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News & Views Curation

June 29, 2012

UK: Bringing The Coal Back Home

British imports of coal rise 20%, and now is the country's biggest power source

Lagos: Model Megacity, Maybe

What are the prospects for Lagos, Nigeria, one of Africa's largest cities to become a model of sustainable development?

California: Surf's Up And That's Not Good

Explore the future with maps of sea level rise impacts on California's infrastructure and natural resource systems

Japan: Renewables Set To Soar

With prospects for doubling investments in renewable power projects, Japan bucks the EU cutback trend

Facing The Fracking Fight

Here is one account of how one New Yorker grapples with the fiery fight over hydrofracking for natural gas and another from the maker of Gasland

Connect The Dots: ACA and Pollution Taxes

What are the legal implications of Justice Roberts' Supreme Court tax argument about the Affordable Care Act for environmental economics?

Power For Environmental Justice And Limits On Carbon

New York adopts power plant siting rules that require environmental justice community assessments and impose limits on CO2 emissions

Riverfront Park Could Flounder

Without $15 million for repairs, a strip of parkland could collapse into the East River; clean water blamed

June 28, 2012

CT: PACE Lives

Connecticut enacts a PACE for commercial buildings energy efficiency loan program

Germany: Solar And Carbon Accords

Germany cuts solar subsidies while keeping growth targets and OK's carbon capture plans

Rio: Get Over It

After the climate treaty dead-end at Rio, what's the alternative path on climate action?

Urban Pedal Power

US cities are becoming bike-friendly

Get Clean Heat

A primer on ending New York City's addiction to dirty fuel oil

Offshore Wind - Just Looking

While Allianz Insurance has expressed interest in offshore wind power, it's not yet ready to invest

Euro Cities Aim To Adapt

A survey of 22 European cities finds efforts underway to address coming climate impacts

Cities Gain Over Suburbs

Reversing a 90-year long trend, US cities have started to grow faster than suburbs

The Lower East Side Gets Passive

A Lower East Side arts center rebuilds to Passive House standards

June 27, 2012

Mayoral Contradiction

Climate champion Mike Bloomberg uses a room-sized AC to cool his SUV

LEED Isn't The Only Leader

Compare and contrast the current proliferation of US high-performance building standards

Tweet For Energy Efficiency

Can energy and IT wonks make the electric grid smarter by making it social?

PV Makers Face More Tough Times

Oversupply and turbulence in the global market for photovoltaics is expected to subside by 2015

Life's A Beach

It's summer and time for the annual NRDC beach and ocean quality rating

Another Alternate Fuel Option

Consider the case for switching US vehicles from gasoline to natural gas

Capitalists For Climate Rescue

How financial pros and CPA's can help save the planet

Less Coal More Health

In coal-reliant Australia, the incoming carbon price is predicted to cut future public health costs

June 26, 2012

Court Says Yes To Carbon Rules

The Washington DC federal appeals court upholds recent EPA rules that regulate CO2 emissions

NYC Trees: Post-Planting Survey

Take the New York World survey about what happens to a neighborhood tree after it's been planted as part of the Million-Tree Campaign

NJ Limits Fracking

The New Jersey legislature approves a bill banning storage or treatment of fracking waste, but does not outlaw recycling the stuff

Tops For A LEED-Gold Contender

4 World Trade Center, going for a LEED Gold rating, meets a construction milestone

Climate Bonds

This UK report makes the case for a climate-bonds market to finance energy, transportation, building and pollution control projects

Boiling In Oil

Predictions for the opposite of 'peak oil' and its political implications

Germany: Renewables Remake Utility Market

The fossil-fuel based model of electric utility pricing is unraveling with the rising use of renewables

June 25, 2012

Go Green With The Yellow Label

Making energy-smart appliance choices is easier if you understand the yellow label and follow these tips for cutting summer AC bills

Ex-King Coal

The long reign of coal as America's dominant power source and political force could be coming to an end

Greenmarket, Solar Food

Enjoy solar-power cooked treats at the NYC Union Square Greenmarket

East Coast: Ready Or Not

Why do scientists predict the US east-coast is a hot spot for climate related flooding?

