"If you were the Lego-set type as a kid, you have the skills to convert a diesel car or truck to run on straight waste vegetable oil (WVO) from local restaurants," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
You can also use biodiesel produced from specific crops -- like corn -- but it's not the perfect alternative fuel answer we were once led to believe. With food shortages all over the world, it's hard to justify using limited farm land to grow plants for fuel instead of plants for food.
So Essential Skill #56 seems to be the best alternative fuel answer for your car:
Drive a frybrid.
"Any car that runs on diesel fuel can be converted into a grease car (or 'frybrid')," writes de Rothschild, "but old, built-to-last Mercedes are a popular choice.... Expect to pay at least $2,000 for an old Benz. Veggie oil conversion kits start around $500. Some shops specialize in grease-car conversions; expect a complete installation to cost at least $1,500."
Best of all, there's a huge supply of grease -- an estimated 3.8 billion pounds produced at restaurants each year in the U.S. alone. All it takes is a little effort on your part to reach out to local restaurants and secure your own regular source of frybrid fuel.
Learn more at GreaseCar.com and Treehugger's How To Convert Your Diesel Car to Run on Food Grease.
12-3-08
Live Earth India ... Cancelled
Due to the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Live Earth India has been cancelled. Here is the official announcement from the Live Earth website ...
"We always felt very welcomed and safe as we spent more time on the ground in Mumbai to finalize plans for Live Earth India, scheduled for December 7.
Due to circumstances far beyond our control, we are saddened to announce that Live Earth India has been cancelled. We will continue to work for solutions to the climate crisis for the good of the people of India and around the world. But for now, our thoughts and our prayers are with the victims of this terrible attack, with the bereaved, with the people of Mumbai and with everyone in India.
If you have tickets, go to LiveEarth.org for details on how to get a refund.
11-23-08
Details Announced for Live Earth India on December 7, 2008
Performers
Bon Jovi ... Roger Waters ... Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am ... Anoushka Shankar ... Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ... Hrithik Roshan ... Preity Zinta ... Bipasha Basu ... Shiamak Davar ... Farhan Akhtar ... Arjun Rampal ... Purab Kohli ... Hard Kaur ... Jalebee Cartel ... Vishal and Shekhar ... Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy ... Sunidhi Chauhan ... Sonu Nigam ... Shaan
Living Live Earth
"Put all this energy in your heart and help us solve the climate crisis." ~Al Gore saying goodnight to us from Giants Stadium on 7-7-07
"America, are you awake? … UK, are you awake? China, are you awake? Japan … Australia … Antarctica? God, the whole world is awake! " ~Melissa Etheridge during her performance at the US Live Earth Concert on 7-7-07
Thank you for your interest in our coverage of the Live Earth Movement. Though this site is no longer updated, we are keeping it live as a lasting tribute to the Live Earth Concerts that inspired us -- and millions of others around the world -- on 7-7-07. Click here to Re-Live the Concerts.
12-7-08
Week # 56: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Venue
Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai
Tickets
Online: www.bookmyshow.com/liveearthindia
Phone: 39895050
In-stores: Rhythm House (South Mumbai), Hiro Music (Bandra) & Music World (Malad).
Prices: Rs. 625, Rs. 1250 and Rs. 2500.
Broadcast Instead of investing in the potential dangers of nuclear energy, encourage your leaders to use your tax dollars to concentrate on clean, renewable alternative technologies, like wind power, hydropower and geothermal power. So what are we supposed to do with old tires? Follow Essential Skill #53 in the The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook: Skate on old tires. "In Washington, D.C.," writes Handbook author David de Rothschild, "the nonprofit East Coast Round Wall Foundation recovered tires from abandoned lots and National Parks, filled them with dirt, and laid them down as the foundation of the Green Skate Lab. After forming the walls of the bowl with tires, workers put down rebar and then poured concrete. "The result: a 100% volunteer-built skate environment made entirely of reused and recycled materials." Click this link for more info about how to build a skatepark in your community. As far-fetched as some of these concepts may sound now, the same could be said of global warming itself, which took years for the world to understand and accept. Anything is possible, including inspired, creative solutions to climate change. "If we planted one million acres of bamboo, we would eliminate up to 4.8 million tons of CO2 per year," writes de Rothschild in The Handbook. If you want to help, cut down on your wood consumption and buy bamboo when you can. Live Earth Leader of the Week "If buy stuff you must," writes de Rothschild, "restock with planet-friendly goods." As great as wind power sounds, we couldn't help but worry about its impact on birds. We've heard before that blades from windmills are to blame for bird deaths. But de Rothschild sets our mind at ease there too. Turns out that of all the bird deaths caused by humans every year, only 1 in 10,000 are caused by windmills. "Wind can't carry our whole load," writes de Rothschild, "but it could go a long way toward capping our carbon output." It was just a little over one year ago when Al Gore’s Live Earth Concerts inspired the creation of this website – to help raise awareness of global warming and what we can do to stop it. Today Gore gave us another reason to thank him for his commitment to solving the climate crisis. He delivered a speech in Washington D.C. that outlines a bold plan for drastically cutting carbon emissions here in the United States. You can read his speech in its entirety here, or the abbreviated version below ... 7-7-08 "Combined with other green building tricks," writes de Rothschild, "(south-facing windows for 'passive solar' heating, efficient heating and cooling systems, and double-paned, low-e windows), your energy use can drop by two-thirds."
MSN India, Star World, Chanel [V]
Week #55: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Ethanol from switchgrass and ditch weed, bio-diesel from algae and turkey offal, geothermal hydrogen, tidal electricity, methane ice, P-series fuel -- it's enough to give your gas tank a real identity crisis," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
In other words, we're a long way off from deciding on the best alternative to diesel. It's Essential Skill #55 in The Handbook:
Choose your fuel.
De Rothschild weighs the pros and cons of the top contenders:
1) Biofuels (ethanol, bio-diesel and methane)
PROS: If it's organic, it can probably be turned into fuel.
CONS: It forces a choice between using plants for food or fuel. It also comes with the negative environmental impact of farming.
2) Electricity
PROS: There's already an existing infrastructure for this technology. Its centralized generation also makes carbon capture relatively easy.
CONS: To use this alternative fuel, you have to buy a new electric car. And reliance on battery technology limits range of driving and fuel time.
3) Hydrogen
PROS: The only waste product produced from hydrogen fuel is water, and it's carbon neutral if it's produced from renewable resources.
CONS: Building the infastructure for hydrogen technology could cost up to $500 billion, and it could be decades before we can even use it.
"If we were really smart," writes de Rothschild, "we'd invest as much of our remaining fossil energy as we can in wind turbines and solar panels. The best fuel is the one you do not burn up in the first place."
11-1-08
Week #54: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"First things first: 'nuclear' is not pronounced 'new-cue-ler," writes author David de Rothschild in The Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Or 'new-cler.' Since it's likely to be rolling off more tongues than ever in the coming years, it's best to get that straightened out right now."
It's Essential Skill #54 in The Handbook: Say "Nuclear" Correctly.
But really, the way you pronounce the word is of little consequence. What matters most is that you get the facts on this potentially devastating "solution" to global warming.
Despite all its drawbacks and dangers, even some environmentalists who once spoke against it are embracing nuclear power, desperate for any other way to power the planet without fossil fuels. But is it really worth the risk considering the following fact?
"In order for nuclear energy to displace enough fossil-fuel energy to make any real difference in global warming," writes de Rothschild, "worldwide nuclear output would have to double by 2050 and continue at that capacity for at least 50 years."
But here's the real kicker.
"Even that massive increase of atomic energy ... would only prevent .33 degrees Fahrenheit of global temperature rise."
Weigh that pro against the cons, and the balance seems rather out of whack, don't you think?
The drawbacks of nuclear energy include:
10-26-08
Week #53: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Every year, 290 million tires are disposed of in the United States. The problem is that it's illegal to send them to the landfill in 46 U.S. states. Why? Because tires can:
10-6-08
Week #52: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"If Thomas Edison knew how much his lightbulb would someday contribute to global warming, he probably would have kept on going until he invented a solution for carbon emissions," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
"Alas, he was an inventor, not a soothsayer. That leaves you, ingenius reader, to solve humanity's biggest challenge."
It's Essential Skill #52 in The Handbook:
Invent the antidote.
Maybe you could alter biodiesel production so that it that doesn't require so much heat. Or maybe you can invent an electric car battery that's smaller, cheaper, less toxic, longer-lasting and faster-charging.
Or probably more realistically, maybe you can tell your representatives in Congress that you want funds allocated to programs in which scientists are already working to solve these and other alternative energy challenges.
More ideas de Rothschild hopes could one day help do the trick include:
9-27-08
Week #51: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Is your gas-guzzling furnace robbing you blind each winter?" asks author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Do you fear that your air-conditioner may be causing those rolling blackouts? Are solar panels not an option at your Scandinavian winter retreat?"
Then Essential Skill #51 in The Handbook is for you:
Dig a very deep hole.
From this hole comes geothermal energy, using the temperature of the earth to heat or cool your home! We'll warn you now though -- the initial investment doesn't come cheap at an estimated $7,500 or more. But you're going to be cutting down on your emissions by as much as 40 percent, which will inevitably be reflected in your bank account for years to come.
In the words of de Rothschilds, here's how it works:
"A geothermal pump brings water (or water and antifreeze) up through pipes sunk into the ground. In the winter, when the ambient air is cooler, the water absorbs the Earth's heat, which is then concentrated by unobtrusive in-house equipment to warm your environment.
"In summer, the system acts as a heat sink, taking heat from your home's ambient air into the cooler ground. You need only add energy to power a compressor and heat exchanger."
Ninety percent of the homes in Iceland run on geothermal power. And for every million homes that use it, we cut 4.4 million tons of annual emissions.
For more details, click the following for info on How To Heat and Cool a Home With Geothermal Power.
9-1-08
Week #50: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Bamboo and trees both sequester CO2 in their roots and branches as they grow," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "But bamboo stores more CO2 and generates 35 percent more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees."
Thus Essential Skill #50 in The Handbook:
Bamboo your life!
From bamboo furniture, to bamboo flooring, to bamboo utensils, to fabrics for bamboo linens and bamboo clothes, this wood alternative is versatile too. And instead of the years it takes to grow a tree, bamboo is a grass that grows in just a matter of days -- as much as 2 to 3 feet in just 24 hours! So while chopping down trees means deforestation, chopping down bamboo means clearing the way for another harvest.
Benefits of bamboo include:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 5 Stories
1) Instead of Slowing Down as Expected, Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster
When temperatures started cooling in August, it was predicted that the melting of ice would slow down. Not the case in the summer of 2008, when it actually started melting faster. Only one other summer since we’ve been keeping records has so much Arctic ice melted in the summertime – and the summer isn’t over yet, meaning this could very well break the record. Illustrating the dire consequences, nine polar bears were recently spotted swimming in the Arctic Ocean miles from shore the with no ice in sight. Click this link to read full story here and here.
2) U.N.: Ending Fossil-Fuel Subsidies Would Cut Emissions 6%
Every year, governments around the world spend $300 billion subsidizing fossil fuels. According to a new United Nations report, eliminating these subsidies would help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent. Click this link to read full story.
3) Google Invests $10.25 Million in Geothermal Energy
“EGS could be the ‘killer app’ of the energy world,” says a Google rep of its recent decision to invest $10.25 million in enhanced geothermal energy (EGS). “It has the potential to deliver vast quantities of power 24/7 and be captured nearly anywhere on the planet.” Click this link to read full story.
4) EPA Guilty of Not Regulating Emission from Refineries, Says Lawsuit
“The EPA's s refusal to control pollution from oil refineries is the latest example of the Bush administration's do-nothing policy on global warming.” So says New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who's leading a lawsuit filed by 12 states, New York City and the District of Columbia against the EPA for its alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. Click this link to read full story.
5) NYC Mayor Talks Up Green Goals at National Clean Energy Summit
“When it comes to producing clean power,” says NYC Mayor Bloomberg, “we're determined to make New York the No. 1 city in the nation.” His hopes include wind farms on top of bridges and skyscrapers, offshore wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean, “smart” power grids, increased transmission capacity and carbon taxation. Click this link to read full story.
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
At the recent National Clean Energy Summit, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he wants New York City to be number one in the country for clean energy. As impossible as that may sound, Mayor Bloomberg is aggressively greening New York City as we speak –from Harlem’s new 249-unit green housing project … to the MillionTreesNYC initative … to the city’s first ever green school.
Click this link to learn more about Mayor Bloomberg’s greening of New York City.
8-17-08
Week #49: Living the Live Earth Pledge
If you're still buying bottled water, you're behind the curve. "Worldwide, we drink some 41 billion gallons of bottled water a year," says author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, "even though it's often no safer or better-tasting than tap, and wastes fuel and water for bottling and transport."
That's not to say you need to tote around a glass or cup, or simply go without. There are plenty of refillable, durable water bottles out there for you to choose from.
But you need not limit this philosphy to water bottles alone. "A useful rule for reducing global warming," writes de Rothschild, is to "buy less stuff." And when that's not an option, follow these tips and buy:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 5 Stories
1) Offshore Drilling in May Be On U.S. Horizon
Despite the potential for dangerous oil spills along the American coastlines – and its impact on wildlife – a study shows that two-thirds of Americans support the offshore drilling. What most Americans do not realize is that it would take up to 10 years for offshore drilling to impact the price of gas at the pumps. Still, that’s not stopping Republicans from trying to convince Democrats to give in on the issue. Click this link to read story here and here.
2) Democratic Party Greens Its National Platform
Finally, Barack Obama wil1 officially accept the Democratic nomination this week in Denver, Colorado, at the Democratic National Convention. Building momentum was the party’s recent release of its national platform, with environmental initiatives that include:
* Creating up to 5 million new green jobs
* Cleaning up coal plants
* Making the U.S. 50 percent more energy-efficient by 2030
* Instituting a cap-and-trade program
* Increasing auto fuel efficiency
* Sourcing 25 percent of electricity from renewables by 2025
* Investing in cellulosic ethanol
* Installing a smarter electricity grid
* Reducing oil consumption 35 percent by 2030
Click this link to read full story. Click this link to visit the official site of the Democratic National Convention.
3) World Consumption Drives Up China’s Emissions
With all eyes on the Olympics, it’s impossible to ignore the haze of pollution in the sky. It’s also easy to criticize China for not doing more to reduce its carbon footprint, but as a recent study reveals, that’s a bit hypocritical. In fact, one-third of China’s emissions are generated by the production of products shipped to other countries. And any trip to a store near you is the perfect reminder that your country is among them. Click this link to read full story.
4) 21 U.S. Cities To Track, Report Emissions
"Over 70 percent of total global emissions are generated from cities,” says the CEO of the Carbon Disclosure Project, “and if you don't measure these emissions, you cannot manage them.” In response, 21 cities in the United States – including Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York City, St. Paul and West Palm Beach – will not only track their emissions, but also made a matter of public record. Click this link to read full story.
5) U.S. Cuts Climate Change Program for Poor Countries
The budget for scientific study in America continues to shrink. As a result, 10 percent of the positions for the National Center for Atmospheric Research have been eliminated in the past five years. Now a program has been eliminated altogether – the Center for Capacity Building, its former mission to help poor countries adapt to climate change. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Creative Water Solutions
Just because you’re an environmentalist doesn’t mean you have to feel guilty about maintaining a pool or spa with chemicals. Thanks to a new innovation in pool and spa maintenance, you can cut your chemical use by as much as 90 percent! The secret ingredient is moss. Certain species act as water filters that prevent the growth of bacteria, fungus, mold and yeast. Creative Water Solutions gets the majority of this type of moss from New Zealand, treats the moss then sells it to customers for their pools and spas. The average maintenance cost per month is around $20 for a spa and $30-60 for a pool.
Click this link to learn more about the moss alternative to chemicals in your pool.
8-2-08
Week #48: Living Live Earth
What home renovation can reduce your cooling and heating costs by 50 percent (not to mention greenhouse gas emissions)? It's Essential Skill #48 in The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook:
Green your roof.
