Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
Senator Barbara Boxer released a 923-page draft of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act over the weekend, the Senate version of climate and energy legislation, for the first time specifying emissions allocations and costs proposed in the bill."We've reached another milestone as we move to a clean energy future, creating millions of jobs and protecting our children from dangerous pollution," Boxer, chairperson of the Environmental and Public Works Committee, who wrote the bill with Senator John Kerry, said on Friday.
Senator Barbara Boxer released a 923-page draft of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act over the weekend, the Senate version of climate and energy legislation, for the first time specifying emissions allocations and costs proposed in the bill.
"We've reached another milestone as we move to a clean energy future, creating millions of jobs and protecting our children from dangerous pollution," Boxer, chairperson of the Environmental and Public Works Committee, who wrote the bill with Senator John Kerry, said on Friday.
Australians may have to leave coastal areas as rising sea levels threaten homes, according to a new report.The parliamentary committee report says urgent action is needed, as seas are expected to rise by 80cm (31 inches). About 80% of Australians live in coastal areas, and the report recommends new laws banning further development in coastal regions. Correspondents say the authorities are divided over whether to retreat from rising seas or defend the coastline.
Australians may have to leave coastal areas as rising sea levels threaten homes, according to a new report.
The parliamentary committee report says urgent action is needed, as seas are expected to rise by 80cm (31 inches).
About 80% of Australians live in coastal areas, and the report recommends new laws banning further development in coastal regions.
Correspondents say the authorities are divided over whether to retreat from rising seas or defend the coastline.
A study by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang of the World Bank looked at the relative importance of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses from oil, natural gas, and coal compared to the life cycle and supply chain emissions of domesticated animals raised for food. They conclude that greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food account for 51% of annual emissions caused by humans and should be given higher priority in global efforts to fight climate change.
Your leader column claims that the "nuclear renaissance" does not make sense on financial grounds (Nuclear power: A bung by any other name, 19 October). However, there is a growing collation of support among the public, politicians of the main parties, industry, scientists and regulators, who recognise nuclear is needed as part of the answer to keep the lights on and tackle climate change.This was demonstrated in the last two weeks alone by reports from organisations as diverse as the Committee on Climate Change, Ofgem and the CBI. Among this coalition there is recognition that new nuclear can play its part without subsidy from taxpayers.As a company looking to develop four new reactors in the UK, we have never sought subsidies. Our plans for this much-needed investment are viable without a penny of taxpayers' money.
Your leader column claims that the "nuclear renaissance" does not make sense on financial grounds (Nuclear power: A bung by any other name, 19 October). However, there is a growing collation of support among the public, politicians of the main parties, industry, scientists and regulators, who recognise nuclear is needed as part of the answer to keep the lights on and tackle climate change.
This was demonstrated in the last two weeks alone by reports from organisations as diverse as the Committee on Climate Change, Ofgem and the CBI. Among this coalition there is recognition that new nuclear can play its part without subsidy from taxpayers.
As a company looking to develop four new reactors in the UK, we have never sought subsidies. Our plans for this much-needed investment are viable without a penny of taxpayers' money.
Give or take a battleship or two...or twelve...or maybe, a deposed democracy here or there.
"...and the coal industry even cheaper power for several centuries."
Give or take slavery in the coal mines (did it officially end before 1900 in Scotland, of after?) and the deaths and destruction that it causes consequential to its use.
But yeah, greater than nukes on the list of horrible solutions, badly implemented. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
Did that DCP (delivered cheap power) include the costs of delivered-drums-of-nuclear-waste-to-Siberia-to-eventually-be-refined-but-until-then-just-left-on-a-r ailway-siding-or-in-this-open-unguarded-field?
Snark aside, EDF, or the French establishment and mentality mostly got it right. But nukes are a problem, and they will be bigger problems as water for cooling becomes more scarce, and the reality of 'future solutions to mitigate the waste' gets pushed back further and further.
Further, as time goes on, we constantly see that people will break even the most iron-clad policies and make the entire group suffer. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
As i sniffle at my desk, i'm glad i'm not out there.
remember, this is video, so the images change from this post. But it sure looks sunny and sweet. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaďs Nin
EU leaders are set for difficult talks as they meet this week (29-30 October) to reach an agreement on funding under a new climate treaty ahead of the UN-led Copenhagen conference in December. As Copenhagen approaches, the pressure is on to find consensus at the highest political level on the exact figures that the EU is willing to put on the table to secure a new climate treaty. The bloc has been postponing the decision since last spring, and the June summit settled on hammering out all the details at the October European Council. Nevertheless, it appears increasingly unlikely that EU heads of state and government will be able to present concrete sums to fund emissions reductions and climate adaptation measures in developing countries after finance ministers last week failed to find agreement. The talks stalled on objections from Eastern European member states, which want upfront funding before the climate treaty starts in 2013 to be voluntary.
As Copenhagen approaches, the pressure is on to find consensus at the highest political level on the exact figures that the EU is willing to put on the table to secure a new climate treaty. The bloc has been postponing the decision since last spring, and the June summit settled on hammering out all the details at the October European Council.
