GlobalWarmingisReal contributor Anders Hellum-Alexander wraps-up the climate and environmental news headlines for the past week:
- While Obama is supporting good old American industries like the coal industry, opposition is increasing and winning. The current battle is over a pipeline that would reach from Canada’s Alberta Tar Sands to the Gulf of Mexico.
- In an effort to reduce fuel consumption, planes are increasingly flying through the north pole, while this is good for the environment it means a substantial increase in radiation exposure to passengers.
- Scientists are mapping hunger in the world to predict where we need to focus on improving farming techniques to deal with the effects of climate change. The hungriest places in the world will be the hardest hit by increases in food prices and food shortages. The New York Times reports on the intersection of food shortages and climate change.
- World Leaders are still trying to agree on what they are willing to do about climate change. Inaction brings reaction and we may have to “grab CO2 out of the air” if we continue to stall on reducing our emissions.
- Cap and trade was supposed to be the next big thing for environmentalism, but it is being revealed as another financial trick – one that will only solve the problem of bankers not having enough money.
- Oil Watch invites you to join the campaign against a civilization based on oil.
- The White House published this graphic on the resurgence of the Car Industry in the US. For being one of the main culprits of climate change there is surprisingly little focus on the greening of cars, mainly via the increase of federal fuel efficiency standards in 2010. To meet that standard car makers are returning to the 4 cylinder engine.
- Shareholders of companies that partake in fracking (like Chevron and Exxon) are demanding that fracking be reviewed and made more transparent. Wow, these companies can not even hide behind their financial responsibility to shareholders anymore.
- General Mills is studying its supply chain to look for areas where they can small changes that have large impacts on the bottom line and the green line.
- The UK considers bike lanes, one of the main point of consideration: dedicated bike roads. I am a biker and I fully support segregating bikes from traffic as much as possible.
- While Germany has announced it is going to get itself off of nuclear, the cost of suddenly relying on renewable energy so much comes at a price.