A green roof (i.e., a roof covered with soil, grass and foilage) absorbs solar radiation. So instead of bouncing off the roof and into the surrounding area, or penetrating the roof and heating up the house inside, heat is absorbed by the plants. So you're not only keeping your neighborhood cooler, but also your house for a lower electric bill and fewer carbon emissions. Even during the winter time, a green roof acts as insulation so you save on heating bills too.
Though you should probably consult with a professional, here's the basics for installing a green roof on top of your home:
1) Lay down a waterproof layer over your standard roof
2) Top it with drainage materials and soil
3) Plant foliage native to your region -- the less water needed for growth, the better
"Your roof -- or, rather, your green roof -- should be a key part of your carbon reduction strategy," writes author David de Rothschild in The Handbook, "plant it, water it, enjoy it."
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) California Announces Statewide Green Building CodeThe first in the nation to do so, California now has green building code that will call for:
* 20 percent improvement in water use efficiency (residential and commercial)
* 50 percent increase in conservation for water used in landscaping
* 15 percent reduction in energy consumption for all new construction
2) EPA Admits Climate Change Health Risks
Finally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is admitting something most of us have known for quite some time. “Climate change poses real risk to human health and the human systems that support our way of life in the United States,” says an EPA representative. Risks noted include heat-related deaths, heart and lung disease, and health problems related to extreme weather conditions. Click this link to read full story.
3) 1.5-Mile Ice Chunk Breaks Off Arctic Shelf
An Arctic ice shelf that’s been thinning since the fifties is literally falling apart. A 1.5-mile chunk recently broke off and separated from the shelf – just another sign that climate change is already taking a serious toll on Arctic region. Click this link to read full story.
4) Preserving Wetlands Critical to Fight Against Global Warming
“We could call it the carbon bomb,” says a coordinator of a regional environment program in Brazil regarding the destruction of wetlands there. Why is their destruction such a threat? Because wetlands store one-fifth of the world’s carbon – 771 billion tons of global-warming emissions! Click this link to read full story.
5) States, Groups Sue EPA Over Failure To Regulate Plane, Ship Emissions
For obvious reasons, green-leaning states and groups want the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to formally state whether emissions from ships and planes can hurt human health. For other obvious reasons, the Bush-backed EPA is dodging the issue. So these states and groups are suing for action. Click this link to read full story.
6) Cap-and-Trade Program Proposed for U.S. Western States
If the Western Climate Initiative gets its way, 11 U.S. states would be limited on the carbon emissions allowed from industries and utilities through a proposed cap-and-trade system. Click this link to read full story.
7) U.S. Army Cutting Emissions: Less Fuel, Less Risk
“What I'm interested in doing is finding out what the greenhouse gas emissions, this carbon bootprint, are for the Army in two to three years at the latest," says the deputy assistant secretary for environment, safety and occupational health. Plus, it helps reduce risks to troops for whom gas-powered vehicles makes them a big target. “If we can reduce consumption on our forward operating bases by using renewable energy, let's say wind or solar instead of a diesel generator outside the tent ... then we can reduce the number of supply convoys that need to come forward that are getting hit by [makeshift bombs]” says Davis. Click this link to read full story.
8) Coal Plant On Navajo Nation Land Gets OK from EPA
Stating that Navajo Nation leaders support the decision, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved an air permit for a 600-acre coal plant on Navajo Nation land in New Mexico. “It is a devastating blow to tribal members who continually suffer from the large coal complex encroaching upon our land,” says a local advocacy group. Apparently Governor Bill Richardson aggress, as he’s planning to challenge the decision in court. Click this link to read full story.
9) Take a Walk with Google Maps
According to a new analysis of distances and densities in America’s cities, San Francisco is the most “walkable” of them all, followed by New York City, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. But even if you live in one of the country’s least-walkable cities – Jacksonville, Florida; Nashville; Charlotte, North Carolina; Indianapolis or Oklahoma City – Google Maps can help. It’s the first-of-its-kind service offering walking directions from point A to point B. Click this link to read full story.
10) Four-Day School Concept Growing
A hundred schools in 16 states already offer classes four days a week. In an attempt to cut costs from the rising price of transportation and electricity, many other school districts across the country are considering the same. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Google Maps
“It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and when it's not too hot, it feels like a waste of gorgeous weather to get behind the wheel or hop in a cab,” reads the official blog of the Google Earth and Maps team.
So just “tell Google Maps that you want walking directions, and we'll try to find you a route that's direct, flat, and uses pedestrian pathways when we know about them.”
Of course, it’s more than opportunity to enjoy the weather and landscape. It’s a chance to help save on vehicle emissions with a program that makes mapping your way on foot easier than ever to do.
Click this link to check out walking distances on Google Maps.
7-18-08
Week #47: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Nobody likes the thudding sound of a power bill meeting your wallet," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Good news: freeing yourself from utility serfdom is getting easier and cheaper."
It's Essential Skill #47 in The Handbook:
Install a windmill.
Of course, it's not just your pocketbook that will rejoice at your energy savings on wind power. So will the earth. "If 100,000 households installed an ample-sized wind turbine, the annual CO2 reduction would be 900,000 tons."
If you're thinking about installing a windmill, here's what you need to know:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Al Gore Outlines Bold Plan for Carbon-Neutral U.S. in Washingon D.C. Speech
Within 10 years, Al Gore sees America using electricity from carbon-free sources only, especially geothermal, solar and wind power, as he explained during a special address July 17 in Washington D.C. He estimates the cost to be $3 trillion over 30 years time but points out that building conventional coal plants to fill the growing need would cost about the same. Click this link to read full story. Click this link to read his speech here. Or scroll down to our Live Earth Leader of the Week to read our abbreviated version of Al Gore's Speech.
2) G8 Nations Pledge to Halve Emissions By 2050
Even President Bush has finally agreed that cutting emissions 50 percent by 2050 is a good idea. Now he and the leaders of the other seven richest nations in the world need to iron out the details – sooner than later, say environmentalists. Though it’s a critical long-term goal, the G8 nations have made no short-term goals to get there. Click this link to read full story.
3) Bush Lifts Executive Ban on Offshore Drilling
President Bush has lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling, though nothing can change until the congressional ban is lifted as well. Click this link to read full story.
4) EPA Outlines Health Risks of Global Warming Despite Bush’s Objections
Though court-ordered to determine whether greenhouse gas emissions pose potential health risks to humans, the Bush Administration is reportedly trying to stall until a new president takes office under the guise of opening the subject to more public comment. But that didn’t stop the Environmental Protection Agency from releasing a report that directly addresses the health risks of global warming. “This document inescapably, unmistakably shows that global warming pollution not only threatens human health and welfare, but it is adversely impacting human health and welfare today," says the Environmental Defense Fund. "What this document demonstrates is that the imperative for action is now." Click this link to read full story here and here.
5) Half of U.S. Coral Reefs in Crisis: Marine Life Threatened
One quarter of marine species depend on coral reefs. So that’s a lot of deep sea creatures in big trouble upon news that nearly half of the coral reefs in U.S. waters are in poor or fair condition. Click this link to read full story.
6) New Images of Wilkins Ice Shelf Show Big Trouble
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic peninsula is “hanging by its last thread.” That’s based on analysis of recent photos. “Since the connection to [Charcot] island... helps stabilise the ice shelf,” says the ESA press release, “it is likely the breakup of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk.” Click this link to read full story.
7) Smog Levels Expected To Rise With Global Warming
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the hotter its gets from climate change, the more smog we’re going to see over U.S. cities. “These findings also indicate, that, where climate-change-induced increases in [smog] do occur, damaging effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and health will be especially pronounced, due to increases in the frequency of extreme pollution events,” says the EPA report. Click this link to read full story.
8) Green Party Nominates Their Candidate for President
Cynthia McKinney has officially been nominated as the U.S. Green Party’s candidate for president in the 2008 race. McKinney is not only a woman, but a black woman. This former Democrat previously served as a Congressional representative for Georgia. Click this link to read full story.
9) New York City and Alberta, Canada Spending Billions to Cut Emissions
In New York City, they’re spending $2.3 billion to cut emissions 30 percent by 2030. How? By fixing methane leaks at water plants and using that gas to run electric generation equipment, investing in fuel-efficient vehicles and installing eco-friendly street lights. As for Alberta, Canada, they’re setting aside $4 billion for carbon capture and storage programs and more public transport. Click this link to read full story here and here.
10) Fifty-Plus Port Authorities Meet to Cut Emissions
Representing 35 countries, more than 50 port authorities around the world met to discuss how they can work together to cut the CO2 emissions from 100,000 ships. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Al Gore
Al Gore: A Generational Challenge to Repower America (July 17, 2008 Speech in Washington D.C.)
Ladies and gentlemen:
“There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger….”
“I don't remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously. Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, gasoline prices are increasing dramatically, and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced. Home mortgages are in trouble. Banks, automobile companies and other institutions we depend upon are under growing pressure. Distinguished senior business leaders are telling us that this is just the beginning unless we find the courage to make some major changes quickly.
“The climate crisis, in particular, is getting a lot worse – much more quickly than predicted…. And by the way, our weather sure is getting strange, isn't it? There seem to be more tornadoes than in living memory, longer droughts, bigger downpours and record floods. Unprecedented fires are burning in California and elsewhere in the American West. Higher temperatures lead to drier vegetation that makes kindling for mega-fires of the kind that have been raging in Canada, Greece, Russia, China, South America, Australia and Africa. Scientists in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University tell us that for every one degree increase in temperature, lightning strikes will go up another 10 percent. And it is lightning, after all, that is principally responsible for igniting the conflagration in California today.
“I'm convinced that one reason we've seemed paralyzed in the face of these crises is our tendency to offer old solutions to each crisis separately - without taking the others into account. And these outdated proposals have not only been ineffective - they almost always make the other crises even worse.
“The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels.
“We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year. Tapping just a small portion of this solar energy could provide all of the electricity America uses.
“The quickest, cheapest and best way to start using all this renewable energy is in the production of electricity. In fact, we can start right now using solar power, wind power and geothermal power to make electricity for our homes and businesses.
“Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.
“To those who argue that we do not yet have the technology to accomplish these results with renewable energy: I ask them to come with me to meet the entrepreneurs who will drive this revolution. I've seen what they are doing and I have no doubt that we can meet this challenge.
“To those who say the costs are still too high: I ask them to consider whether the costs of oil and coal will ever stop increasing if we keep relying on quickly depleting energy sources to feed a rapidly growing demand all around the world. When demand for oil and coal increases, their price goes up. When demand for solar cells increases, the price often comes down.
“To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world's scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don't act in 10 years. The leading experts predict that we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution lest we lose our ability to ever recover from this environmental crisis. When the use of oil and coal goes up, pollution goes up. When the use of solar, wind and geothermal increases, pollution comes down.
“To those who say the challenge is not politically viable: I suggest they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo. Then bear witness to the people's appetite for change.
“If you want to know the truth about gasoline prices, here it is: the exploding demand for oil, especially in places like China, is overwhelming the rate of new discoveries by so much that oil prices are almost certain to continue upward over time no matter what the oil companies promise. And politicians cannot bring gasoline prices down in the short term.
“We are on the eve of a presidential election. We are in the midst of an international climate treaty process that will conclude its work before the end of the first year of the new president's term. It is a great error to say that the United States must wait for others to join us in this matter. In fact, we must move first, because that is the key to getting others to follow; and because moving first is in our own national interest.
“We must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our entire civilization depends upon us now embarking on a new journey of exploration and discovery. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey and to complete it within 10 years. Once again, we have an opportunity to take a giant leap for humankind."
Read the speech in its entirety here.
Happy Anniversary Live Earth!
It was one year ago today when we watched Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. On 7-7-07 ... on all 7 continents ... musicians all over the world brought millions of us together with one common goal -- to raise resources and awareness for the fight against global warming.
Click here to Re-Live the Concerts, including Top Moments from each of the shows.
7-5-08
Week #46: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Straw has been used in construction for thousands of years," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, "and bales were turned into buildings in the 1800s on the American Great Plains -- where there were no trees. The idea of building with straw was rediscovered by eco-conscious architects in the 1980s, and today's straw houses are not just drafty little houses on the prairie."
So what makes straw-bale construction such an eco-friendly alternative to wood? Well, there' s the obvious reason of all the trees saved in the process. Then there's the fact that the straw that's used for home construction is "waste" straw that would normally be burned, emitting CO2 into the air. Finally, straw is a super-insulator -- keeping it cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter.
Of course, at first consideration there appears to be one serious drawback -- fire hazard. But as it turns out, straw is actually more fire-resistant than wood construction!
Here are the basics of straw home construction:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Japan Hosting G8 Summit July 7-9
President Bush will be among seven other world leaders at the G8 Summit in Japan July 7-9. "I'll be reminding people that we can have better energy security and we can be better stewards of the environment without sacrificing economic growth," says Bush of the annual meeting among Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Though he favors the advancement of renewable technologies, Bush still opposes any mandatory targets. Click this link to read full story.
2) World Demand for Energy to Grow 50 Percent By 2030
According to a prediction by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the global demand for energy is going to grow 50 percent by 2030. Of note in its recent report is the fact that renewables are expected to grow 2 percent each year, though coal is expected to do the same. Click this link to read full story.
3) Auto Industry Won’t Stop California from Regulating Vehicle Emissions
Just in case a new administration were to grant a waiver to California allowing it to create its own emissions standards for vehicles – the waiver that the current administration refuses to grant – the auto industry filed a lawsuit of its own to make a future waiver impossible. But the judge ruled against it, stating of the auto industry’s lawsuit that “The interpretation requested is without support in law, logic, or grammar." Click this link to read full story here.
4) Judge Won’t Force EPA To Decide On Danger of CO2
Though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, the Court did not force EPA to act. In fact, it’s up to the EPA to decide if CO2 is dangerous to public health and, if so, how to regulate it. Unfortunately, they’ve done neither. Green groups sued for a decision, but the petition has been denied. But it turns out the EPA has been working on a document showing how the Clean Air Act could be used to regulate greenhouse gases. Problem is the White House is trying to block it, going so far as to ask for the deletion of references to greenhouse-gas emissions endangering public health. Click this link to read full story here and here.
5) Judge Issues Landmark Ruling on Coal Plant
A Georgia Superior Court judge has become the first in the nation to deny the construction of a coal plant based on the Supreme Court’s classification of carbon dioxide as pollutant. To move forward, the proposed coal plant must receive an air-pollution permit limiting its CO2 emissions. Click this link to read full story.
6) Bush Stops Solar Project Development on Public Land
In yet another attempt by the Bush Administration to sweep greener living under the rug, it’s issued a moratorium on any new solar projects being implemented on public land. Why? So they can study the large-scale environmental impact of solar projects. Meanwhile, the administration isn’t batting an eye at environmentally-unfriendly oil and gas development on public land, which continues to grow. Click this link to read full story.
7) Paris Announces Electric Car-Sharing Program
On the heels of its successful bike-sharing program, Paris is planning a similar strategy with 4,000 electric cars. “There will be a computerized system which allows you as soon as you collect the car to announce where you'll drop it off, so there will be a parking space available," says Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Click this link to read full story.
8) Americans Changing Home, Work Habits in Wake of Gas Prices Hikes
Five years ago the average suburban household spent $1,422 on gas. As of April of this year that figure more than doubled to $3,196 a year! With gas prices unlikely to go back down anytime soon (or ever), Americans are taking matters into their own hands. According to a survey of real estate agents showing houses to prospective homeowners, 78 percent say they’re moving back to the city because they can’t afford the gas. Meanwhile, city governments in Utah and New York are shortening the work week to just four days, with the idea catching on in California, West Virginia, Minnesota and Georgia. Click this link to read full story here and here.
9) Prime Minister Outlines Britain’s Renewable Energy Revolution
In an effort to increase renewable energy use tenfold by 2020, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans for his country’s “green revolution. Plans include:
* Investing $200 billion into renewable energy technology
* Building 7,000 new wind turbines
* Creating 260,000 new green-collar jobs
Click this link to read full story.
