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Oregon's Green Idea: Taxing For Miles Driven Instead of Gas

LibertySugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:01:24 -0800

Oregon drivers may soon start limiting their joyrides. The governor has called for a highway tax based on miles driven, not gasoline purchases after gas tax revenues dropped to $4.8 million a year compared with 2006.

The idea is that a state task force would equip every new vehicle in the state with a Global Positioning System device to record every mile driven and where. Motorists would pay at the gas pump based on how much they drove, whether they drive a Prius or a clunker party bus.

Oregon is one of the first states to start talking about a mileage fee, but Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Texas have expressed interest in dropping the gas tax and charging drivers for their mileage. The proposal has already received plenty of opposition from Oregonians who say it would discriminate against rural residents, who have to drive farther for groceries, school and work, and caused concerns about government monitoring.

Do you think it's a smart move?

Source

SF Flyers May Pay For Their Carbon — Would It Fly With You?

LibertySugar — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:00:11 -0800

San Francisco International Airport will soon be populated with kiosks where green, and presumably well-off, travelers can buy indulgences for their environmental sin of air travel. The machines give travelers a chance to buy carbon offsets by calculating their trip's carbon footprint, along with the cost of an investment necessary to reduce general environmental impact by the same amount. Once the travelers pay, they get receipts telling them which projects they have sponsored. All you need is a credit card to save the planet! Offsetting a trip to Europe would cost about $36, while a two-hour trip would only cost $4. Would you participate?Source

SF Flyers May Pay For Their Carbon — Would It Fly With You?

Yes! It's a perfect way to help the environment while still fulfilling practical travel needs.

No. The taxes I pay on my ticket should be used to help the environment.

No way! It's a scam. Why would I pay a random company just to make myself feel better?

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Front Page: EU Reaches Climate Change Agreement

CitizenSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:02:20 -0800

EU leaders have agreed on a new climate change deal, which pledges to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. — BBC News
The White House is considering using money allocated for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout to help the ailing Big Three auto companies. The attempt at offering relief comes after the Senate failed to pass the $14 billion package.— Wall Street Journal

Although she's not the target of the federal investigation, Illinois first lady Patricia Blagojevich is coming under fire for statements she made in recorded phone conversations, allegedly urging her husband to withhold state funds. She comes from a political family, and her father accused her husband's administration of selling state appointments a few years ago. — CNN
The remains of a small child were found yesterday in Florida, and investigators believe them to be Caylee Anthony, the three-year-old girl whose mother has been charged with her murder. — New York Times

Source

The Obama Girls Go Green at School

CitizenSugar — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

On Friday, CasaSugar let you know about the American Institute of Architecture's offer to help the White House become an international model of energy efficiency. If President-elect Barack Obama takes AIA up on the offer, he'll really be getting somewhere with his aforementioned green building goals. But, as it turns out, Obama has already begun to walk the walk: after much ado, he and Michelle have decided to send their daughters, Malia and Sasha, to an environmentally friendly, LEED-platinum school, the Sidwell Friends School in D.C. To hear about the school's eco-friendly architecture,

UN Climate Change Meeting Not So Easy on the Environment

LibertySugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:30:16 -0800

Thanks to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide will join the Earth's atmosphere. More than 10,600 people plan to attend the two-week summit in Poznań, Poland, where delegates will discuss issues such as the greenhouse effect and weather pattern changes. Energy used to get the attendees to the talks, or used to heat and light the venue, will contribute to the very problems they seek to solve.

This doesn't mean participants aren't trying to be green — many traveled long distances by train or bus to keep emissions down. Delegates who skipped air travel will reduce their greenhouse emissions by six times. In addition, Poland plans to buy carbon offsets for the conference, meaning the government will pay to reduce pollution elsewhere.

Do you think purchasing carbon offsets helps quiet accusations of hypocrisy, or would delegates find an alternative to a pollution heavy conference if they really practiced what they preach?

Source

How Will You Travel This Thanksgiving?

LibertySugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:30:15 -0800

Thanks to relatively cheap prices, wireless Internet on board, and an increase in service-frequency, more Americans are hopping on the bus, rather than traveling by plane or car. Over the past year, intercity bus travel (think Greyhound) has increased by 9.8 percent, a growth rate higher than anything seen in the past 40 years. Considering driving a car rules out multitasking, and flying includes long security lines, taking the bus doesn't seem so bad! It also has its green advantages — CO2 emissions dropped by 36,000 tons, and 3.48 million gallons of fuel were conserved in the past year. If you're traveling this Thanksgiving, what form of transportation did you choose? Source

Briefing Book! Bay Area to Become Electric Car Mecca

LibertySugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:30:24 -0800

Energy: Electric car capital of the world? Plans in the works to coat the entire Bay Area with electric-vehicle charging stations by 2012. — SFist
Money: The new public financing system? Barack Obama raised $500 million online during the campaign. — Donklephant
Cheney: How happy should you be about the Cheney indictment. Not that happy if you want something to come from it. — 23/6
Clinton: Would Hillary bring her old-guard foreign policy advisers to the State Department? A look at how they would mesh with Obama. — Talking Points Memo

Source

Not Evil Just Wrong — New Film to Take on Al Gore

LibertySugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:30:42 -0800

The new documentary Not Evil Just Wrong challenges so-called "global warming hysteria." The Irish filmmakers behind the project believe the effort to save the planet only hurts the poor, and they hope the film will discredit "alarmists" like Al Gore.

The film presents some alleged inconvenient truths that counter Al Gore. In the trailer, the Nobel Peace Prize winner is presented as a dark fearmongerer demanding that people drastically change the way they live, or that factories close and take away millions of jobs. Those in the documentary emotionally explain that such efforts destroy industry and ultimately cost people's lives.

Do you think this documentary could change your view of global warming?

Smog Can Claim More Lives Than Car Crashes

LibertySugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:30:00 -0800

Cars can be deadly in California, but not in the way you expect. Air pollution leads to more deaths than car accidents in two California regions. In addition to saving lives, bringing air pollution up to standards would save $28 billion each year in health care costs, missed work, and a loss of salary due to early death, according to a new study.

Despite what this depressing reality may suggest, California hasn't been sleeping at the environmental wheel. The state has plans to display global warming ranking stickers on every new car, and California was one of seven states to join four Canadian provinces in agreeing to cut greenhouse gas emissions even absent of federal action. News about smog related deaths makes California's maverick environmental policies seem more like a necessity, than a luxury.

Source

Al Gore Says Thanks, but No Thanks to Climate Czar Role

LibertySugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:30:39 -0800

Word on the street is that Barack Obama plans to create a "climate czar" position to lead his administration's climate change and energy policies. But Al Gore, the most likely candidate, has already said that he doesn't want the job.

Perhaps Al Gore either didn't want to fill out that cumbersome questionnaire Obama is passing out to potential appointees, or saw the position as a demotion from vice president. Then again maybe he thinks he can get more done outside of government. Whatever the reason, Al Gore's disinterest may clear the way for another candidate — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Source

Not the Greenest President: Bush's Environmental Sins

LibertySugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0800

Even some conservatives believe that the US President-elect should put the environmental crisis at the top of his presidential to-do list, because addressing that crisis has bipartisan approval. Yet despite an apparent citizen yearning for leadership on green issues, President Bush has neglected the topic during his eight years in the White House.

Salon put together a list of Bush's seven environmental deadly sins. The authors argue that Bush made a mockery of the US's environmental laws and values. Here are the seven pieces of supporting evidence for their indictment:

Blew hot air on global warming: Bush refused to agree to mandatory greenhouse gas emission reductions, thus erasing any credibility the US had to persuade China and India to cut their emissions and also leading to a rise in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
Failed to regulate greenhouse gases at home: Bush vowed to veto any bill that would limit greenhouse gases. He also refused to regulate CO2 as a pollutant, even though the Supreme Court ruled it was a pollutant and said he could regulate it.
Failed to develop clean energy sources: While doing nothing to further renewable energy, Bush gave regulatory support to polluting industries like coal, oil, and gas.
Abandoned endangered species: The only additions to the endangered species list, such as the polar bear, came from private parties who sued the government. The administration also tried to build roads without considering harm to these species.

To see the rest,

Water Is the New Oil: Could There Be Wars For Water?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:05:00 -0800

Theoretically enough water exists for everyone on the planet, yet all too often it is in the wrong place at the wrong time and in the wrong amounts. And there is no shortage of humanitarian crises when this happens.

Half the world's population lives in countries where water is scarce. Lack of it and ineffective sanitation are largely blamed for the death of 11 million children under age five; the hunger of one billion people; the inadequate food and nutrition of two billion; and 60 million girls kept out of school each year.

