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U.S. backs $30 million to build plug-in hybrids
The Department of Energy announced a $30 million effort Thursday with Ford, General Motors, and General Electric to bring to market by 2014 plug-in hybrid electric cars that drive 40 miles on a single charge.
"The projects announced today demonstrate a shared public-private sector commitment to advance clean vehicle technologies and will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil while also confronting the serious challenge of global climate change," Andy Karsner, assistant secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said in a statement. He made the announcement Thursday at a conference on plug-in electric vehicles sponsored by the … Read more
Cities take lead in climate change
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--City governments' response to climate change ranges from cutting-edge distributed energy to adding more bike lanes and trees.
Climate change experts from four cities--London, Toronto, Chicago, and New York--spoke about the connections between sustainable urban design, energy, the economy, and human health on Monday at the Mass Impact Symposium, organized by the Boston Society of Architects and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The cities' climate action plans, some of which have yet to be fully rolled out, call for aggressive goals to measure, reduce, and monitor greenhouse gas levels--on the range of 50 percent to 80 percent in … Read more
U.S. voluntary carbon market does not reward complexity
I had a lively discussion with Susan Wood, CEO of SCC Americas, at the Carbon Finance North America Conference last week. SCC Americas is the U.S. arm of Syndicatum Carbon Capital, one of the largest developers of Kyoto-based CDM carbon credit projects in the world. Susan herself has been doing emissions trading for more than a decade, after starting out as an environmental engineer.
The punchline in our chat was quite fascinating--the U.S. voluntary carbon market does not reward complexity in projects, Susan says. Basically, U.S. carbon credit developers are only doing a few limited types of … Read more
Can clean tech stem China's environmental woes?
A steady stream of bad news over the past year has brought China's environmental woes into clearer focus.
To point out the country's run-away energy demand, speakers at clean-tech conferences often say that China is building one coal-fired power plant a week.
Air and water quality are health issues. And China's skyrocketing energy consumption raises greenhouse gas levels, a matter of concern for everyone.
Even in the supposedly clean industry of solar power, there has been trouble. A recent Washington Post investigation unearthed toxic chemical dumping at a Chinese solar cell manufacturing plant.
The picture has been … Read more
U.S. climate bill blocked, while IEA calls for action
Attempts to bring a global warming bill up for debate were blocked in the Senate on Friday, derailing what would have been the first federal U.S. climate change legislation.
According to published reports, Democrats fell short of the 60 votes necessary to end a Republican-led filibuster.
Debate on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 has focused on the cost of throttling carbon dioxide emissions.
"It's a huge tax increase," said Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, from the coal state of Kentucky, according to an Associated Press story. Trading carbon emissions allowances, McConnell said, would produce &… Read more
'Green' jobs could employ 14 million, report says
A 'green' economy could provide new, improved opportunities for 14 million workers, according to a report released Tuesday by progressive environmental and labor groups.
For now, a quick look at any employment ad Web site turns up few opportunities in hands-on, "green" trades, such as installing solar panels. However, the 2007 U.S. Energy Act approved $125 million in funding for workforce training through the Green Jobs Act.
What might the new jobs look like?
Revamped professions, from agricultural inspecting to welding, would cover 9 percent of the U.S. workforce, according to authors Robert Pollin and Jeannette … Read more
'Carbon Belch Day' promotes un-green actions
Smoke cigars, do a partial load of laundry, drink bottled water, and feel no shame. That's what a campaign against a carbon trading bill is urging.
The latest parody of the proliferation of "green" social-networking sites and eco-friendly events comes via "Carbon Belch Day," a campaign from the conservative Grassfire.org alliance that encourages people to pollute as much as possible on June 12.
So far, more than 140,000 people have signed a petition against "climate alarmism," according to Ron De Jong, spokesman for Grassfire.org. If the effort attracts half a … Read more
Green news harvest: Climate bill scorecard, Bill Gates bails on ethanol
Here's a sampling of the latest green-tech news, along with quick commentary.
Gates set to dump half his stake in Pacific Ethanol - The Sacramento Bee A reflection of investor discontent with the biofuels industry. New Renewable Network Hopes to Make Greentech Connections - Greentech MediaSchmoozing leads to business. The Renewable Energy Business Network expands chapters and incorporates as a nonprofit with new sponsors. Ocean Seeding Banned Until More Research - Earth2TechThis is really just the opening phase of what I expect to be a much bigger debate about geoengineering 'fixes' to climate change. American Biomass funded for wood-fueled home heating - VentureBeat… Read more
