Rare earth metal refinery nears approval in Malaysia..
New York Times 01 Feb
Economics
Energy
More Solutions StoriesEditorialsBuyers will be key to state goal of cleaner cars.The California Air Resources Board has pushed the envelope yet again. But the history-bending rules will do what they are designed to do – reduce pollution and cut greenhouse gases – only if the public buys the new clean cars in the volumes predicted. That's the big uncertainty. Sacramento Bee 01 Feb Mr. O'Malley's misguided effort to aid Maryland wind projects.Gov. Martin O’Malley wants to erect wind turbines off Maryland’s coast, eventually generating perhaps a third of the state’s electricity. But it’s a bad deal for nearly everyone in Maryland — including people who believe, as we do, in moving away from fossil fuels. Washington Post 31 Jan Mileage regulations are good for air and for California.The cries will surely come, and were already being heard last week: "We can't afford more government interference now! Let the private sector work! This is more job-killing regulation!" In the (useful) cliche of the moment, go call a wahhhmbulance. Pasadena Star-News 30 Jan One climate change solution.Even die-hard climate change skeptics must acknowledge the photographic evidence from satellites showing how soot from auto exhausts, wood stoves and other sources has darkened Himalayan glaciers and the arctic ice sheet, accelerating melting. Charleston Post and Courier 30 Jan Germany's solar crack-up.Germany enjoys, if that's the right word, a thriving solar-energy industry. But the cost of this success, to taxpayers and electricity users alike, has risen to astronomical levels. Wall Street Journal 26 Jan California's clean-car agenda.The need for steady progress toward cleaner tailpipes and engines can't be denied. The air board is taking on the huge but necessary challenge, one that might need adjusting if the facts warrant. But there's little question that cleaner cars should soon rule the road. San Francisco Chronicle 24 Jan Cheap, renewable electricity -- but not for California.Instead of embracing hydroelectricity, right-thinking California environmentalists generally want to tear out dams. But it's absurd to think that dams are as dirty as an old coal plant. Redding Record Searchlight 23 Jan Sooner rather than later on wind energy tax credit.Though 2011 was one of Vestas Wind Systems' best years on record in North America, the forecast for its U.S. operations grows gloomier by the day as Congress comes closer to failing to extend a wind production tax credit. Denver Post 18 Jan OpinionOnce, men abused slaves. Now we abuse fossil fuels.Pointing out the similarities (and differences) between slavery and the use of fossil fuels can help us engage with climate change in a new way. The Guardian 03 Feb Fight against climate change is uphill ride.To combat combat change requires people, business, government and international bodies to work together to make changes that will safeguard our planet's resources and enable our economies to produce sustainable growth and new green jobs. Jewish Chronicle 02 Feb Can the UK achieve its carbon targets without nuclear power?I personally feel there is too much idealism in the argument that we can completely do without nuclear energy. But perhaps the Germanys of this world will prove me wrong? The Guardian 02 Feb Delmarva classrooms take on climate change.Yes, there is still more to learn about climate change. But enough credible science is out there to convince me that we need to act. Whether or not we agree on the primary causes or priority solutions, we need to do everything we can. We need to behave more responsibly. Worcester County Times 02 Feb 'Climate-smart agriculture' in fashion in Namibia.On a recent trip to Mozambique I saw climate-smart agriculture in action as practiced by small farmers living in the Nhambita community near the Gorongosa National Park. These farmers participate in the Nhambita Community Carbon Project operated by a company called Envirotrade. All Africa 31 Jan A way to slow climate change?To reduce the near-term warming, we would target emissions that lead to two of the most important near-term pollutants: ozone in the lower atmosphere, and black carbon, which is what most people think of as soot. Toronto Mark 30 Jan Tear down barriers to energy conservation.As a province that imports all of its natural gas and that sells much of its electricity below cost, increasing energy efficiency is a sure fire way to increase economic growth and provincial revenues. Toronto Star 29 Jan Polar explorer: Make America climate-literate.We need young people to be able to understand the basics of the Earth's climate system, to know how to assess scientifically credible information about climate, to communicate about climate change in a meaningful way and, most important, to be able to make informed decisions about actions that affect the climate. Minneapolis Star Tribune 27 Jan |
Cheap natural gas jumbles energy markets, stirs fears it could inhibit renewables.For the past three years, promoters of shale gas and environmentalists opposed to coal-fired power plants have hailed the sudden abundance of U.S. natural gas as a bridge to a renewable-energy future. Washington Post 03 Feb India's panel price crash could spark solar revolution.In India, electricity from solar is now cheaper than that from diesel generators. The news - which will boost India's "Solar Mission" to install 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022 - could have implications for other developing nations too. New Scientist 03 Feb Town turns off wind, opts for solar energy.At a time of accelerating production of both wind and solar energy, Duxbury officials have decided to buy solar energy produced elsewhere and take their own wind project off the table. Boston Globe 03 Feb Oil industry sees no threat from electric car.The biggest oil companies in the world have calculated that few, if any, of today's drivers will see electric cars outnumber gasoline and diesel models in their lifetimes. Reuters 03 Feb Walmart jumps to top of green power users list.The Environmental Protection Agency puts out a green power list every few months ranking companies by how much clean energy they use, and