of discussion on global warming, which may indeed be his utimate goal.
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Fish Fight Terror

2006-09-19T01:47:00.000-04:00

America's resevoirs and water supplies make ready targets for a terrorist attack. Several cities and municipalities have now turned to the feisty little bluegill as an early warning alarm of contaminants in our water supplies. The bluegill has proven effective at detecting and reacting to a wide range of potentially harmful toxins. Now that's what I call a wise use of natural resources...and they're fun to catch too.
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Mayors Gather to Discuss Warming...

2006-09-18T08:39:00.000-04:00

Local actions by municipalities can play a major role in future attacks on global warming. Mayors from across the nation, saddled by a federal government reticent to act on the issue of global warming, are striking out on their own. LINK

and another bad idea...

2006-09-18T08:26:00.000-04:00

Ran across this news story on a scientist who is proposing firing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to slow global warming by creating shade inducing particles in the stratoshpere. This is the type of solution that usually makes a bad problem worse, in unforseen ways. LINK
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Arctic Ice Melt

2006-09-15T09:27:00.000-04:00

Arctic ice is melting in winter faster than ever. Ice is melting in subfreezing temperatures because summer ice cover is more short lived, the ocean is warmer and the winter is shortened.

"Scientists and climate models have long predicted a drop in winter sea ice, but it has been slow to happen. Global warming skeptics have pointed to the lack of ice melt as a flaw in global warming theory."
LINK

Skeptics can no longer rationally ignore the mounting evidence of global warming.
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Hot Water & Hurricanes

2006-09-14T09:03:00.000-04:00

A recent study by climatologists has definitively made the link between global warming, warmer oceans and more intense hurricanes.

It's unfortunate the U.S. still has a president who fails to fully comprehend the challenge global warming presents. Soon the destruction wrought by more devastating storms will provide the strongest evidence. Hope it's not too late.
STORY

Irony alert...

2006-09-12T19:55:00.000-04:00

Members of the valiant U.S. military are asking for some help in procuring sustainable energy technology. As fuel convoys become a favorite target for insurgents, the Marine Corp is asking for solar and wind energy tech to offset the military's need for oil in the middle of Iraq's vast oil fields.
LINK
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Misguided idiots and fools...

2006-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Ten stingrays have been killed in Australia in the aftermath of Steve Irwin's accidental death. Anyone exacting retribution from the animals is a misguided idiot and dishonors the very person they choose to defend, a man who was nothing if not a conservationist (albeit a camera friendly one) and defender of animals rights. Mr. Irwin understood and respected the dangerous creatures he interacted with in the name of television ratings and education and fully understood his role in creating the dangerous situations he often put himself in. Just another example of celebrity trumping the message put forth by an individual in today's society.
USA TODAY STORY
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Sydney, Australia - September 13 & 14

2006-09-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

Anyone looking for something worhtwhile to do later this week should check this out. Australia's national government is sponsoring a Local Government Environmental Policy Conference that is designed to assist local government staff to identify, plan and implement best practice sustainable development solutions, and to showcase leading edge examples of outstanding environmental initiatives by Australian local governments. This is predicted to be a prestigious and popular event which will become an annual draw-card for members of local government responsible for sustainability policy issues.

They'll be featuring Best Practice Case Studies in:
-water management
-waste minimization and recycling
-greenhouse emissions control
-the built environment, preservation and enhancement of biodiversity.

For more info, click here. Maybe this will catch on in the USofA?

Solar Power Takes a Turn

2006-09-09T08:37:00.000-04:00

Innovative solar power projects are popping up everywhere as alternatives to fossil fuel become more imperative. One such project is in the Nevada desert.

Brit sees the danger...

2006-09-07T23:03:00.000-04:00

Environmental issues will ultimately create global turmoil and conflict over, water, oil and all manner of natural resources. Costs will only escalate as problems worsen. The new British Climate Ambassador agrees.
Climate change is "potentially the most serious threat there has ever been" to security and prosperity, according to Britain's new climate ambassador.
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Colleges and MTV Promote Alternatives

2006-09-07T16:47:00.000-04:00

Washington D.C.-based Energy Action Coalition in association with MTV is launching a competition to encourage U.S. university students to demand their schools get more energy from renewable energy sources.

Students at several colleges have already pushed through fees of about $30 per student that allow schools to buy power from clean energy sources such as solar and wind farms.

A spokeperson said students are energized to fight global warming because they're worried about the threats of heat waves and flooding from melting glaciers on the habitats of people and endangered species.

Students also appear to recognize the inherent economic opportunities associated with the development of alternative energy technologies.
STORY
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Gore has hope for Bush...

