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Author |
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Section |
Brit's Eye View: Summer skirmishes
A roundup of energy and climate news from the U.K. |
Ben Tuxworth |
18 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Ben Tuxworth, communications director at Forum for the Future, writes a monthly column for Gristmill on sustainability in the U.K. and Europe. ----- Like pretty much every other English person I know, I'm currently on holiday in France. The Vendee region makes for a pleasant alternative to Britain at this time of year, and just down the road is La Rochelle, which was part of England until, oh, about 500 years ago. The two nations are deep in a classic love-ha ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, France, nuclear power, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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The nukes of hazard
French independent nuclear commission reports four malfunctions in four plants in 15 days |
Joseph Romm |
31 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Just when you thought it was safe to build 45 new nuclear plants by 2030 as John McCain wants, comes this word from France's Independent Commission on Research and Information on Radiocactivity (CRIIRAD): 'In less than 15 days, the CRIIRAD has been informed of four malfunctions in four nuclear plants, leading to the accidental contamination of 126 workers,' CRIIRAD head Corinne Castanier told Reuters in an interview ... But the conservative francophile said last ... |
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| Topics: energy, France, John McCain, nuclear power, toxics (all these topics) |
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It's Elementary, My Dear ... Watts On!
French downplay years-old uranium leak at nuclear plant |
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21 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:50 AM on 21 Jul 2008 A uranium leak was discovered on Friday in an underground pipe at a nuclear fuel plant in France. Authorities said the leak was probably a few years old, but insisted it really isn't all that bad since groundwater apparently wasn't contaminated and the uranium leak was relatively small. However, the reassurances were not quite as comforting to the public as they might ... |
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| Topics: France, news, nuclear power, toxics (all these topics) |
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Eiffel and I Can Get Up
Greenpeacers climb Eiffel Tower in anti-nuclear protest |
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14 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:33 AM on 14 Jul 2008 About 15 Greenpeace activists scaled the Eiffel Tower Sunday and unveiled a banner to protest France's nuclear-energy policies. France uses more nuclear power than any other E.U. nation. "Since he was elected, President Nicolas Sarkozy has done everything he could to sell nuclear energy," Greenpeace said in a statement. "At the U.N., as head of the European council, or ... |
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| Topics: energy, France, grassroots activism, Greenpeace, news, nuclear power (all these topics) |
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Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Oui
French capital will implement electric-car-sharing program |
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23 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:16 PM on 23 Jun 2008 Having successfully implemented a bike-sharing program, Paris is revving up plans to provide electric cars that residents can pick up and drop off anywhere in the city. Mayor Bertrand Delanoë announced that 4,000 electric cars will be made available by the end of the next year at 700 pickup points. "There will be a computerized system which allows you as soon as you collect ... |
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| Topics: cars, electric vehicles, France, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Ready to Chirac
Former French prez launches foundation to preserve biodiversity |
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10 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:24 AM on 10 Jun 2008 Former French President Jacques Chirac has launched a foundation aimed at preserving cultural and natural diversity that humans seem intent upon obliterating. The Chirac Foundation will provide funds to improve access to water and medicines in developing countries, fight deforestation and desertification, and preserve languages and cultures that are on the verge of dying out. "I ... |
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| Topics: biodiversity, France, habitat protection, news (all these topics) |
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Confirmed it through the grapevine
Brangelina drink to life on an organic vineyard |
Sarah van Schagen |
27 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Back in August, we hinted at the possibility that Brad and Ange were looking to sample some eco-friendly wineries. But now we've heard official word (through the grapevine) that they've chosen a lovely organic variety in the south of France. The Jolie-Pitts have purchased Château Miraval, a 1,000-acre property featuring two swimming pools, two gyms, 20 fountains, a lake, a moat, and a lush organic vineyard. The $60 million estate also includes 35 bedrooms -- ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, food, France, gossip, green living, organic food (all these topics) |
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Très Bien!
French automaker and waste-management biz team up to recycle cars |
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22 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:32 AM on 22 Feb 2008 French automaker Renault has announced that it will team up with waste-management company Sita to develop end-of-life recycling for automobiles. A European Union directive requires new vehicles to be 95 percent recyclable by 2015, as compared to 85 percent now. sources: Reuters, Dow Jones Newswires, Forbes From the Archives It Takes a Village. Protests arise o ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, France, news, recycling (all these topics) |
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Why do they hate FreedomCar?