10) E.U. Airlines To Pay for Emissions
If the European Union Parliament gets its way, E.U. airlines will be required to pay for their emissions starting in 2012. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Wal-Mart
It's estimated that in the U.S., produce travels an average of 1,500 miles from the farm to the family who ultimately eats it. Wal-Mart is looking to change all that with both economic and environmental benefits.
Wal-Mart recently announced that it will significantly increase the amount of fruit and vegetables it purchases from local farmers.
Not only will this help support the local farmers, but also keep prices down for the customer and reduce the "food miles" that are a big contributor to greenhouse gase emissions from the ships, planes and vehicles used to ship it from long distances.
Over the past two years, Wal-Mart has increased its purchasing of produce from local farmers by 50 percent! So the progress yet to come with this formal announcement is sure to be significant.
Best of all, local produce in your local Wal-Mart store won't be hard to spot, as they're planning on adding clear "locally grown" signage.
Click this links to learn more about Wal-Mart's locally-grown produce program.
Click this link for Treehugger's ideas for water conservation.6-25-08
Week #45: Living the Live Earth Pledge "In a matter of just a few decades, millions of people will experience water shortages as a result of global warming," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Meanwhile, most of us take the water we do have for granted.
Just a regular 6-minute shower uses 24 gallons of water! And though a bath uses even more, at an average of 30 gallons per tub, it's still the smarter choice if you follow Essential Skill #45 in The Handbook:
Take a bath together.
Instead of using 24 gallons each on a shower, you're using only 15 gallons each in the tub.
Of course, there are many other ways to conserve on water at home:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) China Officially Surpasses U.S. as Top Caron Emitter
Though the U.S. still holds the record for the most carbon emissions per capita, China was the biggest emitter overall in 2007. That’s according to a new study from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency who shows that China’s emissions were 14 percent higher than the U.S. over the 12-month period. Click this link to read full story.
2) Top U.N. Official Notes Lack of Leadership By Industrial Nations
“We’re not at the moment seeing the leadership from industrialized countries which I think is essential,” says Yvo de Boer of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “But we are seeing a huge willingness on the part of developing countries to engage.” Click this link to read full story.
3) Senate Rejects Bills for Subsidizing Renewables and Revoking Oil Tax Breaks
Republicans in the Senate recently blocked two bills that would have gone a long way toward addressing the energy crisis in America. One of the bills would have eliminated tax breaks for oil companies, with the other extending tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal and other forms of clean energy. Click this link to read full story.
4) Four Federal Agencies To Develop “Environmental Indicators”
Though critics question why the U.S. government is investing money in gathering information already available rather than attacking the problem, four federal agencies are set to develop “environmental indicators,” such as a tracking system for the quality of our water. Click this link to read full story.
5) Gore Endorses Obama for President
During his formal endorsement of fellow Democrat Barack Obama, Al Gore called him “a candidate who, in response to those doubting our ability to solve the climate crisis and create a bright future, inspired millions to say, ‘Yes, we can.’” Obama responded, “When I am president, I will be counting on Al Gore to help me lead the fight for a clean energy future in the United States and around the world.” Click this link to read full story.
6) McCain Wants To Aggressively Pursue Nuclear Energy
If he gets into the White House, John McCain will push for 45 new nuclear reactors in the U.S. by 2050. Click this link to read full story.
7) Climate Change Responsible for Weather Extremes, Report Says
Don’t count on heat waves, intense rains, increased drought and stronger hurricanes ending any time soon. According to a report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, these extreme weather conditions are a direct result of the global warming that’s not going away any time soon. Click this link to read full story.
8) Climate Changing African Landscape
According to the new United Nations atlas, the African landscape is in trouble thanks to global warming. Lake Chad and Lake Victoria are shrinking every year, and it’s predicted that Mount Kilimanjaro may have no snow on it be 2020. Click this link to read full story.
9) San Francisco To Give Rebates for Solar Panels
If you live in San Francisco and install solar panels on your house, the city is going to give you a $6,000 rebate. Businesses get $10,000. That’s thanks to the city’s new municipal solar power program – the largest of its kind in the U.S. Click this link to read full story.
10) Tel Aviv University Announces New “Supercenter” for Renewable Energy
Al Gore opened the conference where Tel Aviv University announced its plans for a new “Supercenter” for renewable energy. According to Professor Abraham Kribus it “will be much more than a hatchery for new clean technologies…. It will be a multi-disciplinary powerhouse including all the non-technological aspects, such as economics, law and public policy, for making clean technology a reality in Israel and beyond.” Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Melissa Etheridge
Last year musician Melissa Etheridge won the Academy Award for her song “I Need To Wake Up” for Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. And by the looks of it, she’s still awake with the start of her three-month Revival Tour last week. She and the band are traveling the country, show-to-show, in three bio-fueled tour buses. And the show features organic stage setting with LED lights – an eco-edge in the rock and roll world today.
Organically comfortable in her own way of living, Melissa Etheridge is leading an eco-friendly example by changing the items in her merchandise store to organic cotton T-shirts, recycled bottle cap hats, canvas bags and a green tips page educating her fans to become AWAKE. We also have heard all the rave about the Melissa Etheridge Eco-Friendly Street Team which is an unofficial but all-natural site with loads of green tips and earthly style.
Way to stay green Melissa Etheridge!
Click this link to learn more about Melissa Etheridge and check out her eco-friendly merchandise. And click this link to get involved with the Melissa Etheridge Eco-Friendly Street Team. "Paper can only be recycled three to five times before its fibers break down," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Each trip to the pulper only delays its ultimate date with a landfill." Click this link for paper mache directions and projects. 1) European Union To Criminalize Green Violations 2) Doing Nothing About Climate Change To Cost U.S. $3.8 Trillion 3) Residents of 100 Largest Metro Areas Emit Less Carbon Than National Average 4) New Report Reveals Devastating Climate Change Predictions for U.S. West 5) Climate Change Limiting Vegetation for Herbivores in Highly Seasonal Environments 6) Queen Elizabeth Investing in World’s Largest Wind Turbine 7) Italy To Reverse Ban On Nuclear Power 8) Bay Area To Charge Fees for Emissions 9) U.K. Considering Personal Carbon-Trading System 10) Shark Tails Inspire New Oceanic Power Generation System Live Earth Leader of the Week As you may have read in the news stories above, Queen Elizabeth is investing in the world’s largest wind turbine. And though actions typically speak louder than words, in the Queen’s case, they’re equally significant. Note this excerpt from annual Commonwealth Day message she delivered a couple of months ago: “The impact of pollution falls unequally: it is often those who pollute the least—notably in the world's least-developed nations—who are closest to the razor's edge: most affected by the impact of climate change and least equipped to cope with it. "The average commuter burns 340 gallons a year, creating a 3.4-ton cloud of CO2," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Ride with one extra passenger and you've cut that figure in half. Find one more and you've cut it by two-thirds." 1) Antarctic Study Shows Greenhouse Gases Highest in 800,000 Years 2) NASA Confirms: Human-Caused Global Warming is Real 3) WWF Report Links Environmental Protection to Natural Disasters 4) Majority of Wildlife Changes Linked to Global Warming 5) Watch the Earth Warm Up Before Your Eyes 7) Wind Could Provide 20 Percent U.S. Energy By 2030 8) Airline Saves Money & Emissions By Flying Slower 9) U. of Washington Announces Environmental College 10) 1 Million People Now Drive the Toyota Prius Live Earth Leader of the Week As you may have read in the news above, the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has saved $12 million in the cost of fuel (and its emissions) since it started slowing down its flights in 2006. SAS is a multi-national airline for Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Founded in 1946, SAS was also one of the first airlines to offer its passengers the option of purchasing carbon offsets when they buy a ticket. Click this link to learn more about Scandinavia’s green-geared airline, SAS. 5-14-08 "Not every profit dollar has to come at the environment's expense," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "It is possible to do well by doing good. If you know where to invest, you can save the planet while saving up your nest egg." 1) McCain Delivers Climate Change Speech 2) Obama Says US Focus On War Distracted From “Sound Energy Policy” 3) National Geographic Survey Ranks Countries On Their Greenery 1) Brazil and India (tied for 1st) 5) Connecticut Passes Tough Emissions Legislation 6) Sierra Club Suing To Stop New Coal Plants 7) Canada Faces Investigation of Kyoto Rules Violations 8) New Hawaii Law Requires Solar Water Heaters 9) Non-Profit Climate Counts Ranks Big Biz Green Practices 10) Chinese Official Says Olympics Emissions Will Be Offset Live Earth Leader of the Week As you may have read in the top 10 stories above, National Geographic recently surveyed consumers in 14 countries that represent half of the world’s population, and three-quarters of its energy use to determine who ranks where in terms of eco-friendliness. Projects like this eye-opening survey are just one of many ways that National Geographic has been inspiring people to care about the planet for 120 years. “Since 1888, we've traveled the Earth, sharing its amazing stories with each new generation,” states National Geographic’s website. “[Our] Mission Programs support critical expeditions and scientific fieldwork, encourage geography education for students, promote natural and cultural conservation, and inspire audiences through new media, vibrant exhibitions, and live events.” Click this link to learn more and get involved in the work of National Geographic. 5-3-08 "Green doesn't mean antibusiness," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "It means the planet needs new solutions." Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories 1) Live Earth To Rock the Vote in 2008 2) Al’s Gore’s Company To Invest $638 Million Into Green Projects 3) New Study Says Oceans are Going to Cool the Planet, But Won’t Stop Global Warming 4) Once Again, Scientists Predict Record-Low Arctic Sea Ice This Year 5) Oxygen-Deprived Oceans May Be Another Casualty of Global Warming 6) UNICEF Report Says Poor Children Suffering Most from Climate Change 7) States Not Giving Up On Regulating Their Own Vehicle Emissions 8) “Small Wind” Could Provide Enough Energy to Power Your Home 9) Environmental Defense Fund Partners With Private Equity Firm 10) Kansas Legislature Fails To Override Governor’s Veto of New Coal-Fired Power Plants Live Earth Leader of the Week As you may have read in this week’s news posted above, the Environmental Defense Fund is partnering with a huge private equity firm to help “green” all of their companies in the US. Their other corporate partnerships include FedEx, DuPont and McDonald’s. Yet forging partnerships with corporate America is just of many things the Environmental Defense Fund is doing to help save the planet, including its dedication to influencing laws and policies – its number one focus when it comes to global warming. "Our top priority is to pass national legislation that caps global warming pollution and creates a flexible emissions trading market,” says the organization’s director of its national climate campaign. “That will open the door to a green technology revolution." The Environmental Defense Fund is a non-profit organization founded by a group of scientists 40 years ago. Click this link to learn more. 4-25-08 Everywhere you turn these days, it seems we're being asked to help plant trees to offset our carbon footprint. Yet, according to author David de Rothschild, it's more complicated than that. It's Essential Skill #39 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 1) Go Veg to Fight Climate Change Says Paul McCartney 2) U.S. Government Interfered with Science, EPA Scientists Say 3) Feds Outline Plan for Reaching 35 MPG by 2020 4) 18 State Leaders To Approach Presidential Candidates on Issue of Climate Change 5) L.A. Passes New Green Building Laws 6) U.S. Set To Welcome All-Electric Car In 2009 7) EU Meeting With China Regarding Climate Change 8) EU Planning 50 New Coal-Fired Power Plants 9) Hydroelectric Dam Proposed for Congo River 10) Pope Gives Green Spin to His United Nations Address Live Earth Leader of the Week We lose a part of the rainforest that is the size of a football field – not just every single day, but every single second! It’s a travesty, considering how critical our rainforests are to regulating the earth’s climate and sequestering global warming-causing carbon dioxide. Thankfully, the Tropical Rainforest Coalition is doing something to stop it. Established in 1991, this mission of this all-volunteer non-profit is to: Preserve tropical rainforest ecosystems, their indigenous people and cultures at the local level through enabling volunteerism and through community education, and at the international level through technical and financial support for recognized organizations involved in the conservation of tropical rainforests. They accomplish this goal through three types of projects: * Rainforest Growth Fund, for “research, ecotourism, community participation and education and other essential infratructure to conserve rainforests.” Right now these projects are being carried out in Ecuador and Belize, and prior areas of concentration have included Peru and Trinidad. Click here to learn more about the Tropical Rainforest Coalition and how you can help. When you're going through the checkout line, most cashiers no longer bother to ask, "Paper or plastic?" Everything goes right into the plastic bags hanging from the dispeners conveniently placed right in front of them, with the paper bags usually hidden from view under the counter. Paper bags have their own drawbacks, but at least they don't take 1,000 years to decompose. 1) Bush Reveals Climate Change Strategy 2) Researchers Release Top Polluting US Counties 1. Harris, Texas (Houston), 18.625 Click this link to read full story. 4) Northern Ireland Welcomes World’s Largest Tidal Turbine 5) Critics Question World Bank’s Carbon-Offset Market 6) Renewable-Energy Tax Credit Gets an Extension 7) Democrats To Take on the “Green Delegate Challenge” 8) Green Groups Launch “Green Jobs for America” Campaign 9) Ford Motor is Getting Greener 10) Student Finds Flaws in Textbook Coverage of Global Warming Live Earth Leader of the Week “The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth.” So reads a portion of a letter from Bill McKibben, co-founder of Step It Up. He’s got a new project now – 350. The goal is to encourage people to “take the number 350 and drive it home: in art, in music, in political demonstrations, in any other way you can imagine.” Best of all, you don’t have to wait for a special day to get started. That special day is now. Take the initiative and get 350 out there. When you do, take a picture and email it to organizers@350.org. Click this link to learn more about 350 and how you can get involved. 4-6-08 Find a hero. Read about other eco-heroes in the Ecology Hall of Fame. As I said, our hero -- Al Gore -- inspired us to create this blog, as well as the associated website, Living Live Earth. What does your eco-hero inspire in you? 1) States Sue EPA for Failure to Limit Vehicle Emissions 2) UN Holds Another Round of Climate Talks in Bangkok 3) Cosmic Rays Not To Blame for Global Warming 4) Obama Wants Gore’s Advice On Climate 5) McCain to Fight Terrorists from White House Run on Nuclear Power 6) Even Barbie is Going Green 7) US May Grow Biofuel Crops On Floating Barges 8) Porsche Challenges London Congestion Fee 9) Baseball Team Plays On First Green-Built Stadium in the U.S. 10) Navajo Nation Pushes for Wind, and Coal? Live Earth Leader of the Week Last week, Al Gore announced the launch of a $300 million advertising campaign for WE, a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection. WeCanSolveIt.com is the website address, and also the driving force behind the project – that with individual effort and political will, we can stop human-caused global warming before it’s too late. The WE campaign’s first television ad has already started airing, and future ads will feature odd pairings of people – like Pat Buchanan and Al Sharpton, and Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich – the point being that this is a non-partisan issue. If there’s one thing we should all be able to agree on, it’s the urgency of working together on this issue of climate change. On WE’s website are many ways of getting involved: * Join the WE campaign Click this link to visit and join the WE campaign today. 4-1-08 "One million commuters waste about 47 million hours per year because of traffic congestion," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Thus the need for Essential Skill # 36: 1) Gore Alliance Announces $300 Million Marketing Campaign On Climate Change 2) Huge Chunk of Ice Shelf Collapses In Antarctica 3) World Turns Out Lights for Earth Hour 4) Soot Pollution Much Bigger Problem than Previously Believed 5) Western U.S. Fastest Warming Spot In the World 6) Congestion Pricing Favored By New York’s New Governor 7) Bush Administration Plans To Propose Carbon Dioxide Rules This Spring 8) Kansas Governor Vetoes New Coal-Fired Power Plants 9) Boston Planning Indoor Composting Facility 10) Proposed Solar Projects To Power Thousands of California Homes Live Earth Leader of the Week Yesterday Google “turned out the lights” on its website in support of Earth Hour, a campaign during which people all over the world turned out their lights for one hour to raise awareness of the importance of energy conservation. All day long, Google’s search engine page was black, accompanied by a message for all Google users to also participate in Earth Hour. Google’s support of Earth Hour is just of many ways that this company is committing itself to eco-friendlier living. As explained at Google.org, the company’s RechargeIT initiative “aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology.” In fact, Google has created its own test fleet of plug-in vehicles to collect data on their performance. So far, the results are beyond impressive. For instance, a Toyota Prius gets 44.6 miles per gallaon. Through the RechargeIT project, a Toyota Prius Plug-in gets 66.2 miles per gallon. “Plug-in vehicles offer a major opportunity to reduce oil use and corresponding emissions,” reads Google.org, “while renewable energy sources – solar, wind, geothermal and others – could supplant a major portion of the planet's electricity generated from coal.” Click this link to learn more about Google’s RechargeIT initiative. 