Posted by Kelly Smith on Tue, Jul 27, 2010
Purchase and production of green power are on the rise around the world. Government representatives from 170 countries came to December 2009’s Climate Conference in Copenhagen to discuss solutions to climate change. There are many new ideas and innovative technologies on the horizon, but energy efficiency and renewable energy remain an extremely important part of the solution. Different countries are taking different approaches to environmental responsibility. Some, like the UK, are making countrywide carbon dioxide emissions goals. Others, such as the United States, seem to be largely leaving the green power initiatives to individual communities, states, and businesses for now, while providing some government financial incentives to go green.
In the United States, about one-fourth of all utility companies offer individual consumers the option of purchasing green energy. Some states are much further along than others in terms of the opportunities for businesses and individuals to choose green power. In Wisconsin, a program called Focus on Energy has helped individuals and businesses to save $319 million dollars in energy costs in 2009 alone. Researchers in Ohio, North Carolina, and California have just recently been awarded big grants from the US Department of Energy to pursue innovative green electricity projects. Many northeastern US states such as Vermont are also working towards developing more sustainable energy sources. Voluntary programs such as the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership have also been successful in encouraging businesses and organizations to invest in renewable energy.
Canada is also working on voluntary carbon reductions. The province of British Columbia has decided to go carbon neutral. In addition to overhauling government waste, they will purchase renewable energy credits to offset their conventional electricity usage. Businesses in Canada are also taking the plunge. In the last few months, 184 green energy projects have been launched in Ontario, and 23 have taken off in British Columbia.
In Europe, many countries have more specific goals and regulations regarding carbon dioxide emissions. In the UK, a certain percentage of the power mix at each utility company must come from renewable sources. In Finland, 25.7% of their total power mix came from renewable sources in 2009. Portugal is striving to lead Europe in renewable energy production within the next few years.
France is an interesting case. Although almost none of its energy comes from renewable sources, it has the cleanest air in Europe since it uses 75 percent nuclear power. Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases, but it does have other environmental concerns such as the disposal of nuclear waste.
Around the world in Japan, sustainability efforts were lacking for a long time. Now part of the Japanese economic stimulus plan is to start investing in efforts to reduce climate change, such as investing in solar power installations and the production of electric cars. One problem is that emission reduction targets for businesses in Japan are only voluntary, and Japanese factories are big polluters.
Photo via Maggi_94
Posted by Kelly Smith on Wed, Jul 14, 2010
Seven months ago, the Climategate email scandal broke. Emails that described some statistical methods used with the climate data were made public. To many climate change skeptics, these emails seemed to bring the validity of some climate change research into question and suggest fraudulent or unscientific research methods.
Now an independent review panel has released their findings in this matter to the general public. This 160-page report does not find any problem with the scientists or the data that should cause anyone to question the validity of the climate change research conducted at the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, or the data they contributed to reports made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The panel did find that researchers should be more open with the public when they receive requests for information, and they should make it more clear to the general public how they used the data to create various graphic organizers and climate predictions.
Climate change skeptics can no longer legitimately hold onto this scandal as a means to deny climate change.
Record heat waves on the East Coast of the US add to the list of recent extreme weather events that will become more common as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increase.
Meanwhile, oil is still spilling and cleanup and containment efforts are still going on in the Gulf of Mexico months after an explosion caused oil to start spewing into the water at a rate of 60,000 barrels each day.
Now is not the time to make petty arguments about statistics. Now is the time to find alternatives to the dirty fossil fuels of the past. Investing in energy efficiency, purchasing renewable green power, and conserving conventional energy use are a good way to start turning to clean energy.
Photo via .Martin.
Posted by Kelly Smith on Tue, Jun 15, 2010
The new attorney general in the state of Virginia is out to get scientists who have studied climate change using state tax dollars under the 2002 Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act. He alleges that research dollars used to study what he considers to be a false science have been spent in a fraudulent manner.
