Monday, 09 Dec 2002

A Blow to the Solar Plexus

Renewable energy use in the U.S. dropped sharply in 2001, according to a new report by the Department of Energy. Much of that decline stems from a drought that cut hydroelectric power generation by 23 percent, but the DOE's Energy Information Administration also found that in 2001, solar equipment was retired faster than it was replaced. The bulk of U.S. solar energy projects were started during the early 1980s, when oil prices skyrocketed due to conflict with Iran. The solar equipment from that boom is now wearing out, and there's no sign of a national rush to replace it. There are some bright spots -- for instance, the number of solar collectors, which gather the sun's heat for uses such as warming swimming pools, increased by 34 percent last year -- but the total amount of solar energy collected in the U.S. has fallen for three years in a row. Overall, the use of renewable fuel sources, including sun, wind, biomass, and hydroelectric, fell by 12 percent to its lowest level in more than 12 years; such fuel sources accounted for just 6 percent of the energy consumed in the country last year.

Perc Up

The nation's first-ever ban on perchloroethylene, or "perc," went into effect on Friday when Southern California air quality officials approved a regulation mandating a phase-out of the chemical by the year 2020. The long lead-time to the phase-out is a concession to the dry-cleaning industry, which relies on perc to remove stubborn stains from delicate fabrics. The measure is considered a death-knell for perc-based dry-cleaning because other communities around the country are likely to follow suit in banning the carcinogenic chemical. In the Los Angeles region, air quality officials estimate that 850 tons of perc are released annually, making it one of the most abundant airborne pollutants in the area.

Green Unpleasant Land

A record quantity of northern polar ice was lost this year, according to scientists who presented their findings at a conference of the American Geophysical Union held this weekend in San Francisco. Surface melt in Greenland, for example, was the highest in recorded history, and extended to previously unaffected altitudes. In total, there were about 265,000 square miles of melt on the Greenland ice sheet this year, more than double that of 10 years ago. Although the scientists acknowledged that natural variations could account for some of the accelerated melting, they noted that glacial and sea ice melt, disappearing permafrost, the northward creep of vegetation, and increased fresh-water runoff together make "a compelling case that something is going on," according to Larry Hinzman of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. That "something" would be human influences on the atmosphere, including ozone depletion and global warming from greenhouse gas emissions. Changes in sea-ice levels have potentially dramatic implications for the global climate, because, while sea ice reflects 80 percent of solar radiation, melted sea ice -- water -- reflects just 20 percent, creating a positive feedback loop for further warming.

Prodigal Son

The U.S. Agriculture Department has levied more than $3 million in fines against biotech company ProdiGene for mixing GM corn containing an animal vaccine with soybeans meant for human consumption. The contaminated soybeans were stopped before they reached the market, and the company, which makes pharmaceutical and industrial enzymes and proteins by growing them in GM corn, will pay $2.7 million for the value of the soybeans, as well as additional money for the cost of destroying them and a $250,000 fine. The incident marks the first time the USDA has fined a biotechnology company for violation of the 2000 Plant Protection Act, which regulates the planting and transportation of GM crops.

Rebel Without a Forest

The state of Chiapas, in southeastern Mexico, is home to the last remaining stands of rainforest in the nation -- and also to almost half a million impoverished people, many of them living on the brink of starvation. In the past, the forest has been ravaged by monied interests, such as foreign companies looking to cut down the region's mahogany and cedar trees; now, the region's people and its trees are both dying, and sadly, the struggle often pits one against the other as peasants try to scratch a living from the land. The 1,278 square miles now known as the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve officially became a protected area in 1978, but that protection has been compromised by pressures from poverty, population growth, and political upheaval. The Zapatista rebel movement has said that conservation efforts in Montes Azules serve "large multinational companies dedicated to exploiting biogenetic resources," not the region's natural resources, much less its people. But the central conflict in the area is perhaps best summed up by one of its residents, Manuel Lopez Gomez, who said, "It's difficult to maintain a nature preserve in places where people want to live."