3-29-08 "About one-quarter of the carbon emissions we produce pours out of the tailpipes of our vehicles," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. How do we know global warming is starting to take its toll? By relying on Essential Skill #34 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 1) Australia Formally Ratifies the Kyoto Protocol 2) China’s Emissions Expected To Double 3) Solar Panel Waste Product Getting Dumped In China 4) Queen Elizabeth Addresses Issue of Climate Change 5) Britain’s Tony Blair Talks Tough On Climate Change 6) Republicans Greening Their Convention 7) US House Considers Ban On New Coal Plants 8) Capitol Hill Introduces Bike-Sharing Program 9) San Francisco Mayor Announces More Green Initiatives 10) Southern Baptists & The Vatican Preach for Eco-friendly Living Live Earth Leader of the Week Tourism is the largest industry in the world, and it’s only getting bigger. “This growth brings the prospect of income and economic development to countless tourist destinations in rich and poor countries alike,” says UN-Under Secretary General and UNEP Director Achim Steiner. “The challenge is to manage this growth sustainably. Governments have a key role to play, but so too do individuals and families when planning and going on holiday.” So to help tourists travel green during the holiday season, the United Nations Environment Programme has launched “Green Passport.” This Internet-based campaign walks tourists through eco-friendliest ways to walk this world with the smallest carbon footprint possible. Click this link to get your Green Passport today. As impossible as it seems in our world today, as many as two billion people do not have elecricity. Add to that the other billion people whose only source of power is batteries, kerosene and candles, and that's one-third of the global population living in what author David de Rothschild calls "energy poverty." In response, he points to Essential Skill #33 in The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook: 1) Online Global Map Tracks Wind Patterns 2) EPA Tries To Justify Its Denial of California’s Waiver 3) Japan To Improve 21 Renewable Energy Technologies 4) No More Federal Loans for Big Coal in Rural Areas of US 5) U.K. Activists Planning Protest of Proposed Coal Plant 6) NYC “Black Taxis” Going Green 7) Eco-Activists Continue Protesting at Heathrow Airport 8) Filling Up at the Tank Falls in US 9) Britain Urges Voluntary Plastic Bag Reduction In Stores 10) Global Warming Skeptics Meet In New York City Live Earth Leader of the Week 178 days. That’s how long you have to upload your environmental-focused photos, videos and text to Connect2Earth.org. Each entry will be rated by other Connect2Earth visitors. The best of the best will be shown at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona in October – the largest environmental event in the world. Of those selected, one person will be invited to appear in person to give a 5-minute presentation to the world’s leading conservationists, scientists and business leaders. More than a contest though, Connect2Earth is an opportunity for environmentally-minded people to express their thoughts and feelings about the earth and our impact on it. Click this link to learn more and to sign up at Connect2Earth.org. "Remind yourself what it is you're trying save: nature," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. 1) Court Says California Needs Waiver for Ship-Emissions Rule 2) Chinese Plastic Bag Manufacturer Closes Down 3) Alaskan Village Sues Fossel Fuel Companies 4) U.S. Governors Disagree On Best Course For Cleaner Energy 5) Conde Naste Magazine Identifies “Toxic Ten” & “Green 11” Companies 6) Companies Falling Short of Carbon Reduction Promise 7) Virgin Airlines Flies First Ever Biofuel-Powered Plane 8) Organic Fertilizers Help Fight Global Warming 9) Study Shows Daylight-Savings Time Doesn’t Save Energy At All 10) French Automaker Exploring the Recycling of Cars Live Earth Leader of the Week Considering that this week’s Essential Skill from The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook is “Get Lost In Nature,” this week’s Live Earth leader is an organization that helps ensure you can do just that. The Nature Conservancy has been protecting nature for more than 50 years, its mission: To preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. What sets The Nature Conservancy apart from other conservation organizations is its Conservation By Design approach. Where they go and what they do there is guided by the research of its more than 700 staff scientists. Today, The Nature Conservancy has a presence in all 50 states and more than 30 countries. Click this link to learn more about The Nature Conservancy and its non-profit work. 1) World Setting Their Clocks to Earth Hour
6-11-08
Week #44: Living the Live Earth Pledge
The hotter it gets from climate change, the more hospitable it is for mosquitoes. They're more than just annoying though, leaving you with itchy skin -- they carry diseases like West Nile virus. Your best defense? Bats. Thus Essential Skill # 44 in The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook:
Build a bat house.
"Our maligned friends like nothing more than to swoop down and enjoy a disease-vectory snack," writes Handbook author David de Rothschild. "Little brown and big brown bats, the most common in North America, can catch up to 1,200 insects an hour."
If building a bat house to invite bats to your neighborhood sounds a little extreme, consider this: you probably already have them. "Except for in polar regions," writes de Rothschild, "they live almost everywhere."
You can buy a bat house or build one yourself. Just remember to install it 15 feet off the ground at least 100 yards away from the house. So if you live in a neighborhood where the houses are less than 100 yards apart, hold off until you get that second home out of the city.
Click this link to learn more about housing bats in your backyard.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) White House Gives In: Global Warming Human-Caused
Unable to dispute the facts any longer, the Bush Administration has finally admitted “most of the recent global warming is very likely due to human-generated increases in greenhouse-gas concentrations.” Click this link to read full story.
2) Investigation Proves NASA Distorted Climate Change Science
Between 2004 and 2006, NASA’s press agency “managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced, marginalized, or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public,” says a new report by the organization’s current inspector general. Click this link to read full story.
3) Senate Rejects Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act: McCain & Obama Noticeably Absent
Both stress their commitment to aggressive action against climate change, yet neither John McCain nor Barack Obama was present in the Senate on the day they voted on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Yet even with their yes votes, the bill still would not have passed. Senator Joe Lieberman remains hopeful, though: "It may be a small step for mankind, but it's a giant step for the United States Senate. It puts us on the path to getting this done hopefully next year." Click this link to read full story.
4) China Pursuing Controversial Coal-to-Liquid Technology
With oil prices going through the roof, China is taking matters into its own hands. Unfortunately, their hands are going to get very dirty turning coal into oil – a process that emits huge amounts of carbon and uses up a great deal of water. Click this link to read full story.
5) 13 Nations Urge G8 Action on Climate Change
“We urge G8+5 leaders to make maximum efforts to carry this forward and commit to these emission reductions,” reads a joint statement to the G8 members from the science academies of 13 nations. “Progress in reducing global greenhouse-gas emission has been slow.... Key vulnerabilities include water resources, food supply, health, coastal settlements, and some ecosystems, particularly Arctic, tundra, alpine, and coral reef.” In a recent joint statement, these G8 nations promised greater investment in energy efficiency and green technologies, while at the same time urging oil companies to increase oil output in the wake of skyrocketing gas prices. The G8 nations are meeting at the G8 summit in Japan next month.Click this link to read full story.
6) Americans Overwhelming Public Transit System
With gas prices more than four dollars a gallon, more and more Americans are choosing public transport over their own cars. Unfortunately, it’s more than the U.S. public transit system can handle. Click this link to read full story.
7) Cost of Halving Emissions By 2050: $45 Trillion
According to a new report by the International Energy Agency, the technology necessary to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 would require an investment of $45 trillion. Click this link to read full story.
8) House Designates $20 Billion for Greener Schools
Though Bush says he’ll veto the bill, the House is certainly moving in the right direction for our kids. If passed, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act would set aside $20 billion for the greening of American schools. Click this link to read full story.
9) Obama Criticizes McCain’s Energy Policy
Obama criticizes McCain for wanting to give ExxonMobil a $1.2 billion tax break while gas is more than $4 a gallon. He also calls the “gas-tax holiday” that McCain supports a gimmick. Click this link to read full story.
10) Near-Waterless Washing Machine Coming to the UK
You don’t need water to wash your clothes anymore, at least not according to the manufacturers of a new washing machine in the UK. Using just one cup of water per load, it’s special plastic chips that will remove dirt from clothes. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Joe Lieberman
Nearly 20 years ago, it was Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut who co-sponsored the 1990 Clean Air Act to reduce smog and air pollution. And today his fight for aggressive environmental protection legislation continues, most recently in the form of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act – its purpose to create a cap-and-trade system on U.S. emissions. Though it failed to pass the Senate, it was step in the right direction.
Lieberman’s environmental record also includes:
* Voting yes on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
* Voting yes on reducing oil usage 40 percent by 2025
* Pushing for a fuel efficiency standard of 40 mpg
Click this link to learn more about Joe Lieberman, the politician/environmentalist.
5-31-08
Week #43: Living the Live Earth Pledge
So de Rothschild suggests Essential Skill #43 in The Handbook:
Reuse the news.
Of course, this Essential Skill need not apply to those of you who get your news exclusively through electronic media (i.e., the Internet, TV, radio, etc.). You're already way ahead of the curve. Problem is, old habits die hard and there's just something people cannot resist about the feel of holding the news in their hands, turning the pages, clipping the stories. Not long ago, The Watch Team was among them, though we're exclusively electronic-news now. (Though our paper newspaper-neighbors sometimes share theirs with us.)
If you do still get the daily newspaper, here's some of de Rothschild's creative recycling ideas. Use newspaper to:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
If a green violation causes “substantial damage,” death or serious injury, it’s going to be a crime in the European Union. Among the punishable crimes are emission of substances that cause harm, shipment of waste, destruction of protected fauna or floral species, deterioration of habitats within protected sites, and the manufacturing of products that cause ozone depletion. Click this link to read full story.
Hurricane damage. Real estate losses. Higher energy and water costs. It all adds up to $3.8 trillion a year for the United States if it fails to take effective action against global warming. Click this link to read full story.
According to a new study, city-dwellers are more eco-friendly than the average American – 2.47 tons per person, per year compared to the average 2.87. Click this link to read full story.
Increased drought, heat, wildfires, rainstorms, floods, water pollution, erosion, and insect infestation. Extinction of desert plants. Invasive non-native plant species. Salmon die-offs. That’s what the U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting for the Western United States if climate change is not dealt with effectively. Click this link to read full story.
“Moving through space – across the landscape – is a strategy used by these animals to deal with shifts in the time their forage plants are available,” says the author of a new study on the impact of climate change on herbivores living in highly seasonal environments. Problem is, climate change is dramatically limiting that availability. When one source of food is gone, there’s no moving to another source as an alternative – it’s gone too. Click this link to read full story.
Britain wants to build more off-shore wind farms, but they’re short on turbine supplies. To help fill the need, Queen Elizabeth is investing in a wind turbine of her own, which will be the largest wind turbine in the world. Click this link to read full story.
“Only nuclear plants safely produce energy on a vast scale with competitive costs, respecting the environment,” says Italy’s minister of economic development. This renewed interest in nuclear power comes two decades after its ban. Click this link to read full story.
In the first of its kind legislation in the US, the Bay Area will start assessing fees on those businesses that emit the most carbon dioxide. Click this link to read full story.
If a committee of Members of Parliament gets its way, individual in the U.K. will only be allowed to emit a certain amount of carbon. Anyone who goes over would have to buy credits from those who do not exceed the limit. Click this link to read full story.
When it comes to harnessing water power, “I realized the systems that function the best are the ones that already exist there,” says Professor of Ocean Engineering Tim Finnigan. He designed the new BioStream device – shaped like a shark fin and anchored to the ocean floor, powering a generator every time a current pulls or pushes on the fin. Click this link to read full story.
Queen Elizabeth
"And it is important to remember that the environmental choices available in some countries may not be an option for others. In some parts of the world, for example, fossil fuels can be used more sparingly and buildings can be made of more efficient, sustainable materials; but it is far harder to expect someone to adapt if he or she relies on the trees of a local forest for fuel, shelter and livelihood. If we recognise the interests and needs of the people who are most affected, we can work with them to bring about lasting change.
"Happily, this approach has always been a strength of the Commonwealth, and awareness of environmental issues is now widespread, with a determination that future generations should enjoy clean air, sufficient fresh water and energy without risking damage to the planet."
Click this link to read more green excerts from the Queen's speech.
5-20-08
Week #42: Living the Live Earth Pledge
So Essential Skill #42 is all-too obvious:
Share the driving.
Here in Phoenix, most of our freeways have HOV lanes just for carpoolers. If you don't qualify with at least two passengers in the car during specified times during the week, you're subject to getting pulled over. A couple of years ago, a woman argued she was justified, as she was pregnant. Apparently, it doesn't work that way. I'm pretty sure she had a fine to pay.
Getting to be in the carpool lane is such a treat here because so few people actually do it. If you're among them, you're zipping by at two or three times the speed of those unfortunate solo drivers in the other lanes.
Now I know that Phoenix is probably pretty average in terms of carpooling ratio, as 10 percent of Americans do so. That seems about right -- 1 vehicle in the carpool lane for every 10 in the others.
Though saving time getting where you're going is an important incentive for carpooling, it's certainly not the only one. "If one million people carpooled," writes de Rothshild, "1.7 million tons of CO2 would be eliminated per year."
And here's something we didn't know -- " 'Poolers can qualify for discounts of up to 20 percent on insurance ... and your employer may offer sweet incentives like free parking, shortened workdays, salary bonuses and ever cash rewards."
If you don't know anyone heading in your direction, check out CarpoolConnect.com to search for and find someone who is.
Live Earth News Watch
“We can firmly say that today’s concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane are 28 and 124 percent higher respectively than at any time during the last 800,000 years,” says the author of the report. That’s based on drilling down 10,500 feet below the surface of Antarctica to analyze greenhouse gases trapped all those years ago. Click this link to read full story.
“This is the first study to link global temperature data sets, climate model results, and observed changes in a broad range of physical and biological systems to show the link between humans, climate and impacts,” says the lead author of the NASA study. Click this link to read full story.
“It is deforestation and floodplain development that most often links high rainfall to devastating floods and mudslides,” says one WWF representative. “Extreme coastal events cause much more loss of life and damage when reefs are damaged, mangroves are removed, dune systems are developed and coastal forests are cleared.” Click this link to read full story.
According to a new study published in the journal Nature, 90 percent of changes in the behavior and population of wildlife is linked to climate change. That’s based on research of 28,000 plant and animal systems. Click this link to read full story.
Thanks to new online technology, you can use an interactive map to watch possible scenarios for climate change over the next 100 years. Click this link to read full story.
6) American Emissions On the Rise
In 2007, the U.S. emitted 1.6 percent more carbon dioxide than the year before. Click this link to read full story.
Though it only provides 1 percent of our energy now, the U.S. Department of Energy says it is possible that wind power could meet one-fifty of our electricity needs in a little over 20 years. Meeting that goal would require the construction of 75,000 wind turbines. Click this link to read full story.
Since slowing down in 2006, Scandinavian airline SAS has saved $12 million on the cost of fuel and, in turn, a heck of a lot of carbon emissions. Best of all, the slowdown only adds minutes to your travel time. Click this link to read full story.
Combining its schools of forestry, fishery sciences, atmospheric sciences, earth and space sciences, marine affairs and oceanography into one, the University of Washington will create the College of the Environment. Click this link to read full story.
We knew this hybrid car was popular, but it’s reached a new milestone – one million sales of the Toyota Prius. The majority of sales for the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car have been here in North America. Click this link to read full story.
