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What's your opinion on climate change?
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- ENDS: 09/25/2008 06:30 PM
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Fertilizing ocean may slow climate change
A seasonal bloom of ocean plankton fertilised by the Amazon river pulls much more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere than researchers had previously supposed.
The unexpected bloom may, in fact, be enough to turn the tropical Atlantic Ocean from a net source of atmospheric carbon into a net sink.
Ajit Subramaniam, an oceanographer at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, and his colleagues sampled phytoplankton in the plume of water extending from the mouth of the Amazon into the Atlantic.
To their surprise, they found that for much of the year the offshore waters support a thriving plankton population that converts atmospheric nitrogen into biologically usable forms.
This nitrogen fixation allows the plankton to escape the restrictions of the nitrogen-poor Amazon and thrive on its other nutrients, especially phosphorus and silicon.
The result is a rapid uptake of carbon dioxide by the photosynthetic plankton.
'Major shift'
Moreover, much of this carbon ends up in long-term storage instead of being recycled quickly like most carbon in the ocean. That's because the main photosynthesisers are diatoms, single-celled algae that build a heavy silica shell around their bodies.
This glassy shell makes diatoms sink rapidly after they die, removing 20 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, the researchers estimate.
That's not much compared to the amount emitted by human activity each year but it represents a major shift in our knowledge of the oceans' carbon balance, says Subramanian. And although the Amazon is the largest of the world's rivers, other major tropical rivers such as the Congo and the Orinoco may have similar effects, he says – a conjecture he is now aiming to test.
"I think the value of this work is not so much in figuring out how we can use it to humankind's advantage, but in figuring out that the major rivers of the world may be helping to balance the CO2 inventory of the planet in ways we haven't realised before," says David Karl, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii.
Even so, the Amazon's major contribution suggests that proposals to artificially fertilise the ocean to enhance carbon uptake may pay off surprisingly well in tropical waters, says Subramaniam.
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0710279105) A seasonal bloom of ocean plankton fertilised by the Amazon river pulls much more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere than researcher... more -
Alarming NASA Climate Report
NASA Climate Report. Ice could be gone by the end of Summer 2008 not 2012 now! Potential of unlimited methane gas release due to the rapid warming of the ocean!
It is high time we all radically change our lifestyles in order to stop and reverse this trend. NASA Climate Report. Ice could be gone by the end of Summer 2008 not 2012 now! Potential of unlimited methane gas release due to the r... more -
CLIMATE CHANGE IS HERE
CLIMATE CHANGE.
We need to do something about this.
I'm glad that it is cool to be green,I feel we need to stay green as long as possible. Mother Nature is not to be played with!!!!
If we all do our part, we can help preserve this world for future generations.
CLIMATE CHANGE. We need to do something about this. ... more -
Facing The Freshwater Crisis
From Scientific American:
Key points:
Global freshwater resources are threatened by rising demands from many quarters.
Growing populations need ever more water for drinking, hygiene, sanitation, food production and industry.
Climate change, meanwhile, is expected to contribute to droughts.
Policymakers need to figure out how to supply water without degrading the natural ecosystems that provide it.
Existing low-tech approaches can help prevent scarcity, as can ways to boost supplies, such as improved methods to desalinate water.
But governments at all levels need to start setting policies and making investments in infrastructure for water conservation now.
A friend of mine lives in a middle-class neighborhood of New Delhi, one of the richest cities in India. Although the area gets a fair amount of rain every year, he wakes in the morning to the blare of a megaphone announcing that freshwater will be available only for the next hour. He rushes to fill the bathtub and other receptacles to last the day. New Delhi’s endemic shortfalls occur largely because water managers decided some years back to divert large amounts from upstream rivers and reservoirs to irrigate crops.
My son, who lives in arid Phoenix, arises to the low, schussing sounds of sprinklers watering verdant suburban lawns and golf courses. Although Phoenix sits amid the Sonoran Desert, he enjoys a virtually unlimited water supply. Politicians there have allowed irrigation water to be shifted away from farming operations to cities and suburbs, while permitting recycled wastewater to be employed for landscaping and other nonpotable applications.
As in New Delhi and Phoenix, policymakers worldwide wield great power over how water resources are managed. Wise use of such power will become increasingly important as the years go by because the world’s demand for freshwater is currently overtaking its ready supply in many places, and this situation shows no sign of abating. That the problem is well-known makes it no less disturbing: today one out of six people, more than a billion, suffer inadequate access to safe freshwater. By 2025, according to data released by the United Nations, the freshwater resources of more than half the countries across the globe will undergo either stress—for example, when people increasingly demand more water than is available or safe for use—or outright shortages. By midcentury as much as three quarters of the earth’s population could face scarcities of freshwater.