Antarctica: Bad Time For Penguins

The warming of the Antarctic climate has no upside for the Emperor penguin population

Australia: Carbon Tax Kicks-In

A survey of Australian business leaders finds a belief that the nation's price on carbon is here to stay

Turkey: Energy Futures

With a growing economy and a lack of domestic oil and natural gas, Turkey turns to coal and nuclear for electricity

Old and Grey Green

Can historic preservation be compatible with energy efficiency?

Albany: The One Bill Wonder

At the end to New York's legislative session, environmentalists can point to one win

June 22, 2012

Honest Buildings In Texas

Dallas is the latest city to get an Honest Buildings social media map

UK: Turbine Plan Folds

Vestas, the world's biggest wind turbine maker, ends plans for a new plant in the UK, dashing hopes for 2,000 jobs

Emissions Market In Austin

Austin TX gets a branch of an all-voluntary carbon emissions exchange with 145 members in 22 nations

Russia: Fracking Foe

Glitches in plans to hydrofrack for natural gas in Poland and other European nations, please Russia

Rio+20: US Sees Bright Green Job Futures

At the Rio=20 climate summit, US Secretary of State Clinton spotlights the job growth potential of climate-friendly energy policies

Clean Tech Troubles

The US clean tech industry faces a rocky road and it future success is far from clear

Clouds Cover Albany

New York's legislature ends its session without acting on a solar power bill

There Ought To Be An App

A new app provides zip-code organized data on the risk of floods and storm surges along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts

Red Herrings And Green Jobs

Dive into a study of the use and abuse of economic models that predict the impact of environmental regulations on employment

June 21, 2012

Greener e-Bay

e-Bay will deploy fuel cells to power it's newest data server and clean up 15% of its total demand

EU: Planned Shrinkage

With CO2 emissions 2.2 billion metric tons less than projected, the EU carbon trading scheme should shrink its emissions allowances pool

Smarter Buildings Driven By Data

Miss May's Data-Driven Built Environment conference? Highlights here

UK: Carbon Disclosure

Lib-Dems overcome Tory resistance for a mandatory carbon disclosure rule allowing performance comparisons among big firms

June 20, 2012

Court Upholds California Cap And Trade

A California appeals court upholds the state's cap and trade program, rejecting claims that it will increase pollution for some

Rio: Climate Cheers For Cities

At the Rio+20 meeting, NYC's Mayor Bloomberg says cworld cities are leading the way on climate action

On The Sunny Side Of The Street

Making the case for bright times ahead for solar, wind and geothermal power

The Clean Energy Competition

A federal funding competition to support scaling up the next generation of clean tech businesses is in high-gear

Germany Is The Energy Test Case

Will Germany, a industrial giant, be able to decarbonize its energy system without nuclear power in the mix?

The Future Of Cities

With soaring growth, cities in Africa's developing nations could adopt smart tech to thrive but lack of public policy and investment could be crippling

Poll Finds Eco-Pessimism

A Washington Post poll finds a majority of Americans believe world environmental quality is degrading and humans are the cause

China: Tallest, Fastest and Greenest

China plans to build the world tallest, super-energy efficient building in just ninety days

June 19, 2012

On The Front Line Of National Security

What does a national security energy and climate policy look like for a soldier who fought in Iraq?