Former University of Virginia professor Michael Mann is being subpoenaed in regards to five university research grants. Mann, who now works at Penn State University, has drawn ire from the climate-change skeptic Cucinelli for being a “leading proponent of the theory” and using state money to further his research.
Cucinelli is a leading climate change skeptic who has gone so far as to sue the federal government over greenhouse gas regulations. Cucinelli is not the first person to target Mann and his scientific research.
According to a recent Washington Post article, Dr. Mann is one of the scientists who helped create a graph compiling different types of data to show a large recent change in the Earth’s climate. One of his emails to a professor in the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit was involved in the Climategate leak. In this email, Mann referred to a mathematical trick he used while creating his model, which climate change skeptics jumped all over as evidence of fraud.
Mann insists that “the email was taken out of context,” and he feels that he is being targeted solely as a means for fueling further skepticism of climate science. Penn State investigations have shown that they cannot find any evidence that Mann has been dishonest in his research.
Many people are concerned about Cucinelli’s attack on Mann. If the lawsuit is successful, it will likely set a legal precedent that is a danger to academic freedom in general and the study of climate change specifically.
Posted by Kelly Smith on Mon, Apr 26, 2010
The widespread media attention to global climate change and other environmental issues has brought the need to be green into the forefront of consumers' minds. The average consumer is starting to see how their choices make an impact in the world. With new green businesses and sustainable products popping up all the time, customers now have sustainable choices right at their fingertips. It is both cool and easy to make green choices, and we often feel guilty when we make a choice that is environmentally unfriendly.
Consumers must constantly balance their wants and needs with their desire to protect the planet. A prime example of this is the parent demographic. Parents don't want their children to have deprived childhoods. We want our kids to have an even better childhood than we did. We want to buy books and toys that will enrich them. On the other hand, we are worried about the future. We do not want the carbon emissions from the bicycles and balls and blocks that we purchase to put the planet and our children's future health in jeopardy.
A solution to this dilemma is to purchase from sustainable businesses. One clear sign that a business operates in a way that is gentle on the environment is that a business has purchased green power to offset some or all of their conventional electricity usage. The Green-e website and the Green Power Partnership website are good places to search for green businesses. The Green-e certified logo is an easy symbol to look for in the store. Purchasing from green businesses boosts customer satisfaction and greatly reduces buyer's remorse. Sustainable companies help consumers to fulfill their wants and needs while also considering the planet's needs.
Posted by Rahul Chitrapu on Sat, Mar 06, 2010
"At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050."
Posted by Rahul Chitrapu on Thu, Feb 11, 2010
As a rule of thumb, government intervention into free markets is a bad idea. But it is also true that government help is needed to jumpstart new markets. What do you think? Is it a good idea for government to intervene and set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions? Or should the free market decide what is best since
consumers want companies to adopt sustainable practices anyway?
Posted by Rahul Chitrapu on Tue, Dec 01, 2009
I was talking with one engineer today who is pretty passionate about the environment and wants to do his part to curb climate change. We got into a discussion about green power and how it has one of the biggest impacts on a person’s environmental footprint. When I asked him whether he would purchase green power from his local utility or an independent provider (he did not know about Ecoelectrons), he indicated that he was skeptical as to whether green power – power form wind or solar or other eco-friendly sources – would really be injected onto the grid on his behalf by the green power provider. I explained that it is a regulated industry and there is oversight by organizations like Green-e. Green power will be injected onto the grid on his behalf. He didn’t seem convinced.
Why is there this lack of trust despite of regulation? Do you have any thoughts as to how the green power industry can improve its credibility amongst the public?
Posted by Rahul Chitrapu on Sat, Nov 14, 2009
350.org released a great ad campaign involving supermodels to raise awareness on climate change.
Posted by Rahul Chitrapu on Sat, Nov 14, 2009
An interesting article in The Economist on how environmentalism is given the same weight as religion in British employment laws.