Water scarcity causes tension and is increasingly seen as a threat to peace, making it the new, new oil. It's blamed for causing disease, hunger, and mass migration. Many believe conflict is inevitable, and the secretary of the United Nations has even predicted "water wars."

While it makes sense that people would fight for their most precious resource, so far there has been only one war, between Sudan and Egypt, over it. Marq de Villiers, author of The Water Wars, believes this is because countries are more likely to help each when it comes to water, a necessity of life. "You cannot do without water," he said, "when shortages pinch, states do cooperate and compromise."

Will goodwill run out when the water does? Is war for water inevitable?

Source

New York Taxis Won't Go Green Under City's Watch

CitizenSugar — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:00:13 -0700

New York City's plan to turn its whole fleet of yellow cabs green by 2012 got the red light this week from a federal judge, who ruled that regulation of fuel emissions standards falls under federal authority.

The plan called for every new taxi to have a standard of least 30 miles per gallon — a benchmark met by hybrid and clean diesel cars.

US District Judge Paul Crotty said enforcing the new regulations now would be costly to the taxi industry, which prompted Mayor Michael Bloomberg to release a statement saying the city is considering an appeal.

Green taxis are a focal point of Bloomberg's environmental plan. There are currently about 1,400 hybrid taxis in the city.

Eco Debt: Humans Use 30% More Resources Than Sustainable

CitizenSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:15:13 -0700

Looks like we've been putting our purchases of "fresh air" and "clean water" on our credit cards lately, and a nasty bill just arrived. The WWF just released a Living Planet report showing that humans are using 30 percent more resources than the planet can sustain and replenish every year.

The interest rate on living beyond our ecological means is huge. Huge. At the current rate of consumption, we're going to need a second planet by 2030. A second planet. Any ideas on where to get a nice used planet that will sustain human life real cheap? Yeah, me either.

The dividends on gobbling up our natural resources are deforestation, unhealthy soils, crappy air and water, and steep declines in the number of fish and other species. Our boundless population growth is outstripping technology's advances to expand natural production. To see what kind of response the report is advocating,

Front Page: Two Held in Obama Plot, Syria Raid Kills "Major Target," Arctic Ice Thickness Drops

CitizenSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:59:46 -0700

Two Held in Obama Plot:
Two men, being described as Neo-Nazis and aged 18 and 20, are being held for plotting to kill Barack Obama. Obama said he's not worried about the news and that it's "not who America is." The plan was to shoot 88 African-Americans and decapitate 14, symbolic numbers to white supremacists. The plot appears to have been amateurish and unsophisticated.

Syria Raid Kills "Major Target": A controversial raid into Syria has killed a key individual, Abu Ghadiyah, who was involved in smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq. Officials called the raid a "success." Baghdad has condemned the move saying that it doesn't want to be used as a launch point for attacks on others.

Arctic Ice Thickness Drops:
The thickness of the Arctic Ice dropped last year as much as 1.5 feet in some areas. The ice had been consistent for five years before hitting the 2007 minimum. The losses in ice could suggest the region has hit a tipping point — five years ago they projected the sea ice would disappear by 2080. The new data shows the ice will be gone by 2030 or 2040.

Source

Caribbean Beaches Disappearing As Tons of Sand Is Stolen

CitizenSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:15:05 -0700

I can almost feel the warm sand in this picture — though one criminal phenomenon is making the sand in the Caribbean "hot" as in stolen. On islands like Puerto Rico, Grenada, and St. Kitts among many others, thieves are actually stealing sand off the beaches for money.

Why the sand swiping? The building surge requires sand and enterprising criminals are reselling it to constructions companies. The sand is in high demand because it is used in cement, which many homeowners are turning to instead of the traditional wood. Despite not having a patch to put your beach towel on, the ecological problems of the theft are beginning to cause concern.

How much sand are we talking? It's no drop in the bucket. To see how much and the effect,

Dancing For Energy! Partying Powers Dutch Nightclub

LibertySugar — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:00:47 -0700

All music is ~~electronic~~ electric at Rotterdam's Club Watt. A newly installed dance floor traps energy generated from dancing, and then converts it to electricity.

Get Flash to see this player.