Nasdaq Demands Sustainabiity Disclosure

Joining a global exchange effort, Nasdaq will require its listed companies to disclose data on environmental and governance issues

New Zealand: Friending The Wind

A wind turbine farm opens in New Zealand without any NIMBY

UK: Decarrbonize The System

A leading Tory wants government policy to set targets for decarbonizing the utility sector and phase out gas-fired power plants

GOP Attacks Green Loan Guarantees

Congressional Republicans intensify their opposition to government loan support for renewable energy

Struggle For Community Solar Power

Business as usual poses tough challenges to urban community solar power joint ventures Climate Wire [$]

Capture Carbon And Get More Oil

GE and a Norwegian partner introduce a new technology for capturing power plant CO2 emissions and lower costs by using the gas to boost production in mature oilfields

Greens and Nuke Industry As One

Plans for a new transmission line to bring Canadian hydro and wind power to New York City unite the Sierra Club and the owner of Indian Point in opposition

June 18, 2012

IMF Alarmed By Environmental Crisis

To confront the global climate crisis, the IMF offers assistance to nations for imposing carbon prices and ending fossil fuel subsidies

Climate Change Makes You Sick

Kaiser-Permanente, one of America's largest health care providers, sees climate change as a major health risk and sees things like energy efficiency as part of its core mission

Canada: Low-Carbon Flight

A new low-carbon Airbus A319 starts commercial flights from Toronto, Canada to Mexico City

In Training

American cities and urban developers are catching on to the value of mass transit access

Sun Shine For Shingles

Roof shingles generate solar power for home use in California

NY's Newest Green Housing

Check out the energy dashboard at New York City's newest green apartments

UK: Underpowered Energy Efficiency Plan

Why don't environmental advocates like the the UK energy- efficiency plan for meeting EU goals?

Japan: New Leaf On Renewables

To build a market for renewable power Japan creates a feed-in tariff and abolishes limits on how much clean energy utilities can buy

Shake Rattle and Roll

The National Research Council finds hydrofracking can cause earthquakes when waste water is injected underground

Japan: Solar Boom

Poised to overtake Germany and Italy to become the second largest market for solar, Japan sets premium price triple what industrial users currently pay.

Brazil: Rio+20

What will come of it? Senior Advisor to the Japanese Minister of the Environment, Kazuhiko Takemoto frames the question.

June 17, 2012

Loss Factor Bites Back

Kinks still being worked out of data for the City's long awaited report that will detail energy consumption in both commercial and residential buildings.

June 15, 2012

Dare Not Speak Its Name

When Virginia lawmakers recommended a scientific study to address flooding and encroaching sea water on the coast, they met resistance from Republicans who didn't want any reference to "sea level rise" or "climate change".

June 14, 2012

All-of-the-Above Strategy

ADS Releases Report

Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid's annual nationwide review of state regulatory and legislative policy activity is available for download in advance of National Town Meeting in Washington, DC at the end of June.

June 12, 2012

UK: M&S Fully Carbon Neutral

Five years after launching Plan A, Marks and Spencer demonstrates the business case for sustainability becoming the first major UK retailer to meet its sustainability targets with £185m in net benefits. What comes next?

Cheers For A Big Bronx Roof Farm

There are plans afoot to develop a 200,000 square foot farm on a Bronx rooftop

June 08, 2012

Intro to Clean Energy Gizmos

What does a heat pump do?

Greece: Energy Crisis

One facet of the Greek financial collapse is a crisis in the nation's energy supply

The Soft Revolution

How is software propelling the campaign for a clean energy economy?

Elevated Matter

Time to tour New York City's green, solar and white roofs

Haiti: Waste-To-Energy - Maybe

A plan to turn Port-Au-Prince trash into electricity for 75,000 homes hits snags

North Africa: Renewables Under A Cloud

Despite North Africa's immense potential as a source of solar and wind power, project investors are scarce

Light Up The Night Efficiently

Next in the Empire State Building make-over is installation of 68,000 LEDs to save energy and keep this icon in plain sight

Big Apple, Big Loser

In terms of property and financial impacts, New York is the city with the most to lose from hurricane damage

June 07, 2012

Transform IT

The IT and data boom will transform what it means to be a smart city and how to address climate change

June 06, 2012

Doom Or Not Doom

How will oil abundance and oil price levels impact climate change?

