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When It Rains, It Pours

Climate change will increase extreme rainfall, says study

Posted at 12:21 PM on 08 Aug 2008

Read more about: climate | climate change impacts | news | scientific research | severe weather

Climate change will likely lead to more powerful rainstorms, says a new study published in Science. Computer models may "substantially" underestimate the number of heavy rainfalls that will occur in a warming world, say scientists who researched naturally occurring weather events during El Niño patterns between 1987 and 2004. "A warmer atmosphere contains larger amounts of moisture which boosts the intensity of heavy downpours," explains coauthor Brian Soden. Those deluges won't give relief to desert regions but will happen in rainy areas, say researchers, increasing the chance of flooding, crop damage, erosion, and spread of infectious disease.

sources: Environment News Service, The Guardian, National Geographic News, USA Today, ScienceDaily, The Telegraph

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I'll Have the Marsupial of the Day

Aussies should fight climate change by eating kangaroo, says study

Posted at 10:29 AM on 08 Aug 2008

Australians who want to make a dent in climate change just need to eat more kangaroo, says a new study in the journal Conservation Letters. The methane-producing burps and farts of sheep and cattle contribute 11 percent of Australia's annual greenhouse-gas emissions. Kangaroos, however, emit little methane. Researchers say that 175 million kangaroos could produce the meat of 7 million cattle and 36 million sheep, and a switch-to-roo by 2020 could lower Australia's greenhouse-gas emissions by 3 percent each year. They also note that reducing the number of hard-hoofed livestock tramping around would reduce soil erosion. While some farmers think of 'roos as pests, getting most Aussies on board would require "large cultural and social adjustments and reinvestment," says the study, noting such wee potential problems as "protective legislation and the status of kangaroos as a national icon."

sources: Reuters, The Canberra Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Times

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ADVERTISING POLICY

Solid to Liquid Can Be a Gas

Crow Tribe strikes $7 billion deal for coal-to-liquids plant on reservation

Posted at 8:41 AM on 08 Aug 2008

The Crow Tribe on Thursday agreed to host a massive new $7 billion coal-to-liquidsplant on its reservation land in Montana. The plant would produce about 50,000 barrels a day of diesel fuel when it opens, and eventually up to 125,000 barrels a day. Coal for the plant would come from a yet-to-be-developed mine on nearby Crow land with an estimated 9 billion tons of recoverable, largely untapped coal reserves. The project is still many years from even the construction phase, but the deal could eventually become a major economic engine for the tribe's 12,000 members since, like most reservations in the United States, unemployment and poverty there are among the highest in the country. The project could eventually pay the tribe nearly $1 billion a year; their current annual budget is roughly $26 million. Tribe officials said the plant will be built to capture about 95 percent of its carbon emissions that could then, at least theoretically, be sequestered underground. When up and running, it will take roughly one ton of coal to produce one barrel of diesel fuel at the plant.

source: Associated Press

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It's Oly Temporary

Olympic Games begin; pollution worries, haze hang over opening ceremonies

Posted at 6:06 AM on 08 Aug 2008

The Beijing Olympic Games have officially begun. The opening ceremony kicked off at 8:08 p.m. local time on 08/08/08. So far, pollution readings are said to be moderate, with various Olympic officials and health authorities declaring the Games largely safe for athletes and visitors -- as long as they're just passing through and their sporting events last less than an hour. Olympic officials admitted that longer events may have to be moved or postponed depending on pollution levels. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge praised China for doing "everything that is feasible and humanly possible to address this situation. ... What they have done is extraordinary." Indeed, China's efforts to reduce pollution have been notable, and world health officials expressed hope the city would keep up its efforts to dramatically reduce pollution even after the athletes go home. "There is an air pollution problem in Beijing," said Hans Troedsson of the World Health Organization. "However, we are missing the point by having so much attention on the short-term exposure while the long-term exposure is really ignored."

sources: The Telegraph, Associated Press, Xinhua, Agence France-Presse, BBC News, CNN.com, The Washington Post
see also in Grist: Meet the eco-activist athletes who'll be competing in Beijing

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In Brief

Snippets from the news

Posted at 4:47 PM on 07 Aug 2008

• California OKs giant desalination plant.

• Monsanto will sell dairy hormone business.

• Mainstream media science coverage declining.

• Cause of tropical deforestation has shifted from poverty to industry.

• Critics say German city has become "green dictatorship."