Scientists expect water scarcity to become more common in large part because the world’s population is rising and many people are getting richer (thus expanding demand) and because global climate change is exacerbating aridity and reducing supply in many regions. What is more, many water sources are threatened by faulty waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, fertilizer runoff and coastal influxes of saltwater into aquifers as groundwater is depleted. Because lack of access to water can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and even armed conflict, failure to take action can have broad and grave consequences.
end of excerpt.
My comments at the link. From Scientific American: Key points: Global freshwater resources are threatened by rising demands from many quarters. ... more -
Oil Shale is a False Promise and Bad Investment!!
With today’s announcement of the Bush administration’s proposed regulations to lease land in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah for oil shale development, the President is again holding out a false promise of lower gasoline prices to Coloradans.
President Bush’s plan amounts to gambling our energy future on an unproven technology that is a bad bet today and an environmental disaster for Colorado tomorrow. Oil shale is years from providing gasoline meaning that reaching for those resources won’t help lower prices or the pain at the pump today.
Developing Colorado’s oil shale resource would have profound impacts on the northwestern part of the state, especially on the areas water resource. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, mature oil shale production of 2 million barrels of oil per day would require between 2 million and 6 million gallons of water per day for mining and processing. In addition, continuing our dependence on oil will raise global warming pollution for years to come. Instead of drilling down, we need to get beyond oil to lower gasoline prices.
For seven years President Bush has had the authority to take the biggest single step towards saving consumers money on gasoline by increasing fuel economy standard. For seven years he refused to increase standards. Instead of a false promise, he should work with Congress to pass these standards.
We simply cannot drill or mine our way to energy independence. We use approximately 25% of the world’s oil but have less than 2 percent of the world’s known oil reserves. We must use our energy resources more efficiently and switch to renewable resources.
With today’s announcement of the Bush administration’s proposed regulations to lease land in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah for oil shale ... more -
Challenges for the Next Green President
Here is just a spattering of what awaits the next Administration:
– Climate Change. Throughout our nation’s history, for all pieces of crucial legislation (the 1933 National Recovery Act, the 1964 Civil Rights Act), there was a fleeting legislative moment. That moment is here for climate change. The scientific evidence is overwhelming, the inter-generational impacts make action a moral imperative. Waiting is just not an option. The Bush Administration squandered the last decade. The Obama or McCain Administration cannot squander the next.
– Natural Resources. Where to start? The Bush White House declared open season on the nation’s resources. There was the Orwellian “Healthy Forest Initiative” that reduced wildlife protection, open contempt for the Endangered Species Act, repeal of the Roadless Rule protecting public lands, a U.S. Navy sonar assault on whales, and a “stream buffer rule” allowing Appalachian hilltop mining. Repair of these and many more offenses will require an Interior Secretary of historical significance (think Gifford Pinchot).
– Public Health. OSHA has been decimated, with only one new standard issued in eight years. Permissible exposure levels for numerous contaminants were weakened in the workplace, drinking water and air. We had lead in toys, formaldehyde in trailers, and biphenyl in baby bottles - as well as pathogens in our spinach, lettuce, beef, and now tomatoes. Most American public health statutes are woefully outdated and in need of complete overhaul, starting with the Toxics Substances Control Act (”TSCA”).
– Water. From Georgia to California, climate change is bringing increased drought and water shortages (and ironically, elsewhere flooding). T. Boone Pickens is now buying up most of the aquifers north of Dallas for good reason. Salmon and other fish are disappearing in droves (if fish travel in droves). In cities, the most favored solution to drinking water shortages seems to be recycling sewer water - shades of Solvent Green. Current water policies, such as providing subsidized irrigation water to agri-business giants, need fundamental reform.
– Global Reach. The greatest environmental threats at home now are from abroad. Nearly half the mercury in Midwestern lakes comes from Chinese coal fire power plants. China’s global warming gas emissions now exceed the U.S. From food to pharmaceuticals, imported consumer products present unnecessary health risks. Through far more aggressive trade policies and tougher domestic laws — on what is allowed within our shores and within our stores — we can better protect both the planet and our own citizens.
