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Author |
Published |
Section |
Coal: Still not cheap
The cost of the FutureGen 'clean coal' plant doubles |
Sean Casten |
13 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This from Greenwire today ($ub req'd): 'The DOE FutureGen program has announced that their 'clean coal' plus carbon sequestration is checking in at $1.8 billion for a 275 MW plant, or $6500/kW.' OK, so it's at an early stage, but even if you cut that cost in half, it still doesn't pencil out. How long before we get over the illusion that coal is cheap? Story below the fold. (Note that I have given them the benefit of the doubt that their description of the pla ... |
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| Topics: greenhouse-gas emissions, energy, coal, climate (all these topics) |
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Hear some trains a-comin'
Public transit will be necessary for CO2 reductions |
Jon Rynn |
12 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| At the end of October, both New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg and, believe it or not, Mississippi Republican Senator Trent Lott, passed their cosponsored bill in the Senate to allocate $1.9 billion per year for six years to expand passenger rail in the U.S. According to Parade magazine (yes, the one that's inserted into Sunday newspapers), the main goal is 'to develop high-speed, short-haul rail corridors modeled on the European city-to-city routes. They could ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, placemaking, politics, public transportation (all these topics) |
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Carbon sequestration and the precautionary principle
A guest essay from Peter Montague raises questions about the rush to sequestration |
David Roberts |
12 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest essay from Peter Montague, executive director of the Environmental Research Foundation. ----- In response to a relentless stream of bad news about global warming, a cluster of major industries has formed a loose partnership with big environmental groups, prestigious universities, philanthropic foundations, and the U.S. federal government -- all promoting a technical quick-fix for global warming called "carbon sequestration." ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, energy, climate, coal (all these topics) |
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Beijing Dispatch: China's carbon harbingers
Plans for reducing emissions in China |
Christina Larson |
10 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| David linked to the Reuters report about China's refusal to accept binding emissions caps in any international agreement. On the topic of China and climate change, last week I got some face time with the head of the World Bank's energy unit in Beijing, Dr. Zhao. Too much for one blog post, but here are some highlights: According to his research, the World Bank's go-to guy on these matters believes: 'It will be difficult or even impossible for China to reduce CO2 ... |
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| Topics: China, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, politics (all these topics) |
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Cool things happening at the local level
California 'cool cities' are taking the lead on climate change |
Rep Jane Harman |
08 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Now in her seventh term, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) represents California's 36th Congressional District. Jane Harman. Even sunny skies and pleasant ocean breezes over much of our state can't mask the fact that Californians breathe some of the most polluted air in the nation. California is the world's 12th largest source of carbon dioxide, the chief heat-trapping gas that causes global warming. As dirty as our air is, we are taking the lead nati ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, California, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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Once You Lop, You Just Can't Stop
Food companies damaging climate through deforestation, says new report |
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08 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:12 AM on 08 Nov 2007 The makers of such familiar products as Pringles, KitKat, and Philadelphia cream cheese are contributing to deforestation and climate change, says a new report from Greenpeace. Companies like Unilever, Kraft, and Nestle use palm oil from Indonesia in their products. And guess what happens in Indonesia when the palm-oil peddlers come calling? Virgin forests ar ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, climate, deforestation, food, greenhouse-gas emissions, Indonesia (all these topics) |
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Transportation and climate get hitched
Seattle-area voters tied the knot |
Eric de Place |
07 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| In the Seattle metro region, voters just sank an $18 billion transportation megaproposal that would have built more than 180 lanes miles of highway and 50 miles of light rail. But so far, the mainstream press has missed one of the most important stories of the year. The real story isn't tax fatigue, it's this: perhaps for the first time ever in the U.S., a critical bloc of voters linked transportation choices to climate protection. In the run-up to the vote, a surpr ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, local politics, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics) |
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Shell Game
Misleading Shell Oil ads removed from British media |
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07 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:51 PM on 07 Nov 2007 Shell Oil has removed ads from Britain's media after the country's Advertising Standards Authority criticized the company's claim to consumers that "we use our waste CO2 to grow flowers." A complaint from activist groups estimated that perhaps 0.325 percent of Shell's emission of poor, misunderstood CO2 emissions are used to grow flowers. sources: Associated Press, Reuters < Previous | ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, climate, dumbassery , greenhouse-gas emissions, news (all these topics) |
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Barreling Ahead
