13
In search of better (and greener) building blocks.
As energy prices have skyrocketed and concerns have mounted about greenhouse gas emissions, there is a new urgency in developing alternatives to traditional building products.
New York Times.
13 July 2008
Shell shocked.
Marine specialists say temperature records for the past 30 years indicate the sound is slowly heating up, a trend some attribute to global warming.
Boston Globe.
13 July 2008
A warning from the sea.
Oyster 'seeds' are dying as Pacific Coast waters grow warmer. They're being killed by a bacteria, Vibrio tubiashii, that blooms in warmer waters and the oxygen-starved 'dead zones' that have appeared off the coast of Oregon and Washington.
Los Angeles Times.
13 July 2008
Cutting CO2 could save dying corals.
The rapid decline of coral reefs around the world offers a potent warning that entire ecosystems can collapse due to human activities, although there is hope for reefs if immediate action is taken.
Inter Press Service.
13 July 2008
Despite 800 billion barrel potential, oil shale is a hard sell.
If the oil industry can learn how to extract oil and gas from the oil shale in a cost-effective manner, the United States could lay claim to oil reserves totaling, perhaps, 800 billion barrels — three times Saudi Arabia's. But its future is anything but certain.
Houston Chronicle.
13 July 2008
A new fashion catches on in Paris: Cheap bicycle rentals.
A year after the introduction of the sturdy gray bicycles known as Vélib’s, they are being used all over Paris. Other major cities, including American ones, are exploring similar projects.
New York Times.
13 July 2008
German auto makers get on board the electric bandwagon.
Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW -- all of Germany's biggest car makers now want to launch electric cars, getting on the environmentally friendly bandwagon after lagging behind their peers.
Agence France-Presse.
13 July 2008
Big cities struggle with water shortage, toxicity.
Two of Turkey's biggest cities have tap water containing arsenic in excess of legal limits, while water levels in the biggest city's reservoirs have fallen alarmingly low.
Today's Zaman.
13 July 2008
The latest buzz on CCD.
There have been almost as many theories regarding the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder as there have been vanished bees; everything from cell phone usage and global warming to the impending end of the world has been blamed.
Southwest News Herald.
13 July 2008
Why climate change affects women more than men.
The international aid agency Oxfam is highlighting how women around the world are hardest hit by storms, floods and droughts caused by global warming.
Glasgow Sunday Herald.
13 July 2008
Global warming fuels malaria.
Global warming has led to a rapid increase in the number of malaria cases, thereby fuelling the need for lifesaving vaccinations to those in need, says an expert.
Asian News International.
13 July 2008
Antarctic ice shelf collapse 'imminent.'
Scientists are warning that an Antarctic ice shelf the size of Northern Ireland is on the verge of disintegration, even though it is now the middle of the southern hemisphere's winter.
London Independent.
13 July 2008
Australian refugee quota needed for 'climate change refugees'.
An Australian immigration program with a quota for 'climate change refugees' is amongst recommendations in a Make Poverty History report, to be launched this Sunday.
Australian Associated Press.
13 July 2008
Iceberg alley: Warm welcome for a cold tourist attraction.
As a banner season for icebergs draws to a close in Newfoundland, it's still a mystery as to why there were so many - more than twice the 300 or so that appeared in 2007, and an embarrassment of tourist-attraction riches compared with the complete absence of icebergs in 2006.
Toronto Globe and Mail.
13 July 2008
Lyme disease alert in the New Forest in the UK.
The disease is on the increase because of the warmer, wetter summers caused by global warming.
Southern Daily Echo.
13 July 2008
French grapple with oyster decline.
In the last two weeks, a mysterious ailment has wiped out almost all of France's year-old oysters, according to growers and the government.
Los Angeles Times.
13 July 2008
Manufacturers, hauling companies look to greener fuels.
Now that hybrids have a firm green foothold on the market for cars and light trucks, they are moving into medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Phoenix Arizona Republic.
13 July 2008
California weighs "Pay As You Drive" insurance.
Would you cut back on driving if your insurance company charged by the mile, and maybe by the way you handle your ride? Some state lawmakers and regulators are betting many Californians will.
Contra Costa Times.
13 July 2008
DTE to invest billions in alternative energy.
