Rising supplies of natural gas could benefit the environment by replacing coal as a fuel for electricity, but hydraulic fracturing poses dangers for people living near the wells, a new analysis finds. We can do better, the authors say. A strange thing happened on the way to dealing with climate change: Advances in hydraulic fracturing … Continue reading The Environmental Costs and Benefits of Fracking
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Renewable energy will be key to Paris climate change talks
As France prepares to host the make-or-break ParisClimate Conference in December 2015, and with expectations that the outcome will define global climate efforts in the future, renewable energy is increasingly taking centre stage in the climate discussion. REthinking Energy, a new report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency(IRENA) this week, underlines that renewables must … Continue reading Renewable energy will be key to Paris climate change talks
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Record Greenhouse Gas Levels Impact Atmosphere and Oceans
The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2013, propelled by a surge in levels of carbon dioxide. This is according to the World Meteorological Organization’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which injected even greater urgency into the need for concerted international action against accelerating and potentially devastating climate change. … Continue reading Record Greenhouse Gas Levels Impact Atmosphere and Oceans
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Water Resources Fact Sheet
Water scarcity may be the most underrated resource issue the world is facing today. Seventy percent of world fresh water use is for irrigation. Each day we drink nearly 4 liters of water, but it takes some 2,000 liters of water——to produce the food we consume.1,000 tons of water is used to produce 1 ton … Continue reading Water Resources Fact Sheet
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Population Fact Sheet
The world population took until the start of the 19th century to reach 1 billion people. As population growth has picked up momentum, we have passed new milestones much more quickly. In 2011, the world reached 7 billion. Tonight 219,000 people will be at the dinner table who were not there last night—many of them … Continue reading Population Fact Sheet
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WWF supports Philippines solar power target
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) has backed the Department of Energy’s (DOE) move to increase solar energy capacity targets, saying this will make power prices cheaper in the long run, contrary to claims of critics such as the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF). The FEF claims new solar projects will add P0.32 per … Continue reading WWF supports Philippines solar power target
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Why the Murdoch media hates renewable energy so much
Here is an admission. For more than two years, over two stints, I wrote a weekly column on green energy for The Australian newspaper, called Greenchip. It appeared prominently on the business pages, and on no occasion was I ever instructed by any editor to take a certain angle, and my copy was never changed … Continue reading Why the Murdoch media hates renewable energy so much
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Fukushima much worse than reported
It is leaking out from the basements, it is leaking out from the cracks all over the place”, Mycle Schneider, Nuclear consultant. A nuclear expert has told the BBC that he believes the current water leaks at Fukushima are much worse than the authorities have stated. Mycle Schneider is an independent consultant who has previously … Continue reading Fukushima much worse than reported
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Radioactive water leak at Fukushima
Highly radioactive water leaks from a temporary storage tank into the ground at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said the leak of at least 300 tonnes of the highly radioactive water was discovered on Monday. The plant, crippled by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, has seen … Continue reading Radioactive water leak at Fukushima
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Ecuador approves Yasuni park oil drilling in the Amazon
Ecuador has abandoned a conservation plan that would have paid the country not to drill for oil in previously untouched parts of Yasuni National Park in the Amazon rainforest. President Rafael Correa said rich nations had failed to back the initiative, leaving Ecuador with no choice but go ahead with drilling. The park is one … Continue reading Ecuador approves Yasuni park oil drilling in the Amazon
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The Rajoy government policy destroys the wind energy industry in Spain
But in hard times, it will be winds in Finland, not Spain, that make the finished product spin. Last year, the plant delivered a wind turbine park to Malaga in southern Spain and another to Burgos, in the north, said factory manager Javier Trapiella. “Now we don’t produce for Spain,” he added. “It has all … Continue reading The Rajoy government policy destroys the wind energy industry in Spain
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Peak Water: What Happens When the Wells Go Dry?
Peak oil has generated headlines in recent years, but the real threat to our future is peak water. There are substitutes for oil, but not for water. We can produce food without oil, but not without water. We drink on average four liters of water per day, in one form or another, but the food … Continue reading Peak Water: What Happens When the Wells Go Dry?
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Plastics
In 2012, 280 million metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide. These scientists project that a total of 33 billion metric tons will have been produced by 2050. Scientists calculated that the new classification would reduce the 33 billion metric tons of additional plastic produced by 2050 to 4 billion. In the March online issue … Continue reading Plastics
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UNEP scientist in climate change reduction recommendation
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) chief scientist Joseph Alcamo on Tuesday called for more efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) so as to slow down global warming. In an interview with Xinhua, Alcamo said that reducing SLCPs will also protect human health, and in some cases, reduce air pollution. According to the UNEP, SLCPs, … Continue reading UNEP scientist in climate change reduction recommendation
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Bulgarian referendum reflects uncertainty of nuclear power development
Bulgarians have postponed construction of a new nuclear power plant for an indefinite future, according to unofficial data released on Sunday evening after a low-turnout referendum held on this issue. According to parallel vote tabulation conducted by Alpha Research agency, although 61 percent of the voters said “yes” on whether the country should build a … Continue reading Bulgarian referendum reflects uncertainty of nuclear power development
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Philadelphia Mayor Nutter and Veolia Energy Mark Completion of Multi-Million Dollar ‘Green Steam’ Project
Veolia Energy North America, a leading operator and developer of efficient energy solutions, today commemorated the completion of the company’s multi-million dollar investment in its Philadelphia district energy network to convert it to 100 percent ‘Green Steam’. The Green Steam project featured the installation of two new rapid-response boilers and an expansion of Veolia Energy’s … Continue reading Philadelphia Mayor Nutter and Veolia Energy Mark Completion of Multi-Million Dollar ‘Green Steam’ Project
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CO2 emissions from Amazonia deforestation drop 16 percent this year
Carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere as a result of Amazon deforestation dropped to 352 million tons this year, or 16 percent less than in 2011, Brazil’s state-run National Space Research Institute, or INPE, said. In a communique Friday, the organization said that the calculation of emissions data was based on an analysis by the … Continue reading CO2 emissions from Amazonia deforestation drop 16 percent this year
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EU greenhouse gases in 2011: emissions fall 2.5%
Emissions of greenhouse gases in the European Union (EU) fell on average by 2.5 % from 2010 to 2011, although several countries increased emissions. Almost all European countries are individually on track towards their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol compared to last year, according to two reports published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). … Continue reading EU greenhouse gases in 2011: emissions fall 2.5%
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The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
“The U.S. Great Drought of 2012 has raised corn prices to the highest level in history. The world price of food, which has already doubled over the last decade, is slated to climb higher, ushering in a new wave of food unrest,” says Lester R. Brown, author of Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics … Continue reading The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
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Summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will soon be but a memory
Cambridge University Professor Peter Wadhams said the rapidly increasing pace of summer ice melt is such a “global disaster” that humankind must urgently study other methods to thwart global temperature rise. A leading expert on ice suggests that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the months of August and September as early as four … Continue reading Summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will soon be but a memory
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