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Food Firms Pledge to Cut Mileage
LONDON, UK -- Companies behind some of the biggest brands on U.K. supermarket shelves have pledged to slash the environmental impact of transporting their goods.
About 40 food and drink companies have signed up to the Food and Drink Federation's (FDF) Environmental Checklist and Clause for Greener Food Transport.
The companies, which include Cadbury Schweppes, Weetabix Ltd and Premier Foods -- the company behind Hovis bread and Branston pickle -- committed to using a 10-point checklist to reduce the number and impact of food miles.
Maximizing vehicle loading, reducing the amount of journeys made without any freight, and using rail and shipping instead of road freight are among the recommendations on the checklist.
The FDF said it will help companies contribute to an industry target to reduce the environmental impact of domestic food transport by 20 percent by 2012, compared to 2002 levels.
Iain Ferguson, FDF president, said: "The companies who have signed up to the Checklist and Clause are the first of what we hope will be many more signatories to this commitment to achieving fewer and friendlier transport miles."
"Protecting the environment and developing sustainable transport systems, especially where distribution is concerned, are very topical issues and especially important for us at the Department for Transport," said Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick. LONDON, UK -- Companies behind some of the biggest brands on U.K. supermarket shelves have pledged to slash the environmental impact o... more -
Pew Center and Toyota Team Up to Research Energy Efficiency Best Practices
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Toyota have launched a project to research energy efficiency strategies among top companies to discover, document and disseminate information about corporate best practices that reduce energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions.
The research and communications project, announced July 16, also will address the market and internal challenges companies encounter while attempting to implement energy efficiency strategies, Toyota and the Pew Center said.
The Pew Center is managing the research and communications for the project, which is being funded with a three-year, $1.4 million grant from Toyota.
"Energy efficiency is the simplest, most cost-effective way for companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions," said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, in a statement. "This project is designed to give companies the tools to ramp up efficiency efforts and simultaneously address growing concerns about climate change and skyrocketing energy prices."
Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of Toyota North America, praised the center's long experience in "engaging the business community in the development of pragmatic solutions to climate change."
"We are pleased to work with them to develop this initiative and educate corporations on the most effective ways to reduce energy use," Pineda said in a statement announcing the project. The Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Toyota have launched a project to research energy efficiency strategies among top companie... more -
Switchover to Fuel Cell Vehicles Will Cut Emissions, Cost Billions
Fuel cell technologies have the potential to greatly curtail the U.S.'s oil use and carbon dioxide emissions, but extensive public and private investment are necessary to make a significant impact in the coming decades, according to the National Research Council.
The group researched and developed a best case scenario for fuel cell development and deployment in the U.S., publishing it's findings the report "Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies: A Focus on Hydrogen." The main barriers to widespread use of fuel cell vehicles, the report concludes, are vehicle price and lack of production and distribution infrastructure.
Even with increased funding and research, the cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles won't be competitive with fossil fuel-burning vehicles until 2023. The Council says fuel cell vehicle production could start ramping up in 2015, with about 2 million vehicles maximum on the roads by 2020.
Once the cost barrier comes down, there could be 60 million fuel cell vehicles zipping around by 2035 and 200 million by 2050. The Council takes into account the cost of hydrogen fuel over a vehicle's lifetime in comparing its cost to conventional vehicles.
That best case scenario can only be met with vigorous investment and action. The Council says the government will need to put up $55 billion in funding from 2008-2023, and private industry will need to pump $145 billion into fuel cells during the same period.
Currently, the federal government is running the $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, which was announced at the 2003 State of the Union Address. On the West Coast, the California Fuel Cell Partnership is working to spread the use of fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen fueling stations. Fuel cell technologies have the potential to greatly curtail the U.S.'s oil use and carbon dioxide emissions, but extensive public and... more -
Toyota to build Prius in US, stops truck production
"The company said Thursday it will start producing the Prius in 2010 at a plant it is building in Blue Springs, Miss. Toyota already builds a hybrid version of the Camry sedan in Kentucky, but this will be the first time the Prius, which has been on sale for more than a decade, will be built outside of Asia." -MSNBC
Toyota is also planning on temporarily stopping US production of its trucks and large SUVs because of declining demand. The plants will either temporarily close or build hybrid SUVs instead.