This election season, there will be no ducking (no pun intended) the environment. Both Obama and McCain will be required to address — with specifics — how they will clean up the Bush mess - and, where they intend to lead the country. FDR had his New Deal in the 1930’s. What is the Obama or McCain Green Deal for 2008? Are their promises of change real or illusory?
If fate and the voters give us President McCain, one hopes for the leadership of Republican Teddy Roosevelt, not the “wink and nod” environmentalism of either Bush. If it’s President Obama, one hopes for the political skill of Lyndon Johnson — since that and more will be required to navigate the Washington, DC special interest thicket. The essential question both will need to answer was posed nearly a half century ago — by Rachel Carson: “Man’s attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we now have acquired the fateful power to alter and destroy nature. The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself.”
Here is just a spattering of what awaits the next Administration: ... more -
First US town powered completely by wind
Rock Port, Mo., has an unusual crop: wind turbines.
The four turbines that supply electricity to the small town of 1,300 residents make it the first community in the United States to operate solely on wind power.
"That's something to be very proud of, especially in a rural area like this — that we're doing our part for the environment," said Jim Crawford, a natural resource engineer at the University of Missouri Extension in Columbia.
A map published by the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that northwest Missouri has the state's highest concentrations of wind resources and contains a number of locations that are potentially suitable for utility-scale wind development. The four turbines that power Rock Port are part of a larger set of 75 turbines across three counties that are used to harvest the power of wind.
"We're farming the wind, which is something that we have up here," Crawford said. "The payback on a per-acre basis is generally quite good when compared to a lot of other crops, and it's as simple as getting a cup of coffee and watching the blades spin."
And the turbines have another benefit besides produces clean energy: MU Extension specialists said that the Missouri wind farms will bring in more than $1.1 million annually in county real estate taxes, to be paid by Wind Capital Group, a wind energy developer based in St. Louis.
"This is a unique situation because in rural areas it is quite uncommon to have this increase in taxation revenues," said Jerry Baker, and MU Extension community development specialist.
Landowners can also benefit by leasing part of their property for wind turbines.
The turbines will also provide savings to rural electric companies and will provide electric service for at least 20 years, the anticipated lifetime of the turbines.
"Anybody who is currently using Rock Port utilities can expect no increase in rates for the next 15 to 20 years," Crawford said.
Baker added that the turbines could also attract tourists to the area. Rock Port, Mo., has an unusual crop: wind turbines. ... more -
Wintertime disintegration of Wilkins ice shelf
On the Antarctic Peninsula, the Wilkins Ice Shelf (roughly 70 degrees south and 75 degrees west) historically extended toward Charcot Island in the northwest and Latady Island in the southwest. By July 2008, the ice shelf’s connection to Charcot Island, which had helped to hold the shelf in place, was nearly gone.
The Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) on the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite observed the ice shelf between May 30 and July 17, 2008. These ASAR images show the eastern part of the ice shelf on July 17 (top), June 28 (middle), and May 30 (bottom). Not pictured, Charcot Island is in the northwest (upper left).
The image acquired on May 30, 2008, captured the ice shelf at the beginning of a disintegration event. In this image, large slices of the ice shelf appear in the lower left corner. These long, thin blocks have broken off the shelf and are moving away toward the southwest. To the northeast, in the middle of the image, is what glaciologists describe as mélange—a stuck-together mass of ice blocks, snow, and sea ice. This portion of the shelf actually disintegrated in 1998, but the ice remained frozen in place for a decade. Farther to the east, the ice is in larger blocks. To the north is a mixture of very thin sea ice, ice blocks from earlier rifting, and open water.
The image acquired on June 28, 2008, shows several changes. In the southwest, the large slices of ice visible on May 30 have moved away. The portion of the ice shelf connecting to Charcot Island has narrowed, assuming an almost hourglass shape. Immediately northeast of this skinny stretch of shelf, the darker parts of the ice mélange appear to be melting. Farther northeast, the large blocks of ice have begun to drift apart.
The image acquired on July 17, 2008, shows the continued breakup of the ice shelf. The ice mélange is even darker than it was in late June. Large, relatively intact plates of ice drift toward the northeast from the thin piece of shelf that still stretches toward the nearby island. The large blocks of ice in the northeast continue their northward drift, some separated by areas of open water.
These images focus on events in the eastern portion of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, The western portion of the shelf rapidly disintegrated between February 28 and March 6, 2008. That event had occurred during the Southern Hemisphere summer, when summertime warmth and sunshine can drive surface melt processes that lead to disintegration. In contrast, the events occurring from late May to early July 2008 occurred in the Southern Hemisphere winter.
