Thursday, 26 Jul 2007

Now That's Density

British government plans new eco-towns, flood-plain development

The British government announced plans this week to build 2 million new homes by 2016, including five carbon-neutral "eco-towns" of at least 5,000 homes each. Each green town will have public transportation to existing cities, favor green space and walkability, include 30 to 50 percent affordable housing, and showcase a project such as communal heating or a carpool scheme. An additional million homes are likely to be built in Britain between 2016 and 2020, and the government is requiring that all homes built after 2016 be carbon neutral. Says Housing Minister Yvette Cooper, "No one should be in any doubt about the historic scale of this vision." But critics can't shake one niggling doubt: the government, citing heavy demand, is deflecting concerns about its plans to develop on flood plains -- despite the country's recent drenching. Says one opponent, "[They] aren't planning the eco-towns of the 21st century, they are planning the sink estates of tomorrow."


This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a "think and do tank" founded by Amory Lovins, a man to whom the phrase "ahead of his time" scarcely does justice. Since the mid-'70s, Lovins has been carefully and consistently guiding the conversation on energy away from the "hard path" of more-and-bigger, toward the "soft path" of more efficient, more distributed, and more equitable. With concern over global warming and energy scarcity growing, Lovins' accumulated wisdom has never been in higher demand. David Roberts called him in Colorado to pick his brain on current congressional goings on, Iraq, biofuels, and much more.

Driver Education

Ground-level ozone could be important factor in climate change

If you've spent time proudly mastering the difference between ground-level ozone and climate change, prepare to be flummoxed: the two issues appear to be linked. According to a study in Nature, ground-level ozone damages plants, affecting their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which allows more CO2 to wander into the atmosphere and doom the planet. "Ozone could be twice as important as we previously thought as a driver of climate change," says coauthor Peter Cox of England's University of Exeter. Plants and soil store about a quarter of human carbon dioxide emissions, but the researchers say increases in ground-level ozone -- which has doubled since the mid-19th century -- "could lead to significant reductions in regional plant production and crop yields." While science types had already pegged ozone higher in the atmosphere as a heat-trapping gas, most studies of lower-level ozone had focused on human health effects. Now, they say, climate models have a whole new factor to consider. Great.


There are a few things in life that just say "summer": baseball, going barefoot, gnawing corn on the cob, eating cherries ... A bowl of the ripe red fruits set at her place at breakfast sends Roz Cummins on a trip down cherry-memory lane, and inspires her to share a tasty recipe that takes advantage of the season's bounty.

Who Needs Enforcement When Things Are Going So Well?

U.S. EPA doesn't employ enough eco-cops, memo says

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly violating a law that requires it to employ at least 200 criminal investigators. The agency has 174 eco-cops on board -- some of whom are pulled off duty to guard EPA head Stephen Johnson when he travels. Because ... eco-crimes have decreased? You might think so by the EPA caseload, which dropped from 484 new investigations in 2002 to 305 in 2006. Assistant Administrator Granta Nakayama says that's due to a strategy of pursuing bigger busts, but critics scoff. "If you have fewer cops on the beat, you end up with fewer cases," said Eric Schaeffer, a former EPA civil enforcement head. Said Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), "It is difficult to believe that environmental crime suddenly declined precipitously after Bush took office. It is more likely that the administration's enthusiasm for criminal prosecution declined." The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Dingell chairs, is investigating the agency's criminal enforcement operations.