Scandinavian Airlines System
Week #41: Living the Live Earth Pledge
It's Essential Skill #41 in the Handbook: Invest wisely.
De Rothschild suggests SocialFunds.com as a great place to start. They not only have investment news, but also two 20-page how-to guides that they'll email to you for free. Click these links to get your free copies of the Community Investment Guide and Mutual Funds Guide.
"By investing wisely," writes de Rothschild, "you will help support companies that are working to solve global warming.
"Turn those green values into greenbacks."
For more info, check out The Motley Food Goes Green and Green Money Journal.
Live Earth News Watch
Nuclear power. A cap-and-trade system. Independence from foreign oil. Diplomacy with China and India. That’s how Senator John McCain wants to approach the issue of climate change in the US, and around the world. Click this link to read McCain's speech on climate change in its entirety.
“I think the way we have run this war in Iraq,” Senator Barack Obama told CNN’S Wolf Blitzer, “led us to ignore the critical needs for us to focus on a sound energy policy in this country…. It has left us unable to lead on critical global issues like global warming.” Click this link to read full story.
Based on housing, transportation, food, and consumer goods, the National Geographic Society’s survey of 14 countries reveals that Brazil and India tie for most eco-friendly, and the United States sits at the bottom of the list. The 14 countries included in the survey represent more than half of the world’s population, and three-quarters of its energy use. Here’s the complete list:
2) China
3) Mexico
4) Hungary
5) Russia
6) Great Britain, Germany and Australia (tied for 6th)
7) Spain
8) Japan
9) France
10) Canada
11) United States
Click this link to read full story.
4) Arctic Ice Shrinking to Smallest Size Since 1978
Based on findings by Japanese scientists, Arctic Ice could shrink this summer to its smallest size since 1978. Click this link to read full story.
If Governor Jodi Rell signs off on it, as she is expected to do, a new law in Connecticut will require the state to reduce emissions 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050. Click this link to read full story.
Citing a federal appeals court ruling that says mercury regulations for coal plants are too lax, the Sierra Club is suing to stop the construction of new coal plants in seven states. Click this link to read full story.
Every member of the Kyoto Protocol is required to meet specific deadlines for registering the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Turns out Canada may not have been in compliance. If found “guilty,” its Kyoto carbon trading privileges could be suspended. Click this link to read full story.
By 2010, every water heater installed in a Hawaiian home must run on solar energy. That’s based on a new law that is the first of its kind in the US. Click this link to read full story.
When it comes to going green, Nike, Stonyfield Farm and IBM rank at the top of the list, and Google gets the prize for most improved. That’s according to Climate Count’s second annual ranking of how well big business is responding to the need for eco-friendlier practices. Click this link to read full story.
Technology Minister Wan Gang says this summer’s Olympics in Beijing will generate an estimated 1.18 million tons of carbon emissions. To offset them, Gang says they’ll take steps “like planting of trees and controlling the use of vehicles, to reduce emissions by between 1 million and 1.29 million tones.” Click this link to read full story.
National Geographic
For all our green talk, the United States is at the bottom of the list. Meanwhile, China is up at the top, second only to Brazil and India, which tied for first.
Week #40: Living the Live Earth Pledge
You can be part of these new solutions with Essential Skill #40 in the Handbook:
Retrofit your career.
"Whether you start a company or join one, now is the time to get in on the ground floor of the green boom." Though the possibilities are plentiful, here's CareerBuilder's picks for the "Top 25 Green Gigs":
1) Hydrologist
2) Environmental Engineer
3) Pest Control Technician
4) Conservation Biologist
5) Science Teacher
6) Toxicologist
7) Pollution Control Technician
8) Fund-raising Director
9) Ecologist
10) Camp Counselor
11) Business Manager
12) Economist
13) Forester
14) Environmental Attorney
15) Community Affairs Manager
16) Environmental Health and Safety Technician
17) Landscape Architect
18) Waste Disposal Manager
19) Environmental Chemist
20) Corporate Waste Compliance Coordinator
21) Urban and Regional Planner
22) Agricultural Inspector
23) Wastewater Water Operator
24) Wildlife Biologist
25) Pollution Control Engineer
Click this link to find associated salaries and job openings for the "Top 25 Green Gigs" listed above.
Of course, if you're already in a career that you love, simply find creative ways of incorporating more eco-friendly choices, practices and policies.
Since the presidential candidates, debate moderators and media have not given climate change the significant attention it needs and deserves thus far in the election process, Live Earth plans to push the issue this fall. On October 5, Live Earth will hold simultaneous concerts on college campuses all across America to “Rock the Green Vote.” We’ll post it here when participating colleges and performers are announced. Click this link to read full story.
Climate Solutions Fund, chaired by Al Gore, has raised $638 million dollars to invest in 1) renewable energy, 2) energy efficient technologies, 3) energy for biofuels and biomass and 4) carbon trading markets. And that’s just the beginning. Click this link to read full story.
According to a new study published in the journal Nature, natural shifts in ocean circulation could actually make the planet cooler over the next 10 years. Suspecting that climate change skeptics and policymakers may spin this however they please, the study’s researcher says this: “Just to make things clear, we are not stating that anthropogenic climate change won’t be as bad as previously thought,” his concerns being that “policymakers may either think mitigation is working or that there is no global warming at all.” Click this link to read full story.
“The current Arctic ice cover is thinner and younger than at any previous time in our recorded history, says climate researcher Sheldon Drobot, “and this sets the stage for rapid melt and a new record low” – more bad news for the polar bear and other Arctic wildlife. Click this link to read full story.
Sea life depends on oxygen in the water to keep them alive. Unfortunately, the warmer it gets, the harder it is for oxygen to absorb into water. “Reduced oxygen levels may have dramatic consequences for ecosystems and coastal economies,” say the scientists who published this research in the journal Science. Click this link to read full story.
“It is clear that a failure to address climate change is a failure to protect children,” says UNICEF’s UK director. “Those who have contributed least to climate change – the world’s poorest children – are suffering the most.” Hunger and deadly diseases are among their concerns. Click this link to read full story.
The federal government recently proposed new fuel efficiency standards that would override anything established by California to more aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The governors of 11 states responded with letters of protest to President Bush, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Click this link to read full story.
If you thought wind power was only available in those mammoth-size turbines that electric companies use, think again. People just like you are installing “small wind” turbines on their residential and business property to power just one home or building.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a private equity firm, wants all of its U.S. companies to be as eco-friendly as possible. So they’ve partnered up with the Environmental Defense Fund to help them address energy efficiency, greenhouse-gas emissions, water consumption and toxic waste. Click this link to read full story.
State legislators had hoped to have enough votes to override the Kansas Governor’s veto of two new coal-fired power plants. Four votes short, that didn’t happen. Kansas was the first state to reject new coal-fired power plants based on carbon dioxide emissions. Click this link to read full story.
Environmental Defense Fund, finding the ways that work
Week #39: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Plant a tree (mindfully).
"In temperate parts of the globe, such as the U.S. and Europe, one result climatologists fear is that all those trees you plant will absorb and retain heat from the Sun," writes de Rothschild, "contributing to a rise in the temperature of the Earth's surface of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100 in those regions."
Instead, it's best to sponsor the planting of trees in tropical areas.
"Tropical forests filter pollutants quickly and, with their deep roots, draw up water that evaporates into the atmosphere, helping to foster protective cloud cover that reflects sunlight back into space."
Critics of the tree planting solution point to the fact that when a tree dies -- and decomposes naturally or is burned as firewood -- the tree releases back into the atmosphere all the carbon dioxide sequestered throughout its life time.
That's why de Rothschild stresses the importance of caring for the trees we plant. And when a tree does die, it should be salvaged for lumber or disposed of in a landfill (as opposed to mulching or burning).
Click this link to learn more from the Tropical Rainforest Coalition.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
Did you know the livestock industry generates more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation? “It’s very surprising,” says vegetarian Paul McCartney, “that most major environmental organizations are leaving the option of going vegetarian off their lists of top ways to curtail global warming.” Click this link to learn how to live a healthy
vegetarian lifestyle. Click this link to read full story.
According to 1,580 EPA scientists who participated in a survey conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, 800 of them had their work interfered with in the past five years – primarily those whose job it was to write regulations and conduct risk assessments. Click this link to read full story.
Increased fuel efficiency to 35 mpg won’t happen overnight. To ease our way into it, federal regulators have suggested the following timelines – 27.8 mpg by 2011 and 31.6 mpg by 2015. Unfortunately, the proposal also says that any state’s attempt to regulate its own vehicle emissions to be even more fuel-efficient will be overridden by federal rules. Click this link to read full story.
It’s clear that the Bush administration will accomplish nothing substantial regarding global warming. So concerned state leaders are looking ahead – going straight to the presidential candidates in hopes of helping them shape U.S. policy on climate change. States involved include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. Click this link to read full story.
If you’re building a residence or commercial building in Los Angeles that’s more than 50,000 square feet, you must now ensure that it meets all requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council. Click this link to read full story.
Think City is a battery-operated car that runs solely on electricity. It’ll cost less than $25,000, and one charge will take you 110 miles. Click this link to read full story.
Committed to setting its own limits on greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union questions the impact if China doesn’t do the same, as China is now widely regarded as the world’s biggest emitter of carbon emissions. Determined to talk China into setting limits itself, EU reps headed over there for talks this week. Click this link to read full story.
As much as they say they’re committed to fighting climate change, the European Union is apparently okaying the building of 50 new coal-fired power plants within the next 5 years. Click this link to read full story.
Banks and construction companies are in talks to build an $80 billion hydroelectric dam on the Congo River to generate electricity. Unfortunately, it’s believed most of this electricity will be diverted into urban areas instead of poor areas where it’s needed most. Click this link to read full story.
“The protection of the environment, of resources, and of the climate,” are among the world’s most pressing problems said Pope Benedict XVI to the United Nations – problems that “require from the international community that it act on a common basis.” Click this link to read full story.
Tropical Rainforest Coalition
* Save-an-Acre, through which they acquire land in the rainforest to protect it.
* Save-a-Species, focused on the protecting the rainforests’ endangered species
4-22-08
Happy Earth Day!
4-18-08
Week #38: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Fortunately, we have another choice altogether -- the reusable bags that are taking grocery store clerks by storm. Granted, you have to be quick with those trigger-happy plastic baggers, like placing your bags before your groceries on the conveyor belt, or blurting out "I've got bags!" before you can even squeeze in a friendly hello.
Though more and more people switch to reusable bags every day, it's impossible to ignore the countless grocery carts rolling out of stores with 10+ plastic bags filled with food that you know would have fit into four or five of those roomy reusable bags of your own.
"The average American family of four tosses out about 1,500 plastic sacks a year," write author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook's "Essential Skill #38: Choose the Right Bag." "Most of these [plastic] bags aren't biodegrading; the plastic just breaks up into tinier and tinier bits until it leaches into the soil or water."
Some cities are taking matters into their own hands, banning plastic bags altogether. But we shouldn't need laws to make such a smart, simple choice.
"There are an estimated 500 billion to one trillion new plastic bags used every year. That's as many as two million per minute," writes de Rothschild. "If one million people switched to reusable bags, we'd eliminate the need for one billion plastic bags."
If you have yet to make the switch, make it now. And if you tend to forget your bags at home, keep extras in the car. You can get them from most grocery stores, but they tend to be flimsy and are rarely made from recycled materials. Check out these durable reusable bag designs made from recycled cotton, plastic bottles and containers at ReusableBags.com.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
It’s been a long time coming – it’s just too bad it wasn’t worth the wait. Bush’s new climate change strategy falls far short of the aggressive action necessary for us to effecitvely impact global warming before it's too late. Click this link to read full story.
Here’s how the top 10 emitters of CO2 stack up, including the county, state, city and tons of carbon dioxide emitted every year (numbers represent millions):
2. Los Angeles, Calif. (Los Angeles), 18.595
3. Cook, Ill. (Chicago), 13.209
4. Cuyahoga, Ohio (Cleveland), 11.144
5. Wayne, Mich. (Detroit), 8.270
6. San Juan, N.M. (Farmington), 8.245
7. Santa Clara, Calif. (San Jose), 7.995
8. Jefferson, Ala. (Birmingham), 7.951
9. Wilcox, Ala. (Camden), 7.615
10. East Baton Rouge, La. (Baton Rouge), 7.322
Click this link to read full story.
3) China Announces Plans for Air Clean-up for Olympics
With the Olympic torch haphazardly making its way toward Beijing, China is feeling the pressure to clean up its infamous pollution. Steps include:
* Closing Beijing-area factories and cement plants for two months
* Banning the use of half of Beijing’s vehicles
* Banning the use of spray paint and other chemicals outside
* Closing a tenth of its gas stations
* Stopping construction in the Beijing area
With rotors that will run up to 20 hours a day, Northern Ireland’s new tidal turbine will generate enough energy to power 1,000 homes. Click this link to read full story.
The World Bank says it wants to help fight climate change. So they loan money to fossil-fuel companies to help them make minor eco-friendlier changes. Then they sell carbon credits for the reductions. “This does nothing for increasing access to clean energy, the development of the low-carbon economy, or sustainable [solutions],” says the author of a report critical of the World Bank’s carbon-offset market. Click this link to read full story.
If you have yet to take advantage of the renewable-energy tax credit for “greening” your home, there’s still time. The Senate has passed an extension through 2009. Click this link to read full story.
At this year’s Democratic National Convention, delegates are being asked to participate in the “Green Delegate Challenge” – to buy as many carbon credits investing in clean-energy projects in Colorado. Click this link to read full story.
The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), United Steelworkers and the Blue Green Alliance will push for the greening of jobs, with the focus on 12 strategically-targeted U.S. states. Click this link to read full story.
By 2020, Ford Motor Company says it will reduce greenhouse gases emitted from its vehicles by 30 percent. Click this link to read full story.
“Science doesn’t know whether we are experiencing a dangerous level of global warming or how bad the greenhouse effect is, if it exists at all.” High-school senior Matthew LaClair didn’t blindly memorize that textbook “fact,” written by two conservative authors. He took to the Center for Inquiry who wrote report on the books biases, leading publisher Houghton Mifflin to say it’s reviewing the text. Click this link to read full story.
350
Week #37: Living the Live Earth Pledge
That's Essential Skill #37 in The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook.
Our hero inspired this blog. From his organization of the Live Earth Concerts ... to his book and movie An Inconvenient Truth ... to his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize -- no one has raised awareness of climate change more than Al Gore.
Yet, Al Gore is one of countless eco-heroes whose lasting legacy on this earth will be the dedicated work they did on its behalf.
Handbook author David de Rothschild highlights some of these heroes, like:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
Fed up with the feds, 18 states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for not acting on its power to limit greenhouse gas emissions in new cars and trucks. It’s been a year since the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA had the power to do so. Nearly a dozen environmental groups and three cities also signed the lawsuit. Click this link to read full story.
Though nothing concrete will come from it, the UN’s latest round of climate talks in Bangkok are a necessary part of the process in hammering out an international treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. “With the 2009 deadline,” says one UN Climate Change Secreatry Yvo de Boer of the climate talks, “we have just one and a half years in which to complete negotiations on what will probably be the most complex international agreement that history has ever seen.” Click this link to read full story.
Despite its best efforts “The Great Global Warming Swindle” has been debunked. Broadcast in 2007, this program aired on UK TV suggested that cosmic rays are to blame for global warming. Since then, a team of researchers from Lancaster and Durham Universities tried to prove that hypothesis, but without success. Click this link to read full story.
Al Gore may have a place in the new administration after all. Senator Barack Obama says that if he is elected, he would consider asking Gore to assume a cabinet-level position. “I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem,” says Obama. “He’s somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I’m already consulting with him in terms of these issues.” Click this link to read full story.
“I will work hard to ensure that Americans are safe from terrorists,” says Senator John McCain of his bid for the presidency, “and I will conduct that work from a White House reliant on safe, clean, nuclear power produced right here in the United States.”