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Look to the glaciers and the oceans for your signs of climate change. Will ten years even be enough time? On the Antarctic Peninsula, the Wilkins Ice Shelf (roughly 70 degrees south and 75 degrees west) historically extended toward Charcot ... more -
Bush cronies tried to redefine ‘carbon dioxide’ to save power plants from emission...
Earlier this month, former EPA official Jason Burnett wrote to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) with explosive revelations on how the White House has neutered climate change science to protect corporate interests. For example, OMB general counsel Jeffrey Rosen asked for multiple memos on whether carbon dioxide (CO2) from cars and plants could be regulated differently.
In a Senate hearing today, Burnett further explained that under the Clear Air Act, “after a pollutant is a regulated pollutant, controls are required on a variety of sources.” During the “inter-agency process,” Burnett said, OMB officials looked for ways to define CO2 from power plants as different from CO2 from automobiles, in order to shield industrial power plants from regulation under the landmark Supreme Court decision Massachusetts v. EPA:
BURNETT: There was quite a bit of effort and interest to see whether the Supreme Court case itself and regulation of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from automobiles be restricted to just automobiles. … So there’s an interest to determine whether we could define CO2 from automobiles as somehow different than CO2 from power plants, for example –
SEN. KLOBUCHAR: Do you think that’s possible?
BURNETT: Clearly it wasn’t supportable. Earlier this month, former EPA official Jason Burnett wrote to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) with explosive revelations on how the White H... more -
Climate change activist glues himself to Gordon Brown
A climate change activist attempted to superglue himself to Gordon Brown after he was invited to Downing Street to receive an award for his protesting work.
Dan Glass, of the campaigning group Plane Stupid, tried to attach his hand to the Prime Minister's suit as the pair met at an event to recognise the contribution of the voluntary sector.
The 24-year-old then demanded to know why the Government was refusing to meet residents opposed to plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport.
"We cannot shake away climate change like you can just shake away my arm," the protestor said, before the Prime Minister wrenched his sleeve away.
Downing Street laughed off the stunt, and said there had never been any threat to Mr Brown. A spokesman said: "As far as we are concerned, nothing really happened.
"There was a light-hearted and not particularly successful demonstration at a reception that was being hosted at Downing Street."
Speaking afterwards, Mr Glass, from Barnet, north London said he had smuggled five pouches of glue into the building in his underwear, before smearing the adhesive onto his left hand.
"I just glued myself to him and after 20 seconds he tore my hand off - it really hurt. He had to give it a couple of tugs before it came away," he said.
"He was just grinning about it. He didn't seem to take me seriously."
The protestor said he was given a round of applause by the audience as he urged the Prime Minister to change his mind on Heathrow expansion.
Mr Glass had been invited to Downing Street to receive an award from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation for his protesting work with Plane Stupid.
Police said there had not been any security breach, as Mr Glass was invited and did not cause any damage. A climate change activist attempted to superglue himself to Gordon Brown after he was invited to Downing Street to receive an award fo... more -
Protester glues himself to British PM
A transport protester invited to 10 Downing street last night managed to superglue himself to the British PM.
Dan Glass, who was at number 10 to collect an award for his work on transportation issues, is from the group 'Plane Stupid', which campaigns against airport expansions and climate change.
After Brown easily managed to break his arm free, Glass quipped: "he can shake off my arm, but he cannot shake away climate change."
A transport protester invited to 10 Downing street last night managed to superglue himself to the British PM. ... more -
Study shows air pollution doing serious harm to ecosystems
If you are living in the eastern United States, the environment around you is being harmed by air pollution. From Adirondack forests and Shenandoah streams to Appalachian wetlands and the Chesapeake Bay, a new report by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and The Nature Conservancy has found that air pollution is degrading every major ecosystem type in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States.
The report, Threats From Above: Air Pollution Impacts on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States, is the first to analyze the large-scale effects that four air pollutants are having across a broad range of habitat types (see inset). The majority of recent studies focus on one individual pollutant. Over 32 experts contributed to the effort; the prognosis is not good.
"Everywhere we looked, we found evidence of air pollution harming natural resources," comments Dr. Gary M. Lovett, an ecologist at the Cary Institute and the lead author of the report. "Decisive action is needed if we plan on preserving functioning ecosystems for future generations."
