Global Environmental Change Report articles from October 2003

Global Environmental Change Report archives from October 2003

Alternatives to the status quo?(Focus Report)
October 1, 2003... As US Congress members returned to Washington, DC, this September, they faced some daunting tasks. The August electrical blackout that affected eight states, as well as areas of Canada, sparked investigational hearings and increased pressure...

Is CO2 a pollutant?(Policy and Economics)
October 1, 2003... The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently denied a petition filed by the International Center for Technology Assessment and others that requested the regulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) from motor vehicles under the US Clean Air...

US energy bill to divide or conquer?(Policy and Economics)
October 1, 2003... A large conference committee of 45 US House of Representatives members and 13 Senators dove into negotiations regarding a new US energy policy immediately upon their return to Washington, DC, in early September. The August 2003 blackout that...

Climate scientist drops bombshell.(Policy and Economics)
October 1, 2003... Sir John Houghton, former chief executive of the UK Meteorological Office and co-chair of the scientific assessment working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recently threw the gauntlet of climate change into the...

Virtual water.(Policy and Economics)
October 1, 2003... On 10 August 2003, the 13th Stockholm Water Symposium, World Water Week, welcomed experts from more than 100 countries to exchange information and ideas about world water resources. The theme this year was "Drainage Basin Security--Balancing...

Antarctic ozone hole as big as ever.(Science Update)
October 1, 2003... Recent satellite data from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirm the results of a joint study by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, which predicted a substantial...

Warming is out of this world.(Science Update)
October 1, 2003... According to Dr. Nir Shaviv and Dr. Jan Veizer, galactic cosmic ray flux is more responsible for the variability in Earth's climate over the past 545 million years than atmospheric carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) levels. The results of their...

Little particles, big impact.(Science Update)
October 1, 2003... Mineral aerosols have been found to impact Earth's climate, with effects encompassing light scattering, solar and infrared radiation absorption, cloud formation, and the supply of micronutrients to terrestrial ecosystems. According to...

Putting waste to work--an overview.(Industry Watch)
October 1, 2003... Landfill gas (LFG) is generated when organic materials in municipal solid waste (MSW) are naturally decomposed by bacteria in the anaerobic landfill environment. The resultant gas stream is approximately 50 percent methane and 50 percent...

Profiting from landfill gas.(Industry Watch)
October 1, 2003... So who are the companies that are seeking to make landfill gas (LFG) their cash cow? Significant developers in the fragmented LFG marketplace include Waste Management, Inc. (Waste Management), DTE Biomass Energy (DTEBE), US Energy Biogas...

Landfill gas heats federal facility.(Industry Watch)
October 1, 2003... In May 2003, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration became the first federal agency to put landfill gas (LFG) to work at a federal facility. The agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland (USA) uses LFG from the...

Solar switches on the lights.(Industry Watch)
October 1, 2003... A multi-functional solar technology capable of switching automatically from grid-tied power to solar energy, designed for California farmers, could reduce loads on transmission lines during peak power demands and prevent waste releases from...

LearnSD adds courses on Joint Implementation.(Emissions Trading)
October 1, 2003... LearnSD, the Earth Council Institute Geneva--Learning Center for Sustainable Development, has a new online course offering (see GECR, June 2003, p. 11). John O'Brien, Managing Director of Carbon Market Solutions Europe, with over 10 years of...

UK holds airlines accountable for emissions.(Emissions Trading)
October 1, 2003... In a 1 September 2003 report on aviation's "external costs," the United Kingdom's Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) recommends, in CfIT Chair Professor David Begg's words, "a radical reform to make operators and passengers confront...

Crazy weather.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Crazy Weather: From a record number of tornadoes in the United States, to floods in Sri Lanka, to heat waves in India, it seems that the weather has gone crazy this year. Could these erratic and severe weather events be linked to global...

Green cars.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Green Cars: The nonprofit research group, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), has published a consumer guide that rates the environmental friendliness of model year 2003 cars and trucks. Topping the list is the Honda...

Water-efficient products.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Water-Efficient Products: In September 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to promote water-efficient products as part of an effort to address anticipated water shortages in the next decade. With more than 36...

DaimlerChrysler burns wood.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... DaimlerChrysler Burns Wood: DaimlerChrysler AG (DCAG) introduced "Biotrol," a biofuel derived from wood residue, at a June 2003 Environmental Press Conference in Stuttgart, Germany. The fuel is described as "the cleanest and most...

World Water Monitoring Day.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... World Water Monitoring Day: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), America's Clean Water Foundation, and the International Water Association are working together to ensure clean water for domestic, agricultural, commercial, and...

Renewable energy focus at POWER-GEN.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Renewable Energy Focus at POWER-GEN: Those in the electric power industry know POWER-GEN as the largest power-industry conference in the world. This year's event, which will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, is expected to draw 20,000...

Contraction and convergence.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Contraction and Convergence: The latest report on energy and climate change by the UK Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution advocates implementing a "contraction and convergence" plan to negotiate global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission...

Database of renewable energy policies.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Database of Renewable Energy Policies: If you've ever wondered what sort of renewable energy policies are in place in other industrialized countries, a new Web-based database compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA) can answer that...

Project to cut manufacturing costs for solar cells.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Project to Cut Manufacturing Costs for Solar Cells: The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently awarded a subcontract for the development of new solar cell manufacturing technology. The...

Solar Decathalon.(In Brief)
October 1, 2003... Solar Decathalon: The US Department of Energy has announced the teams for the 2005 "Solar Decathalon." The event, to be held in Washington, DC, in the fall of 2005, will challenge university teams from the United States, Europe, and Canada to...