This is great news both for the environment and for our economy. It will ultimately result in more jobs for Americans and strengthen the "green-collar" job market. This is evidence of our economy's shift in the right direction.
What do you think? "The company said Thursday it will start producing the Prius in 2010 at a plant it is building in Blue Springs, Miss. Toyota already b... more -
EU lawmakers approve deal on airline CO2 emissions
European Union lawmakers approved a deal with governments on Tuesday to include aviation from 2012 in the EU's Emission Trading Scheme, a key tool to fight climate change.
Aviation generates 3 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the 27-member bloc but has been left out of the ETS so far because of concerns that its inclusion would damage the industry's ability to compete in international markets.
With air traffic set to double by 2020, however, Europe is keen to apply the "polluter pays" principle as it struggles to reduce output of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
The European Parliament voted 640 to 30 in favor of a rule that airlines would have to cut emissions of carbon dioxide by 3 percent in the first year, and by 5 percent from 2013 onwards, paying for 15 percent of their emissions permits initially. European Union lawmakers approved a deal with governments on Tuesday to include aviation from 2012 in the EU's Emission Trading Scheme... more -
Ambitious California Emissions Plan Could Boost Economy, Chart National Policy
Quong also noted that consumers stand to economically benefit. The state estimates that car owners will save about $30 per month if all the plan's car regulations are deemed legal.
Cutting down emissions could save over 300 lives and up to $2.4 billion dollars, ARB staffer Edie Chang said. The savings would come mostly from decreasing asthma and lost-work days.
"We believe that this scoping plan is going to be an important milestone, an important framework for other states," said Nichols, the board chair. Quong also noted that consumers stand to economically benefit. The state estimates that car owners will save about $30 per month if al... more -
The Electric Motorcycle
With gas prices going through the roof, what are some greener options for getting around?
One is the Vectrix motorcycle.
100% electric, zero emissions and no environmental impact.
Follow Ilyce Glink as she checks out the world's first electric motorcycle approved for highway use at the Consumer Electronics Show. With gas prices going through the roof, what are some greener options for getting around? One is the Vectrix motorcycle. ... more -
Saving Planet Mud
If climate change predictions are right, the planet's given up on mankind and the human race is doomed to extinction. But don't despair - Jonathan Brooks goes to a very muddy Glastonbury Festival to find out what festival-goers know about this climate change stuff, and if he can do anything to help save the planet... If climate change predictions are right, the planet's given up on mankind and the human race is doomed to extinction. But don't despai... more
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Carbon capture must start soon
Burying gas could achieve one-third of UK emissions targets but without it, experts say disaster is unavoidable.
Why hasn't this already happened? Burying gas could achieve one-third of UK emissions targets but without it, experts say disaster is unavoidable. ... more -
Science academies urge 50 pct CO2 cuts by 2050
Major economies should aim to halve world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and work out ways to bury gases in a wider assault on climate change, the science academies of 13 nations said on Tuesday.
"Progress in reducing global greenhouse gas emission has been slow," the academies of the Group of Eight (G8) nations and China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa said in a statement targeting leaders at July 7-9 summits in Japan.
The statement noted that G8 leaders agreed in 2007 to "consider seriously" a goal of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to help limit changes such as droughts or flooding, heatwaves, more powerful cyclones or rising seas.
Developing nations argue that rich countries have to take the lead before they sign up to any curbs on their rising emissions.
Major economies should aim to halve world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and work out ways to bury gases in a wider assault on ... more -
The zero-emissions one-wheeled motorcycle
The Uno accelerates with a simple lean and turns like a street bike on side-by-side wheels.
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White House slams climate bill
The White House on Monday slammed legislation the U.S. Senate will consider this week aimed at controlling climate change, arguing it would cut economic growth and lead to soaring gasoline prices.