Yesterday's New York Times profiled the sustainable dance club, explaining that people can see the results of their energy creation. The floor powers a light show displayed around the dancers. At Watt, other green innovations help keep the party going: rainwater fills the toilets, and everything from the bar is recycled. When it's cold, band amplifiers and other musical equipment generate the heat.

The head of the group behind the Dutch club says: "Our idea is that there’s enough energy in this world, you just have to use it the right way. If you have a full dance club, there’s lots there, you just have to turn it into a usable product.” Sounds like a great idea to me!

Dubai: Pumping Sewage, Jailing Lovebirds, and Growing

CitizenSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Dubai is everywhere. Well, not everywhere, it's specifically on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates and the most populous city of the UAE. On the plane to the RNC I read Ben Mezrich's new book, Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil From Wall Street to Dubai. It's excellent and piqued my interest for this rapidly expanding city blending western ideas deep in the heart of the Middle East. Then my dad forwarded a photo taken from the top of the construction of the world's tallest skyscraper being built there. Seems like Dubai is a glittering paradise?

Sort of. To see what I mean,

Front Page: Joe the Plumber Speaks, Social Security Benefits to Rise, EU Firm on Climate Goals

CitizenSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:00:42 -0700

Joe the Plumber Speaks:
After being the star of last night's debate, mentioned conservatively a dozen times, "Joe the Plumber" has come forward. His name is Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio man who wants to buy a plumbing business. He had spoken with Obama in Toledo this week, and told him his tax plan would prevent him from buying the business. He said of being the example of the night, "It's pretty surreal, man, my name being mentioned in a presidential campaign." He won't say who he's voting for — if he's registered — "That's for me and a button to know."

Social Security Benefits to Rise:
Social Security benefits will go up 5.8 percent for 50 million people next year. It's the largest pay rise in more than a quarter of a century. The increase will begin in January and will mean $63 extra per month for the average retiree. The raise is double increase from January this year.

EU Firm on Climate Goals:
European Union leaders are resolved to meet their targets and timetable for addressing climate change, despite objections from some countries. Worries that given the global economic situation cutting greenhouse gas emissions will be too costly has caused some countries to threaten to block the plan. French President Sarkozy says, "The climate package is so important that we cannot simply drop it, under the pretext of a financial crisis."

Beijing Brings Back Olympics Car Rules to Cut Smog

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

While the medals and finish lines from the Olympics are becoming a distant memory — so was the hard-fought clean air that Beijing enjoyed during the Games. Residents have been discussing just how to keep the measures in effect, and now they might have won. A partial victory at least.

Traffic restrictions have been re-introduced to Beijing, hoping to bring back the easy-breathing peace and quieter of the Games. The new plan doesn't go as far as the original measures however — each car only has to spend one day a week off of the roads, as opposed to the every other day plan during the Olympics. The benefit is, "expected to reduce Beijing's average road traffic flow by 6.5 percent," according to one city official. During periods of heavy pollution, the restrictions can be returned to the more stringent every-other-day plan.

How many cars are we talking that will be affected by the plan? To find out,

Deforestation Costs Economy More Than the Financial Crisis

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:35:02 -0700

While the stock market's belly-dancer-gyrations (more of a limbo, "how low can you go?", really) seem significant — according to a study commissioned by the EU, the global economy actually loses more money through the disappearance of forests than through the financial ho-down. The study pegs the cost of the loss of forests between $2 and $5 trillion per year, while calculations put the financial mess at $1.5 trillion.

How did they arrive at that figure? By factoring in the value of the services forest perform, like providing clean water and absorbing carbon dioxide. According to their conclusions the cost sky rockets as nature stops providing the services it used to do for free. Mad, I suppose, at being hacked to pieces. That might do it. Without them the human economy has to replace them by building reservoirs, carbon capture facilities, and growing food that used to come . . . naturally. It's a cost that's also borne disproportionately by the poor.

The good news is that someone is doing this calculation at all — just a few years ago there was no connection between green trees and green backs. So while watching the Dow number flopping around is entertaining, while the markets are closed this weekend, I may just go plant a tree.

Source

ABC Refuses to Air Gore's Ad: In the Tank For Oil Companies?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:00:12 -0700

With all the talk lately about who's "in the tank" for whom, this is one story where the imagery just might fit. The CEO of Al Gore's big We Campaign is accusing ABC of putting the concerns of big oil over their message of planetary goodwill by refusing to run the latest Al Gore ad, called, "Repower America."