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Unpopular Science

Feds cut program that helped poor countries adapt to climate change

Posted at 2:54 PM on 07 Aug 2008

Read more about: climate | climate change adaptation | climate science | news

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is eliminating a program that helped developing countries anticipate and deal with droughts, floods, and other realities of a changing climate. The now-defunct Center for Capacity Building, which had an annual budget of about $500,000, was reputable in the international climate community for its unique approach to the human side of climate change. "Knowledge related to the societal dimensions of global environmental problems is fundamental to efforts to arrive at practical and effective solutions," says former NCAR scientist Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. "If anything, we need to expand attention in these areas." Steadily shrinking federal science budgets have caused the elimination of some 10 percent of NCAR positions supported by the National Science Foundation in the last five years.

sources: The New York Times, The New York Times

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The Fuel's Progress

EPA refuses to lower requirement for ethanol in fuel supply

Posted at 12:39 PM on 07 Aug 2008

The U.S. EPA gave a big, husky hug to corn ethanol Thursday, declining a request from Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) to reduce the amount of ethanol required to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply. The federal Renewable Fuel Standard mandates that 9 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol be poured into U.S. gas tanks this year -- which will suck up about a third of the U.S. corn crop. The mandate jumps to 15 billion gallons by 2015 -- if corn production holds steady, that will be about 55 percent of the corn supply. Perry requested a reduction because fuel demand for corn is driving up food prices and crimping the profits of livestock producers in his state. The RFS mandate has been linked to the surge in global food prices. But the EPA determined that the ethanol mandate has caused no harm to the U.S. economy or environment, but rather is "strengthening our nation's energy security and supporting American farming communities."

sources: Reuters
new in Gristmill: EPA: corn ethanol is awesome!

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Ped Antics

Colleges, high schools move to be more bike- and pedestrian-friendly

Posted at 11:06 AM on 07 Aug 2008

Read more about: education | gas prices | green living | news | United States

High gasoline costs as well as concerns about the environment have been prompting schools across the country to make their campuses more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Pressure from parents and students is one big factor in the shift, but another key seems to be a growing awareness about sustainability. A number of colleges are launching bike-sharing programs, some U.S. high schools are aiming to reduce car traffic around their campuses, and plenty of colleges and high schools are looking to expand sidewalks and bike and pedestrian trails to improve car-free access to campus. Some high schools in California are even looking into using bikes for transportation on field trips. Ripon College in Wisconsin launched a free bike program this year for freshman students who agreed not to drive to or park on campus, and some 60 percent of the incoming class took the offer. "Today's teenagers deserve a lot of credit," said Mike Martin of the National Association of Pupil Transportation. "They're socially aware, they're environmentally conscious. When the price of gasoline takes effect, they're smart."

source: USA Today

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To Everything: Term, Term, Term

Wal-Mart urges Federal Trade Commission not to define 'carbon offsets'

Posted at 8:52 AM on 07 Aug 2008

Read more about: business | climate | green living | news | Wal-Mart

In comments to the Federal Trade Commission earlier this year, Wal-Mart asked the agency not to define the terms "carbon offsets" or "renewable energy certificates" in order to keep the terms flexible and to retain their "less tangible nature." The Federal Trade Commission has been in the process of updating its green-marketing guidelines and asked Wal-Mart and others to weigh in. Consumer advocates like Consumers Union have been advocating for clear, specific definitions to avoid misleading green claims. "Claims are already being made on products that are confusing, misleading, and potentially deceptive," the group said in its comments to the FTC. Among many other green goals that Wal-Mart's announced over the last few years, the FTC's definition of carbon offsets could most affect the retailer's ultra-ambitious goal to someday run on 100 percent renewable energy -- a huge amount of which would likely have to come from offsets or renewable-energy certificates.

sources: Wal-Mart Watch, Federal Trade Commission

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Green Groups Doing a 'Face Plant'

Two coal plants given go-ahead by green groups after concessions negotiated

Posted at 7:00 AM on 07 Aug 2008

Environmental groups dropped their opposition to two different coal-fired power plant expansion projects in Wisconsin and Texas this week after the utilities agreed to a range of concessions designed to limit the environmental impacts of the plants. In Texas, power company NRG reached an agreement with Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition and the Environmental Defense Fund that requires the company to offset or sequester half of its carbon dioxide emissions until federal climate legislation is passed; cap the levels of mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide the facility can emit; reduce the coal plant's use of water by over half, as well as other measures. In Wisconsin, the Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin dropped their legal challenges to a coal-fired power plant's expansion in exchange for utility We Energies agreeing to retire two older coal plants in Michigan by 2012 and agreeing to support legislation increasing Wisconsin's renewable-energy standard to 25 percent by 2025. "We've been fighting for more than seven years ... It's time to put this [plant] behind us and focus on the other ones that are in the pipeline," said Bruce Nilles of the Sierra Club.

sources: Reuters, Environmental Defense Fund
see also, in Grist: Coal-bashing is hot new trend in Congress, science circles, and business world
see also, in Gristmill: King Coal's year of rejection by banks, judges, and a lot of other folks

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In Brief

Snippets from the news

Posted at 5:32 PM on 06 Aug 2008

• Wal-Mart lobbies against carbon-offset guidelines.