Energy demand, greenhouse-gas emissions expected to soar, says report |
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07 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 8:36 AM on 07 Nov 2007 The International Energy Agency has released its annual World Energy Outlook, and it's fair to say that the outlook is, um, not good. World energy demand is projected to surge by 55 percent by 2030, with China and India accounting for nearly half of that increase and China overtaking the U.S. as the globe's primary energy glutton. Think $100-a-barrel oil is spendy? That's nothi ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, oil (all these topics) |
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CBO vs. ACSA = TKO
The Congressional Budget Office savages the Lieberman-Warner approach to climate change pol |
David Roberts |
05 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| America's Climate Security Act, the Senate climate bill offered by Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.), offers enormous giveaways to the nation's biggest polluters, in the form of billions of dollars worth of free pollution permits, which won't be zeroed out until 2036. Last Thursday, while the bill was passing through subcommittee, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office was testifying to the House Budget Committee on "Approaches to Reducing ... |
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| Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Memo to the Air Force
Stop misleading the public on liquid coal |
Joseph Romm |
02 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| TO: William Anderson, assistant Air Force secretary FROM: Climate Progress, blog SUBJECT: Your nonsensical claims in a recent Reuters piece, 'US Air Force Eyes Alternative Fuel, Slashing CO2.' EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Liquid coal cannot be part of a plan to 'zero out' the Air Force's carbon output -- contrary to your repeated claims. BACKGROUND: The following press release masquerading as a genuine news story appeared this week: The world's most powerful air force ... |
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| Topics: carbon neutral, climate, coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Seattle meets Kyoto
Is there another side to Seattle's good news? |
Clark Williams-Derry |
01 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is excellent news: Seattle is one of the first major U.S. cities to claim it has cut greenhouse-gas emissions enough to meet the targets of the international Kyoto treaty aimed at combating global warming. The achievement, at a time when the city has enjoyed a boom in population and jobs, sets Seattle apart both from the nation as a whole and other cities that have seen greenhouse gases soar in recent years. Well, good on Seattle. But at r ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, Seattle (all these topics) |
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Introducing Auden Schendler: Part I
On those quotes in Businessweek's 'Little Green Lies' |
Joseph Romm |
30 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This post is by guest blogger Auden Schendler, executive director for Community and Environmental Responsibility at the Aspen Skiing Company. Named a 'Climate Crusader' in Time magazine's 2006 special issue on climate change, Auden once worked for Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute. You can read his full bio here. Auden has unique insights into the difficulties of corporate sustainability in the absence of government leadership and a price for carbon. - ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, greening biz operations (all these topics) |
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On climate, Hu's leading whom?
Snappy comebacks for the climate do-nothing set who's using China as an excuse |
Anna Fahey |
28 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| On a hot day this summer, Chinese President Hu Jintao and a group of state leaders appeared at a public function wearing short-sleeved shirts, rather than their normal business suits. According to the state press, the casual attire wasn't just a new fashion statement: China's top brass were leading by example, encouraging Chinese workers to dress in light clothing in order to reduce the use of air conditioners in office buildings. Fashions do change. Outright denial of ... |
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| Topics: China, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Everything old is new again
U.S. blocks consensus at international global warming conference ... 17 years ago |
Andrew Dessler |
26 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Does it seem to you like nothing ever changes in the world? Well, you're right, and now I have hard evidence. I was searching through the archive of Bob Park's What's New newsletter when I ran across this snippet, right above an update about the miracle of cold fusion: At the World Climate Conference in Geneva this week, the United States blocked consensus on specific goals for reduction of carbon dioxide emission. As What's New predicted a month ago, the US side ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Getting All Their Trucks in a Row
California air regulators adopt emissions-tackling rules |
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26 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:41 AM on 26 Oct 2007 As part of its groundbreaking plan to tackle air-polluting, climate-warming emissions, the California Air Resources Board has adopted six new rules for manufacturers, shippers, and truckers. Starting in 2010, vehicles that go in for a tune up or oil change will be required to fully inflate their tires; trucks and trailers must be fitted with fuel-saving devices; cargo ship ... |
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| Topics: business, California, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, regulation (all these topics) |
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Everything: Still going to hell
Brundtland update finds problems unsolved |
David Roberts |
25 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| How about a big, gristly, indigestible hunk of bad news? Yeah? OK! Everything that was going to hell 20 years ago is still going to hell (sub rqd): Twenty years after the seminal ... Brundtland Commission report "Our Common Future" warned of persistent global environmental degradation, the most pressing concerns facing the world's climate and ecology show no signs of improvement. ... "On all the fundamental major challenges and tr ... |
