Tuesday, 27 Mar 2007

Fuel Me Twice

Bush, Big Auto agree that ethanol is the way of the future ... again

Detroit's Big Three automakers cruised to the White House yesterday to plead their case for improving biofuels access and to remind the president that they're not so keen on that whole "improving fuel economy" idea. Bush played along by plugging a power cord into a Ford hydrogen concept car for the cameras and praising the companies' technological innovations. Addressing the wonders of flex-fuel vehicles, he even wrapped a new eco-talking point into his always-smooth patter: "If you want to reduce gasoline usage like I believe we need to do so for national-security reasons as well as for environmental concerns, the consumer has got to be in a position to make a rational choice." While the carmakers said they could make half of their fleet flex-fuel compatible by 2012, they claim they can only reach that goal if more pumps are made available nationwide. And what about Bush's goal of improving fuel economy 4 percent a year? Said Rick Wagoner, CEO of GM, "We didn't talk about the 4 percent."

Outback Darkhouse

Sydney, Australia, to put the lights out for climate change

Last month, Australian officials announced that traditional incandescent light bulbs would be phased out by 2010 and replaced by compact fluorescents and other efficient lighting technologies. But Sydney is getting a jump on the energy-conservation action: this Saturday, bulbs across the city will be going dark for one hour. More than 30,000 Sydney households and 1,000 businesses have pledged to turn off their lights at 7:30 p.m. to raise awareness about global warming. "The first commitment is lights off for an hour, then as we go forward, we're looking to try and set ourselves a target of reducing emissions by 5 percent over the next year," says spokesdude Andy Ridley of the World Wildlife Fund, which has been planning the Earth Hour for 10 months. If all goes well, the only lights left illuminated will be those associated with public safety. Even McDonald's is on board, Ridley says, with plans to turn off its golden arches signs. We're lovin' it.


Could green be the new black ink? Judging by the number of glossy magazines putting green issues on newsstands this month, the answer is yes. You probably know Outside has a green banner splashed across its cover (and a profile of your favorite eco-news website inside). But Glamour, Town & Country, and Sports Illustrated? Yep, they've all leapt aboard the green-issue express. Business rags are getting into the act too: Fortune highlights 10 mega-corporations making impressive environmental gains, while Fast Company and Business 2.0 profile smaller companies that are amassing market share by going green. Sarah van Schagen gives the green lifestyle issues a good read, and John Elkington and Mark Lee leaf through the business at hand.

It Seems We've Stood and Talked Like This Before

Climate change could make some climate zones disappear, worsen asthma

It's been a while since we've done a probable-effects-of-climate-change story, and we'd hate to leave you hanging. So: according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, climate change could reinvent the world's climate zones by 2100 (feels closer all the time, don't it?). New climate zones could emerge -- leading, for instance, to more forest fires in a hot, dry Amazon -- and some current polar and mountain zones could disappear entirely. "The species that live in these climates really have nowhere to go as the system changes," said lead author Jack Williams of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Too remote and crittery for you? Try this on for size: the longer growing season and increased pollen tied to warming could worsen asthma and allergies. "Warming is touted as good for agriculture, but weeds may be reacting disproportionately fast," says Paul Epstein of Harvard Medical School. "This is an issue with great importance for human health and agricultural yields."

Tomb Aiders

Taiwan freeway officials help butterflies find their way

Bracing for the migratory peak of millions of purple milkweed butterflies, officials in Taiwan are closing one lane of a major highway, installing netting to encourage the butterflies to rise above traffic, and using ultraviolet lights to guide them under a busy bridge. "Human beings need to coexist with the other species, even if they are tiny butterflies," says Lee Thay-ming of the National Freeway Bureau. With a study by the Butterfly Conservation Society of Taiwan showing that 11,500 butterflies a minute winged their way across the now four-year-old freeway during three hours on an April day in 2005, lepidopterists hope the measures will reduce deaths-by-splattering. The closing coincides with the annual Tomb-Sweeping Festival, a celebration of life and death; the bureau advises celebrants to maintain normal speeds and safety. The loosely translated but oddly poetic goal: "Much more our patience, less fewer the butterfly casualties, much more imagination of Taiwan."