in the latest list, a new name broke into the top three: Walmart. MarketPlace 03 Feb New generation of nuclear reactors could consume radioactive waste as fuel.A generation of "fast" nuclear reactors could consume Britain's radioactive waste stockpile as fuel, providing enough low-carbon electricity to power the country for more than 500 years, according to figures confirmed by the chief scientific adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The Guardian 03 Feb Federal government opens more ocean to wind projects.Enthusiasm for offshore wind projects may have cooled among developers in the United States these days, but the Obama administration is still trying to make a ribbon of wind farms off the Atlantic Coast a reality. New York Times 03 Feb Middle East trails again in green-energy growth.Talk of a Middle Eastern green-energy boom is likely to prove no more than a mirage, with little hope of the region saving clean-technology companies from the shrinking project pools of Europe. Reuters 03 Feb Feds: Mid-Atlantic wind farms take step forward.The view off the mid-Atlantic shore in the next decade could include giant wind turbines generating electricity for homes in several states if federal efforts to speed approval for the projects shave years off the process as officials intend. Associated Press 03 Feb Clean-tech industry facing lean times after Solyndra.After the bankruptcy of the solar energy company Solyndra, the clean-tech industry is facing leaner times, in part because of cheaper natural gas prices, the effects of the financial crisis and China's growing solar industry. Fresh Air 03 Feb As EU ramps up biofuels, climate debate intensifies.Finland's Neste Oil has just finished converting a plot of land reclaimed from the sea into the biggest biodiesel refinery in Europe. But as the EU reconsiders whether biofuels are better for the environment, a potential shift in EU policy could undermine the refinery's profitability. Wall Street Journal 03 Feb Could cheap gas slow growth of renewable energy?The boom in cheap natural gas in this country is good news for the environment, because relatively clean gas is replacing dirty coal-fired power plants. All Things Considered 03 Feb Plans for wind farms off N.J. coast advance with federal ruling.The five-year-long effort to build wind farms off New Jersey's southern coast took another step forward Thursday, when federal officials said the turbines wouldn't have a major environmental impact on the mid-Atlantic seaboard. Bergen County Record 03 Feb Feds green-light offshore wind for Maryland.Lighting Maryland homes with power from giant turbines off Ocean City moved closer to reality Thursday as federal officials announced they are ready to go forward with leasing vast areas along the Mid-Atlantic coast for wind farms. Baltimore Sun 03 Feb New York’s solar balance sheet.Despite uncertainties in the solar energy market, New York officials should support the “steady and measured growth” of solar power in the state as part of a balanced renewable energy strategy, a new report recommends. New York Times 03 Feb Off the grid in the city.SOL Austin, an acronym for Solutions Oriented Living, is an attempt to upend the American subdivision. It is intended not just to be sustainable in its design and materials, but “net zero” — in other words, it would produce all the energy it consumes. Moreover, this small development is also doing its part to take on the problems of economic and social injustice. New York Times 02 Feb The coming U.S.-China solar war.If you're buying solar panels or running a business installing them, life is good, but if you own a company that actually makes solar equipment in the U.S., you're looking at a lot of red ink. That's because solar power is getting much cheaper. Time Magazine 02 Feb Seattle energy conservation program falters.Nearly two years after Seattle announced an ambitious, $20 million weatherization program to create 2,000 jobs, officials said Wednesday that reaching that goal was unlikely. Seattle Post-Intelligencer 02 Feb Greening of building sector on track to deliver trillions in savings by 2030.Architecture 2030, a building sector research and advocacy group, issued a report last week asserting that the greening of the U.S. building sector is on track to deliver far more energy savings than government officials predicted only a handful of years ago, with important implications for the country's energy and climate picture. Inside Climate News 02 Feb North Queensland ethanol plant gets green light.Work could soon begin on a proposed bio-energy plant at Toobanna after receiving approval from the State Government. According to Minister for Local Government and Planning Paul Lucas, the plant will be the first multi-functional sugar, ethanol and electricity generation plant in Australia. Queensland Business Review 02 Feb Fears for jobs as ethanol producer stops work on plant.The NSW ethanol mandate will be "appropriately enforced," the Premier has assured Australia's biggest ethanol producer, Manildra, after the company reacted to his decision to dump a ban on regular unleaded fuel by suspending the expansion of its Nowra plant. Sydney Morning Herald 02 Feb Renewables must benefit coastal communities says Aldous.Energy Minister Charles Hendry has said the eastern region is well placed to take advantage of the growing demand for new and off-shore energy. BBC 02 Feb Researchers produce device to create biofuel from contaminated lumber.A device that can decontaminate radioactive lumber and efficiently create bioethanol from it has been developed by researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture. Mainichi Daily News 02 Feb Local biz invests $3 million in solar array.Spiral Binding Inc., a maker of presentation and proposal products, with its headquarters in the borough, unveiled a $3 million solar array with about 3,500 solar panels, one of the largest in North Jersey. Bergen County Record 02 Feb Tesco steps back on carbon footprint labelling.Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket and an early champion of the green revolution, is to ditch its plan to emblazon all its products with a carbon footprint label because the message is too complicated. Financial Times 02 Feb |