Nevertheless, it appears increasingly unlikely that EU heads of state and government will be able to present concrete sums to fund emissions reductions and climate adaptation measures in developing countries after finance ministers last week failed to find agreement. The talks stalled on objections from Eastern European member states, which want upfront funding before the climate treaty starts in 2013 to be voluntary.
The EU should look into pouring a high proportion of carbon revenues into energy efficiency, but not before an institutional framework to reallocate the money efficiently is in place, Richard Cowart, director of European programmes for the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), told EurActiv in an interview. "A successful cap-and-trade programme will be designed as a market-based overlay on an entire suit of clean energy policies," Cowart stressed, pointing out that as an advisor to cap-and-trade designers in the US, he learned from experience that three-quarters of targeted emission reductions would need to come from complementary policies. The highest priority should be given to energy efficiency, where countries across the globe are underperforming, the energy advisor argued. "Every time there is a research decision to be made, the first question should be, 'can we [... ] meet this need through deeper investment in energy efficiency rather than adding additional supply?" he stressed.
"A successful cap-and-trade programme will be designed as a market-based overlay on an entire suit of clean energy policies," Cowart stressed, pointing out that as an advisor to cap-and-trade designers in the US, he learned from experience that three-quarters of targeted emission reductions would need to come from complementary policies.
The highest priority should be given to energy efficiency, where countries across the globe are underperforming, the energy advisor argued.
"Every time there is a research decision to be made, the first question should be, 'can we [... ] meet this need through deeper investment in energy efficiency rather than adding additional supply?" he stressed.
Chelsea Hodge: If 95 percent of Italians, some of earth's most fashion-conscious inhabitants, don't own a dryer, then why are Americans so adamant about tumble drying their clothes? The tumble dryer is the second largest energy-consuming appliance and the leading cause of house fires among appliances. There is no such sense as an Energy Star dryer; these machines are inherently inefficient, using natural gas or electricity to heat air. ... Alexander P. Lee is executive director of Project Laundry List: In Italy, only about three or four percent of households own a dryer. In Denmark, newly constructed student housing included space for indoor drying. In China, the bamboo shaft is still a ubiquitous clothesline. In the United States, approximately 80 percent of households own a dryer. Project Laundry List believes, from anecdotal evidence, that the vast majority of families can see a 10 to 20 percent savings on their electric bill by going cold turkey and setting up a clothesline or drying rack. ...
The tumble dryer is the second largest energy-consuming appliance and the leading cause of house fires among appliances. There is no such sense as an Energy Star dryer; these machines are inherently inefficient, using natural gas or electricity to heat air. ...
Alexander P. Lee is executive director of Project Laundry List: In Italy, only about three or four percent of households own a dryer. In Denmark, newly constructed student housing included space for indoor drying. In China, the bamboo shaft is still a ubiquitous clothesline. In the United States, approximately 80 percent of households own a dryer. Project Laundry List believes, from anecdotal evidence, that the vast majority of families can see a 10 to 20 percent savings on their electric bill by going cold turkey and setting up a clothesline or drying rack. ...
I have become a fan of hang-drying laundry since moving to Tokyo seven years ago and now China for two years. A friend in the U.S. suggests that this infatuation will end as soon as I have toddlers (apparently these generate an amount of laundry totally out of proportion with their small body sizes). La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
A friend in the U.S. suggests that this infatuation will end as soon as I have toddlers
Strangely, people living outside the US also have children.
And they prefer hang-drying their laundry because they enjoy the freshness of sun-dried clothes and the thrill of being environmentally correct more than the convenience and speed of dryers, right? La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
Oh, how I wish!
I gotta move to Spain.
A friend in the U.S. suggests that this infatuation will end as soon as I have toddlers.
A typical reaction from an American incapable of considering a different lifestyle, even such a small change.
I have had two toddlers. They indeed generate an impressive amount of laundry. however I don't see why it implies to use a dryer. Letting the laundry dry on a clothesline works fine. "Ce qui vient au monde pour ne rien troubler ne mérite ni égards ni patience." René Char
We used the dryer pretty much all the time the first year, half the time the second year; now, we hardly ever use it: only when we need something dried now and that's not everyday.
Oh, and electricity is cheaper in France than in California (this damn cheap power from EDF).
So yes, I fully concur: it's the lifestyle, and it's not so difficult to change it :-) Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
So yes, I fully concur: it's the lifestyle, and it's not so difficult to change it :-)
This is very interesting. The article indicated that electricity is more expensive in Italy and Denmark due to green taxes, and I thought that this was a major factor in deterring people in those countries from using dryers. But if electricity is cheaper in France than in the U.S., then it does raise the question as to why French (presumably) use dryers much less than Americans. (My mother, who lived in the U.S. for 25 years and used the dryer profusely there, moved back to Paris in 2005 and is forced to hang dry her clothes because there is no space for a dryer in her apartment.) La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
As for me, I live in a house and the washer + dryer are in the garage, so no space issue there. I guess we've just come to consider using the dryer as a waste, since we can wait a half-day for the laundry to dry "naturally"...