Instead of throwing out scrap fabric and trimmings, Mattel will be patching these pieces together into an entire wardrobe for a new Barbie doll. “Barbie BCause is for eco-conscious girls who believe that being environmentally friendly is the right thing to do,” says a Mattel spokesperson. “And we are thrilled to give extra meaning and extra style to what was once just extra Barbie doll fabric.” Click this link to read full story.
Responding to criticism that growing biofuel crops is stealing space from produce needed for food, the USDA is researching a possible solution – growing bioful-bound crops on floating barges at sea.
If London’s Mayor gets his way, he’ll raise the congestion fee for the most-polluting vehicles entering the city from $16 a day to $50. Porsche complains the new fee would probably cause their sales to drop by as much as 11 percent. Since the automaker is apparently uninterested in manufacturing more efficient vehicles to get out of the “most-polluting” category, Porsche is appealing to the courts for help. Click this link to read full story.
From locally-manufactured building materials … to efficient lighting and plumbing … to drought-resistant plants, the new green-built Washington Nationals baseball stadium is the first of its kind in the country. Ironically, President Bush threw out the first green pitch. Click this link to read full story.
Though they recently signed a deal for a wind-powered project on its Western reservation, the Navajo Nation is also trying to get approval for a new coal plant. Click this link to read full story.
WE, a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection
* Sign the petition to urge for a global treaty on climate change and urge the press to ask more global warming questions of the presidential candidates
* Learn about the solutions to climate change
* Get involved in your own community
* Read success stories
* Watch videos, including the powerful Black Balloons video
* Sign up for periodic updates from WE
Al Gore's Alliance Launches New Website
As part of its $300 million marketing campaign to encourage everyone to help solve the climate crisis, The Alliance for Climate Protection has a new website to promote the new WE campaign. Check it out at WeCanSolveIt.org.
3-30-08
Week #36: Living the Live EarthPledge
Decongest downtown.
As unlikely as it seems, Manhattan demonstrates just the kind of decongestion de Rothschild is talking about. Sure, there's bumper-to-bumper traffic in the streets, but there's also heel-to-toe traffic on the sidewalks, as so many Manhattanites "hoof it" most everywhere they go. Or they ride bikes, or take public transportation.
In fact, 82 percent of Manhattan residents walk, bike or take public transit instead of riding or driving in a car. The results are substantial:
"Manhattanites consume gasoline at a low rate that the country as a whole hasnt' matched since the 1920s," writes de Rothschild, "and generate less than one-third of the carbon emissions of the average American."
In the Handbook, de Rothschild notes three ways that cities are decongesting their downtown areas: 1) Charging vehicles to go downtown, 2) City bike programs and 3) Bus Rapid Transit, where one lane is designated for buses only. Cities all over the world are adopting programs like these at a greater rate than ever, and the public is responding.
Click these links for details on congestion charging, shared bike programs and bus rapid transit.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
“We have to mainstream this,” says The Alliance for Climate Protection of educating people on what they can do to help stop climate change. “It has to become easy and normal.” In an effort to help, The non-profit Alliance is launching a $300 million marketing campaign filled with the “how-to” messages peole need to hear. Click these links to read full story and learn more about The Alliance for Climate Protection.
It's the fastest warming place on earth, and it's melting before our eyes. The Antarctic Peninsula is now 160-square miles smaller. A piece of ice seven times the size of Manhattan has fallen off the Wilkins ice shelf in the western Antarctic Peninsula. Scientists first noticed a change in the ice on February 28, and it took less than one month for it to fall off into the ocean. The British Antarctic Survey calls this a sure sign of global warming. Click this link to read full story.
In a campaign to raise awareness for energy conservation, people all over the world turned off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. during their local time zone on Saturday, March 29. Click this link for details from Earth Hour.
According to new research, soot pollution has a global warming factor three to four times greater than previously believed, second only to carbon dioxide. The good news is that soot only stays in our atmosphere for about a week (compared carbon dioxide’s 100 years), so tackling the soot problem could help reduce global warming significantly. Click this link to read full story.
According to new data compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the U.S. West is warming up faster than any other place on earth. The NRDC warns of the drought conditions likely to follow in the region’s fastest growing cities. Click these links to read full story and to read the NRDC’s full report.
In support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal, the New York’s new Governor David Paterson supports congestion pricing in Manhattan. If passed, the proposal will charge every car $8 to enter the downtown area. Click this link to read full story.
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency must consider regulating CO2 emissions from vehicles, the Bush Administration says they’ll propose rules this spring. Critics says waiting so late in Bush’s administration is a tactic to prevent new rules from actually taking effect before he leaves office. “The name of the game here is to run out the clock, basically,” says a spokesman from the NRDC. “All of this stuff will come in a big pile and it will be on the next administration’s desk.” Click this link to read full story.
“Instead of building two new coal plants,” says Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, “which would produce 11 million new tons of carbon dioxide each year, I support pursuing other, more promising energy and economic development alternatives.” Click this link to read full story.
If all goes as planned, Boston will be home to the first indoor composting facility generating electricity for 1,500 homes from the rotting leaves and fruit inside. Click this link to read full story.
“These are the kinds of big ideas we need to meet California’s long-term energy and climate change goals,” says California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This big idea is two new solar-powered projects big enough to generate enough electricity to power 300,000 homes in the state. Click this link to read full story.
Google
Earth Hour is NOW Around the World
In a campaign to raise awareness for energy conservation, people all over the world are turning off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. during their local time zone. If you want to participate, sign up through this link to Earth Hour's website.
3-25-08
Huge Chunk of Ice Shelf Collapses In Antarctica
It's the fastest warming place on earth, and it's melting before our eyes.
The Antarctic Peninsula is 160-square miles smaller today. A piece of ice seven times the size of Manhattan has fallen off the Wilkins ice shelf in the western Antarctic Peninsula. Scientists first noticed a change in the ice on February 28, and it took less than one month for it to fall off into the ocean.
Read more from Greenlight News.
3-22-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week 35: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Fortunately, you've had the key to solving this problem within your grasp since about the age of eight." It's Essential Skill #35 in The Handbook:
Ride a bike.
We could save 100,000 tons of carbon emissions every year if one million people committed to this: Every week, pick one 5-mile trip and ride your bike instead of driving your car.
So the next time you need to drop a letter off at the post office, pick up a few things at the grocery store or get cash out of the ATM, forget gasing up at the pump -- just slam an energy drink and pedal your two-wheeler down the street.
"No need for petitions, sign-waving, or calling on your leaders to do something about global warming," writes de Rothschild (though that's essential too). "On your bike, you're already doing it."
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Tony Blair Heads Up International Climate Team
Determined to bring the world together on the issue of climate change, Tony Blair is leading an international climate team to do just that. Its goal – getting the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters (the US and China included) to agree on cutting emissions 50% by 2050. “The fact of the matter is,” says Blair, “is that if we do not take substantial action over the next two years, by 2020 we will be thinking seriously about adaptation rather than prevention.” Click this link to read full story.
2) Tibet Protests Include Environmental Concerns
Though there are many issues fueling the recent protests in Chinese-ruled Tibet, the environment is among them. Tibetans disagree with the Chinese government’s destruction of the Himalyas for the mining of copper, iron, lead and other minerals. The Chinese also plan to fill China’s Yellow River with diverted water from Tibet’s melting glaciers. Click this link to read full story.
3) Accelerated Spring Weather Concerns Biologists
For some of us, warmer weather cannot come soon enough. Some biologists disagree, pointing to this year’s coming of Spring-like conditions earlier than ever, meaning a longer allergy and wildfire season (not to mention just one more indicator of global warming). Click this link to read full story.
4) Leiberman-Warner Climate Security Act Gets Mixed Reviews
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s economic analysis of the Leiberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 will not hurt the economy over the next two decades. On the other hand, energy industry and business trade groups are campaigning to stop it, pointing to job losses and higher energy prices if the legislation passes. Click this link to read full story here and here.
5) New Data Shows Glaciers Melting Rapidly
The World Glacier Monitoring Service keeps track of 30 “reference” glaciers, their health reflecting that of 160,000 other glaciers throughout the world. According to new data, it doesn’t look good. Between 1980 and 1999, they reference glaciers shrunk an average of less than one foot. Between 2000 and 2006, they shrunk nearly five feet. The central African glaciers are perfect example, which have shrunk by 50 percent over the past 50 years – a big problem for the more than 2 million people who depend on these glaciers for their water supply. Click this link to read full story here and here.
6) Kite Power Could Change Commercial Shipping
Captain Lutz Heldt recently completed a 12,000-mile roundtrip voyage on a cargo ship across the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to a kite-like sail, the Captain says the trip used 20 percent less fuel. “We can once again actually ‘sail’ with cargo ships,” says the Captain, “thus opening a new chapter in the history of commercial shipping.
7) Liquefied-Natural-Gas Terminal Planned for Long Island Sound
Though still pending approval from two New York state agencies, a liquefied-natural-gas terminal planned for Long Island Sound has received the okay from the federal government. Though the terminal will ultimately generate enough natural gas to provide electricity for 4 million homes in New York and Connecticut, Connecticut state officials and environmentalists oppose the plan. Click this link to read full story.
8) Electric Cars Rely Too Heavily On Water for Widespread Use
According to a new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, electric vehicles may not be the best alternative to fossil fuel. Electric cars require more water than that needed to make gasoline. So if most cars in the U.S. were to run on electricity, it could cause a water supply problem. “If we use only wind or solar energy,” says one coauthor of the study, “water use would be essentially zero.” Click this link to read full story.
9) Mixing Fresh Water and Salt Water Creates Energy
It’s called estuary energy – the mixing of fresh water and salt water at the world’s river mouths to create electricity. They’re already trying it in Norway and the Netherlands. If the process is perfected, this estuary energy could supply 20 percent of the world’s electricity. Click this link to read full story.
10) Nordstrom Department Store Goes Green
Starting in April, Nordstrom will start its transition to 100 percent recyclable shopping bags, gift boxes and tissue paper. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Eco-Libris
“About 20 million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone.” That’s according to the website of Eco-Libris, an organization that wants to help us doing something about it.
Though Eco-Libris’ ultimate hope is that books will one day be made only from recycled paper or some other eco-friendly material, their plan in the meantime is to replace those trees we’re cutting down.
Here’s how it works.
For every book you “balance out” through Eco-Libris, they’ll plant a tree in a developing country where it’s needed most.
Eco-Libris’ goal in 2008 is to balance out half-a-million trees by the end of the year. If you read books and love the planet, help Eco-Libris reach its goal. Click this link to start balancing out your books today.
3-15-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Essential Skill #34: Watch the Front Lines
Watch the front lines.
"Climate change happens too gradually for us to feel the difference between one day and the next," writes Handbook author David de Rothschild, "but that doesn't mean we can't monitor the front lines of global warming."
These are the top 11 places de Rothschild says to watch for the most visual evidence of climate change:
1) New Orleans
2) Canadian Arctic
3) Venice
4) Komodo National Park
5) Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras
6) Sundarbans
7) Kilimanjaro National Park
8) Himalayas
9) Amazon
10) Greenland Ice Sheet
11) Great Barrier Reef
"Landscapes around the world are already decaying," writes de Rothschild, "and among the first wave of casualties are some of the most cherished wonders. Keep watch on these fragile corners of the Earth to follow the progress of climate change."
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
“From today, Australia officially becomes part of the goal solution on climate change, not just part of the solution,” said Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of his country’s recent ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Click this link to read full story.
According to findings published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, China’s emissions are going to double by 2010. Click this link to read full story.
Though there are ways of recycling silicon tetrachloride – a toxic by-product of producing polysilicon for solar panels – many Chinese factories are opting for the faster, cheaper solution. They’re dumping the toxic waste into the land. According to a material-sciences expert, “No grass or trees will grow in the place. It is poisonous. It is polluting. Human being can never touch it.” Click this link to read full story.
“If is often those who pollute the least – notably in the world’s least-developed nations – who are closest to the razor’s edge and most affected by the impact of climate change and least equipped to deal with it,” said Queen Elizabeth during her annual Commonwealth Day speech. “Whatever we do, wherever we live, our actions in defense of the environment can have a real and positive effect upon the lives of others, today and in the future.” Click this link to read full story.
From Tokyo to China to India, Tony Blair is taking his message on climate change: “A 50 percent cut by 2050 has to be a central component of this. We have to try this year to get that agreed. We need a true and proper global deal and that needs to include America and China.” Click this link to read full story.
Plans to green the Republican Convention in September are aimed at making the event carbon neutral. They’ll also be using recycled-fiber carpet, booths and stages made from local, sustainably-harvested wood, water in petroleum-free bottles, biodegradable plates, composted food waste, non-plastic banners with soy-based inks, energy-efficient lighting and reduced paper use. Click this link to read full story.
If they don’t have advanced controls for carbon dioxide pollution, new coal plants simply won’t get built. That’s according to a proposed bill in the House – the “Moratorium on Uncontrolled Power Plants Act of 2008.” Click this link to read full story.
“You have such a huge concentration of people and so much of the errand running doesn’t need to fire up an engine,” says Rep. Earl Blumenauer of those who work on Capitol Hill. That’s why the Capitol is trying a pilot bike-share program to be made available to all government employees. Click this link to read full story.
Every taxi in town must be converted to a low-emission vehicle by 2011. City employees can only use 100 percent recycled paper by 2010. Tidal energy in San Francisco Bay should be explored. So says San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Click this link to read full story.
“We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues have often been too time, failing to produce a unified moral voice,” reads the join statement of 40 Southern Baptist leaders on the issue of climate change. “Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring.” In a similar appeal, the Vatican has listed pollution among its new list of “social sins” to be avoided. Click this link to read full story here and here.
United Nations Environment Programme
3-5-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week #33: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Harvest the sun.
Not only is solar power a good idea for people who are literally living in the dark in many developing countries, but it's also a great answer to the problem of global warming. Solar energy is a renewable resource that can replace the coal-fired power plants that generate most of our electricity today.
Of course, the problem is cost. "The price of solar systems is coming down," writes de Rothschild, "though a set of rooftop panels can still cost thousands of dollars."
One solution to the problem of cost is the example set by residents in Portola Valley, California. By joining together in their purchase of solar panels at a bulk discount, they saved 30% off the regular price. It's known as the Collective Power Program. Similar programs have spread throughout California and are moving into five other states this year.
Remember though, this high cost of solar is only temporary.
"Solar power's costs are predicted to match coal's by 2010," writes author David de Rothschild. "Soon, solar will be embedded in virtually everything, from shingles and windows to the tops of cars, with every bit of solar power displacing electricity produced from fossil fuel."
For more information on getting bulk discounts on solar systems for your community, check out this link to Solar City. Though they may not offer the program in your part of the country just yet, it will at least get you moving in the right direction.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
To find the best place to harness wind energy, check out the new online tool from 3Tier – a global map that tracks wind patterns all over the globe. The service is free, including a similar program that indicates the best places on earth to harness solar power. Click this link to read full story. Click this link to check it out.
California wanted to be able to regulate its own emissions from vehicles. To do so, they needed a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA said no and has released a 48-page document explaining why – that California doesn’t have the “compelling and extraordinary conditions” for special consideration. Critics point to the state’s coastline, big agricultural industry and wildfires as all the “compelling and extraordinary conditions” they need. Click this link to read full story.
Determined to make a big difference in cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2005, Japan is planning to be on cutting edge of innovation in renewable energy technologies for coal, natural gas, and solar, among others. Click this link to read full story.
Citing the 30 percent annual rise in the cost of new coal-fired power plants, the federal government has suspended its funding of them through a loan program that issued $1.3 billion over the past 7 years. Click this link to read full story.
In what has become an annual weeklong climate camp, a group of U.K. activists have chosen a proposed coal-fired power plant in Kent as this year’s focus. Click this link to read full story.
By 2009, all the limos and town cars in New York City will be hybrids. It’s the only these transportation companies can meet the new emissions standard – 25 miles per gallon by 2009 and 30 miles per gallon by 2010. Click this link to read full story.
