Connecting separate windfarms
increases reliability and decreases costs |
Good News:
- US Senate Energy Commission is drafting a bill that could mean the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs in the United States. Australia has already announced that it will phase out the sale of incandescent light bulbs by 2010, and Canada plans to meet that goal by 2012. Thirteen U.S. states are also considering proposals to at least partially ban incandescent bulbs.
- Connecting wind farms with transmission lines within a geographic area has been found to provide a more reliable and cheaper power source. Interconnecting wind farms with a transmission grid reduces the power swings caused by wind variability and makes a significant portion of it just as consistent a power source as a coal power plant, while at the same time reducing the total distance that all the power has to travel from the multiple points of origin to the destination point.
- Planting more trees could be the key to cutting CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, according to a new scientific study, which shows that forests have been more important in combating carbon emissions than switching to renewable energy.
- Oxford University has developed a strategy that would allow UK homes to cut CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. The strategy would involve legally binding emissions targets, higher housing density and financial support and incentives.
Climate change refugees
will become common |
- Climate change is likely to result in environmental migrations - eco-migration- and potential conflicts in the areas migrated to, as it intensifies droughts, storms and floods. Case studies including Hurricane Katrina show that although climate change can spur large population movements, public policy can alleviate the pressures of eco-migration. Provided, that is, there is one.
- The growing economic strength of the European Union has doubled the ecological pressure on the planet in the past 30 years, according to a WWF report. Despite technological advances, environmental pressure has been growing faster than the population, creating a deficit of natural resources for the rest of the world and for future generations.
- Florida is going as far as to call clean coal a 'green' alternative on its crusade to diversify energy sources. Other 'alternatives' mentioned: nuclear and gas-fired plants. Hmm, yeah... Florida, have you heard of the sun? That bright yellow thing in the sky? That you have plenty of? And hey - it's cheaper than coal!
- And Canada's greenhouse gas limits for large industrial facilities of the country's current climate change plan could mean that the tar sands industry may actually profit by up to $700 million from selling carbon credits while their global warming emissions dramatically increase. Nice one, guys.
- UN disses UK's climate change plan, warning that global temperatures would rise by up to 5'C and dangerous climate change would be inevitable if other developed countries followed Britain's flawed blueprint for reducing its carbon footprint.
- China has been hinting that would curb its carbon emissions, IF it got technological assistance from developed countries. According to a Chinese senior climate change official, industrialized countries' limited efforts to help developing nations cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite commitments under the U.N.'s convention on climate change to share clean energy technologies, made it more difficult for China to curb emissions of carbon dioxide.
- Mark Hertsgaard of the Guardian traces an interesting parallel between global warming and the cold war. In his view, the standoff between the US and China over carbon emissions recalls the nuclear arms race.
- Focus the Nation - unprecedented educational initiative on global warming solutions for America occurring at more than 1,000 universities and colleges and in all 50 states on Jan. 31, 2008. Focus the Nation combines education, civic engagement and action culminating in a nation-wide vote on policy solutions.
- A well argued case for free public transport. And while you're at it, check out the other articles in the Tyee's No Fares! series.