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| Topics: climate, fishing, greenhouse-gas emissions, endangered species, air pollution (all these topics) |
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Slow down
China has not officially endorsed a carbon price |
David Roberts |
24 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| As I mentioned yesterday, a new report from the InterAcademy Council advocates for a price on carbon (among many other things). I started reading it last night, and it's fantastic -- more on it later. The report was commissioned by China and Brazil. The foreword is by Lu Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Somehow, our own Charles Komanoff extracts from this slender evidence that "China has put its weight behind a carbon tax -- or a carb ... |
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| Topics: China, carbon tax, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Everything But the Ocean Sink
World's oceans sequestering less CO2 than expected |
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22 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:55 AM on 22 Oct 2007 The world's oceans appear to be sequestering far less carbon dioxide than one would hope, says a new study. CO2 soakage by the north Atlantic Ocean has lessened dramatically in the last decade. "The speed and size of the change show that we cannot take for granted the ocean sink for the carbon dioxide," says one researcher. What we can take for granted: a continuing slew o ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, oceans (all these topics) |
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This urban life
Even the greenest suburbs can't touch low urban emission rates |
Ryan Avent |
21 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Last Sunday, the Washington Post published a piece by Joel Kotkin and Ali Modarres which sought to debunk the ideas that dense urban areas are greener than their suburban counterparts and that encouraging dense growth might play a significant role in reducing America's carbon output. The piece was wrong or misleading on practically every point, to the extent that any complete response would take up far more time and space than I have available. Some of the authors' most e ... |
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| Topics: climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking, sprawl, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Geo-engineering remains a bad idea
Climate change mitigation strategy could actually damage the planet |
Joseph Romm |
19 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Earl Killian sends me this WSJ op-ed: 'Thinking Big on Global Warming' (subs. req'd.). He sees some good news in it -- the WSJ 'published a non-denier [opinion] piece.' Yes, but geo-engineering is one of the delayers' sexiest strategies -- holding out the promise of a pure techno-fix that doesn't require all those annoying regulations needed to completely change our energy system. The conservative (duh!) authors of the WSJ piece embrace trying to 'develop capabiliti ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, energy, geoengineering, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Coal is the enemy of the human race: Roderick Bremby is a hero edition
Kansas coal plant air permit denied on basis of CO2 |
David Roberts |
18 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| More bad news for coal / good news for humanity. This is a particularly delicious morsel, to be savored slowly, like a fine truffle. Roderick L. Bremby, enemy of coal, friend of the human race Photo: KDHE. For years now, a power company called Sunflower has been pushing to build two 700MW coal-fired power plants in Kansas, backed by the usual happy-horseshit PR about how clean and modern and awesome the plants would be. Then there was a public comment period ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, Kansas (all these topics) |
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Jet vs. Vette
On planes and cars |
Umbra Fisk |
17 Oct 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra, Which is less harmful to the environment when traveling long distances, flying or driving? A jet puts out a lot of exhaust, but since it carries a lot of people, maybe it's less than having everyone drive themselves? Craig Denver, Colo. Dearest Craig, Jeepers it was fun to find out the answer to this question for you -- the Math Whiz has joined me in the basement, and we are dorking out on carbon emissions on your behalf. Here ... |
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| Topics: advice, air travel, Ask Umbra, cars, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, travel (all these topics) |
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Racking up climate debt
The biggest GHG offenders will suffer the least from climate change |
Joseph Romm |
17 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The United States is an awfully wealthy nation, as is the United Kingdom. It shows in our lifestyles and it shows in our carbon dioxide emissions -- we are energy rich, not necessarily in production but in consumption. The BBC recently ran an article (opening paragraphs below) highlighting some research from a development organization, and the numbers tell a stunning yet very real story: Bristol International Airport produces the same amount of CO2 from flying e ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate equity, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Suburban legend
Widening roads does not, in fact, reduce emissions |
Clark Williams-Derry |
13 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Why is it that stupid ideas get all the air time?For months, fellow climate geeks have been telling me that road-builders -- and the politicians who love them -- have started to make a startling claim: namely, that widening a congested highway will help curb global warming. By reducing stop-and-go traffic, the argument goes, cars will operate more efficiently and waste less fuel. So if you want to save the climate, you'd better widen that road! To me, t ... |
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| Topics: climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking, urban planning (all these topics) |
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