California’s cap-and-trade program, known as “AB32,” is moving closer to its first binding auction. Mandated as part of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, it requires greenhouse gas emissions in California to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. Recently, the state modified its greenhouse [...]
Archive for the ‘Global Warming’ Category
27 Apr
The Economics of Hype: Rio+20
In June, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Known as Rio+20 because it aims to address similar issues to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, its official discussions will focus on building a green economy to lift people out of poverty and improving international coordination for sustainable [...]
24 Feb
A Trade War at 30,000 Feet
The U.S. joined twenty-three other nations on Wednesday in signing the so-called Moscow Joint Declaration to protest the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which in 2008 was extended to include aviation. It is the latest show of American opposition to the scheme, following a joint letter from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to the International [...]
8 Nov
High Class European Banks Say ‘No, Thank You’ to Dirty Coal
A short and sweet Environment and Climate Change Bulletin from Linklaters last week tipped us off to an interesting development in power plant financing, but left us thirsty for more details. According to the global law firm, several international banks (including the likes of HSBC, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Standard Chartered and F&C Asset Management) [...]
6 Oct
Peak Meat
“Firstly, per capita US meat consumption appears to have peaked.” So begin the conclusions of Rabobank International Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) group in their recent report on meat production in the US. The accompanying graphic shows our national consumption of meat (beef, pork, and poultry) at an all time high around 2007, [...]
30 Aug
Controlling Weather Control
In the midst of the coverage of Hurricane Irene, one post from the New York Times in particular caught my eye. As folks struggled to wrap their heads around a potentially massive hurricane making landfall in New York and the potential subsequent devastation, the post drew attention to “Category 7,” a 2007 work of fiction [...]
18 Aug
More Trouble for “Polar Bear Guy”
Wildlife researcher Charles Monnett (or “Polar Bear Guy,” as my boss calls him) has had a pretty crappy couple of months, from what we can tell. In late July he was placed on administrative leave from his job at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), where he was researching – surprise! [...]
13 May
Duke University Study Finds Methane Contamination in Drinking Water Near Fracking Sites
Last month it was Cornell, and this month it’s Duke, but all these universities are telling us the same thing: hydraulic fracturing comes with environmental risks. While the study from Cornell focused on the global warming effects of methane that escapes from natural gas fracking, a recent study from Duke University found that escaped methane [...]
6 May
Our Children’s Trust Sues Federal Government Over Climate Change
Check out the newest Spotlight on knowledgemosaic! Green Mien contributor Kyle Hargus summarizes the issue: An organization entitled Our Children’s Trust, a non-profit dedicated to supporting environmental causes, has filed an official lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Government on behalf of future generations of children, specifically against key agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, which [...]
4 May
Two New Studies Predict a Bigger, Warmer Future (probably not a good thing!)
Assuming that the world is able to make it through next year’s looming apocalypse, new studies by both the United Nations and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program indicate more long-term socio-environmental problems facing humankind over the next century. First, the United Nations released a report early this week indicating that, contrary to the popular [...]
