tagged w/ The Weekly Planet
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
Global carbon-dioxide emissions have reached an all time high according to estimates from the International Energy Agency. Carbon emissions increased by 3.2 percent since 2010, with China making the largest contribution to the global increase.
Fait Birol, the IEA's chief economist, told Reuters that increasing emissions also means increasing temperatures: "When I look at this data, the trend is perfectly in line with a temperature increase of 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) which would have devastating consequences for the planet."
Some of those consequences are melting glaciers, ruined crops and a dramatic increase in the number of heat-related deaths.
The number of heat related deaths in the U.S. will triple by the end of the century due to climate change, according to a new report from the Natural Resource Defense Fund. The U.S. currently experiences 233 excessive-heat events each year, days when high temperatures and local weather conditions combine to cause heat-related deaths. That number will increase to 1,342 by 2050 and 1,685 by 2100, according to the report.
In total more than 150,000 Americans could die from heat-related illness by the end of the century, the NRDC predicts. The cities that will see greatest number of deaths due to excessive heat events by 2100 are:
Louisville (18,988)
Detroit (17,877)
Cleveland (16,625)
Memphis (10,154)
Jacksonville, Fla. (8,141)
Minneapolis (7,516)
Dallas (7,271)
Chicago (6,361)
Columbus, Ohio (6,001)
Boston (5,715)
St. Louis (5,621)
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
Global carbon-dioxide emissions have reached an... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
How much does a ton of coal cost? Go ahead take a guess.
If you said this is a trick question then you're right. The price of coal is different all over the world. In China, the world's largest coal consumer, the cost of a ton of coal averaged to $97.28 in 2011. Over the past few months in the U.S., the price of coal has ranged from $8.15 to $60.90.
The reason for the low cost of coal in the U.S. is low demand. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects electricity produced by coal power plants to drop by 14 percent in 2012. Utilities are switching to cheaper natural gas and the Environmental Protection Agency has started to crack down on old, polluting coal plants.
Here's the second question: How much did Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal company, pay the Bureau of Land Management to mine 5-square-miles of public land in Wyoming's Powder River Basin?
Just $1.11 per mineable ton. And that's after its first offer of just $0.90 was rejected.
Greenpeace's Joe Smyth reports that this isn't the first low bid the BLM has accepted:
The BLM's role is critical because unlike other regions such as Appalachia, Powder River Basin coal is mostly owned by the federal government, and BLM is supposed to ensure that coal development there “is in the best interests of the Nation.” But without proper oversight, the BLM has been offering this federal coal to companies like Peabody, Arch Coal, and Cloud Peak Energy for bargain rates. Over the last 30 years, this has amounted to a $28.9 billion subsidy to the coal mining industry.
Including a southern portion of the Powder River Basin that Peabody leased in 2006, the company now controls 3.3 billion tons of coal on U.S. taxpayer property. Peabody has already said they plan to supply Asia's rising demand for coal. So once the land has been mined, the coal will be exported, resulting in huge profits for Peabody and a staggering amount of CO2 emissions for the climate.
For the third and final question, I turn once again to Smyth: "How exactly is it in the 'best interests of the nation' to sell coal that belongs to U.S. taxpayers at a discount so Peabody can strip mine and ship it to Asia?"
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
How much does a ton of coal cost? Go ahead take a... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
A new study found most Americans are willing to pay more to move the country toward cleaner energy, but is that enough to win the culture war over green energy policy?
The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard and Yale in 2011, shows that the average U.S. citizen is willing to pay $162 more a year in energy bills to support a national energy policy that requires 80 percent clean energy by 2035. That's a 13 percent increase in energy costs nationwide.
But, as Grist's David Roberts writes, the war over clean energy is "about more than prices or watts. It’s about cultural identity." Roberts argues that conservatives understand the fight over climate change and clean energy better, at a financial and cultural level, than progressives. That's why they're funneling money into super PACs and political think tanks that make clean energy policies appear to be an attack on the American way of life.
This new study show that Americans may be willing to take the first step towards cleaner energy, but as Roberts argues, it's going to take more than money to win the culture war over clean energy. The idea of spending more on energy to use less energy overall needs to become part of a new American way of life.
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
A new study found most Americans are willing to... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
Two years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster spilled more than 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, photographs are finally being released showing the devastating effect that oil had on wildlife. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released hundreds of images from the spill in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request filed by Greenpeace in 2010, requesting any and all communication relating to endangered species in the Gulf region. Many of the photographs show dead Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, covered in oil, laying on the beach or being scooped out of the water.
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
Two years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, President Barack Obama signaled that he may finally be ready to take a stand on climate change.
"It's been easy for the other side to pour millions of dollars into a campaign to debunk climate-change science. I suspect that over the next six months, this is going to be a debate that will become part of the campaign, and I will be very clear in voicing my belief that we're going to have to take further steps to deal with climate change in a serious way," Obama told Rolling Stone.
One possible reason for the president's new stance, polls now show that a majority of Americans believe extreme weather is linked to global warming. And with presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's recent shift to the right on global warming, climate change is set to become a wedge issue during the 2012 presidential election.