"As you can imagine, our opposition to this will be quite strong and we'll be making these points throughout the week," Keith Hennessey, director of President George W. Bush's National Economic Council, said at a White House forum on the economy and taxes.
U.S. gross domestic product could be reduced by as much as 7 percent in the year 2050 and gasoline prices -- already at record highs in the United States-- could soar by as much as 53 cents a gallon by 2030, he said.
The legislation the Senate will debate, which is not expected to become law this year amid a presidential election, could cut total U.S. global warming emissions by 66 percent by 2050, according to a summary of the measure.
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would drop by about 2 percent per year between 2012 and 2050, based on 2005 emission levels, under the measure.
The bill would cap carbon emissions from 86 percent of U.S. facilities, and emissions from those would be 19 percent below current levels by 2020 and 71 percent below current levels by 2050, according to a summary of the bill's details released by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The Bush administration has consistently opposed an across-the-board cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas emitted by fossil-fueled vehicles and coal-fired industries, as well as by natural sources including human breath. The White House on Monday slammed legislation the U.S. Senate will consider this week aimed at controlling climate change, arguing it ... more -
Making blacktop greener and quieter...
There's more than 4 million miles of paved road in the United States. The current method of laying the asphalt for all that road is to heat it to at least 300 degrees, keeping it soft enough to apply to the road. This requires a lot of power and the Asphalt Research Consortium wants to cut that down, all while using less CO2 and other emissions that could hurt our environment. The good news is there's already a method for making this whole process greener... and other countries have been using it for a while. There's more than 4 million miles of paved road in the United States. The current method of laying the asphalt for all that road is to... more
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grease theft
with the price of gas soaring, a california thief is doind what he has to do so to speak..
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Joe Lieberan introduces America’s Climate Security Act
Ryan Dawson, author of "Welcome To The USSA" raises valid concerns of Lieberman's America’s Climate Security Act:
America’s Climate Security Act , red flag Lieberman introduced it.
Global warming hype has brought us this nicely dressed monster. Sure we should limit pollution and support alternative energy but that is not what this bill does.
I am very pro-environment but I am skeptical of anything coming from Joe Lieberman so I got a copy of the Bill first. Sometimes things are named one way yet do something else like the Patriot Act. So here is the copy of the Bill S.2191
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02191:
Bernie Sanders the other actual Independent of VT did try to amend the bill. New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg also supported Sanders. They wanted to
Quote:
"strengthen the auction of pollution allocations, lower the cap on emissions, earmark subsidies for renewable energies, demand accountability from the auto industry, and diminish industry's capacity to stall simply by buying carbon offsets. "
but that failed.
I am worried because although the bill states it purposes on limiting greenhouse gas emissions it also creates a Federal body able to regulate a multitude of businesses from farming to enterprise. Look at SEC. 2101-2 of the bill. It allows people to Sell their emission allowances.
Quote:
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the lawful holder of an emission allowance may sell, exchange, transfer, submit for compliance in accordance with section 1202, or retire the emission allowance.
Quote:
The privilege of purchasing, holding, selling, exchanging, and retiring emission allowances shall not be restricted to the owners and operators of covered facilities.
And SEC. 2303 allows third party to collect interest payment on it! ???
Quote:
REPAYMENT WITH INTEREST.
For each borrowed emission allowance submitted in partial satisfaction of the compliance obligation under subsection 1202(a) for a particular calendar year (referred to in this section as the `use year'), the number of emission allowances that the owner or operator is required to submit under section 1202(a) for the year from which the borrowed emission allowance was taken (referred to in this section as the `source year') shall be increased by an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying--
(1) 1.1; and
(2) the number of years beginning after the use year and before the source year.
I see a potential problem here. Let's just look at farming sense it is familiar and easy to understand. What we could have here is a new federal business here where by larger agribusinesses can buy up emission allowances from the smaller corporations who aren't going to use theirs for anything but selling. And increase in federal farm subsidies to the buyers just means we will be paying for these trades through taxes and all it does is rope in even the smaller formerly more independent farms and ranches into an umbrella corporation. The large farm loses nothing as it can pay for what it borrows with money it gets from the government anyway. The small business will gamble with cost efficiency of whether to produce or just sell their gas allowances thus giving the larger corps a greater monopoly of not only production but the distribution as well. And that spills into to mean business.