• What's the climate impact of junk mail?

• Household PCs go on an energy diet.

• California school buses will get cleaner.

• Map shows how climate change affects biodiversity.

• Cuba scales back ethanol plans.

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You Ghana Deal With That?

Toxin-laden e-waste dumped in West Africa

Posted at 5:22 PM on 06 Aug 2008

European Union laws prohibiting the export of hazardous materials aren't keeping shipments of electronic waste out of West Africa, according to a new Greenpeace report. Traders obtain e-waste in the E.U. and ship it off "under the false label of 'second-hand goods,'" says the report, adding, "Sending old electronic equipment to developing countries is often hailed as 'bridging the digital divide.' But all too often this simply means dumping useless equipment on the poor." Soil samples taken near two e-waste scrapyards in Ghana showed dangerous levels of phthalates, chlorinated dioxins, lead, and other toxic metals; the report notes that much of the disassembling is done by children. Companies must "take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products," says Martin Hojsik of Greenpeace, and "not allow their products to end up poisoning the poor around the world." Greenpeace has previously reported on sketchy e-waste situations in southeast Asia and China and India.

sources: Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, The Telegraph, Xinhua
see also, in Grist: Best Buy tests free e-waste recycling program, U.N. launches global partnership to combat unhealthy e-waste habits

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Dell and Good

Dell Inc. claims carbon neutrality

Posted at 2:50 PM on 06 Aug 2008

Dell Computer's worldwide business operations are now carbon neutral, the company announced Wednesday. True carbon neutrality is, of course, a chimera for a giant IT company; notes business analyst Clive Longbottom, "You have to question whether they have taken all their workers' commuting into consideration and the materials in making a computer, going all the way back to zinc mining." Perhaps not, but Dell now sources one-fifth of its power from renewable sources, buys renewable-energy credits for the rest, and is paying for forest preservation in Madagascar in order to offset 475,000 tons of emissions. Dell, which aims to be "the greenest technology company on the planet," has also installed energy-efficient lighting, heating, and computing systems in its offices -- which provide the handy side benefit of $3 million in savings each year.

sources: Dell, Silicon.com, Associated Press, Earth2Tech, The Wall Street Journal
see also, in Grist: Chastised by bloggers, Dell aims to cut down on waste

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Dumb as a Layer of Rocks

NYC officials fear natural-gas drilling would taint water supplies

Posted at 12:05 PM on 06 Aug 2008

New York City officials want to ban natural-gas drilling within a mile of six major upstate reservoirs for fear that the city's drinking water could become contaminated. Extracting gas from the Marcellus Shale rock layer, as some state regulators and lawmakers are pushing to do, would require shooting millions of gallons of water and unidentified chemicals underground to break up the rock. Similar drilling in other states has caused more than 1,000 wastewater spills that have tainted drinking-water supplies. The pristine water that quenches the thirst of 9 million New Yorkers requires no filtration; if it became tainted, a water-treatment facility could cost nearly $10 billion -- approximately the same amount that the state estimates it could earn from natural-gas development in the next 10 years.

source: ProPublica

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Uppin' Atom!

McCain tours nuke plant, renews call for nuclear power expansion in U.S.

Posted at 6:20 AM on 06 Aug 2008

Republican presidential candidate John McCain toured a nuclear plant in Michigan on Tuesday, using the opportunity to renew his call for the U.S. to build 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030. At the plant, McCain said that his love affair with nuclear power began when he encountered nuclear ships and submarines in the Navy. "I knew it was safe then, I know it's safe now," he said. However, the backdrop for his nuclear-safety claim was less than ideal. The nuke plant McCain was touring has been the site of a number of nuclear accidents: one reactor had a partial meltdown in 1966 and briefly caught fire this May. Another reactor leaked in 2005, temporarily shutting down the plant. On the tour, McCain accused Democrat Barack Obama of not fully supporting nuclear power, but Obama's campaign refuted the claim. An Obama spokesperson issued a statement saying that Obama "supports safe and secure nuclear energy. ... However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, Obama thinks key issues must be addressed, including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation."

sources: Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Detroit Free Press

see also, in Muckraker: McCain to visit nuclear power plant with dismal safety record

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In Brief

Snippets from the news

Posted at 4:41 PM on 05 Aug 2008

• Pizza Hut will deliver "all-natural" pie with organic tomatoes.

