Economics

How the stimulus is changing America.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – President Obama's $787 billion stimulus – is about jobs, sure. But it is also about fighting oil addiction and global warming, transforming health care and education, and building a competitive 21st century economy. Time Magazine 30 Aug

Carbon credits under fire.

The United Nations is reviewing carbon credits it awards to firms that claim to be reducing greenhouse gas emissions in China and elsewhere. Critics contend that the firms are gaming the carbon-trading system that awards credits to industrial companies that need to meet Kyoto protocol obligations for carbon emissions. Chemical & Engineering News 30 Aug

Solar power shines; extended forecast?

A boom is playing out in the solar power industry here. For now, solar power is a small, niche industry catering to businesses and well-to-do or environmentally conscious homeowners. It’s being fueled by rebates and other incentives from governments and utilities. Orange County Business Journal 30 Aug

Easing the planet's growing pains.

Sustainability is not just for sandal-wearers. London Observer 29 Aug

Energy

$30 mill for renewable energy in Vic.

A new Office of Solar Energy and $30 million for renewable energy technology were announced today by the Victorian Government. Premier John Brumby said the initiatives would drive new investment and the development of cleaner energy in Victoria. Melbourne Weekly Times 31 Aug

Biofuels don't threaten food security - study.

Production of biofuels does not necessarily constitute a threat to food security, a new study has concluded. Nairobi East African 31 Aug

Tapping into the electric power of heat.

A young venture based in San Francisco, California, called Alphabet Energy aims to take the decades-old idea of generating electricity from captured heat, and deploy it at massive scale on the cheap with a little help from nanotechnology and the semiconductor industry. National Geographic News 30 Aug

Harness technology to combat climate change.

Namibians should stop complaining and take the bull by the horns “to show the world they can run the whole country on renewable energy and make lots of money out of it”, says Harald Schütt of the Renewable Energy Efficiency Institute. Windhoek New Era 31 Aug

Research at CWRU's new structural laboratory could aid Lake Erie wind farm effort.

Case Western Reserve University has opened an unusual new laboratory, one that employs brute force - with electronic precision - to test the limits of materials. Cleveland Plain Dealer 31 Aug

Merkel wants to extend nuclear power plant lifespans.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has for the first time provided concrete numbers in her vision of the future of nuclear power in the country. Der Spiegel 30 Aug

More Solutions Stories

Editorials

Call to protect estuary timely.

Despite concerns about the environmental impact caused by encroaching industry, public interest in the future of the Nanaimo Estuary has been negligible. But introduce the world-wide topics of climate change and carbon reduction, and people just might sit up and take notice. Nanaimo News Bulletin 02 Sep

Cleaner cars, A to D.

Proposed stickers for vehicles would make it easier to see whether you're buying a fuel-efficient one or a guzzler. The stickers are a symbol of how far this country has come in providing a wider range of environmentally responsible choices to help ensure cleaner air and a healthier planet. New York Times 01 Sep

Three degrees is at least one too many.

The heat rises inexorably yet the world dithers and looks away. None of the excitement that surrounded the opening stages of the climate summit at Copenhagen last year looks like materialising this November at Cancun in Mexico. London Independent 31 Aug

Climate change: The facts of life.

Reminders of the reality of climate change are now reported almost every week. Political action – real, determined and concerted action – seems again improbable. But it also remains more urgent than ever. London Guardian 31 Aug

Let more sun shine in.

The entire state would benefit from cleaner air with the increased use of nonpolluting and renewable energy. More solar-generated power could provide a cushion against outages on peak-demand days and electricity consumers, in particular, would gain. Philadelphia Inquirer 31 Aug

Nation must harness renewable energy.

The government must also educate the public about the importance of cutting our addiction to fossil fuels, no matter how painful that may be. Without the public’s support, the government cannot succeed in this endeavor. Jakarta Globe 25 Aug

A mixed result for the environment.

The Australian election result can scarcely be called a victory for the environment. But those who understand the importance of democratic efforts to curtail runaway climate change will continue to look with interest at developments Down Under. London Independent 23 Aug

Safe energy options.