French government charges fees to new owners of gas-guzzling vehicles |
Clark Williams-Derry |
09 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| France is supercharging vehicle efficiency -- not by doling out big R&D subsidies for cars that never make it to market, but by instituting a system of efficiency feebates. In a nutshell: the French ministry of ecology has announced a program that would require purchasers of new gas guzzlers (luxury Mercedes, for example) to pay an extra fee for the privilege. That money is rebated to people who buy super-efficient cars. If it's done right, the system ... |
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| Topics: cars, France, fuel efficiency (all these topics) |
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French connections
Is it something in the air? |
Ron Steenblik |
20 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Interesting things are happening in the francophone world. Last week I reported that the Quebec government had decided to stop supporting any new ethanol plants based on corn as a feedstock. Now the French government, perhaps flowing out of its broad social dialogue on the environment (known as 'Le Grenelle français de l'environnement'), is reported to be thinking of slashing subsidies benefiting the production of ethanol in the country. Ooh la la, what in the world ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, cars, energy, ethanol, France (all these topics) |
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Cheese-eating tax monkeys
French prez Sarkozy backs carbon tax |
David Roberts |
25 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Via CK at the CTC, I see that French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for a carbon tax in France, as well a a levy on imports from countries that don't participate in the Kyoto Protocol. Hm, who might those be? U.S. right-wingers like to use Sarkozy as a rhetorical bludgeon, showing that Europe is moving toward the U.S. rather than vice versa. I wonder if this will cause any of their little pea brains to short-circuit. If the tax issue doesn't, this surely will ... |
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| Topics: carbon tax, climate, France, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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The Green Berets
French president launches environmental initiatives |
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25 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 12:43 PM on 25 Oct 2007 French President Nicolas Sarkozy today described a smattering of green initiatives for the country, prescribing some and promising to study others. Capping a two-day conference on ways France could green itself, Sarkozy outlined the policy ideas in a speech, with climate campaigner Al Gore looking on. Afterward, Gore offered the praise he was likely invited for, saying of the proposals, "T ... |
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| Topics: climate, France, news (all these topics) |
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French conservatives go green, too!
Sarkozy pushes proposals on energy and the environment |
Joseph Romm |
09 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| We have already seen that British Conservatives 'get' global warming -- both the danger of inaction and the economic opportunity of a 'green revolution.' Now the right wing cheese-eating surrender monkeys are also putting their American political counterparts to shame. As Nature reports about the new conservative French president: Sarkozy made the greening of France a major plank of his election campaign this year. He has since created a superministry for ecol ... |
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| Topics: energy efficiency, energy, France, politics, renewable energy, agriculture (all these topics) |
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Velib' liberates Paris
A Parisian tries out the city's new rent-a-bike program |
Jon Rynn |
05 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest essay from my sister, Margie Rynn, who has lived in Paris for seven years. ----- It took me awhile to be willing to try Velib', the new rent-a-bike program now available all over the streets of Paris.I love the idea: anyone can pick up a bike at any metro station or anywhere there's a 'borne' (stand) of bikes, ride around for half an hour, and then leave it at any Velib' stand. That first half hour is free, and not only that, the bikes themsel ... |
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| Topics: bikes, France, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics) |
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We Wish We Could Say the Same of the Heiress
The City of Love unveils an emissions reduction plan |
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02 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:27 PM on 02 Oct 2007 Speaking of the scheming of the French, Paris has pledged to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by 2020. Gosh, who isn't introducing such plans these days? Oh. Right. source: Agence France-Presse From the Archives Quebec and Call. Quebec introduces carbon tax. Moving Stricture. Corps may buy out coastal Miss. towns, encourage resid ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, France, greenhouse-gas emissions, news (all these topics) |
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Tweet and Sour
Songbird endangered in France hunted as a culinary delicacy |
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19 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:32 PM on 19 Sep 2007 Ortolan is a French delicacy: a tiny songbird, roasted whole and swallowed in one bite, bones and all. Ortolan hunting has been banned in France since 1998 to protect the species, but the birds have a high price on the black market, and as many as 30,000 a year are fattened up and sold by poachers to high-end chefs. Apparently freedom fries just aren't good enough for them. source: Assoc ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, food, France, news, wildlife (all these topics) |
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On the Ball: Lack of specific information edition
A mysterious World Cup goes green |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