2006-09-07T08:56:00.000-04:00

Al Gore is predicting a move toward a 'greener' environmental policy by George Bush in the next two years. Forces within the Bush sphere of supporters may push Bush to adapt a more reasoned, and less special interest driven, approach to global warming and other environmental issues.
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Appeasers and Tyrants

2006-09-06T09:31:00.000-04:00

I am departing slightly from this blogs usual content to address the Bush administration's current 'apppeasement' p.r. campaign, under the rational that its blatant and transparent fatuousness qualifies it as a gaseous pollutant. Comparing opposition to their blundering management of the war in Iraq to Neville Chamberlain and Joe Kennedy's coddling and support of Hitler, is both character assassination and political slight of hand, revealing both the simplicity of their thinking and their low opinion of the average American's intellect. Unfortunately, this approach may work on some level and get enough of their foot soldiers elected in the uncoming elections for the end to justify the means (in their estimation). Political discussion and accompanying dissent are cornerstones of our democracy. Demonizing the opposition is a well worn tool of the very autocrats and tyrants that the Bush crew say they are trying to eradicate. Real cowardice is not openly engaging opposition in a debate over the 'real' facts, spreading slanderous accusations, questioning war veterans heroic service and not changing the course of an approach that obviously is getting our brave soldiers killed with little to show for it.

Check out Peter Galbreath's op-ed piece for some real facts on appeasement.
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California Legislates Global Warming Reductions

2006-09-05T18:34:00.000-04:00

An historic deal reached between Governor Schwarzenegger and the California legislature has set landmark goals for global warming and greenhouse gas emission reductions, while at the same time setting off economic alarms in the business community. The legislation, which surpasses anything the Federal government has enacted, will reach beyond the usual suspects, power plants,refineries and heavy industry and have potential economic costs to dairies, wineries and other small businesses. The environment and the economic impact of regulations will define the battle over global warming for decades to come.
LINK
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Hurricane Intensity Linked to Global Warming

2006-09-05T18:27:00.000-04:00

Climate research experts have linked growing hurricane activity to human-induced global warming. A major study will be released next week.
LINK

An Unlikely Alliance

2006-09-04T18:20:00.000-04:00

S.D. Warren Company, a power company in Maine, controls the flow of water on the Presumpscott River with five dams it uses to create hydroelectric power. The State of Maine is trying to force the company to maintain a minimum level of flow in the river to prevent long stretches from drying up, as they have in the past. State and Federal law mandates that states have the power to approve any discharge into navigable waters. The power company said water flow from its dams did not meet the definition of "discharge". The battle went to the Supreme Court which sided with the state, which ironically was supported in its pro-discharge case by the state's attorney general and none other than the Bush Administration.
Story

Burning Man Cools Off...

2006-09-01T00:08:00.000-04:00

They burn all kinds of artsy stuff at the annual Burning Man Art Festival in the Nevada desert. For the first time, Burning Man participants will be able to "offset" their global warming impact much the same way large corporations do, by investing in clean energy projects. How "cool" is that?
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Drill and Drill Some More

2006-08-31T00:23:00.000-04:00

Recent oil pipeline spills have done little to slow the Bush administrations thirst for Alaskan oil. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne took his first trip to Alaska's North Slope Tuesday. Kempthorne is moving forward with a plan to begin drilling in the Lake Teshekpuk area despite opposition by both local leaders and environmental groups.

The Pope Weighs-in on Environment

2006-08-28T08:11:00.000-04:00

In a speech that could have profound political impact in the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI called out for Catholics to conserve natural resources and take care of the earth.
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China, Acid Rain and $$

2006-08-27T10:03:00.000-04:00

China's rapid industrial growth has created tremendous amounts of acid rain, smog and water pollution. In an ironic twist, local governments are standing in the way of implementing environmental regulations due to economic concerns. Ironically in the US of A, it's the federal government that seems to be the primary obstacle to regulation, as the Bush administration continues to weaken environmental regs. At least the Chinese government is aware of the threat and attempting to implement controls.

From the Story: Beijing plans to spend $175 billion on environmental protection over the next five years, up 60 percent from the previous five years, according to Mao Rupai, chairman of the parliament's environmental committee.
Lawmakers are considering raising fines for environmental violators in order to encourage companies to spend more on clean technology, Mao said at a news conference on Saturday.
Mao complained that local officials fail to enforce standards for fear of hurting businesses. He said some areas comply with as few as 30 percent of environmental regulations.
"It is true that in some areas, local governments focus more on economic development than on the environment," he said. "In the future, officials will be judged not just by their economic growth but by environmental protection as well."
MORE
Interesting concept Mr. Rupai.
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Tropical Fish Invade Rhode Island Waters

2006-08-26T08:53:00.000-04:00

A larger than usual number of tropical fish and warm water critters have showed up in Narragansett Bay this summer. Water temperatures have increased three degrees in the bay over the last few decades, probably due to shifts in the path of the Gulf Stream. This may also explain the travels of my man the manatee.
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A Manatee goes where no manatee has gone before...

