Here is a fresh new edition of the Friday Linkfest, your weekly environmental digest. We have good news and bad news.
Good News:
UK's emissions have dropped 2% in 2007, due to energy companies burning less coal because it became more expensive. Overall, emissions are down 18% since 1990. Let's hope they don't spoil it by building a new coal plant.- A new study finds an opportunity to mitigate the effects of global warming trends in the short term by curbing soot emissions. While 40% of soot comes from the same sources as greenhouses gases, notably the burning of coal and oil, the remaining 60% comes from the more easily altered practices of burning biofuels and forests, which would have an almost immediate effect.
- California plans 2 massive solar projects that will be able to produce 500MW of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes. They consist of a 250MW solar plant in the Mojave desert and a project to install photovoltaic cells on 65 million square feet of commercial building roofs in Southern California.
- Denmark plans to install a network of 20,000 electric vehicle recharging stations. And they are wind-powered! And they use excess (wasted) power wind turbines generate on windy days! Love this, just love it. This is part of Project Better Place, which we wrote about yesterday.
- Organic crops shown to be competitively productive compared to their conventional counterparts. Organic forage crops yield as much or more as conventionally grown, while grains only 10% less.
Bad News:
- A study predicts that within 10 years, climate change will irreversibly alter water circulation in Lake Tahoe, radically changing the conditions for plants and fish in the lake.
- High oil prices revive urban oil fields, previously considered tapped out and unprofitable, using expensive extraction methods and despite concerns about leakage, water contamination and pollution.
- Construction of a floating liquified natural gas terminal off the New York coast has been approved by a federal panel. The project, dubbed "an environmental atrocity" is to be located in Long Island Sound, a popular recreation area and faces fierce public opposition.
- A controversial land swap proposal could open portions of an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, dividing Alaska natives and stoking opposition from environmentalists seeking to protect the bear, moose and birds that live there.
- Coal mining pollution has been linked to chronic illness in mining communities, who are at an increased risk of developing chronic heart, lung and kidney diseases.
- The EU threatens to impose carbon sanctions on US and China imports if they fail to commit to emissions reductions.
- New York Times' special: Business of green. From green collar jobs to solar power service agreements and "carbon negative" business.
- And after all the bad news, why don't we read up on the politics of optimism. I think we need it.