If everything goes according to plan, London’s Heathrow Airport will begin construction on a third runway. Eco-activists, including Greenpeace, are staging protests to make sure that does not happen, arguing that it goes against Britain’s promise to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Click this link to read full story.
In the past six weeks, Americans have used 1.1 percent less gas than in 2007. It may not sounds like much of a drop, but it’s significant. We haven’t seen a drop that drastic for at least 16 years! Click this link to read full story.
13 billion plastic grocery bags. No, that’s not the number we use worldwide. That’s how many are handed out in the U.K. alone every single year. Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants that to stop. If voluntary measures by grocery stores don’t work, he’s ready to impose mandatory programs of his own. Click this link to read full story.
“They have to get together to talk to each other, because nobody else is talking to them.” Princeton University geosciences professor Michael Oppenheimer said that of the recent conference held by global warming skeptics in New York City. Though the science of global warming is now widely understood, respected and accepted, there are those among us who refuse to budge. Click this link to read full story.
Connect2Earth
2-28-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week #32: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Busy with work, errands and household chores, we all too often treat the outdoors simply as an unavoidable transition from the house to the car to the school to our jobs to the store to the restaurant and back home again. If we're not careful, nature simply fades into the background of our lives. That's why we all need Essential Skill #32 in the Handbook:
Get lost in nature.
It's literally time to stop and smell the roses, whether they're in your own front yard or a field of flowers in the Holland.
"There are still 1.8 million square miles of unexplored rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon," writes de Rothschild. "Nearly one-quarter of the Earth's land is mountains waiting to be climbed. There are almost 600,000 miles of coastline -- much of it untouched -- and millions of square miles of glorious desert waiting to be crossed."
In other words, the world we're trying to save from global warming is still alive and well out there. The more we take the time to enjoy it, the harder we'll fight to keep it.
Take the time to enjoy your own backyard at least 15 minutes a day. Get your kids involved in outdoor activities and sports. Take your family camping, hiking, skiing or whitewater rafting. And plan vacations to places where the biggest tourist attractions are the landscapes, not the shopping malls.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
California wants to enforce its own laws to reduce smog-causing emissions from ships in L.A. A federal appeals court says they need from the EPA first. That’s not a good omen considering that the EPA recently denied a similar waiver that would have allowed California to regulate emission from automobiles. Click this link to read full story.
In the wake of China’s discouragement of using plastic grocery bags, the country’s largest plastic bag manufacturer has closed its factory. Click this link to read full story.
Blaming 24 oil, coal and power companies for the erosion of its coastline, the village of Kivalina in Alaska has issued a lawsuit that would require these fossil fuel companies to pay for the village’s relocation. Click this link to read full story.
Though they all agree we need to find cleaner energy, the 50 U.S. governors at this year’s National Governors Association meeting, could not reach a consensus on what that energy should be. As the governor of Montana put it, “[Coal] has a CO2 problem, wind has a reliability problem, solar has a price problem, nukes have a price and radiation problem.” Click this link to read full story.
With all the “greenwashing” of companies and their products these days, what looks green on the outside may be the color of oil inside. To help consumers make sense of it all, Conde Naste Portfolio Magazine ranked the best and the worst. The “Toxic Ten” includes Ford, Boeing, Apple and Chevron, among others. The “Green 11” includes Bank of America, Dupont, General Electric, Starbucks, Whole Foods and Wal-Mart, among others. Click this link to read full story.
According to the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, participating countries are supposed to be lobbying for a mandatory cap on the country’s carbon emissions. What doesn’t jive is that many of these companies have their hands in organizations opposed to the caps. Click this link to read full story.
With all the biofuel backlash, it’s no surprise that some environmentalists were less than thrilled by Virgin Airlines recent biofuel-filled flight, which used 20% biofuel in one of the plane’s four main tanks. In response, Richard Branson pointed out that the biofuel he used was from nuts sustainably harvested, not corn ethanol, the growth of which often results in global warming-causing deforestation. Click this link to read full story.
According to new research published in Waste Management & Research, the use of organic fertilizers can help stop climate change, as it stores more carbon in the soil than that treated with chemicals fertilizers. “Furthermore, increasing organic matter in soils may cause other greenhouse gas-saving effects,” write the authors of the paper, “such as improved workability of soils, better water retention, less production and use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides, and reduced release of nitrous oxide.” Click this link to read full story.
According to a new study of Indiana’s energy use since all 92 counties adopted daylight savings time, energy use has gone up. The culprit is suspected to be increase use of air conditioners during the extra hour of daylight. Click this link to read full story.
In keeping with a European Union directive that says all new vehicles must be 95 percent recyclable by 2015, French automaker Renault is partnering with a waste management company to develop end-of-life recycling for vehicles. Click this link to read full story.
The Nature Conservancy
2-22-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week 31: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Which adds more greenhouse gases to our atmosphere, motorized transporation or livestock?"
Based on the title of this post, you can probably guess that answer to David de Rothschild's question in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Or maybe you've already heard. The answer is livestock, which accounts for an astonishing 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thankfully, there's a simple way to change all that through Essential Skill #31:
Eat your veggies.
Though the meat and dairy industry would love you to believe otherwise -- and spend big money every year making sure you don't change your mind -- you don't need meat or dairy to be healthy. In fact, a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthier, as it's minus much of the fat and cholesterol that leads to heart disease and other complications.
All of this is not to suggest that if you really are a true-green environmentalist, you'll become become vegetarian or vegan overnight. But just like you cut down on your water, electricity and gas use, you can cut down on your support of the livestock industry to help shrink your carbon footprint.
"One pound of meat requires eight times as much energy to produce as one pound of veggie protein such as tofu," write de Rothschild in the Handbook. Add to that the deforestation for pasture land, fertilization of feed crops, methane from animal flatulence and nitrous oxide emitted from manure, and you can see how the greenhouse gases add up quick.
Check out this link to the Mayo Clinic for details on a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet.
If you need any more inspiration to eat your veggies instead of cows, pigs, chickens and other livestock, consider this. Ours is no longer a world of small family farms that respect the animals they're raising. Instead, we're eating animals from the cruel factory-farming system, which treats animals like unfeeling commodities meant only to be bought, killed, packaged and sold. If you want to know the truth that the meat meat and dairy industries do not want you to know, go to The Humane Society of the United States.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
On March 29, major cities all over the globe will turn out the lights at 8 p.m. and leave them off for one hour. So far, 24 major cities are formally signed on. “If we see the same participation levels around the globe that we did in Sydney,” says an Earth Hour organizer, “then we can anticipate more than 30 million people involved.” Click this link to learn more about Earth Hour.
2) California May Teach Climate Change in Schools
Already approved by the state Senate, a new bill would require California textbooks, schools and teachers to include climate change in the curriculum. The bill is now pending approval by the California Assembly. Click this link to read full story.
3) Prince Charles Wants Global Fundraising for Rainforests
“In the simplest of terms, we have to make the forests worth more alive than dead,” said Britain’s Prince Charles in recent address to the European Parliament. His suggestion is the creation of a global fund that would provide financial incentives for people to preserve, rather than destroy, tropical rainforests. Click this link to read full story.
4) Democrats Still Pushing for Renewable-Energy Incentives
Though scrapped from the energy bill and economic stimulus bill, renewable-energy incentives are still alive among Democrats in the House of Representatives. New legislation would give tax breaks for investments in solar, wind and geothermal power. Click this link to read full story.
5) Twelve Companies Sign Tokyo Declaration
Considered the most aggressive stance in the business community in the fight against climate change, 12 of the world’s leading companies signed the Tokyo Declaration. This agreement cements their commitment to reducing emissions 50 percent by 2050. Some notable names include Sony, Hewlett Packard, Nokia and Nike. Click this link to read full story.
6) U.S. Turns On Coal
If recent license refusals and court cases are any indication, coal-fired power plants may soon be a thing of the past in the United States. Last year, 59 new plants were denied licenses and 50 more plants are being contested in court. Click this link to read full story.
7) Greece Joins Anti-Coal Campaign
“We will not sacrifice local development for the sake of coal,” says the mayor of Kereos at Mantoudi in Greece. “We fought in the past and are ready to fight again for our land and the future of our children.” He is among many Greek officials and citizens fighting plans for new coal-fired power plants throughout the country. Click this link to read full story.
8) Investors Give Renewable Energy $10 Billion Pledge
At what they called the largest meeting of its kind among investors, a recent U.N. meeting resulted in a pledge to invest $10 billion in renewable energy. Click this link to read full story.
9) Canada To Tax Carbon
To discourage Canadians from using so much fossil fuels, Canada is tacking on a tax expected to cut its emissions by 3 million tons over the next 5 years. As an added incentive, rebates are part of the plan too, rewarding those who make the most effort. Click this link to read full story.
10) Cuba’s Apparent Power Shift Benefits Biofuels
Fidel Castro has openly expressed his disapproval of the U.S. biofuel policy. His brother, on the other, is a biofuel supporter – Raul Castro to whom Fidel has handed over his power (at least formally). Some say this points to new biofuel production in Cuba, where they have the potential to produce up to 3.2 billion gallons of sugarcane ethanol each year. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Prince Charles
In his recent address to the European Parliament, Prince Charles suggested the creation of a global fund that would provide financial incentives for people to preserve, rather than destroy, tropical rainforests.
This call to action by the Prince of Wales is in keeping with the environmental advocacy that has defined Prince Charles’ work for decades.
Prince Charles serves as President of all 19 non-profits in The Prince’s Charities organization. These non-profits include The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, an educational charity that teachers sustainable building, as well as Business In the Community, a non-profit that promotes corporate responsibility in many areas, the environment among them.
Click this link to learn more about Prince Charles. "In the U.S., agriculture is responsible for 7 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Much of that can be attributed to the packaging, storage, transportation and chemicals associated with transporting food from thousands of miles away to your local grocery store, as we discussed in last week's essential skill from the Handbook: Count Your Food Miles. 1) No Clean-Energy Incentives In Economic Stimulus Bill 2) Demand Growing for Wind Techs 3) Obama Pursuing International Climate Pact Pronto 4) Judge Says Coal-Fired Power Plants Cannot Trade Right To Emit Mercury 5) Oil Refinery Emissions On the Rise 6) Biofuels Making Global Warming Worse 7) 50-50 Chance Lake Mead Dry By 2021 8) U.N. General Assembly Holds Two-Day Climate Conference 9) St. Louis Introduces Car-Sharing Program 10) London Triples Driving Fee Live Earth Leader of the Week For two days, the United Nations General Assembly met in New York City for a climate change conference. February 11 and 12, representatives from more than 100 countries came together for this “thematic debate” on the issue of global warming. “We can’t wait for tomorrow. We need to act today,” said the General Assembly President. “Many countries cannot wait until the effects of mitigation targets have an impact. We need both targets and immediate practical actions that can help the most vulnerable adapt to climate change.” The United Nations General Assembly is the “chief deliberating policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations” providing a “forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter.” So it would seem “thematic debates” like the one in recent days are critical to its mission. Click these links to learn more about the U.N. General Assembly, inlcuding the latest news on its role in fighting climate change. 2-7-08 "Can you imagine the nightmare if every time you got hungry you needed to travel to the other side of the planet before you could sit down to eat?" asks author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "As absurd as this sounds, we're not bothered by the fact that most of our food has to make this same journey to get to us." 1) Senate Adds Clean Energy Initiatives to Stimulus Package 2) California Introduces “Feebate” Bill 3) California Policy Report Calls for Net-Zero-Energy Buildings 4) 2009 Bush Budget Means Green Funding Hikes and Slashes 5) U.S. West’s Water Shortage Climate Change-Related 6) Funding Gets Tougher for Coal Power Plants 7) U.S. Hosts Inefficient Climate Conference In Hawaii 8) Iraq Ratifies Kyoto Protocol 9) U.S. Scraps FutureGen Project Funding 10) GreenBiz.com Announces Top 10 Green Business Trends Live Earth Leader of the Week Our focus this week on Essential Skill #29 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook is the inspiration behind this week’s Live Earth Leader of the Week. “Count your food miles,” write author David de Rothschild in the Handbook. A great place to start is through LocalHarvest, an online source for finding markets, restaurants and grocery stores that sell locally-produced food in your area. At LocalHarvest, you’ll also find a forum for connecting with like-minded “locavores” – people who eat only locally-grown food that has not traveled more than 100 miles or so. There’s a LocalHarvest blog and monthly newsletter filled with comprehensive information about sustainable farming, buying and eating. Click this link for the most recent edition of the LocalHarvest Newsletter. 1-28-08 1) Critics Question Carbon Offsets in “Greening the Capitol” Initiative
2-13-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week 30: Living the Live Earth Pledge
So anyone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint needs to think seriously about buying locally-produced food. The first step is Essential Skill #30:
Befriend your farmer.
"Your local farmers are important global warming fighters, not relics of the past," writes de Rothschild. "Farmer-to-consumer marekts are cutting out fresh food's middlemen.... At farmer's and green markets around the world, producers bring their goods -- from organic vegetables and fruits to farm-made cheese, preserves, and meats -- directly to the market."
Buying organically-grown local produce makes an even bigger difference, as it acts as a "carbon sink." So much so, that "100,000 organic farms will eliminate almost 12 million cars' worth of CO2 in a year. Industrial farming methods do not sink one ounce of carbon."
To find produce grown by local farmers in your area, check out LocalHarvest.org.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
President Bush has signed the economic stimulus bill that will send out rebate checks to taxpayers by spring. Unfortunately, it does not include the clean-energy incentives of the Senate version. Why? Because that version failed to pass by one vote. Presidential candidate John McCain’s absence that day has not gone unnoticed. Click this link to read full story.
Though adding green jobs into the market wasn’t included in the economic stimulus plan, it turns out green jobs are growing anyway. Wind techs are in high demand, requiring a background in mechanics, hydraulics, computers and meteorology. Entry-level wages are $25 an hour. Click this link to read full story.
“You can’t wait until you are sworn into office to get started.” That’s presidential candidate Barack Obama quoting Al Gore on climate change action. “I think we need to start reaching out to other countries ahead of time,” Obama added, “not because I’m presumptuous, but because there’s such a sense of urgency about this.” Click this link to read full story.
Though the cap-and-trade system is considered an acceptable way of offsetting pollutants, mercury is not one them according to a recent judgment in a federal appeals court. Contrary to what the Bush administration wanted, coal-fired power plants will not be allow to buy the right to emit mercury from other power plants that do not. Click this link to read full story.
It’s politically correct now for oil companies to talk big about combating climate change. Problem is, actions speak louder than words. Commonplace in the oil industry is sourcing crude oil from Canada’s tar sands. It’s of such poor quality, that turning it into usable fuel takes more energy, thus emitting huge amounts of global warming-causing pollutants into the air. As a result, in the next 10 years we’ll see a 40 percent jump in emissions from oil refineries in the U.S. Midwest. Click this link to read full story.
According to two new studies, the biofuel industry is doing more to hurt the environment than help it. That’s thanks to the plowing up of the rainforests and grasslands to plant biofuel crops. Apparently the only eco-friendlier biofuel option is making it from waste products. Click this link to read full story.
According to a new study, Arizona and Nevada’s Lake Mead may be dry by 2021, posing a big problem to Los Angeles and Las Vegas residents who depend on it for their water. Click this link to read full story.
Billed as a “thematic debate,” the U.N.’s two-day climate conference in New York City featured speakers from nearly 100 nations. Click this link to read full story.
They may get to and from work without a car, but some workers need a form of transportation in between. In response, Enterprise Rent-a-Car has launched WeCar in downtown St. Louis. Nine Toyota Prius hybrids are part of the program. Click this link to read full story.
Instead of paying $16 a day to drive the most polluting vehicles into the center of London, it’s now $49 a day. Of course, the most energy-efficient vehicles are exempt. Click this link to read full story.