China: First Nuclear IPO

The first IPO, valued at $27 billion, to finance five new nuclear power plants wins official Chinese approval

One Way To Measure A Boom

Columbia, PA, population 1,200 expects a $500 000 impact fee payment for gas drilling the the Marcellus Shale

Rio: Opportunity At-Risk

Will the upcoming UN climate treaty meeting in Rio accomplish anything? Consider these low lights

Flammable Politics

Disputes over hydrofacking and shale gas could heat up Presidential election-year politics in key swing states

The Congestion Cure

An expanded array of cameras and sensors will ease traffic congestion and be on-watch in mid-Manhattan 24/7

Health V Wealth

States start to confront the lack of scientific data about the potential for health threats associated with hydrofracking for fossil fuels

Give Green Peace A Chance

Senior US military brass see cutting oil consumption as a matter of war, peace and climate change

RGGI Makes The Grade

Contrary to doom-sayers, the northeast states' RGGI carbon cap and trade program earns solid performance ratings

June 05, 2012

Down In Melbourne

Green innovation in Melbourne Australia creates a building that cuts energy use by 82% and brings down carbon emissions by 87%

Laugh A LIttle

Colbert reports on the latest in climate denial

What The Frame

Once again, the narrative, the framing and the media get blamed for American's indifference to taking action on climate change

Latin America: Spend To Save

The Inter-American Development Bank calls on Latin American & Caribbean nations to spend $110 billion a year to cut their GHG emissions

Warm On Wind

Karl Rove sees renewal of federal wind production tax credits as a matter of economic and national security

UK: For The Want Of A Nail

A common piece of electrical equipment is responsible for the loss of nearly one-third of the UK's renewable power supply

Green Codes And Smart Grids

California's new energy-aware building codes go hand in hand with smart-grid advances

June 04, 2012

Utility Shifts Its Subsidies

With a new CEO, a power utility shifts its financial support from Minnesota solar power to conservation programs

Solar Obituary

The life and death of a Massachusetts thin-film solar start up company

Metropolitan Space

Urban density and form can play major roles in the transition to smart cities and a low-carbon economy

Parsing Obama's Energy Policy

What does all of the above mean when it comes to making sense of the President's energy policy?

New York Is Number Six

As a test market for clean erergy services and products, New York State ranks number six on on the 2012 Clean Energy Index

Hurricane Advisory

Can wind turbines survive hurricanes?

The Arctic: Climate-Induced Conflict

With a warming Arctic comes risks of unfettered competition for raw materials and sea-lane domination

UK: Stop The Wind

Tory opposition to on-shore wind projects could lead to cuts in government support but benefit more costly off-shore projects

China Scoops Up Hi-Tech Solar

A Chinese company buys an insolvent German solar panel maker to acquire its thin film technology

June 02, 2012

Southern Discomfort

Scientists find evidence of the the rapid-warming hockey stick trend in the southern hemisphere

June 01, 2012

China: Nukes Get A Nod

China will ends its year-long moratorium on nuclear power projects

Energy Efficiency Funds Saved

A split Republican vote in Congress helps save a DOE energy efficiency and renewable energy fund

UK: What Then...

If the government plan to cut the UK's carbon footprint by building a new fleet of nuclear power plants falls through, what then?

A Conservative Climate Rx

A political conservative who takes climate change threats seriously posts a call to action

NY's Long Cool Summer

NYISO, the organization responsible for keeping New York's electric system in operation, predicts both a blackout-free summer and lower power use

A Tree Grew In Brooklyn

A Red Hook artist shadows Brooklyn's arboreal past

Follow The Lobbying Money

The Union of Concerned Scientists looks at whose corporate lobbying dollars went where to influence climate change policy

India: Top Seed LEED

Noida, India is home to the highest LEED-scoring building on Earth