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone,... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
There was one noticeable omission from President Barack Obama's 2012 Earth Day proclamation -- any mention of climate change. In the 2011 Earth Day proclamation, Obama declared that no person could "escape the impact of climate change," but did his best to avoid the topic this year. The only line that hints at the existence of global warming is about cutting "greenhouse gas emissions."
Certainly the president is trying to avoid touching on controversial topics during an election year, but is climate change controversial anymore. Polls show a majority of Americans now believe in climate change, and ABC news reports that extreme weather, not campaigns by global warming denialists, is the only thing likely to change voters minds on the issue.
Obama holds a 39 percent lead over Mitt Romney among voters who are concerned about the environment, and his campaign is actively courting environmentalists. Maybe it's time for the president to stop avoiding climate change -- at least on Earth Day.
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
There was one noticeable omission from President... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
March was the warmest ever on record for the continental United States.
More than 15,000 warm temperature records were broken in March, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Every state experienced at least one record warm day and 25 states east of the Rockies had their warmest March on record.
Along with the warm temperatures came an increased number of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across the eastern part of the country. More than 223 preliminary tornado reports came in during March, a month that usually averages 80 tornadoes, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.
NOAA illustrated the increase in temperature over this past month with a day-to-day animation of daily records that were either tied or broken.
By Carrie Mihalcik / current.com
March was the warmest ever on record for the... more
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By Carrie Mihalcik / Current.com
Gas has been spewing into the air for over a week due to a major leak at the Elgin offshore platform in the North Sea. All 238 workers were evacuated and a two-mile evacuation radius was set up around the platform, which is about 150 miles off the coast of Scotland. The New York Times reports that the volume of gas leaking from the well threatens to make the air both poisonous and explosive over a wide area and poses a significant environmental danger.
Total, the French energy company that owns the platform, has been spending $1 million dollars a day to plug the leak, according to Reuters. Their efforts to plug the leak last week failed. Total now plans on drilling two relief wells to stop gas from leaking at the top of the platform once conditions have been deemed safe for both men and equipment.
Total has enlisted the help of international experts to stop the leak, including U.S. firefighting and engineering firm Wild Well Control, which helped tackle BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.
By Carrie Mihalcik / Current.com
Gas has been spewing into the air for over a week... more
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The Environmental Protection Agency today announced its long-awaited rules on greenhouse gas emissions for power plants. In 2007, the Supreme Court made a landmark decision that allowed the agency to deem carbon to be a pollutant, and now the EPA is going forward on that front, saying in a press release that “greenhouse gas pollution threatens Americans’ health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes in our climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health and the environment.”
The Washington Post reports the new rules will require any new power plant to emit no more than 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt of electricity produced. That puts the average gas plant in the clear, but has repercussions for coal plants, which emit an average of 1,768 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt. Republicans are already arguing that the Obama administration is bypassing Congress to create what they call job-killing rules and have introduced legislation to delay implementation.
The Environmental Protection Agency today announced its long-awaited rules on... more
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One of the newest talking points among climate change denialists is that environmental groups are outspending oil and gas lobbyists to push an agenda. Sen. James Inhofe, author of the book "The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future," points to a report put out last year by Climate Shift, saying this represents that conservatives can't be blamed for using money to influence public opinion.
But the author of the Climate Shift report has struck back against Inhofe's claims, saying in a blog post on Big Think that "Inhofe conflates the totals for spending on all program activities by these opposing coalitions of non-profit organizations with totals spent on lobbying by aligned corporations." The fight over who is spending more might seem like a distraction over a pressing issue, but public opinion has definitely moved on the core issues in the past year. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, 52 percent of respondents believe that developing renewable energies is more important priority than increasing production of fossil fuels, down from 63 percent a year ago.
One of the newest talking points among climate change denialists is that... more
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Is Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper a danger to the national sport? Learn more below about how his policies are contributing to the kind of climate change that could put hockey on a permanent intermission. But first...
Pollution drifts from Asia to the U.S.We live in a global society. Proof exists in new research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research which indicates that not only is smog traveling from Asia to the Western United States, but also that that Asian emissions directly contribute to ground-level pollution in the U.S.
In fact, the researchers say that as much as 20 percent of ground pollution in the country is attributable to Asian emissions. The article goes onto note that Ozone emissions are falling in the U.S., but rising in Asia, raising the challenge of negotiating international emissions standards treaties.
More environmental news this week...
Is Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper a danger to the national sport? Learn more... more
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A trial against BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that affected tens of thousands of businesses and individuals has been delayed until Monday as the parties continue to work on a settlement. A potential deal would be worth around $14 billion, according to a report from Bloomberg News. But if BP can’t reach an agreement to compensate the victims, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says federal prosecutors are prepared to battle the oil giant in court and promises developments in the ongoing criminal investigation.
In other environmental news this past week...
