Washington Post (February 15)
“The United States sits atop seas of natural gas, a fuel that drives electric turbines, warms homes, heats water and even powers some big trucks. Much of this gas is in unconventional deposits that drillers have only begun to tap. Now that they have, the price of the fuel has plummeted and the United States has gone from a gas importer to a potential exporter, with decades of supply left…. The country can’t use natural gas forever, because it still produces some carbon dioxide. But gas can, for a time, serve as a low-cost alternative to dirtier fossil fuels in a program to steadily green the economy.”
Tags: CO2, Economy, Environment, Fossil fuels, Green, Natural gas, Supply, U.S.
Time (July 9)
For the first time in nearly a century, “densely packed urban areas grew faster than suburbs.” If the trend continues, Time suggests “it could be good news for the environment, reducing the time commuters spend in gas-guzzling cars going to and from their jobs in the city.” It might “also be good for America’s social ecology.” Suburbanization has largely isolated the rich from the poor. Urbanization could lead to more mixing, stronger relationships and greater empathy as social and ethnic classes converge more frequently.
For the first time in nearly a century, “densely packed urban areas grew faster than suburbs.” If the trend continues, Time suggests “it could be good news for the environment, reducing the time commuters spend in gas-guzzling cars going to and from their jobs in the city.” It might “also be good for America’s social ecology.” Suburbanization has largely isolated the rich from the poor. Urbanization could lead to more mixing, stronger relationships and greater empathy as social and ethnic classes converge more frequently.
Tags: Empathy, Environment, Ethnic, Social, Suburbanization, U.S., Urbanization
CFO.com (March 13)
“While any good finance executive will focus first on the costs and revenue opportunities in proposed energy-saving plants, the risks and benefits to company employees and external society will be squarely on his or her radar, because they potentially affect the company’s brand reputation.” Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) will also have their eyes open for sweet spots, “where what’s good for the planet melds seamlessly with what’s good for the bottom line. For example, Costco found that changing its energy consumption helped cut its costs.” The problem is that most environmentally based metrics aren’t linked to financial metrics. For example, when a company reduces its carbon footprint, CFOs want to see the link with “an income statement, balance sheet, or cash-flow statement.” Does the smaller footprint reduce costs, increase sales or reduce liabilities such as lawsuits? “The challenge of sustainability at the corporate level is to find a way to answer that question in hard, numeric, provable ways that take into account the self-interest so basic to our free-enterprise system.”
Tags: Benefits, CFOs, Costs, Environment, Finance, Metrics, Risks, Sustainability
Forbes (February 12, 2012)
U.S. utilities are rushing to close coal-fired plants, especially less efficient plants that are over 40 years old. “Coal now provides about half of this country’s electric generation. But the energy picture is changing with the pending environmental rules and the newfound wealth of inexpensive shale gas.” In 25 years, coal’s share could be halved and natural gas could account for about 40% of electricity needs.
Tags: Coal, Electricity, Environment, Gas, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (October 21)
Long considered a climate change skeptic, Richard Muller received funding to disprove the research. Muller’s two-year project analyzed 1.6 billion measurements from 39,000 global temperature monitoring stations. “When we began our study, we felt that skeptics had raised legitimate issues.” Instead, Muller’s research confirmed previous research. He writes, “Global warming is real. Perhaps our results will help cool this portion of the climate debate.”
Tags: Climate change, Environment, Global warming, Muller
The Economist (October 21)
By the end of October, the world’s population will reach 7 billion, just 12 years after hitting 6 billion in 1999. Would policies supporting slower population growth help solve pressing environmental problems? Probably not. “The populations that are rising fastest contribute very little to climate change. The poorest half of the world produces 7% of carbon emissions. The richest 7% produces half the carbon. So the problem lies in countries like China, America and Europe, which all have stable populations. Moderating fertility in Africa might boost the economy or help stressed local environments. But it would not solve global problems.”
Tags: 7 billion, Emissions, Environment, Growth, Population
The Independent (September 20)
The practice of “fracking” to access shale gas reserves is becoming widespread in the U.S. And now the UK faces the alluring promise that “drilling for shale gas in Lancashire could create as many as 5,600 jobs.” The downside is “that such drilling could also poison groundwater, pollute the atmosphere and cause major ecological damage.” The Independent believes the benefits do not outweigh the risks. “Fracking is an unconscionable gamble with potentially catastrophic results. It has already been banned in France. It should be banned in Britain as well.”
New York Times (June 24)
The price of corn has more than doubled in less than a year. Much of the blame lies with subsidies for ethanol, which now consumes 40% of the corn crop. “Washington has managed simultaneously to help drive up food prices and add tens of billions of dollars to the deficit, while arguably increasing energy use and harming the environment.”
New York Times (February 27)
Has a new epoch begun? The Holocene epcoh began 11,500 years ago and some scientists contend it has given way to a new period. That new period is being labeled the Anthropocene due to the impact humans (anthropos in Greek) are having on the planet and the environment. “The true meaning of the Anthropocene is that we have affected nearly every aspect of our environment — from a warming atmosphere to the bottom of an acidifying ocean.”
Has a new epoch begun? The Holocene epcoh began 11,500 years ago and some scientists contend it has given way to a new period. That new period is being labeled the Anthropocene due to the impact humans (anthropos in Greek) are having on the planet and the environment. “The true meaning of the Anthropocene is that we have affected nearly every aspect of our environment — from a warming atmosphere to the bottom of an acidifying ocean.”
Tags: Anthropocene, Environment, Epoch, Holocene, Human impact
Wall Street Journal (January 22)
“Four of every 10 rows of U.S. corn now go for fuel, not food.” In 2001, the figure was less than one in 14. This helps explain soaring food inflation. The Journal criticizes the government subsidies behind the shift to fuel use. “At a time when the world will need more corn and grains, it makes no sense to devote scarce farmland to make a fuel that exists only because of taxpayer subsidies and mandates.”
Tags: Environment, Ethanol, Food, Inflation