In a scathing email the CEO said:

“Did you notice the ads after last night’s presidential debate? ABC had Chevron. CBS had Exxon. CNN had the coal lobby. But you know what happened last week? ABC refused to run our Repower America ad – the ad that takes on this same oil and coal lobby.”

The We Campaign is striking back with an online petition aimed at getting the ad on the air during Friday's airing of 20/20. The petition has over 80,000 signatures.

To see whether ABC has an agenda,

The Atlas of the Real World Maps Out Demographic Importance

LibertySugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:30:32 -0700

The Telegraph recently featured The Atlas of the Real World: Mapping the Way We Live, which uses software to illustrate countries around the world, not by their land size, but by their demographic rank on a range of subjects. The size of each country represents its land mass in proportion to that of the others.

The atlas depicts a whole assortment of topics — from tourist destinations, alcohol consumption, wealth in the year one versus wealth in 1990. I was intrigued by the images above, which show (1) the increase in emissions of carbon dioxide and (2) the decrease in emissions of carbon dioxide. Between 1980 and 2000, nearly three-quarters of all territories saw an increase in carbon dioxide emissions with China, the United States, and India leading the pack. Between 1980 and 2000, 28 percent of countries reduced their emissions. Almost half of reductions were made in territories of the former Soviet Union, while Germany, Poland, and France also made substantial cuts.

Terrible Odds? One of Every Four Mammals Faces Extinction

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:55:43 -0700

According a report to be published on Friday in the journal Science, researchers have discovered startling odds on the chances of survival for the world's mammals: 1-in-4. Yikes. Um, aren't humans mammals too. . . ?

The researchers say of the findings, ''We estimate that one in four species is threatened with extinction and that the population of one in two is declining." Did you catch that one? Fifty percent are declining, and the scientists aren't letting us off the hook: ''Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live. We must now set clear targets for the future to reverse this trend to ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives.''

To see which mammals are threatened most,

Is Google Searching For Public Policy Answers?

LibertySugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:15:55 -0700

Google wants to get the US economy running on clean energy. This week Google's nonprofit announced a plan to cut the use of fossil fuels in the US before 2030. For $4.4 trillion "Clean Energy 2030" would help end the use of coal and oil to generate electricity. The plan would allow for the use of natural gas and nuclear power, and also calls for cutting oil use in cars by 40 percent. By 2030, however, the net savings would top $1 trillion.

Google's climate and energy technology manager explained the company's motivation:

We can build whole new industries and create millions of new jobs. We can cut energy costs, both at the gas pump and at home. We can improve our national security. And we can put a big dent in climate change. With strong leadership we could be moving forward on an aggressive but realistic timeline and an approach that offsets costs with real economic gains.

Google asserts that the US will have to invest in renewable energy research, upgrade the electricity grid, impose better mileage standards, and build infrastructure such as charging stations for electric vehicles. Should Americans turn to the private sector for leadership on a public issue?

Recruiting Kids to Be Climate Cops: Hot Idea or Lights Out?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:00:42 -0700

Think leaving a light on in an empty room is a crime? Well, it might be if this program sponsored by a British electric company takes off: it's called "Climate Cops" and using a slick, hyper-flashed website, it's recruiting kids to patrol their homes and neighborhoods for "energy crimes."

Using games to let kids "join the academy" (the games include chasing SUVs and saving polar bears from melting icebergs) the new little deputies can download doorhangers to signify a room where a violation against the planet are taking place, everything from leaving the water running to using the clothes dryer on a sunny day. The "Climate Cops" are encouraged to spy on the adults around them to create a "Climate Crime Case File" and encourages them to keep guard to make sure violations don't happen again. While it could be a cute idea, when the green blog Treehugger compares you ever so subtly to Hitler, maybe you've gone over the green edge.

What do you think? Hot idea or lights out?

Vatican Installs Solar Panels On Roof

CitizenSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:40:22 -0700

Vatican Installs Solar Panels on Roof The first solar panels were installed Monday on top of the papal audience hall at Vatican City. Workers began putting photovoltaic cells on the roof of the hall to convert sunlight into electricity. In sunny Rome, engineers say the cells will produce enough electricity to illuminate, heat, or cool the hall.

