tagged w/ Emissions
-
The 2 Degree target looks less likely of success says new study.
Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions currently proposed by industrialized countries fall short of the pathway to reaching a 2 degree target as referred to by the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol negotiating group, despite the fact that the cost of meeting these pledges is much lower than anticipated, according to a new study.The 2 Degree target looks less likely of success says new study.
Total greenhouse... more
-
-
The plant, built in the 1980s, has been retrofitted to allow it to inject its emissions into deep wells.The plant, built in the 1980s, has been retrofitted to allow it to inject its... more
-
-
The United States Chamber of Commerce is joining with the National Automobile Dealers Association to try to derail California's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.The United States Chamber of Commerce is joining with the National Automobile Dealers... more
-
-
China's energy needs are expected to double by 2030, but a study in the journal Science says the country could produce 30% less CO2 if it uses wind power to meet them.China's energy needs are expected to double by 2030, but a study in the journal... more
-
-
The average Australian now emits more carbon dioxide than the average American--which means Australia has surpassed the United States, claiming the dubious distinction of world's largest per-capita carbon emitter.The average Australian now emits more carbon dioxide than the average American--which... more
-
-
Natural gas prices are at a 7-year low, it generates less emissions than coal, and we happen to be in the middle of trying to reform our energy policies to make them cheaper and less polluting. Natural gas could be our last shot for getting a better climate bill this year, as John Laumer writes--it could prove a viable source of relatively low emissions energy while we transition to even cleaner sources like wind and solar. So why is natural gas getting boxed out of the climate bill?Natural gas prices are at a 7-year low, it generates less emissions than coal, and we... more
-
-
The Declaration of Interdependence removes the burden of choice on all Nations where interdependence supersedes decisions affecting the global collective. The interdependence of humanity and of future generations cannot be overridden by any boundaries, barriers or divisions proposed by man.
This declaration is made on behalf of the future that we borrow from our children.
SIGNED, as a global citizen; Bob Williamson
Founder & Chair
Greenhouse Neutral Foundation
Please as a GLOBAL Citizen visit and SIGN The Declaration of Interdependence at
http://www.greenhouseneutralfoundation.org/declaration.htmlThe Declaration of Interdependence removes the burden of choice on all Nations where... more
-
-
In December, Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, will host a UN conference on climate in which environmental groups and international organizations are hoping to see real progress in the fight against climate change. For this reason the UN has launched an online petition requesting world leaders to sign a crucial agreement on reducing emissions in the coming years. The time to do something is running out, while worldwide incidence of floods, storms and droughts is increasing.In December, Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, will host a UN conference on climate... more
-
-
It's one of the most common lines you hear from cap and trade opponents: "Well, just look at Europe." You see, the European Union Emissions Trading System was long thought to be a spectacular failure. It initially allowed utility companies to reap massive profits, since they were given their permits for free and passed the cost of carbon onto consumers--nearly the opposite of what was supposed to happen. Additionally, for a long time, many thought ETS would be sorely inadequate to get ...Read the full story on TreeHuggerIt's one of the most common lines you hear from cap and trade opponents:... more
-
-
After surpassing the United States as the world’s largest producer of household garbage, China has embarked on a vast program to build incinerators as landfills run out of space. But these incinerators have become a growing source of toxic emissions, from dioxin to mercury, that can damage the body’s nervous system.
And these pollutants, particularly long-lasting substances like dioxin and mercury, are dangerous not only in China, a growing body of atmospheric research based on satellite observations suggests. They float on air currents across the Pacific to American shores.
Chinese incinerators can be better. At the other end of Shenzhen from Longgang, no smoke is visible from the towering smokestack of the Baoan incinerator, built by a company owned by the municipal government. Government tests show that it emits virtually no dioxin and other pollutants.
But the Baoan incinerator cost 10 times as much as the Longgang incinerators, per ton of trash-burning capacity.
Tightening of China’s national standards has been stuck for three years in a bureaucratic war between the environment ministry and the main economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, said a Beijing official who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the subject publicly.