Your friend who moved to the US seems to have gone the other (lifestyle) way. So did we when we were living there; I guess the notions of waste and time are different on both continents. Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
Not quite: He is a European, but has been living in the U.S. since he went there for grad school. La Chine dorme. Laisse la dormir. Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera.
Obama to detail stimulus spending on 'smart grid' A $3.4-billion chunk will go toward grants to modernize the U.S. power system to more easily use renewable resources.
Reporting from Washington - President Obama and administration officials today will announce $3.4 billion in spending projects to modernize the nation's electric power system. The president will offer details on funding for the "smart grid" during an appearance at a solar plant in Arcadia, Fla. White House officials said the projects would create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for changing how Americans use and pay for energy. The spending is aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. power supply, and helping to create markets for wind and solar power, officials said. They also said it would create "smart meters" to help consumers use electricity when demand is low and when rates are cheaper -- for example, by running dishwashers and other energy-thirsty appliances in the middle of the night. The money will be released in the form of grants to applicants and must be matched dollar for dollar by private funding.
The president will offer details on funding for the "smart grid" during an appearance at a solar plant in Arcadia, Fla. White House officials said the projects would create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for changing how Americans use and pay for energy.
The spending is aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. power supply, and helping to create markets for wind and solar power, officials said. They also said it would create "smart meters" to help consumers use electricity when demand is low and when rates are cheaper -- for example, by running dishwashers and other energy-thirsty appliances in the middle of the night.
The money will be released in the form of grants to applicants and must be matched dollar for dollar by private funding.
Companies and industries in the Päijät-Häme region that use grains are the suppliers of raw material for the plant. Much of the waste from processes at bakeries, shops, breweries and distilleries are suitable for ethanol production. Leftover dough and the mix of yeast, sugar and alcohol remaining from beer brewing at the nearby Hartwall brewery go into making fuel. Up to now, much of this waste has gone into animal feed, landfill or down the sewer. Hartwall's R&D Director Jorma Rasi has been leading the "grain cluster" group providing raw materials to the plant.
Up to now, much of this waste has gone into animal feed, landfill or down the sewer. Hartwall's R&D Director Jorma Rasi has been leading the "grain cluster" group providing raw materials to the plant.
Leftover dough and the mix of yeast, sugar and alcohol remaining from beer brewing at the nearby Hartwall brewery go into making fuel.
But all that stuff is grade A pigfood. Burning it is just stupid keep to the Fen Causeway
In the build-up to the Copenhagen climate change summit, US Senator John Kerry tells Sarah Smith that the US climate targets "may be at the lower end" then what was hoped for. US negotiators can sign up to an emissions reduction deal in Copenhagen in December, even though the American climate change bill won't be signed into law by then. That's what Channel 4 News has been told in an exclusive interview with John Kerry, the top Democrat sponsoring the bill. But Senator Kerry warned that the carbon reduction target set by the US "may be at the lower end of what we can pass" - an indication that it could be as low as 17 per cent on 2005 levels.
In the build-up to the Copenhagen climate change summit, US Senator John Kerry tells Sarah Smith that the US climate targets "may be at the lower end" then what was hoped for.
US negotiators can sign up to an emissions reduction deal in Copenhagen in December, even though the American climate change bill won't be signed into law by then.
That's what Channel 4 News has been told in an exclusive interview with John Kerry, the top Democrat sponsoring the bill.
But Senator Kerry warned that the carbon reduction target set by the US "may be at the lower end of what we can pass" - an indication that it could be as low as 17 per cent on 2005 levels.
Does running a marathon push the body further than it is meant to go?The conventional wisdom is that distance running leads to debilitating wear and tear, especially on the joints. But that hasn't stopped runners from flocking to starting lines in record numbers. Last year in the United States, 425,000 marathoners crossed the finish line, an increase of 20 percent from the beginning of the decade, Running USA says. Next week about 40,000 people will take part in the New York City Marathon. Injury rates have also climbed, with some studies reporting that 90 percent of those who train for the 26.2-mile race sustain injuries in the process.
The conventional wisdom is that distance running leads to debilitating wear and tear, especially on the joints. But that hasn't stopped runners from flocking to starting lines in record numbers.
Last year in the United States, 425,000 marathoners crossed the finish line, an increase of 20 percent from the beginning of the decade, Running USA says. Next week about 40,000 people will take part in the New York City Marathon. Injury rates have also climbed, with some studies reporting that 90 percent of those who train for the 26.2-mile race sustain injuries in the process.
News here.
"Hidden Cost of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use," estimates dollar values for several major components of these costs. The damages the committee was able to quantify were an estimated $120 billion in the U.S. in 2005 - a number that primarily reflects health damages from air pollution associated with electricity generation and motor vehicle transportation. The figure does not include damages from climate change; harm to ecosystems; effects of some air pollutants, such as mercury; and risks to national security, which the report examines but does not monetize.
Free Exec Summary here.
Coal comes in at over $30/MWh, with climate effects adding another $30/MWh. Grain of salt as i've just received this. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaďs Nin