Al Gore Calls For "Civil Disobedience" Against New Coal Plants

CitizenSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:45:35 -0700

At the fourth annual Clinton Global Initiative kicked off yesterday in New York City, Al Gore made a perhaps inconvenient call to action: civil disobedience. Gore, surrounded by Queen Raina, Clinton, and Bono painted a grim planetary picture:

This is a rout. We are losing badly. This is the result of a dysfunctional, insane global system pattern that we have to change.

Then his plan to gain ground on the climate crisis:

If you're a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration.

To see what he means,

Study to Examine If Climate Change Makes Fall Foliage, Leaf

CitizenSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:00:59 -0700

Now that it's officially Fall, the announcement of this new study seems prudent, timely, and worth a trip to New England. Scientists at the University of Vermont have a three-year, $45,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture to study the effects of climate change on the famous Fall foliage. It's not just a tree-hugging (or leaf-loving) move. Fall leaves, especially in the peak season of late-September to early-October, bring $364 million in tourism dollars to the state. Money, it seems, does grow on trees.

One researcher says, "It is getting warmer, and people want to know how that's going to affect this big process that's so important to us." Because decreasing day length causes chlorophyll to break down making the red shine through, scientists want to see the true effect of cold nights and warm days on the leaves — especially if the overall temperature of both rises.

As for the leaves now? "It's always great. . . it can peak in different places at the same time so you just drive around and you hit all these different pockets of the landscape, so it's always fabulous."

Source

States, Provinces to Cap and Trade Sans Federal Governments

LibertySugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Seven western US states and four Canadian provinces have agreed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 15 percent before 2020. Proud of the Western Climate Initiative, Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asserted:

We’re sending a strong message to our federal governments that states and provinces are moving forward in the absence of federal action, and we’re setting the stage for national programs that are just as aggressive.

So how will Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec curb climate change? To find out,

Oh Floe! Melting Ice Releases Millions of Tons of Methane Gas

CitizenSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:07 -0700

Scientists working on greenhouse gas emissions have discovered a new source of gas which is potentially 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide: Methane. Now don't start blaming the poor cows, this time it's not their stink. It's worse. Methane is currently being released into the atmosphere from beneath the Arctic seabed all because of the eroding ice cap.

These underground pockets of methane are believed to be, in the past, the cause of rapid increases in global temperatures, fierce climate fluctuations, and extinctions on a mass scale. Scientists working off of Russian’s northern coast have witnessed concentrations of methane, up to 100 times the normal level, bubbling up to the surface. To see what scientists make of the phenomenon,

A Car That Gets 65 Miles Per Gallon?! Not in the US

LibertySugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:00:10 -0700

Picture this: a brand-new, five-seat compact car, complete with a navigation system, gas mileage up to 65 miles per gallon, and a $1,300 tax deduction with purchase. Are you ready to buy? Well you'll have to move to Europe first!

High oil prices mean that Americans are hungry for more gas-efficient cars. But, the new Ford ECOnetic Fiesta,, which runs on diesel, will not be offered to the American driver. To find out why diesel is a deal breaker,

MTV: Destroying the Rain Forest in Reality?

LibertySugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:00:26 -0700

MTV may be on a "Green Crusade" but for one piece of Panama's rain forest, actions speak louder than words. After filming the latest Road Rules/Real World Challenge, MTV took trashy TV to a new level, turning part of a rain forest into a garbage dump.

MTV's green offenses include: clearing a large section of rain forest for the set, trashing a pristine beach, disturbing an off-limits bird sanctuary island, and leaving behind large amounts of trash and debris.

While one part of MTV pushes the importance of environmentalism, the network sends a different message on and off screen. Shows like My Super Sweet Sixteen, which glamorize big cars and excesses in contradiction to a green lifestyle, add to the somewhat hypocritical approach also demonstrated by the rain forest damage.

If MTV can't clean up its own mess, how will it motivate others to take care of the Earth, too?

Source

Berkeley Moves to Finance Home Solar Panels: Bright Idea?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:00:42 -0700

Berkeley, CA, has grabbed attention again — this time for starting a pioneering new program to provide city-backed loans for home solar-electric systems. This week the city council approved a new tax district that allows residents to finance solar energy systems through their property taxes.Here's how the program works: the city provides the money for the installation and materials, and homeowners are able to pay back the loan at a fixed rate over 20 years. The cost amounts to about $180 per month to be added to property tax bills to eventually pay for the $22,000 system. Officials say those who choose to stick the panels where the sun do shine will recoup that cost through lowered energy bills. Is this a perfect way for cities to make greener technologies a reality for homeowners? Source

Berkeley Moves to Finance Home Solar Panels: Bright Idea?