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This is the world our younger generation will inherit. They must begin to get serious about working to preserve it and to hold this generation accountable for leaving it sustainable. I have always been baffled at how we humans can know doing something is dangerous and toxic to the future and to the present regarding the quality of our air, water, and land, and yet we continue to do it. We cannot continue on this path. This is one of the most important challenges our younger generation will have to face, and I truly wish there was more of an urgency about it. Pollution is not a 'natural' occurence of nature, we are doing it, and only we can make it right. If you are living in the eastern United States, the environment around you is being harmed by air pollution. From Adirondack forests a... more -
American physicists warned not to debate global warming by their superiors
Bureaucrats at the American Physical Society (APS) have issued a curious warning to their members about an article in one of their own publications. Don't read this, they say - we don't agree with it. But what is it about the piece that is so terrible, that like Medusa, it could make men go blind?
It's an article that examines the calculation central to climate models. As the editor of the APS's newsletter American Physics Jeffrey Marque explains, the global warming debate must be re-opened.
"There is a considerable presence within the scientific community of people who do not agree with the IPCC conclusion that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are very probably likely to be primarily responsible for the global warming that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution. Since the correctness or fallacy of that conclusion has immense implications for public policy and for the future of the biosphere, we thought it appropriate to present a debate within the pages of P&S concerning that conclusion," he wrote.
American Physics invited both believers and sceptics to submit articles, and has published a submission by Viscount Monckton questioning the core calculation of the greenhouse gas theory: climate sensitivity. The believers are represented by two physicists from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who state that:
"Basic atmospheric models clearly predict that additional greenhouse gasses will raise the temperature of Earth. To argue otherwise, one must prove a physical mechanism that gives a reasonable alternative cause of warming. This has not been done. Sunspot and temperature correlations do not prove causality."
But within a few days, Monckton's piece carried a health warning: in bright red ink.
The following article has not undergone any scientific peer review. Its conclusions are in disagreement with the overwhelming opinion of the world scientific community. The Council of the American Physical Society disagrees with this article's conclusions.
Not so much Medusa, then, as Nanny telling the children what not to think.
"The first sentence is nothing more or less than a deliberate lie," writes Professor John Brignell on his Numberwatch blog. "The second is, to say the least, contentious; while the third is an outrageous example of ultra vires interference by a committee in the proper conduct of scientific debate."
Monckton has asked for an apology. In a letter to the APS President Arthur Bienenstock, he writes:
"If the Council has not scientifically evaluated or formally considered my paper, may I ask with what credible scientific justification, and on whose authority, the offending text asserts primo, that the paper had not been scientifically reviewed when it had; secundo, that its conclusions disagree with what is said (on no evidence) to be the "overwhelming opinion of the world scientific community"; and, tertio, that "The Council of the American Physical Society disagrees with this article's conclusions"? Which of my conclusions does the Council disagree with, and on what scientific grounds (if any)?" Bureaucrats at the American Physical Society (APS) have issued a curious warning to their members about an article in one of their own... more -
The UK's Green New Deal to Combat Economic Depression, Climate Change
Inciting the rhetoric of FDR during the days of the Great Depression, several economists, politicians, and environmentalists in the UK have made news recently with the proposal of the Green New Deal, an ambitious plan to fight the triple threats of the credit crunch, high gas prices, and climate change that are factoring to degrade life and the world as we know it.
According to an article on the Guardian UK’s website, amongst other things, the proposals seek to redistribute the "distorting power" of the banking industry. They suggest that large banking groups be forcibly split up to minimize the systemic risk that federal bailouts of institutions like Northern Rock and Bear Stearns pose.
Moving from this restructuring, The Green New Deal proposes a massive investment—including the utilization of municipal bond funds—in renewables, pushing for energy self-sufficiency and the attempt to make "every building [in the UK] a power station."
The Green New Deal also proposes to create a "carbon army," a mass of people who are currently under- or unemployed who could be trained for the low- to high-level jobs required for the infrastructural shifts in green investment.
The group's recommendations include:
--Massive investment in renewable energy and wider transformation in the UK
--The creation of thousands of new "green collar" jobs
--Making low-cost capital available to fund the UK's green economic shift
--Building a new alliance between environmentalists, industry, agriculture, and unions
Inciting the rhetoric of FDR during the days of the Great Depression, several economists, politicians, and environmentalists in the UK... more -
Global Warming is HERE, there is the proof
You only need to view this video to know global warming is here (see link)
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Call for deadline on clean coal
The UK Environmental Audit Committe has said that the government's progressin pushing for cleaner coal power stations is "extremely dissapointing".
Burning coal produces twice as much CO2 as does gas, but the promise of "clean coal" technologies have encouraged new confidence in the UK.
