Wednesday, 22 Sep 2004

Dim Sun

Global dimming has arrived, and we're not talking reality TV

Scientist Atsumu Ohmura discovered something rather unnerving a few years ago: Over the past several decades, the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth has been declining. In other words, the globe has been dimming, at the same time it's been warming. Even more disturbing is Ohmura's latest thesis: If we take steps to decrease air pollution and thereby increase the light, we'll also increase the heat. Kip Keen writes about the warmin' and the dimmin' and the grim prognoses for both -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

Ghostwriter in the Machine

More language in proposed mercury regs found to echo industry memos

Language in the Bush administration's proposed mercury regulations has been found to almost precisely mirror passages in memos written by a law firm representing coal-fired power plants. No, we're not rerunning a story from months ago -- it's happened again. For those of you following along at home, this is the third such discovery, and as Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) said, it "no longer comes as much of a surprise." This time around, the language has to do with whether the Clean Air Act requires the feds to regulate other toxic chemicals, like lead, chromium, and arsenic, emitted by power plants. Though the U.S. EPA found in 2000 that such chemicals are potential carcinogens, the proposed mercury regulations -- or rather, the memos from which they plagiarize -- contend that the science is too uncertain and the regs would cost power companies too much. EPA chief Mike Leavitt offered a flaccid semi-defense of the plagiarism yesterday, saying, "the way you create a proposed rule is you put in just about anything you want people to comment on."

Assault and Pepper

Trial of "Pepper Spray 8" may deadlock again

In 1997, protesters locked themselves together with metal sleeves to protest Pacific Lumber Co.'s plans to log old-growth forests in California's Humboldt County. Although the protests were nonviolent, Humboldt police swabbed pepper spray in the eyes of eight protestors at three separate protests. Footage of the protestors screaming in pain was broadcast, lawsuits were filed, and the "Pepper Spray 8" became a cause celebre among enviros. The legal battles since have included a hung jury, a U.S. district court judge who dismissed the suit only to be overruled twice and eventually removed, and a U.S. Supreme Court order to remand the case to the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ordered the jury trial now under way. As of yesterday, final arguments are over, with the plaintiffs' lawyers having alleged torture and a deliberate political attempt to suppress protest, while lawyers for the police argued that pepper spray is a safe "tool." After only hours of discussion, the jury announced itself deadlocked, only to be told by the judge to return this morning to deliberation. Stay tuned.

Hugh and Cry

Questions raised about influential conservation software

In recent years, many large conservation plans -- including the biggie that led Australia to ban fishing on a third of the Great Barrier Reef -- were produced using a computer program called Marxan. Now, Australian professor Hugh P. Possingham, who helped develop the program in 1998, is raising questions about it. In a recent study, Possingham found that unless plans generated by the program are implemented within a year -- a rare thing for plans of any size -- they are not as effective as the general rules of thumb conservationists used in the dark, primitive pre-software days. The problem, he said, is that big plans are often static, while environmental conditions and patterns of land ownership are not. Many conservationists took umbrage at Possingham's conclusions, noting that the sort of blueprints put out by the software help raise money for conservation. "If you think big and have a comprehensive plan and have a map in front of decision makers and donors," said Eric Dinerstein of the World Wildlife Fund, "you have a much better chance of generating the funds you need."

States of Grace

States take the lead on renewable energy

With the climate for renewable energy rather inhospitable at the federal level, states are taking the initiative. For example, a proposal before the New York Public Service Commission would require utilities to get 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2013; if it passes, New York will become the 17th state with renewable portfolio standards requiring utilities to increase their use of wind, solar, geothermal, and/or other eco-friendly energy sources. Polls consistently show high public support for energy conservation and renewable energy; a big hurdle, though, is the vast sums of money power companies spend to lobby against legislation and citizen initiatives. However, despite the pollutocrats' attempts to thwart clean-energy proposals, many observers believe the blooming of multiple state initiatives makes federal action on renewables inevitable. In related news, a new report partially funded by the U.S. government and conducted by Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute found that the U.S. could potentially wean itself off oil completely by 2050, and save money doing so.