During the past 60 to 70 years of developing nuclear weapons, scientists became aware that the tremendous heat produced in the process could be harnessed for generating electricity - but those ideas have now proved to be explosively counterproductive. Colombo Daily Mirror 23 Aug

Opinion

Bold action is needed to protect the diversity of life on Earth.

Mankind has a problem. We're heating the Earth and destroying its ecosystems so fast that we're killing off life as we know it and putting ourselves in grave danger within our lifetimes. London Guardian 01 Sep

Getting geothermal energy from the earth.

The heat in the upper six miles of the earth’s crust contains 50,000 times as much energy as found in all the world’s oil and gas reserves combined. Despite this abundance, only 10,700 megawatts of geothermal electricity generating capacity have been harnessed worldwide. Inter Press Service 01 Sep

Our obsession with private automobiles is unsustainable.

Are we driving ourselves into oblivion? Or will new automobile technology save us from the environmental impact of the fossil-fueled tanks we use to get around? Automobile technology has improved a lot over the past few years. But is it enough? Georgia Straight 01 Sep

Saving deep water requires digging deep into our habits.

If I shorten the length of my shower, I won't change a thing. But if 18 million people in Florida commit to doing at least one thing in their daily lives that will lessen their dependence on fossil fuel consumption, we might stand a chance at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Santa Rosa Press Gazette 01 Sep

Victoria takes leading steps on climate change.

As environmentalists, our job is to look at the coming climate crisis and demand action commensurate to the problem we all face. We are painfully aware of the need for deeper cuts in greenhouse pollution. Sydney Morning Herald 01 Sep

Let's hope council doesn't waffle on wind power.

t will hardly come as a shock that Halifax regional council has been kicking around the issue of wind power for two years and has yet to make any policy decisions. Halifax Chronicle Herald 01 Sep

Prop. 23 nothing more than a killer of global warming solutions.

The Texas oil companies behind Proposition 23 don't call it an attempt to deny the existence of worldwide climate change. They just call the landmark 2006 California law they're essentially trying to repeal a "job killer." San Jose Mercury News 31 Aug

Tibet's young lama seeks a role for buddhism in environmentalism.

Calling it Eco-Buddhism - Pure Aspiration, Bodhisattva Activity and a Safe-Climate Future, Tibet's 25-year-old Karmapa Lama is making efforts to protect the environment that are being regarded as a Buddhist response to global warming. Asia Sentinel 31 Aug

Feds fail to use land for solar power.

Not a light bulb's worth of solar electricity has been produced on the millions of acres of public desert set aside for it. Not one project to build glimmering solar farms has even broken ground. Associated Press 02 Sep

Can nuclear waste spark an energy solution?

A new generation of nuclear power technology seeks to transform one of the industry’s most enduring problems - its radioactive waste - into an energy solution. National Geographic News 02 Sep

Emissions impossible?

The UN emissions trading scheme scheme is meant to be a virtuous circle, allowing rich countries to meet their climate targets at the lowest possible cost, while energy-hungry developing economies get an injection of capital to go green. But multiple failures have been pointed out by its critics. European Voice 02 Sep

Salt Palace solar array paying off before it's built.

A Salt Palace solar array that would outshine any other rooftop grid in the nation is brightening the Beehive State’s bottom line — even before the first panel is in place. Although the installation is months away, word of it helped Salt Lake County win a National Association of Home Builders convention. Salt Lake Tribune 02 Sep

Nanaimo Estuary has strong potential for carbon storage.

The Nanaimo Estuary is one of the most important estuaries in the province for carbon storage, deemed critical for slowing climate change and absorbing spent carbon. Nanaimo News Bulletin 02 Sep

Cheaper fuel ahead.

The use of E85 - a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline - is about to get more exposure, as Valero Energy Corp. announced it will add E85 pumps to all its new Valero Corner Stores as they're built throughout its system, as well as to some existing stores when they undergo major renovations. San Antonio Express-News 02 Sep

Exelon to buy Deere's wind power unit.

Exelon, the US’s biggest nuclear generator, has announced it will buy John Deere Renewables for as much as $900m to gain a foothold in the wind power industry. London Financial Times 02 Sep

First users of Oregon solar pilot program up and running.