However, the committe have heard evidence that 5-6 new 'old' coal burning stations are to be built in the UK by 2015. This is despite the committe's advice that even with the promise of cleaner burning, "coal should be seen as the last resort." The UK Environmental Audit Committe has said that the government's progressin pushing for cleaner coal power stations is "extremely di... 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 -
The Carbon Cycle
After graduating Uni, four best mates (Pete, Ben, Tom & Will) decide to embark on an epic 1000mile low-carbon cycling adventure. The 20 day journey takes the green quartet across the entire country - from Land's End to John O'Groats. Handing out energy-saving light bulbs along the way, towing a solar panel (for lighting at night, phones and ipods) and only eating local food, they attempt to keep their carbon footprint as low as is humanly possible. Will their bikes and friendship endure the testing journey? or will they opt for a BigMac and a cheap flight home?! After graduating Uni, four best mates (Pete, Ben, Tom & Will) decide to embark on an epic 1000mile low-carbon cycling adventure. T... more
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American Idle
Not long ago, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, arrived at work on Capitol Hill to find a line of SUVs waiting to pick up their passengers.
Firing off a letter to President Bush, Grassley wrote that with $4 gas, it’s unconscionable that “each and every day, there are likely dozens, if not hundreds of federal government SUVs and sedans idling for hours in Washington alone while waiting for their passengers.”
The letter got some attention, mostly for its down-home
worries in the midst of a sprawling national energy debate. But idling is no small matter, government and public health groups say.
A billion gallons of diesel fuel are burned every year by idling long-haul trucks and locomotives, pushing 11 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
That doesn’t even count public buses, school buses and millions of cars across the country.
Increasingly, though, it appears some states and localities see engine idling as an area in need of closer inspection:
-- Officials in Elk Grove Village, Ill., just began studying the creation of a no-idling zone.
-- The Minneapolis City Council approved an ordinance last month limiting idling to three minutes.
-- A Massachusetts town also is sending the message that idlers need to move on, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
In the Quad-Cities, idlers still can safely leave their engines on. None of this area’s major cities have laws against idling.
Still, some local governments say they’re trying to keep idling to a minimum.
In Davenport, school bus drivers can’t idle for more than five minutes, says Scott Martin, the director of operations for the city’s school district.
“It’s continually stressed. We want to be good stewards of the environment and fuel,” Martin said.
John Campbell, director of operations for the Bettendorf School District, says it has a policy aimed at limiting engine idling, too.
Mostly, it’s the trucking industry that’s had to deal with idling.
Long-haul drivers faced with mandatory rest periods often leave their trucks running while sleeping or resting inside.
It’s a costly practice.
The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates idling costs the trucking industry $2.5 billion a year.
Some states have tried to stop it, too.
Ten states have passed anti-idling laws, the conference of state legislatures says, and local government in another 20 states regulate the practice.
The laws are a patchwork of requirements that can bedevil drivers. Not long ago, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, arrived at work on Capitol Hill to find a line of SUVs waiting to pick up their passen... more -
Plea For climate refugees of Tuvalu
TUVALUAN elder Fikau Teponga's island homeland is sinking and he wants Darebin Council to help save his people.
Now living in Fairfield, the leader of Victoria's tiny Tuvaluan community is calling on Darebin Council to lobby the Federal Government to set up a new climate-change refugee category.
He is backed by Darebin Ethnic Communities Council, which will discuss an action plan with Darebin Council this week.
Mr Teponga fears for the safety of his mother, five brothers, two sisters, two sons and eight grandchildren, among the 11,000 living on Tuvalu already experiencing dire climate change consequences.
"Water from the wells is contaminated with salt and undrinkable. People see their taro root and vegetable crops dying before their eyes and the waves are creeping further and further on to the coastline," he said.
Tuvalu was a tropical paradise, but at just a few metres above sea level. The rising tides of global warming would wipe out this group of nine islands north of Fiji.
Councils have lobbied the Federal Government on behalf of asylum-seekers before.
In 2003 Victorian local government lobbied on behalf of 800 East Timorese asylum-seekers who wanted to stay in Australia.
Darebin Ethnic Communities Council chairman Gaetano Greco said New Zealand had a category for refugees displaced by the environment and Australia should do likewise.
Minister for Immigration Senator Chris Evans said Australia could help resettle people displaced by climate change.
TUVALUAN elder Fikau Teponga's island homeland is sinking and he wants Darebin Council to help save his people. ... more
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