Welcome to the Linkfest, special Friday the 13th edition. To celebrate this unlucky occasion, we bring you bad news aplenty. But let's start with the good:
Good News
- San Francisco passes the most aggressive municipal solar program in the US, with an annual budget of $3 million dollars to be doled out as rebates for home owners and businesses for installing solar power systems. The ultimate goal is for the city to reach 10,000 solar rooftops in 10 years.
- Toyota developed a new fuel cell hybrid with a range of 516 miles (830 kilometers), more than twice that of its predecessor. The FCHV-adv model runs on hydrogen and electricity and produces no emissions. The vehicle will, for now, only be available for leasing in Japan later this year.
- China reports declines in emissions of 3 major pollutants, namely sulfur dioxide, aquatic emissions of organic pollutants and industrial solid waste discharges, reversing a long time trend for the first time. Nevertheless, total aquatic pollution still increased as pollutants continue to flow in.
- Japan announced its intentions to reduce its carbon emissions by 60-80% by 2050 and match or better European reduction levels over the next 12 years, a reduction of 14% over current levels. A trial system for trading emissions will begin later this year.
Bad News
- A new study shows that melting Arctic ice could cause warmer temperatures hundreds of miles (km) inland. As a result, thawing permafrost would have severe effects on ecosystems, human infrastructure like oil rigs and pipelines and the release of more global warming greenhouse gases in Russia, Alaska and Canada.
- The Caribbean monk seal has been declared officially extinct, the only seal species (so far) to owe its demise to human causes. Their remaining cousins, the Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals are at risk of suffering the same fate.
- A salmonella outbreak hits the US originating in contaminated varieties of tomatoes, namely, plum, roma and round red. The source of the contamination has yet to be identified. The outbreak has so far affected 228 people in 23 states. I suspect the agro-industrial complex in the library with the candlestick.
- A UN report warns that Africa's landmarks, such as snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Chad, are at risk of vanishing forever as a result of global warming.
- Panda bears suffer the effects of China's earthquake, which devastated the habitat that supports most of the remaining giant panda bears still living in the wild.
- The dead zone off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas is predicted to achieve "largest on record" status this summer, at an estimated 10,084 square miles, between 17-21% larger than since the mapping began in 1985.
- "A whiff of Naples arrives in Hamburg" - temprary solutions for Italy's trash crisis.
- World Naked Bike Ride was last weekend. If you live in London or Chicago, there is still time to join the upcoming June 14 ride.
- As it was to be expected, the Lieberman-Warner climate act bit the dust. Grist asks "So, what now?"