End of excerpt (New York Times)
----------
What do you think?After surpassing the United States as the world’s largest producer of household... more
-
-
This will be a big help in the fight against global warming, even if it achieves slightly less than is being advertised.This will be a big help in the fight against global warming, even if it achieves... more
-
-
I’ve said over and over again, along with a lot of other people, that hybrid technology would make the biggest environmental impact if used in delivery trucks, municipal vehicles, and mail trucks.I’ve said over and over again, along with a lot of other people, that hybrid... more
-
-
It's no secret that a ton of problems need to be overcome before there's any real chance we'll all be driving clean-emissions hydrogen-powered cars and trucks. One such problem is how to store the hydrogen, which is a much less energy-dense fuel than gasoline. Researchers at the University of Delaware believe they may have found a possible solution from an extremely unlikely source: chicken feathers.
It seems that chicken feathers take on a unique set of properties when carbonized (slowly heated to 400-degrees Fahrenheit) that makes them dense and highly porous. When packed into a storage tank, these carbonized chicken feathers can greatly increase the amount of hydrogen that can be crammed inside.
Currently, researchers can store enough hydrogen in the carbonized feathers to provide an 80-mile range from a 20-gallon storage tank, but they're working to improve that figure. Fortunately, there's no shortage of available feathers – the U.S. poultry industry reportedly disposes of 2 billion pounds of chicken feathers per year.
Check out the link for the actual article, this was just my synopsis.It's no secret that a ton of problems need to be overcome before there's any... more
-
-
COVENTRY, Vt. — Vermont dairy farmers Tim Maikshilo and Kristen Dellert, mindful of shrinking their carbon footprint, have changed their cows' diet to reduce the amount of gas the animals burp _ dairy cows' contribution to global warming.
Coventry Valley Farm is one of 15 Vermont farms working with Stonyfield Farm Inc., whose yogurt is made with their organic milk, to reduce the cows' intestinal methane by feeding them flaxseed, alfalfa, and grasses high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The gas cows belch is the dairy industry's biggest greenhouse gas contributor, research shows, most of it emitted from the front and not the back end of the cow.
"I just figured a cow was a cow and they were going to do whatever they were going to do in terms of cow things for gas," said Dellert. "It was pretty shocking to me that just being organic wasn't enough, actually. I really thought that here we're organic, we're doing what we need to do for the planet, we're doing the stuff for the soil and I really thought that was enough."
She learned it wasn't. The dairy industry contributes about 2 percent to the country's total greenhouse gas production, said Rick Naczi, a vice president at Dairy Management Inc., which funds research and promotes dairy products. Most of it comes from the cow, the rest from growing feed crops for the cattle to processing and transporting the milk.
To satisfy consumers' demands for sustainable production, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy in Rosemont, Ill., is looking at everything from growing feed crops to trucking milk to reduce the industry's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. That would be the equivalent of removing about 1.25 million cars from U.S. roads every year, said Naczi, who manages the program.
One way is by feeding cows alfalfa, flax and grasses, all high in Omega 3s, instead of corn or soy, said Nancy Hirschberg, head of Stonyfield's Greener Cow Project. The feed rebalances the cows' rumen, the first stomach of ruminants, and cuts down on gas, she said. Another way is to change the bacteria in a cow's rumen, Naczi said.
When Stonyfield first analyzed its contribution to global warming in the late 1990s, the company thought its factory in Londonderry, N.H., produced the most greenhouse gases.
"And when we got the report and our number one impact on climate change was the milk production, we were completely stunned," she saidA study showed that the single biggest source was the cow's enteric emissions: gas.
The company funded energy audits on farms and research on small manure digesters so farmers could produce energy from methane gas.
But Hirschberg said she had no idea what to do about enteric emissions. Then she learned what Group Danone of France, majority owner of Stonyfield and best known in the U.S. for its Dannon products, was doing about its methane.
By feeding their cows alfalfa, flax and grasses, they were cutting down on the gas passed.
The milk is tested at a lab at the University of Vermont to determine its fat content, a process patented by French nutrition company Valorex SAS, through which the enteric emissions are calculated.