2006-08-24T09:33:00.000-04:00

A manatee is making his way up to the Cape for the Labor Day weekend. The previous northern-most trek of a manatee was undertaken by the immortal (this may also be him) Chessie, who flippered his way up to Point Judith, Rhode Island back in 1995. Though some may attribute this northern extension of the warm water loving manatees range to global warming, I prefer to attribute it to the attractive vacation options offered by both, Point Judith and the lovely Cape of Cod.
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John McCain...a greener alternative....

2006-08-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

The unlikely pair of Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman will be part of a Senate delegation visiting several countries exploring the impact of global warming. The Senators support legislation to control harmful industrial emissions, a distinct departure from Bush administration policy.
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Federal Judge Blocks Bush Logging Plan

2006-08-23T22:28:00.000-04:00

Our nations environmentally sensitive president has seen his administration's plan to log the Giant Sequoia National Monument shutdown by a federal judge. The judge's decision described the Forest Services effort to log the preserve with this quote: "The Forest Service's interest in harvesting timber has trampled the applicable environmental laws," calling the agency's forest management plan "incomprehensible." The logging was to commence under the guise of "fire prevention" but would have gone well beyond the logging of smaller trees needed for protection of the majestic sequoias.

Incomprehensible is as good an adjective as any to describe much of what is going on in the Bush administrtation of late.
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Raccoons Gone Wild...

2006-08-22T18:36:00.000-04:00

Olympia, Washington: Killer raccoons target neighborhood cats. This sort of story doesn't usually interest me but this is a behavior I've never seen from the fastidious, eastern raccoons that I've encountered. You know how people love their cats...so this one could get ugly before it's over.
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Dying Marshes Cause Concern

2006-08-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

Some salt marshes along the norhteast coast of the U.S. are dying and the cause is unknown. STORY This type of habitat destruction can set bird, fish and plant populations into a downward spiral. The destruction of vital marshlands can also eliminate an important natural buffer to storm surge and deadly hurricane damage.
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Gore Walking...the Facts

2006-08-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

Someone just sent me a comment debunking the editorial printed in USA Today a couple of weeks ago which accused Al Gore of not practicing what he preaches. One of the pieces is from Al Gores office (perhaps a letter to the editor) Check it out.

Schweizer is not a journalist who has done any meaningful investigation about Gore's life and collected evidence to prove his charges, but a right-wing political hack who works for a right-wing think tank -- which, not coincidentally, has received money from ExxonMobil.
http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=43 -- and who confuses his own perceptions with reality.

Given Schweizer's history and connections it's clear that he wants to maintain the status quo with regard to fossil fuel comsumption and because he cannot refute the science of global warming he wants to kill the messenger hoping that that will kill the message as well.

But he does that with a list of falsehoods about Gore.

Gores' green commitment

The op-ed attacking former vice president Al Gore's environmental record was extremely misleading.

Former vice president Gore has worked to implement the recommendations from his movie and book, An Inconvenient Truth, and that includes his personal commitment to live a zero-carbon lifestyle.

He reduces the global-warming pollution for which he is responsible and then, each year, finances additional reductions elsewhere until his net impact on the global climate is reduced to zero.

He has long since switched to a hybrid car and was already in the process of adding solar photovoltaic units to his home before the commentary was published.

In addition, the Gores have donated 100% of all the profits from his movie and book to the fight against global-warming pollution.

The assertion by author Peter Schweizer that the Gores were swimming in Occidental stock is also off base. At Mr. Gore's request, all of his father's stock in Occidental (Oxy) Petroleum was sold almost six years ago as the estate was closed. So, although Mr. Gore has and will continue to call on his fellow Americans to do their part to combat global warming, he isn't asking of them what he isn't willing to do himself.

Rather than vilifying a person who is trying to make a difference, wouldn't it be more fruitful for Schweizer to join the effort to solve the climate crisis?

Kalee Kreider, communications director

Office of Al Gore and Tipper Gore

Nashville

Corn Plastic

2006-08-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

There's a new plastic on the block and companies like Walmart, Newman's Own and Wild Oats have begun using the corn plastic, or PLA, in some containers and packaging. The stuff is bio-degradable (under certain composting conditions) and requires far less energy to produce than petroleum based plastics. As with many new technologies there are a few major bugs to be worked out and the product is far from being a silver bullet, more of a first step in the right direction...ARTICLE
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Two steps forward, one step back...

2006-08-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we try to solve one problem and cause another. Read an article this morning that highlights research that finds that in the effort to reduce CFC's (stuff used in air conditioners etc.), which eat up the ozone layer, alternatives have been used that do as much, if not more, harm. This situation points out the need for the constant revisiting of agreements like the Montreal and Kyoto Protocals as science, technology and research advance.

Seen some press lately referring to environmentally concerned individuals a "greens" a catchy little term for use by "non-greens", whatever.
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