Black carbon, which is emitted into the atmosphere as a result of coal-burning stoves and diesel cars, has a huge effect on global warming; in fact, new research indicates that its impact is only rivaled by that of carbon dioxide. Black carbon, or soot, circulates in the atmosphere for than a week; carbon dioxide, in comparison, remains for up to 100 years. Reducing black carbon emissions, therefore, could have a quick, positive environmental impact, leading scientists to speculate that doing so may be the best course of action for now. Read More→
Worldwide Efforts to Combat Drought, Desertification to Take Shape in Namibia This Year
High-level representatives from 195 nations party to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification,, along with civic and environmental groups, will meet in Windhoek to assess progress and plan for future actions to address desertification, land degradation and drought, issues that now affect 168 nations at a cost of some $490 billion, not to mention the loss of lives, health, livelihoods, biodiversity and ecosystems.
Resiliency Index Will Assess Climate Risks for Cities
Working under the umbrella of C40 Cities, an international collaborative of cities working to assess and reduce their climate risk impacts, New York mayor Michael BloombergRead More
Rising Temperature, Sea Level On Track to Wipe Out Major World Cities Former Shell Exec Tells UN
The global community of nations is headed for catastrophes on an unprecedented scope and scale if fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions continue on trend, according to the latest scientific evidence and research. Global average temperature is on a path toward a warming of 4 degrees Celsius, which could result in sea level rises of 70 meters (230 feet), wiping out major cities, including London, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo.
The Promise of Climate Change Education Standards
“In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features ofRead More
Solutions to the World Water Crisis Requires International Cooperation
Sharing water across international boundaries is a complex international challenge that requires coordinated water policy formulation and responsible governance. To meet global water requirements governmentsRead More
US Insurance Industry Ill-Prepared to Deal with Climate Change Risk, Impacts
Eleven extreme weather events took place in the US in 2012. Each left at least $1 billion in damages in their wake. Besides the costRead More
The Growth of Efficient Buildings
The area of building efficiency affords tremendous opportunities for both economic growth and reduced environmental impacts. Buildings are the single largest emitters of greenhouse gases.Read More
Environmental Success Stories: Mercury, SLCPs and Many More
The overwhelming number of environmental calamities we face overshadows environmental success stories and this undermines efforts to build support for ecological action. People concerned aboutRead More
Video Friday: A Historical Perspective on Climate Change
I’ve noticed increased activity in the “twittersphere” this week trumpeting many of the well-worn memes of climate denial, apparently due to Barack Obama’s mention of climateRead More
Meeting the Climate Challenge: Cities Plan for Worst and Hope for the Best
At the national and international level climate action is stalled under the unyielding weight of factionalism and meeting the diverse agenda of a global community. AtRead More
New Support for the Interconnectedness of the Environment and the Economy
Two new reports reiterate the scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change while reinforcing the interconnectedness of the economy and the environment. The World Economic ForumRead More
The Water-Energy Nexus in a Climate-Changed World
Editor’s note: This post is a finalist in Masdar’s Engage blogging contest as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Special thanks to Tim Hurst and Nick Aster. The water-energyRead More
Crafting a Positive Environmental Narrative
Positive narratives may be our best hope for fostering desperately needed environmental action. Decades of ecological warnings have failed to produce the necessary societal changes. The enthrallingRead More
Pessimism is Impeding Environmental Advocacy
While it is easy to understand why so many environmentally concerned people are fearful and pessimistic, these attitudes detract from the goal of improving our environment. Fear is well warranted, weRead More
40 Eco-Apps that Put Technology to Work for the Environment
Technology may not be a panacea to solve the climate crisis, but green applications (eco-apps) are helping to drive awareness and foster responsible action. ThereRead More
Archive for environment
Republican resistance to environmental protections and unwavering support for fossil fuels drives climate change, yet they oppose aid to those hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Conventional wisdom indicates that individual storms cannot be attributed to climate change. However, as explained in a Scientific American article, “that statement does not mean that we cannot say that climate change is making storms bigger….Hurricane Sandy has emboldened more scientists to directly link climate change and storms, without the hedge….Insurers, scientists and journalist are beginning to drop the caveats and simply say that climate change is causing big storms.”
Hurricane Sandy was a monster storm, it devastated the New Jersey shore and parts of the New York City area coastline and left thousands homeless. The superstorm damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, more than 300,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected.
While some victims of Hurricane Sandy have received partial payments, Many Republicans in the House sought to deny assistance to the people in need. There are currently 140,000 outstanding claims that have yet to be closed.
The sane approach is to develop a policy that strives to stave off the worst impacts of climate change alongside planning for long-term adaptation. However, this entails an understanding informed by climate science and this is one of the things that Republicans seem to adamantly oppose. Read More→
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is accepting online applications with project summaries for renewable energy projects in developing countries in an initial, $50 million round of funding from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). The first of seven anticipated funding cycles, ADFD expects to make concessional loans of $350 million in total.
The announcement was made in advance of energy ministers and a wide range of participants from the climate science, environmental and NGO sectors around the world gathering this week for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 18th Conference of Parties (COP 18) in Doha, Qatar.
“Mobilizing finance is one of the greatest challenges for scaling up renewable energy. Providing financial support to projects that are innovative, replicable and broaden energy access is crucial,” IRENA states in a press release. Read More→
Guest post by Brian Toomey
There are industries that see a lot of scrutiny (often with just cause) from environmental authorities and campaigners, and then there are those that are ‘under the radar’. Unfortunately, some of these are major offenders and action does need to be taken to reduce impacts in these fields. Here are five of the most problematic:
1. Trade Shows
Every year trade and consumer shows generate around 600,000 tons of garbage. In other words that’s around a billion pounds, making trade shows the second worst waste offender compared to industry size, just after construction.
It’s easy to imagine where the waste comes from: all those flyers, posters, catalogs, plastic bags and cheap samples piling up and heading towards landfill. However, the solution isn’t rocket science either. Something as simple as providing good recycling opportunities within trade show venues could make a huge difference.
Technology also has a role to play. Digital catalogs, smartphone apps, QR codes can replace paper and plastic handouts and cut down on trash. Reusable, sustainably sourced green trade show display stands (I am currently working with Smash Hit Displays to promote these, and we have developed an infographic summarizing the problems in this industry), recycled tote bags, and biodegradable food and beverage containers can also go a very long way towards greening this very brown industry.
Environmental gratitude is an approach that can help to inspire ecological action. We need a new way of communicating the urgency of environmental action because it is becoming increasingly apparent that standard fact-based approaches are not getting through.
Environmental gratitude encompasses an approach that engenders a full compliment of sentiments required to augur change. As reported in Psychology Today, gratitude is a complex feeling that is capable of expanding our awareness and relating us to the wider world.
The importance of gratitude to the ecological movement is reviewed in great depth in a 2011 paper by Reed Elizabeth Loder, titled “Gratitude and the Environment: Toward Individual and Collective Virtue.” Professor Loder is an accomplished ethicist who teaches at Vermont Law School.
Read More→
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