DTE Energy is getting ready to spend billions of dollars on alternative energy investments in Michigan, boosting the state's efforts to become a leader in this rapidly growing market.
Detroit Free Press.
13 July 2008
Indonesia and Brazil to cooperate on biofuels.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defended the biofuel sector and said that richer countries should do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Reuters.
13 July 2008
Shining a light on solar power.
Citing the visual clutter created by wind towers on the horizon, solar power advocates say the low-lying panels would make for a better solution.
Peoria Journal Star.
13 July 2008
Oil prices hit military budgets hard.
The military services have found ways to save millions of dollars through conservation, but the price of oil has outpaced the cost-cutting efforts. The Navy, for example, estimates that it is saving $300 million a year through conservation.
Los Angeles Times.
13 July 2008
£110M plan turns leftovers into fuel.
Ministers are to announce a £110million plan to turn waste from humans, cows and supermarkets into electricity.
London Sunday Mirror.
13 July 2008
Utility bills to reflect costs of building nuclear, solar plants.
Faced with growing demand for electricity and worries about climate change, state leaders will build nuclear-power plants and look for alternative sources of clean energy. But it won't come cheap.
Daytona Beach News-Journal.
13 July 2008
Algae is unlikely saviour as planet swelters.
When algae is grown in the open to be used in biomass plants, the method can actually produce carbon-negative energy.
Agence France-Presse.
13 July 2008
GM plans solar power units in Spain.
General Motors Corp. plans to install the world’s largest collection of solar panels on a rooftop in Spain to supply power to an automobile factory.
Bloomberg News.
13 July 2008
World Bank chief says $6 billion in food aid will be needed every year.
Robert Zoellick said the bank also was seeking billions more dollars to finance climate investment funds to help developing countries combat global warming and facilitate the transfer of technologies from the industrial world.
Associated Press.
13 July 2008
SunPower set to make history with largest solar power system in nation.
San Jose's SunPower said Thursday that it will build the largest photovoltaic solar power system in the United States as part of a deal announced with Florida Power & Light.
San Jose Mercury News.
13 July 2008
Bombardier may unveil 'greener' aircraft: report.
Bombardier, a leading manufacturer in railway equipment and the third largest global builder of airplanes, is looking to deliver a model that consumes 20 percent less fuel, thanks to a new motor style and lighter composite materials, Canada's La Presse reported.
Agence France-Presse.
13 July 2008
Alberta urged to cap trucker speeds.
The report, a collation of six federal studies, found that capping speeds at 105 km/h could save 0.64 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 228 million litres of diesel fuel annually -- about 1.4 per cent of the total diesel consumed on Canadian roads each year.
Calgary Herald.
13 July 2008
Bush administration puts off greenhouse gas regulation.
Environmentalists are seething after the administration of US President George W. Bush delayed any decision on regulating greenhouse gases, likely leaving any substantive action to his successor.
Agence France-Presse.
13 July 2008
Trade minister Lord Jones hits out at green tax on flights.
Lord Jones, the outspoken trade minister, has attacked a government plan to raise £2.5 billion through a green tax on flights, claiming that it will damage competitiveness.
London Times.
13 July 2008
Pope in Australia will highlight climate change.
Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage in Australia Sunday, saying he wants to use his visit to raise awareness about global warming and to address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.
Associated Press.
13 July 2008
Recent Bush victories smell of compromise.
President Bush has racked up a series of significant political victories in recent weeks, on surveillance reform, war funding and an international agreement on global warming, but only after engaging in the kind of conciliation with opponents that his administration has often avoided.
Washington Post.
13 July 2008
Science that rocks: Warming to global geology.
A professor of geology at Salem State College, Brad Hubeny eschews catch phrases like "global warming" because they don't tell the whole story.
Salem News.
13 July 2008
Experts see some hot air in energy plans.
To sort out the energy plans, experts said, voters need to consider these questions: - Will either plan help the United States reduce its dependence on oil?
McClatchy Newspapers.
13 July 2008
Obama campaign attacks McCain on energy issues.
Democrat Barack Obama said John McCain is "part of the problem" of high gas prices and tried to parry Republican criticism of his own energy policy.
Associated Press.
13 July 2008
