Environment

ThinkProgress | – Confronted with BP tar balls still washing up on Gulf shores, a spokesman denies the toxic chemicals are harmful, sidestepping the damage to pristine beaches. Scientists do not agree with him about the balls’ lack of toxicity and point out they can break down in harmful ways. ThinkProgress Video: “BP Defends Tar […]

Acidification of Oceans

Fossil Fuels have to Stay in the Ground: But Renewables are anyway Cheaper

contributors

By Will Steffen and Martin Rice | (The Conversation) Ninety per cent of Australia’s current coal reserves will need to be left in the ground for Australia to play its role in limiting warming to no more than 2C. That’s according to a report released today by the Climate Council, “Unburnable Carbon: why we need […]

Acidification of Oceans

Top Ten ways to prove you Love the Earth on Earth Day

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – I was a junior in high school on April 22, 1970, on the first Earth Day, called for by Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wi) (d. 1981). The road leading to our school had been littered with trash, and a group of us went out with black plastic bags and […]

Acidification of Oceans

If Climate Change ends Capitalism, what good are Climate Economists?

contributors

By David Ray Griffin | (Informed Comment) – Since the 1970s, when he essentially founded the economics of climate change, William Nordhaus had been considered its preeminent authority. According to a fellow economist, the optimal economic policy had for decades been simply “what Bill Nordhaus said." This view had been unquestioned, said a 2013 article, […]

Climate Change

China’s Big Clean-Up: Asia’s Hope

contributors

By Mark L. Clifford | (Author of The Greening of Asia: The Business Case for Solving Asia’s Environmental Emergency) – Asia sometimes feels like one big environmental emergency. Breathing Beijing’s air on a bad mid-winter’s day is more dangerous than breathing the smoke in a forest fire. The appearance of thousands of pig carcasses floating […]

Energy

Clean Disruption: Why Conventional Energy and Transportation will be Obsolete by 2030

contributors

Tony Seba | “Tony Seba gives the keynote address at the NZ SmartGrid Forum at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, New Zealand, March 31, 2014. The keynote is titled “Clean Disruption: Why Conventional Energy and Transportation will be Obsolete by 2030″. In this keynote, Seba highlights four areas where the combination of exponentially improving […]

Desertification

The Coming Water Wars

contributors

Jo Ankier and John Fenoglio | (TheLipTV) | – “Around 60% more food will be needed to feed the world’s growing population by 2050 and with the demand for water set to increase by 55% water supplies in less developed countries are under severe threat as agriculture tries to meet that demand, according to a […]

Barack Obama

Fast-Tracking Pacific Trade Bill will harm Consumers, Tie Congress’ Hands

contributors

By Jeremy Malcolm and Maira Sutton | Electronic Frontier Foundation | – The Fast Track bill contains some minor procedural improvements from the version of the bill introduced last year. However, these fixes will do little to nothing to address the threats of restrictive digital regulations on users rights in the TPP or TTIP. The […]

Climate Change

Floating wind turbine in the sky Can Power whole Villages

contributors

Dan Simmons | (BBC Click) – “The floating wind turbine that could help provide power to remote communities. The helium-filled device, known as The Bat, can adjust its height to take advantage of the weather conditions and can boost mobile phone signals if telecommunications equipment are added to the rig. BBC Click’s Dan Simmons reports.” […]