With out the Saunders amendments this bill doesn't work. Lieberman has created a federal business. I want caps on gas emissions but not at this price. We got to close these loop holes before it goes through. I'll thank Warner but I am going to write him to reconsider the amendments. He was not there after all when they voted for health reasons. His vote was only by proxy. That puts us in a position as Virginians to raise the proper objection to the bill that already passed and possible reform it or add on the Amendments or threaten to kill it.
And I fear after this corporate gambit they will throw in a carbon tax for the consumer as well. Ryan Dawson, author of "Welcome To The USSA" raises valid concerns of Lieberman's America’s Climate Security Act: ... more -
How Low Carbon Can You Go?
What is the most climate-friendly way to get there from here? Sightline did the math on that question, ranking different transportation options by greenhouse gas emissions (note that rankings vary depending on vehicle type and occupancy). Turns out that the best strategy for reducing your impact: walk, bike, or fill up a seat that's already going your way!
Also, for anyone in a growing city without adequate mass transit, check out the American Bus Ass'n report comparing energy use and CO2 emissions from a wide variety of public transportation options: highway motor coach, private automobile, heavy urban rail, light rail, commuter rail, intercity rail, domestic air travel, urban transit bus, electric trolley bus, ferry boat, van pool, and demand response shared-use transit service. Available at http://www.buses.org/files/ComparativeEnergy.pdf What is the most climate-friendly way to get there from here? Sightline did the math on that question, ranking different transportatio... more -
Bush fuel economy proposal would trump state pollution laws
When the Bush administration announced proposed regulations Tuesday to raise fuel economy standards for cars and trucks to 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015, even some environmentalists applauded. But then they read the fine print.
Tucked deep into a 417-page "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" was language by the Transportation Department stating that more stringent limits on tailpipe emissions embraced by California and 17 other states are "an obstacle to the accomplishment" of the new federal standards and are "expressly and impliedly preempted" by federal law.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown called it a covert assault on California's rules. Environmentalists said the language will be used by automakers in their legal challenges to two recent federal court rulings that sided with the states.
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Photo by flickr user ekai:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ekai/2429663601/ licensed under a Creative Commons 2.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.e... When the Bush administration announced proposed regulations Tuesday to raise fuel economy standards for cars and trucks to 31.6 miles ... more -
Zero emissions lawn care
"Gallon for gallon — or, given the size of lawnmower tanks, quart for quart — the 2006 lawn mower engines contribute 93 times more smog-forming emissions than 2006 cars, according to the California Air Resources Board."
A 2006 New York Times article pretty much sums it up.
But Robert Johnson does something different. His Green Team Lawn Care service, only recently started, uses zero emissions equipment: a reel mower, brooms, lawn clippers. And he travels around pulling all of it in a trailer behind his bike. The verdict? His customers love it. "Gallon for gallon — or, given the size of lawnmower tanks, quart for quart — the 2006 lawn mower engines contribute 93 times more smo... more -
Model T has same fuel economy as modern cars
The 1908 Ford Model T went at 25 miles per gallon. As of 2004, the average fuel economy of cars and trucks was 24.6 miles per gallon. Despite the fact that modern cars can go faster, the Model T topped at 45 miles per hour. Is speed really worth it when work could be done to make for more fuel efficiency?
http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/miscellaneous/100-ye...
The 1908 Ford Model T went at 25 miles per gallon. As of 2004, the average fuel economy of cars and trucks was 24.6 miles per gallon.... more -
ZAP- the EV Scam
This is a scathing look at ZAP, the electric vehicle company, that parades as a 'green' company. Behind the scenes, it is run by two corrupt businessmen who drive Porsches and have made millions duping unsuspecting customers to buy their sub-par products. It's shameful that they would use their position of influence in such a greedy, antithetical fashion. This is a scathing look at ZAP, the electric vehicle company, that parades as a 'green' company. Behind the scenes, it is run by two c... more
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