President Obama and the EPA are gearing up to put the nation on a low-carbon diet and their strategy would do Weight Watchers proud: Count first, cut later. The counting begins on Jan. 1, 2010 when some 10,000 companies and other entities, including municipalities and even some universities, must start measuring their greenhouse gas (GHG) [...]
Ford Motor Company has improved in fuel economy more than any other major automaker since 2004, according to a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA rated Ford’s combined car and truck fuel economy improvement at nearly 20 percent, almost double the next closest competitor. Ford credits its recent gains in fuel [...]
Black soot deposited on Tibetan glaciers has contributed significantly to the retreat of the world’s largest non-polar ice masses, according to new research by scientists from NASA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Soot absorbs incoming solar radiation and can speed glacial melting when deposited on snow in sufficient quantities. Temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau [...]
At a major event, the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF), the UN Foundation (UNF) and the Worldwatch Institute addressed the potential for natural gas to accelerate the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The Copenhagen forum, “Natural Gas, Renewables and Efficiency: Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy” brought together energy and environmental leaders from industry, government [...]
NASA will take its Earth science research and educational programs before a world-wide audience Dec. 7-18 during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. NASA is one of several U.S. government agencies supporting the first-ever U.S. Center, an outreach initiative housed in Copenhagen’s Bella Conference Center. Organized by the U.S. [...]
In the run-up to the crucial climate change talks in Copenhagen, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has published a league table showing which EU countries are best at exploiting CO2-cutting wind energy. Top of the table is Denmark, with the highest amount of wind energy capacity per square kilometre of national territory. Germany comes [...]
EPA-estimated 42 MPG highway is highest of any luxury car sold in the U.S. – Audi TDI clean diesel 2.0 engine delivers optimal power with uniquely low emissions The Green Car of the Year(R) award is the industry measure of environmental innovation Green and performance luxury needn’t be mutually exclusive concepts. That’s a core belief [...]
State stands to gain 18,000 jobs through policies to promote renewable energy Shifting to renewable energy sources, such as wind and bio-energy, would bring significant job growth, economic investment and revenues to Arkansas’ struggling rural communities, according to a new report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). These benefits would be enhanced through [...]
ASTMH Symposium Considers Evidence of Effects of Climate Change on Climate-Sensitive Diseases An emerging body of evidence suggests that the changing global climate is already affecting infectious disease transmission patterns. As noted in a symposium at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), such changes are expected to [...]
International coalition advances marine conservation as part of the solution to climate change A large international coalition today urged the United States to support marine conservation options that will help mitigate climate change. The ‘Blue Climate Coalition,’ comprised of sixty-six conservation groups and interests and over 150 marine scientists and professionals, from 33 countries, issued [...]