Bright idea! It's a perfect way to offset the start-up costs of solar energy.

Dim. Why would I sign up to pay more taxes instead of buying the system myself?

It's an interesting concept, but I'd rather not borrow money against my property taxes.

Other. I'll shine on in the comments.

Uphill Both Ways For Planet: Kids Take "Walking School Bus"

CitizenSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:30:08 -0700

School's back in session. What's one thing we sure learned over our summer vacation? Gas costs a lot, and vehicles tend to need a steady supply of it in order to run. That includes school buses, which usually take pricey diesel that's up 34 percent in the past two years. Some Missouri parents had to get creative after the school district slashed transportation costs, eliminating bus routes — they formed a "walking school bus."

The idea is this: the neighborhood parents take turns "driving" or supervising the kids on the half-mile walk to school every morning. There are a bunch of benefits to the plan and not just for the environment. To see what they are,

Front Page: Tree-Sitters Climb Down, Quake Shakes Iran, More Calling Suicide Hotline, US Deficit at $438 Billion

CitizenSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:00:28 -0700

Tree-Sitters Climb Down:
After a 21-month occupation, four remaining tree-sitters in an oak grove on the UC Berkeley campus, climbed down and into police custody. School officials had cut off food and water supplies Monday and were prepared to remove the activists using force. The tree-sitters were trying to stop the construction of a $125 million sports center which threatened 42 trees on campus.

Quake Shakes Iran:
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has hit southern Iran near the site of a large Iranian oil refinery, injuring 22 and killing three. Officials fear the quake damaged older parts in the refinery. Iran is the world's fourth largest oil exporter, the refinery struck processes 320,000 barrels a day.

More Calling Suicide Hotline:
More Americans are calling the government's suicide hotline, 47,000 of them in the last month alone. The line receives a 10 percent increase every month, which the staff attributes to more people knowing about it, than an increase in the suicidal. In 2005, the last year of the data, there were more than 32,600 suicide deaths.
US Deficit at $438 Billion:
The US budget deficit is set to reach $438 billion in 2009 according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. The figure doesn't take into account government costs associated with taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The previous record for deficit was $413 billion in 2004. Last year's deficit was $161 billion.

Source

Climate Change Costing Lives and Crushing Human Rights?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:30:19 -0700

If you don't get all your news from David Letterman (who lit into the subject last night), a new report by Oxfam International says not recycling or curbing your carbon footprint is effectively violating the human rights of people living in the poorest nations. The report's author says, "Climate change was first seen as a scientific problem, then an economic one. Now it is becoming a matter of international justice."

She continues, "Litigation is seldom the best way to solve a dispute. That is why we need a strong UN deal in 2009 to cut emissions and support adaption. However, vulnerable countries do need options to protect themselves. Rich country polluters have been fully aware of their culpability for many years." Oxfam is advocating a two-pronged approach including mitigation and adaptation to help quell the mounting crisis — like these Haitians fleeing the aftermath of Hurricane Ike yesterday.

Not convinced there is a pending crisis? To see what's looming,

UN Says Cut Meat to Curb Warming, UK Consumption Doubles

CitizenSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:00:06 -0700

Ever thought about becoming a Tuesday-tarian? Going meat-free one day a week is, according to the chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a personal sacrifice that will help fix climate change. The more meat-free days, the better.

Given that the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that meat production makes almost a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions and those stinky pre-hamburger cows shoot out tons of methane — 23 times more tied to global warming than carbon dioxide — plus habitat destruction and transportation, just skipping the burger is the easiest option. But that trend seems far from ready to tip. The agency thinks that meat consumption is going to double by the middle of the century.

A group called World Farming is calling governments to lead campaigns to reduce meat consumption by 60 per cent by 2020. The meat industry isn't going to take the patty lying down. A spokesman for a pig industry group says, "Climate change is a very young science and our view is there are a lot of simplistic solutions being proposed."

How much meat does the average person eat? To find out,

UK Environment Minister: Green Activism Hysterical Religion

LibertySugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Officials in Britain and California seem to take a different approach to extreme weather. Britain's Environment Minister Sammy Wilson thinks environmentalists have adopted a "hysterical pseudo-religion," making him the enemy to some who look to him to help solve environmental problems.

