climate

Saving the planet cheaper than you think

Opponents of climate change have said that the effort could reduce the U.S. gross domestic product by $1 trillion, cost 3.4 million jobs, and result in price hikes of trillions of dollars for American consumers. But a new study from McKinsey & Co. puts the price tag way below earlier predictions and indicates that 40 percent of the reductions may bring actual savings to the economy, not costs.

Read the full story at Businessweek.com..

Voice-activated Fords to debut in Europe

More good news for those of us who have been forced to divide our attention between the road and what seems like an ever-increasing number of gadgets and other in-car distractions: automotive voice-activation technology is becoming more widespread.

On Thursday, U.S.-based company Nuance announced that it will be putting its text-to-speech technology in select new Ford models in Europe. The system powers Ford's "Human Machine Interface" (HMI), which allows drivers to make calls, enter destinations into the navigation system, control the audio system, and change the inside temperature using simple voice commands.

For example, a … Read more

Report: Billions of jellyfish wipe out salmon farm

A 10-square-mile pack of jellyfish wiped out a 100,000-fish salmon farm in Northern Ireland, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The billions of jellyfish, piled densely in a 35-foot-deep layer, did in the fish through stings and stress, according to John Russell, managing director of Northern Salmon.

The Pelagia nocticula species, or "mauve stinger," ordinarily is found in warmer waters such as the Mediterranean Sea. Scientists pointed to the presence of the jellyfish, rarely seen that far north, as evidence of global warming.

All of the fish, worth $2 million, are dead or dying and, absent government aid, … Read more

Governors sign on to Climate Savers efficient PCs plan

The nation's governors are jumping on the bandwagon of energy efficiency in computing.

The governors of Minnesota and Kansas on Wednesday committed to buying energy-efficient PCs, part of a partnership between the National Governors Assocation and the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

Launched earlier this year, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a group formed by Intel and Google to promote use of energy-efficient power supplies for PCs.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas said that new PC purchases for their states will meet the EnergyStar 4.0 rating, which could result in a 50 … Read more

Does Al Gore deserve the Nobel Prize?

For someone who has a reputation for being boring and wooden, Al Gore certainly is polarizing.

Supporters assert that he has been one of the principal actors in bringing awareness to global warming and prompting governments and industry to take action against greenhouse emissions. While a lot of people became familiar with his work through the recent film "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore has been writing on the issue since the '80s.

Detractors, however, say he's an opportunist who exaggerates the scientific evidence and doesn't even follow his own advice. Witness the furor over reports that his … Read more

Words, actions speak different shades of green

Reporters on the front lines of climate change ate locally grown food from biodegradable tableware at the annual Society of Environmental Journalists conference held at Stanford University last week .

Yet, they also boarded gas-guzzling, air-conditioned buses to tour Google's solar headquarters, green buildings in San Francisco and area ecosystems. The nonprofit Environmental Defense handed out folders about safeguarding the oceans. These came inside vinyl shoulder bags that stank of the same toxic chemicals that poison waterways. Most of some 900 attendees flew to the event in petroleum-powered planes to discuss how to report about imperiled ecosystems, from the big … Read more

McCain woos techies at AlwaysOn Conference

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Republican presidential candidate John McCain asked the technology sector for help fighting "Islamic extremism" and global warming at a conference here on Wednesday.

McCain said extremists are "taking advantage of cyberspace" in new ways that will require U.S. technologists to help find better tools to thwart their efforts.

The senator from Arizona also said he's convinced global warming is real. He thanked the gathering at the AlwaysOn Stanford Summit for their efforts in developing green technologies.

"We can have debate about how serious (climate change) is," McCain said, "… Read more

Prof says global warming is dangerous to your freedom

Nobody's going to like this one. Liberals will feel attacked. Libertarians will nod glumly. Conservatives will feel they're being blamed for something that hasn't happened. And those who intend to ignore climate change will continue to accuse others of a conspiracy.

Peter Wells, a researcher in Cardiff, England, has published an article warning that climate change could lead to a global, militaristic totalitarian state. Here's where you can find the article, but it will cost money to see it all. So, a brief summary: Climate change will create severe challenges to numerous nations. It may prove … Read more

China is No. 1 again, this time in CO2 emissions

China is now No. 1. Not just in population. Nor just in economic growth among major nations. Not just in construction cranes or the building of coal-burning power plants. It's now the reigning champ of CO2 emissions. Despite the best efforts of numerous American utility companies and widespread use of air conditioning, SUVs and our own splurge in coal-burning, the United States has sunk to No. 2 in the CO2 derby.

The first to declare China the CO2 champ is the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Its estimates today show China put out 6,200 million tons of CO2 last … Read more