30 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The sporting! It continues to go green! Solar panels on stadium roofs, recycled pitch-watering systems and fair trade snacks for half time should make the World Cup a model for environmentally friendly sporting events, French officials said on Tuesday. It's the rugby World Cup that they speak of, by the by. You'd have to search the interwebs to find that out, because the story never mentions the word 'rugby.' Not so much with the key information there, Reut ... |
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| Topics: France, green living, sports (all these topics) |
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Frogs love bikes
Paris bike rental scheme takes off |
David Roberts |
09 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| But wait, I thought bikes were impractical! Taxi drivers and other critics said that it would never work, but three weeks after Paris was sprinkled with 10,000 self-service bicycles, the scheme is proving a triumph and a new pedalling army appears to be taming the city's famously fierce traffic. Bertrand Delanoë, the city's mayor, and his green-minded administration are jubilant at the gusto with which Parisians and visitors have taken to the heavy grey cycles th ... |
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| Topics: bikes, France, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Word Gets Around
New bike, parking policies leave polluting vehicles in the dust |
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09 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Word Gets Around New bike, parking policies leave polluting vehicles in the dust Now for some wheely good news (sorry, it had to be done): officials around the globe are moving forward on innovative eco-transportation schemes. Last week, the city council of Reykjavik, Iceland, enacted a rule that gives free parking to those who drive fuel-efficient vehicles. In Ontario, Cana ... |
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| Topics: bikes, Canada, cars, energy, France, Iceland, innovation, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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On the Ball: Olympic extravaganza
Planning ahead for Beijing, London, and Sochi |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
06 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Today, On the Ball brings you Olympics, Olympics, Olympics! And, if you read far enough, a reflection on undergarments. Beijing photo: vizzo via Flickr As we are now officially more than halfway through 2007, Beijing is getting all geared up for its Olympic games, to be held Aug. 8-24, 2008. On Wednesday, there were numerous reports of the city's upcoming plan to test how removing cars from the road affects air quality. Specifically, for two weeks nex ... |
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| Topics: China, France, green living, Olympics, Russia, sports, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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French nukes may go flaccid
In the summer heat |
David Roberts |
22 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Global warming is going to make things hotter. Nuclear power plants need lots of cool water to operate. When it gets hot, the cool water gets used up quickly.You do the maths. |
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| Topics: climate, energy, France, nuclear power (all these topics) |
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Yellow Jersey Optional
City of Paris to begin bike-sharing program |
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15 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Yellow Jersey Optional City of Paris to begin bike-sharing program Ah, Paris. The sex tape! The jail time! Wait, wait ... wrong Paris. Ahem. The croissants! The berets! The phallic tower! And now: the free bikes! By mid-July, 10,648 bicycles will show up in 750 stations across The City of Love, allowing riders to pick them up and drop them off at a different destination. By 2008, the city hopes to provide nearly twice ... |
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| Topics: bikes, France, public transportation (all these topics) |
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The Tête Offensive
French eco-groups get face time with new president |
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22 May 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| The Tête Offensive French eco-groups get face time with new president Nicolas Sarkozy is better known as a friend to big business than as a friend to the environment, but the newly elected French president is reaching out nonetheless. Yesterday, three days after taking office, he gathered representatives from nine green groups -- along with the head of the newly created ministry of sustainable development, Al ... |
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| Topics: climate, environmental movement, France, news (all these topics) |
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Quote of the day
From that new French dude |
David Roberts |
07 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I want to send word to our American friends to tell them they can count on our friendship, which has been forged by the tragedies of history that we have confronted together. I want to tell them that France will always be at their side when they need her. But I also want to tell them that friendship is accepting that friends can think differently, and that a great nation like the United States should not be an obstacle to the fight against global warming, but on ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, France, international politics, politics, quotables (all these topics) |
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Now Who's a Moonbeam?
On heels of climate report, governments and businesses get real |
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05 Feb 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Now Who's a Moonbeam? On heels of climate report, governments and businesses get real Heeding a call from French President Jacques Chirac, 46 nations are backing a plan to create a powerful new U.N. Environment Organization that could police climate offenders. Egregious emitters Russia, China, India, and the U.S. didn't leap up and down volunteering to j ... |
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| Topics: business, California, climate, environmental justice, France, news, politics, World Wildlife Fund (all these topics) |
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