In an article just published, the minister argued:

Resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it. . . . The tactic used by the "green gang" is to label anyone who dares disagree with their view of climate change as some kind of nutcase who denies scientific fact. Reasoned debate must replace the scaremongering of the green climate alarmists.

UK green activists compare Wilson, who denies that climate change is man-made, to a cigarette salesman denying that smoking causes cancer. Meanwhile, faraway in California, officials avoid picking a fight; instead they're trying to adapt to harsh climate by creating a "water bank" to address the state's drought. The 2009 Drought Water Bank will buy excess water from local water agencies and farmers, and then sell it to public and private water systems if they run out next year. The catch: Whoever buys the bank's water must commit to a 20 percent cut in water use.

Do you think it's time to stop arguing about science and start solving problems, or does responsible and effective policy depend on knowing the cause of climate change?

Source

The Chinese Got Used to Clean Air — Can They Make It Stay?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Now that the torch has been shelved for another four years and the birds' nest stadium is empty, Chinese residents are hoping to keep one benefit of the Games — increased air quality. During the Olympics, officials enacted strict measures to try to clear out the perpetually smoggy air, including limiting traffic and curbing factory production. The measures are set to stay in place until Sept. 20, and tons want them to stay longer than that.

At least 400,000 Chinese have joined online discussion groups to talk about how to keep the measures well beyond the Paralympics Games which kick off today. Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed supported continuing the traffic restrictions which keep half of the vehicles off the road at any one time — better for the air and the traffic. Pollution is down by 50 percent, a 10-year record.

With ideas like keeping the special lanes created for the Olympics and turning them into mass transit lanes, is it possible that the will of the people will be heard? If the Chinese are willing to accept inconvenience for cleaner air, will economic factors persuade the government to go back to business as smoggy usual?

Source

Should States Impose Development Laws to Cut Car Use?

LibertySugar — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:00:54 -0700

California is close to adopting a law aimed at slowing the increase in vehicle emissions by encouraging housing and development projects near job sites and transportation hubs. It's sort of a "if you build it here, they will ride the bus or stop driving" plan. If passed by the Senate, the measure would tweak the current regional planning process by setting some new goals to reduce emissions. This would be the nation’s most comprehensive effort to cut back on sprawl and would essentially reward cities and counties that comply with efforts to minimize driving (and thereby emissions).One enthusiast told the New York Times the law means California is "planning for housing needs, transportation needs and climate-change needs all at the same time," while others worry it will override some of the current development laws. Source

Should States Impose Development Laws to Cut Car Use?

Yes! I think it will force developers to build near cities and will reduce emissions.

No! Most people won't change their habits (by moving, taking the bus or train) anyway.

Something else. See my comment below.

Climate Matters Video Contest: Send the President a Message

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:25 -0700

I love when creativity and politics come crashing together, and when there's $3,000 at stake — as well as a chance to influence the next president's thoughts on the climate — well, I might just be hitting the "record" button myself. The video service Vimeo (kind of YouTube-y but cuter) is running a Climate Matters contest, aimed at opening an eco-dialogue via video.

Any time between now and Sept. 22, you can make a video like the one above with an environmental message for leaders in Washington DC. This one advocates for the EatTheView organization, showing how one citizen planted a garden in front of his own White House and its strength is in its adorable simplicity. The top 10 videos in the contest will be distributed to lawmakers in Washington, and the winning video will be broadcast on national TV along with a $3,000 prize.

Like the Obama in 30 Seconds contest, technology has democratized the political discourse in important, charming, and creative ways, and I'm happy to see it. Maybe Liberty and I will have to put together a little video entry of our own. Would you?

Source

Army Green: 5 Ways the Military Will Lighten Its Carbon Load

CitizenSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:56 -0700

I don't know why I'd never thought about the military as a progressive force for change until I read this, but it makes sense: racial integration and that miracle we call the internet both marched out of the military. Now, one more modern change is coming — the military is going greener than fatigues!

The Department of Defense is responsible for over 1.5 percent of all US energy consumption, and it's now looking (prepare for the most overused phrase in "eco" . . . "journalism") to green up its act. (At least I spared you a "Red, White, and Green" joke — this time.) To see five ways the military and Department of Defense hope to cut bills and conserve energy on their new mission to save the planet,