A trial against BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that affected tens of thousands... more
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The organized efforts to deny that climate change is happening has received attention this past week, thanks to uncovered documents that show who is sponsoring the movement and what their agenda is going forward. Internal reports show that the right-wing think tank, the Heartland Institute, is being funded by the Koch brothers, Microsoft, and many tobacco companies. Most alarming is word that the group is attempting to develop a K-12 schoolhouse “global warming curriculum” that presents climate science as “a major scientific controversy.” The revelations have embarrassed the Institute to the extent it has questioned the veracity of stolen documents. One environmental activist has admitted to posing as someone else to obtain the documents. Now you know how it feels to be illegally hacked, say climate scientists in a letter to the Heartland Institute.
In other environmental news from the past week...
The organized efforts to deny that climate change is happening has received... more
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Obama’s environmental priorities highlighted in budget plan
President Barack Obama released his budget plan for 2013 and it has good news on the environmental front. He calls for a 23 percent increase to $2.33 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Additionally, $310 million would go to a project aimed at making solar energy cost-competitive, $95 million for developing wind energy technology, and $350 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency. The budget request is also noted for billions of dollars towards nuclear energy. Some of the funding comes from a requested elimination of $4 billion in subsidies to fossil fuels. There are also small, but interesting changes, including making government printers use both sides of the page. Of course, the proposals are likely to encounter resistance from Congressional Republicans.
Obama’s environmental priorities highlighted in budget plan
President Barack... more
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A look at some stories on the environmental front that caught our attention this past week...
Spurring energy-friendly products is also being hampered by negative attention on Solyndra, a solar energy company which went bankrupt after getting a $528 million loan guarantee. Over the last few months, Republicans in Congress have been sounding the trumpets that there was something wrong about the way the Obama administration invested in the company. But regardless of whether any ethics were breached in the loan guarantee, the negative attention on the company has chilled funding in the solar energy sector. Republicans say it should be up to private venture capitalists to make these types of environmentally-positive energy bets, but according to a report by NPR, both the federal government and VCs are now steering clear in the wake of Solyndra.
A look at some stories on the environmental front that caught our attention this... more
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We're taking a look at some of the stories affecting our planet. Here's some news you shouldn't miss.
China reports it saved drinking water for tens of millions from contaminationChinese officials report containing a potential catastrophe by halting the spread of poisonous cadmium flowing through the Longjiang River. The word from local media is that officials were able to dilute the toxic metal which threatened drinking water for tens of millions of people. Can the reports be trusted that the disaster, stemming from a leak from a mining company in Guangxi, is under control? Hard to say, but in another report from The New York Times this week, Chinese officials are said to be struggling now that the “edifice of environmental propaganda is collapsing.” That story dealt with denials about urban air pollution.
We're taking a look at some of the stories affecting our planet. Here's... more
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August Walter Jr., who was tasked with helping lead BP’s plan to cleanup an oil spill off the Gulf Coast, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit that accuses BP of falsifying data to make it look like Mississippi beaches were cleaner than they actually were. The plaintiff says he was fired from his job after telling federal authorities that BP’s $14 billion cleanup efforts had shirked responsibilities on oil debris that had drifted to the coast. The allegedly falsified data was used to convince an assessment team that certain beach areas had been sufficiently “cleaned.” A BP spokesperson says that Walter’s claims are without merit.
August Walter Jr., who was tasked with helping lead BP’s plan to cleanup an... more
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The EPA is primed for an important year in addressing climate changeAs part of an obscure Congressional mandate in a 2008 appropriations bill, the EPA has unveiled the first-ever searchable database of greenhouse-gas emissions from most sectors of the economy. According to the National Journal, the tool offers a peek at a critical year in the EPA’s efforts to address climate change. One of the more important developments ahead in 2012 is the first greenhouse-gas rules for power plants. Along with these rules come continuing legal challenges about the EPA’s legislative mandate in enforcing regulations. One important case at the federal level is expected to be decided this summer.
The EPA is primed for an important year in addressing climate changeAs part of an... more
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Google has released its annual Zeitgeist, a compilation of data about popular search terms, and according to Treehugger, the three most popular environmental topics from the past year are “How to Compost,” “What is Vegan,” and “What Causes Earthquakes.” To mark the end of the year, many environmental websites are doing plenty of seasonal features, from holiday gifts for the philanthropist to the year’s best environmental journalism. Perhaps our favorite is “2011: The Year In Pee And Poop.”
Google has released its annual Zeitgeist, a compilation of data about popular... more
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A debate on how to apportion BP fines for Deepwater Horizon disasterA task force created by President Obama in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has recommended that a “significant portion” of the billions of dollars in fines paid out by BP for the environmental disaster should go to restoring the gulf. The recommendations include projects like conserving habitat, restoring water quality, protecting marine resources, and enhancing community resilience. Currently, legislators are debating what percentage of funds will go into these efforts versus broader economic ones favored by states to do things like rebuild boardwalks and convention centers. Many lawyers representing victims are also looking to score their healthy cut of proceeds too, demanding as much as 6 percent of all judgments and settlements.
A debate on how to apportion BP fines for Deepwater Horizon disasterA task force... more
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