• Alaska sues over polar-bear listing.

• Exposure to Agent Orange doubles veterans' risk of prostate cancer.

• California public utilities unlikely to make renewable-energy goal.

• Affordable housing goes green.

• Clean-tech investment still going strong.

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Expanding Waste

Estimated cost of Nevada nuke-waste dump soars

Posted at 3:46 PM on 05 Aug 2008

Read more about: Department of Energy | energy | Nevada | news | nuclear power

The total cost of dumping nuclear waste at Nevada's Yucca Mountain repository will hit $96.2 billion, the Department of Energy estimated Tuesday. The estimate has jumped 38 percent, excluding inflation, since 2001. And it assumes no new construction of nuclear reactors; to put that in perspective, John McCain is pushing for the U.S. to build up to 45 new nuclear plants by 2030. The Energy Department ambitiously assumes that Yucca will begin accepting waste in 2020, continue through 2070, and close in 2113. It also estimates that the site could take in as much as 122,000 tons of nuclear waste, even though Congress has limited Yucca's capacity to 77,000 tons. About 64,000 tons of used reactor fuel is already chillin' at 121 temporary sites across the U.S., and more than 2,000 tons are added each year.

sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Vocation, All I Ever Wanted

Employers scramble to make commutes less costly

Posted at 1:43 PM on 05 Aug 2008

Recognizing the very real possibility of losing quality employees to jobs with shorter, cheaper commutes, employers across the country are scrambling to help their workers save on gas. Many companies have started to strongly encourage telecommuting, even paying for at-home workers' laptops, Blackberrys, and/or wireless connections. Microsoft has leased extra office space miles from its Washington State headquarters, closer to where many employees live. Other businesses are trying out four-day work weeks, organizing vanpools, or doling out gas cards, bus passes, raises, and even bicycles. "We had 14 calls last week and nine of those named high gas prices as their No. 1 reason for leaving their job," says Lauren Milligan of career-management services company ResuMayDay. "Employers have to start paying attention."

source: The New York Times
see also, in Grist: How to green your commute

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Gauge Reaction

Big Auto backs off support for tighter fuel-economy standards

Posted at 10:47 AM on 05 Aug 2008

New fuel-economy rules coming down the pike are likely to displease pretty much everyone, if a public hearing held Monday is any indication. In the current proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, auto manufacturers must achieve a fleet-wide average fuel economy of at least 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015 -- a jump from 25 mpg today, and a step toward Congress' target of at least 35 mpg by 2020. But Big Auto, shaken by the shaky economy, has backed off its previous support for the standards. Ford's CEO laments a lack of "adequate resources or lead time"; Toyota now says the proposed regulations are "substantially front-loaded"; and the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers says the timeline isn't "technologically feasible" or "economically practicable." (The comments are aimed at the 2015 timeline; manufacturers say they continue to support reaching 35 mpg by 2020.) For their part, greens say the proposal is too lax, noting that NHTSA's calculations unrealistically assume that gas will be $2.25 a gallon in 2015.

sources: The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Detroit Free Press

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Good Day, Primate

Gorilla census finds 125,000 more western lowland gorillas than expected

Posted at 6:44 AM on 05 Aug 2008

Read more about: Congo | news | wildlife

A new gorilla census in the Republic of the Congo has found about 125,000 more western lowland gorillas than expected living in the northern part of the Montana-sized country, effectively doubling the known population of the species. Western lowland gorillas are one of four gorilla subspecies, all of which are in danger of extinction. "These figures show that northern Republic of Congo contains the mother lode of gorillas," said Steven Sanderson of the Wildlife Conservation Society. However, very real threats to the gorillas remain, including hunting, disease, and habitat loss. "Far from being safe, the gorillas are still under threat from Ebola and hunting for bush meat. We must not become complacent about this. Ebola can wipe out thousands in a short period of time," said Emma Stokes of the Wildlife Conservation Society. A separate study released this week by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature found that almost half of the world's 634 kinds of primates are in danger of extinction due to deforestation and hunting.

sources: Associated Press, Reuters, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
see also, in Grist: Nations launch new combined effort to save mountain gorillas

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