Since January, Coventry Valley Farm has reduced its cows' belches by 13 percent. At another farm, they've gone down 18 percent.
Maikshilo and Dellert have also noticed a difference in Hester, Rosebud, Pristine and their other cows. The coats of the black and white Holsteins and brown Jerseys are shinier and they've had fewer foot problems and no stomach ailments, they say.
So far, it hasn't cost them any more for their custom-made grain, which the cows only get in the winter. Now they're out grazing on grass in the pasture, getting as many Omega 3s. And the farm's vet bills have gone down.
It's a win-win for farmers, said Naczi.
"It's just the right thing to do," he said.COVENTRY, Vt. — Vermont dairy farmers Tim Maikshilo and Kristen Dellert, mindful... more
-
-
New cars and trucks will have to get 30 percent better mileage starting in 2016 under an Obama administration move to curb emissions tied to smog and global warming, sources said Monday.
President Barack Obama was expected to adopt the higher mileage standards on Tuesday, administration sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement.
The new requirement will mark the first time that limits on greenhouse gases will be linked to federal standards for cars and light trucks.
While the 30 percent increase would be an average for both cars and light trucks, the percentage increase in cars would be much greater, according to the New York Times, rising from the current 27.5 mpg standard to 42 mpg starting in 2016. The average for light trucks would rise from 24 mpg to 26.2 mpg.
California, 13 other states and the District of Columbia had earlier urged the federal government to let them enact more stringent standards than the federal government's requirements. The states' regulations would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and trucks by 2016...New cars and trucks will have to get 30 percent better mileage starting in 2016 under... more
-
-
President Barack Obama is asking consumers to put their money - up to $1,300 per new vehicle by 2016 - behind his plan for higher efficiency standards for cars and trucks and tougher rules on their greenhouse gas emissions.President Barack Obama is asking consumers to put their money - up to $1,300 per new... more
-
-
UK government departments will not meet carbon cuts target of 12.5% by 2012 despite a reduction in emissions from road travel and less waste and water consumption, sustainability report finds
The government is not on track to meet targets to cut carbon emissions from its own departments, its sustainability watchdog warned today.
A report from the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) said departments had taken significant steps towards cutting emissions from road travel and reducing waste and water consumption.
But the SDC said the government had reported a 6.3% decrease in carbon emissions from its offices since the year 1999-2000, an insufficient reduction for it to hit a target of 12.5% reductions by 2011-12.UK government departments will not meet carbon cuts target of 12.5% by 2012 despite a... more
-
-
"Most of us have heard the predictions: the meltdown of Arctic sea ice and mountain-top glaciers; extinction of species ranging from polar bears to coral reefs; catastrophic sea level rise that could eventually force the relocation of millions of coastal residents. Heat waves, malnutrition and famine, and wildfires would also be a greater risk to human communities if carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere are allowed to rise too high.
Specifically, these could be the characteristics of a world where carbon dioxide has risen to 1,000 parts per million by 2100, as described this week in a Nature opinion essay by Stephen Schneider of Stanford University. (Currently carbon dioxide is at about 384 parst per million.)
Reaching this level of carbon dioxide by the end of the century was presented as a worst-case scenario if nothing is done to curtail emissions in a 2000 special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
But "it's not the worst-case scenario," Scheider now argues. "The worst-case scenario could be worse."
Until the economic downturn late last year, actual emissions have been higher than those in the IPCC scenario. So without any mitigation, "that's the track we're on now," Schneider told LiveScience.
Schneider doesn't think emissions will continue on this path, however: "I don't think the world is going to be that stupid for most of the century," he said."
Well, are we?"Most of us have heard the predictions: the meltdown of Arctic sea ice and... more
-
-
The California Air Resources Board Thursday approved a landmark regulatory proposal governing carbon emissions that will likely serve as a model for the nation and the world.
The “Low Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS) proposal requires all fuel producers in the state to decrease their impact on global warming by effecting a 10% reduction in the carbon footprint caused by the state’s motor fuels by the year 2020.The California Air Resources Board Thursday approved a landmark regulatory proposal... more
-