Jeff Ramp is the first PGE customer to generate electricity under a pilot program in which utilities pay homeowners for power produced from solar panels. Portland Oregonian 02 Sep

Nuclear industry takes new path for new plants.

As the nation moves closer to breaking ground on its first nuclear plant in decades, industry executives want to avoid the problems of the past by getting the government to designate a handful of reactor designs, then let companies choose from that list. Associated Press 01 Sep

Champagne's greener bottle.

The Champagne industry has embarked on a drive to cut the 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide it emits every year transporting billions of tiny bubbles around the world. Producing and shipping accounts for nearly a third of Champagne’s carbon emissions, with the hefty bottle the biggest offender. New York Times 01 Sep

Homeowners must pay off energy improvement loans.

Many homeowners who participated in a program that let them repay the cost of solar panels and other energy improvements through an annual surcharge on their property taxes must now pay off the loans before they can refinance their mortgages. New York Times 01 Sep

UK biofuels 'falling short' on environmental standards.

The Renewable Fuels Agency says it is disappointed that the vast majority of biofuels sold on UK forecourts do not conform to environmental standards. BBC 01 Sep

Mass. court rejects challenge to Cape Wind permit.

Developers of a proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm were cleared to move forward Tuesday when Massachusetts' high court rejected a claim that the project sidestepped local opposition to win a key permit. Associated Press 01 Sep

Solar power traveling from Maine to Washington.

A solar panel installed by then-President Jimmy Carter will return to the White House next week, traveling from Unity College. Augusta Kennebec Journal 01 Sep

Green machine: Perfecting the plant way to power.

Take sunlight, add water, and there you have it: free energy. New Scientist 01 Sep

Poultry waste to power California egg farm.

Olivera Egg Ranch in French Camp will construct an anaerobic manure digester that will create methane gas, which will be used in a 1.4-megawatt fuel cell to generate electricity. Los Angeles Times 01 Sep

New warnings about costs of nuclear power.

As anticipation grows about a possible renaissance for the nuclear power industry - and about its potential for curbing greenhouse gas emissions - some politicians are stepping up warnings about the high cost of such projects. New York Times 01 Sep

Environmental group says EU biofuel targets create land-grab in Africa.

An international coalition of environmental groups says European demand for biofuels has driven local communities off their land in Africa and curbed the production of staple foods. Voice of America 01 Sep

U.S. wants report card for cars.

The government proposed labeling each new passenger vehicle with a letter grade from A to D based on its fuel efficiency and emissions, part of a broader effort by the Obama administration to promote electric cars and other advanced-technology vehicles. Wall Street Journal 31 Aug

Santa Cruz Mountains lure cash for trapping carbon.

PG&E is handing over tens of thousands of dollars to the nonprofit Sempervirens Fund to protect a 425-acre stand of redwoods once slated for logging deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Santa Cruz Sentinel 31 Aug

Swarms of marine turbines could tap the Gulf Stream.

The underwater stream roughly contains around 21,000 times more energy than the Niagara Falls and by some estimates, could potentially provide up to one-third of Florida's electricity needs. BBC 31 Aug

Russia submits 'breakthrough' carbon emissions reduction project, UN says.

Russia submitted for registration its first carbon emissions reduction project under the United Nations Kyoto Protocol, a step that can signal "a substantial increase" of followers, a UN regulator said today. Bloomberg News 31 Aug

Wind farms feel the heat from small-scale solar.

Wind farm investment is suffering from a ''bust'' due to complex policy changes and uncertainty over government responses to climate change, says Infigen Energy. Sydney Morning Herald 31 Aug

Scheme to 'pull electricity from the air' sparks debate.

Tiny charges gathered directly from humid air could be harnessed to generate electricity, researchers say. Tests had shown that metals could be used to gather the charges, opening up a potential energy source in humid climates. BBC 31 Aug

Russia submits 1st Kyoto CO2 offset project to U.N.

Russia has submitted its first clean energy project to a U.N. climate panel for registration to earn carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations' Convention on Climate Change said on Monday. Reuters 31 Aug