U.N. General Assembly
Greener Economic Stimulus Bill Loses By One Vote
Environmentally-minded Senators added eco-friendly options to the economic stimulus package pending in the Senate in recent days, like adding more green jobs to the marketplace and clean energy incentives. Yesterday it lost by one vote. Barack Obama was there voting in its favor. Hillary Clinton was there voting in its favor. Yet another presidential candidate who has spoken passionately in the past about his green-leaning ways was noticeably absent -- John McCain. Read the Greenlight News take on the issue in "Losing Trust In John McCain: A Green Point of View."
2-6-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week #29: Living the Live Earth Pledge
In fact, every meal you eat typically travels 22,000 miles for you to buy it in the store. You know what that means to climate change -- lots of greenhouse gas emissions created simply because of our insistence on access to our favorite foods regardless of the season.
Instead of blindly buying whatever food strikes your fancy, try instead Essential Skill #29:
Count your food miles.
Find out what grows close to home. A great place to start is LocalHarvest.org where you can search for markets, restaurants and grocery stores that sell locally-produced foods. You'll not only be saving on greenhouse gas-emitting transporation, but also getting far fresher produce that is richer in vitamins and taste.
As de Rothschild points out, "Why should your food have more frequent-traveler miles than you?"
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
Though they have yet to vote on it, the Senate has made Bush’s economic stimulus package greener than it got in the House. If it passes – the Senate, then the House again, then the President – we’ll see more green jobs in the marketplace and renewable energy incentives. Click this link to read full story.
Since the federal government has refused to allow California to regulate its own vehicle emissions, they’re pursuing other measures. In a proposed “feebate” system, people who buy inefficient vehicles would be charged up to $2,500 as a one-time fee, while eco-friendly vehicle buyers would receive rebates up to the same dollar amount. Click this link to read full story.
If the state accepts the most recent recommendations from the California Energy Commission, then by 2020 all residential buildings must be net-zero-energy compliant, and 2030 for all commercial buildings. Net-zero-energy means the “no net purchases from the electricity or gas grid.” Click this link to read full story.
Some provisions in the new Bush budget sound green enough, like raising funds for air pollution mitigation, climate science programs, biofuels, weather satellites and restoration of Gulf Coast wetlands and the Everglades. What doesn’t sound too green-friendly at all, though, is slashing funding for home energy-efficiency programs, hydrogen research, farmland conservation and water infrastructure. (That last one is especially troubling considering the next news item on our list.) At the same time, nuclear energy and “clean coal” got a big funding boost.
According to a new study published in the journal Science, the water shortage in the Western United States is most definitely related to climate change, stating that this finding makes “modifications to the water infrastructure of the Western U.S. a virtual necessity.” Click this link to read full story.
Thanks to new environmental standards from three major investment banks – Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley – it’s going to be harder for new coal-fired power plants to receive funding, an attempt to encourage the coal industry to make plans now for climate-friendlier practices in the future. In an apparent reference to Melissa Etheridge’s Academy Award-winning song for Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, a Morgan Stanley representative said this: “We have to wake up some people who are asleep.” Click this link to read full story.
No, we don’t mean inefficiency in terms of energy use at conference (though that wouldn’t surprise us either). The inefficiency we’re certain of is how the U.S.-led climate talks were used to get things done – they didn’t. Instead of the world’s 17 biggest polluting countries making plans for cutting down on emissions, they seemed to do little more than meet to agree that something should be done. Click this link to read full story.
The U.S. may be the primary occupiers of Iraq, but they certainly hold no sway when it comes to environmental issues. Iraq has ratified the Kyoto Protocol that the United States has refused to sign. Click this link to read full story.
The Department of Energy previously announced $1.8 billion in funding for a “clean coal” demonstration plant – a project known as FutureGen. A recent announcement says they've pulled funding Click this link to read full story.
Number 10: Zero waste, zero carbon, zero emissions. Number 9: Banks pulling out of “dirty investments.” Number 8: Green buildings skyrocket. Number 7: Big companies get real about sustainability. Number 6: Computing industry gets serious about e-waste. Number 5: Toxic product reduction. Number 4: Green marketing, or “greenwashing.” Number 3: Plains, trains, trucks and ships going green. Number 2: Carmakers bringing us more eco-friendly choices. Number 1: Corporations going public about their climate commitments. Click this link to read full story.
LocalHarvest
Real food, real farmers, real community
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week #28: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Did you know the tomatoes you buy in the grocery store weren't red when they were picked from the vine? They were still green, then artifially turned red by ethylene gas. Why? Because tomatoes travel approximately 1,500 miles to reach most customers. If they were picked ripe, our tomatoes would start to rot before we even get them home.
Did you know you're not supposed to refrigrate tomatoes? That's how they lose their flavor, and it changes their texture. Yet, that's exactly how tomatoes are shipped cross-country -- in refrigerated trucks.
To preserve its taste and to cut down on global warming-causing food miles, try Essential Skill #28 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook:
Grow your own tomato.
"Until you've tasted a ripe tomato picked from your backyard," writes author David de Rothschild, "you might find it hard to believe that growing your own food is the way of the future."
There are thousands of tomato varieties to choose from, but de Rothschild suggests Miracle Sweet, Celebrity or Brandywine if growing outside and Pixie, Patio, Toy Boy or Small Fry if growing indoors over the winter. To learn how to grow your own tomatoes, click this link to "Tomato Essentials" from the National Gardening Association.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
One of the things you should always look for when buying carbon offsets is the assurance that your investment is going toward a green project that would not have happened without your funds. That’s why critics are questioning the U.S. House of Represenatives’ $89,000 carbon offsets for projects that probably would have happened anyway. Even more disturbing is the House administrator’s response: What difference does it make if the offset projects would have happened with our without the $89,000, “the point is that they did do it.” Click this link to read full story.
2) Brazil Says It’s Cracking Down on Deforestation
Under international scrutiny to do something about the global warming-causing deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil recently announced plans to get tough. They’ll send the army in to inspect problem areas. They’ll fine meat processors and soy buyers whose products come from deforested areas. And they’ll deny credit to landowners who don’t follow land preservation rules. Click this link to read full story.
3) Romney Criticizes, McCain Shoots Back on Climate Change Plan
Calling it a “financial burden” that will cost Americans 300,000 jobs, U.S. presidential hopeful Republican Mitt Romney recently criticized Republican John McCain for his climate change bill. Problem is, it’s a bill with language that Romney previously supported. In response, McCain’s camp said this: “Just two years ago, Mitt Romney fully supported a ‘cap and trade’ system to deal with global climate change, saying, ‘I’m convinced it is good business,’ and citing its positive effect on development of technologies and economic growth.” Click this link to read full story.
4) Whole Foods Plastic Bag-Less By Earth Day
“Together with our shoppers, our gift to the planet this Earth Day will be reducing our environmental impact,” says the CEO of Whole Foods Market. Starting April 22, all 270 of their grocery stores – in the U.S., Canada and the UK – will stop handing out plastic shopping bags, instead asking customers to bring in their own cloth bags. Click this link to read full story.
5) Prince Charles Appears as Hologram at Energy Summit
“Common actions are needed in every country to protect the common inheritance that has been given to us by our creator,” said the Prince of Wales recently at the World Future Energy Summit. Yet, there is nothing common about how he arrived to make this speech about the importance of taking action against climate change. Instead of making the global warming-causing trip to Abu Dhabi, Prince Charles appeared at the summit as a life-size hologram. Click this link to read full story.
6) European Union Plans Emissions Cut
Though they have yet to be approved by the European Parliament, plans are in the works for cutting emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 throughout the European Union. For example, instead of giving away pollution permits for free to utilities and other polluting industries, the government would require these companies to purchase the permits themselves. Other goals tied to the plan include the European Union getting 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Click this link to read full story.
7) Iceland Introducing World’s First Hydrogen-Equipped Commercial Ship
Determined to leave fossil fuel-dependence behind, Iceland is transforming its “Elding” ship to hydrogen power. All that’s needed to make hydrogen is water, and its only emissions are electricity and water vapor. The head of Icelandic New Energy says, “We think, with the testing we’re doing over the next two or three years, our society will be quite well prepared to accept this technology on a larger scale. Click this link to read full story.
8) Drought Threatens Nuclear Power Plants in U.S. Southeast
Nuclear power plants are dependent on water – and lots of it – to cool the steam that turns the generators. That means trouble for the those in the Southeast, where drought threatens to shut down the nuclear power plants that cannot run on such limited water reserves. we Not that we needed another reason to reject nuclear power (nuclear waste is radioactive for thousands of years), but this red flag is certainly noted. Click this link to read full story.
9) New Report: 200 Million Climate Refugees By 2050
According to a report from Britain’s Oxford Research Group, environmental disasters in developing countries will lead to the displacement of as many as 200 million people as early as 2050. These refugees will have no choice but to move to wealthier nations that can take them, which begs the question. What will that mean to our borders. “The security consequences of climate change will not just manifest themselves ‘over there,’” reads the report. “There will be domestic security concerns for both developed and developing nations alike…. If governments simply respond with traditional attempts to maintain the status quo and control insecurity they will ultimately fail.” Click this link to read full story.
10) Wal-Mart Announces Greener Details
After months of moves in the sustainable-living direction, Wal-Mart’s CEO recently announced even greener goals: 1) doubling its sales of products for improving home energy efficiency, 2) selling electric or hybrid cars and 3) windmills and solar panels in Wal-Mart parking lots for rechargeable cars. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Earth Day Network
It’s never too early to start thinking about Earth Day, as proven by Whole Foods Market with its recent announcement to stop handing out disposable plastic grocery bags by Earth Day on April 22, noting “Together with our shoppers, our gift to the planet this Earth Day will be reducing our environmental impact.”
What do you have planned for the planet this Earth Day? Start thinking about it by visiting Earth Day Network, a non-profit organization founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970. Its mission: “To grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet. We pursue these goals through education, politics, events, and consumer activism.”
Earth Day is less than three months away, so if you have an idea for an event that you really want to see make a difference in your community, then the time to start planning is now.
Click this link to learn more about the Earth Day Network, and click this link to plan your Earth Day event.
1-22-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week #27: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Rising temperatures are already changing wines," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, "pushing harvest season earlier, raising alcohol levels, and, in the case of Oregon's pinot noirs, fueling a decade of world-class vintages."
So if you want to savor the wines of today that you love, follow Essential Skill #27 in de Rothschild's book:
Stock the cellar.
As sensitive as they are to temperature change, grapes growing in one region today won't grow there very well tomorrow. California's Napa Valley, for instance, may be completely unusable by 2100. Tuscany and Bordeaux are also at risk. As the world warms, cooler regions will become ideal for growing premium grapes for wine, such as England, Canada and Sweden.
In the meantime, some vineyards are doing all they can to maintain their health and longevity through sustainable viticulture practices. Click this link to LiveInc.org to learn more.
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
1) Sundance Showcases Live Earth Short Films Series
In the first of many screenings throughout 2008, the Live Earth Short Film Series is being shown at the Sundance Film Festival January 18 through 24. All six films in the series can also be seen online at the official Live Earth website. Click this link to view now.
2) One Third of U.S. Grain Crop Destined for Fuel
Thanks to the rising demand for ethanol, it’s predicted that nearly one third of the grains American farmers grow next year will go into our cars instead of onto the dinner table. To put the impact into perspective, Earth Policy Institute President Lester Brown notes this: the 560 pounds of grain that could feed one person for one year will fill a 25-gallon gas tank one time. Click this link to read full story.
3) NASA Says 2007 Second-Warmest Year On Record
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said 2007 was the fifth-warmest year on record. Not the case says NASA’S Goddard Institute for Space Studies, whose numbers show it as the second-warmest – tying with 1998 and short of the record-breaking 2005. Click this link to read full story.
4) Poorer Countries Shoulder $3 Trillion of Environmental Debt
According to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, displaced emissions from rich, developed countries have impacted poor, developing countries to the tune of $3 trillion. “Our analysis highlights the ecological harm poor countries bear to indirectly enable the living standards of wealthier nations,” says the report. Click this link to read full story.
5) Norway Plans Carbon Neutral Status by 2030
Though critics says its plans are vague, Norway says it will be carbon neutral within 22 years. The goal is to cut emissions by two-thirds and off-set the rest through deforestation projects in developing countries. Click this link to read full story.
6) Sweden Swinging Toward Nuclear Power
Nearly 30 years ago, Sweden rejected nuclear power as an energy option. Now, according to a new poll, nearly half of Swedes are backing it, apparently not deterred by the threat of nuclear waste that remains radioactive for thousands of years. Click this link to read full story.
7) Taiwan Election Prompts Reconsideration of Nuclear Power
After eight years of rule by the anti-nuclear Democratic Progressive Party, the pro-nuclear Nationalist Party won 72% of the seats in Taiwan’s recent parliamentary elections. The new government is expected to explore an aggressive renewal of nuclear power in a country with three aging nuclear power plants and a fourth lagging in construction. Taiwan currently imports virtually all of its energy and, without change, is expected to face a serious electricity shortfall. Click this link to read full story.
8) Democratic Candidates Agree On Green Jobs During CNN Debate
Though the CNN moderator failed to ask a single environmental question, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards all three raised the issues, agreeing on the importance of creating “green-collar” jobs. Click this link to read full story.
9) World Bank Big Hypocrite in Amazon Rainforest
Despite claims that it’s funding efforts to stop deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, the World Bank is also funding efforts that make it worse – industrial slaughterhouses for cattle ranching, the biggest deforestation threat to the rainforest and a giant emitter of greenhouse gas emissions. Click this link to read full story.
10) Four New Wal-Mart Stores 25 Percent More Efficient
Compared to the big supercenters we’ve all grown accustomed to, four new Wal-Mart stores will use 25 percent less energy. That’s thanks to white roofs, low-flow bathroom faucets, LED lights and an advanced daylight harvesting system, among other eco-friendlier practices. The first new store opens January 23 in Romeoville, Illinois. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
Vegan Outreach
“Which causes more greenhouse gas emissions, rearing cattle or driving cars?”
That’s the question posed by Vegan Outreach on its webpage entitled “Diet and Global Warming: A Truly Inconvenient Truth.”
You’ve probably guessed the answer by now.
In fact, raising livestock for food emits 18 percent more greenhouse gases into the air than transportation! Imagine the environmental impact if we all adopted a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet. This week’s news is a clear indication.
World Bank is funding industrial slaughterhouses in the Amazon for the 74 million cattle reared in the rainforest. There, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the livestock industry are exacerbated by deforestation.
As the demand for ethanol grows, the price of corn soars. If you’re eating a meat-based diet, the price of your food soars too, as corn is the main feed farmers give to livestock. In fact, according to Earth Policy Institute President Lester Brown, 40 percent of the cost of poultry represents the cost of feed.
Vegan Outreach is an non-profit organization that provides educational information to people who not only want to help the environment, but also want to alleviate the suffering and death of millions of animals in the livestock industry.
From “Even If You Like Meat” to “Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating” to “Try Vegeterian,” Vegan Outreach has available many helpful guides to creating the kind of socially- and morally-responsible lifestyle you can be proud of.
Click this link to learn more about Vegan Outreach. And click this link for your free “Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating.” 1) There's more fresh water in glaciers than anywhere else in the world -- water that millions of people depend on every year. If glaciers were to disappear, so would a valuable resource that would be impossible for us to replace. 2) As glaciers melt, sea levels rise. For example, take Greenland's ice sheet and glaciers. If all of them were to melt, the sea would rise by 23 feet. Imagine what that melting alone would do to coastlines all over the world. With a shrinking water supply and eroding coastlines, the disappearance of glaciers would result in millions of environmental refugees all over the world, forced to move closer to other fresh water supplies or inland away from the home that is now underwater. That means more people dependent on less land and water. So the preservation of glaciers should be inspiration enough for us to eliminate the emission of global warming-causing greenhouse gases into the air. De Rothschild suggests inspiring yourself daily with Essential Skill #26 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: Adopt a glacier. "A good place to start looking for your new, icy friend is the National Snow and Ice Data Center's photo collection.... Cherish your adopted ice floe by posting its picture in a prominent place and by checking on it each year. Monitoring your adoptee will be a gradual process." It's no formal adoption program -- just a way for us to put a name to the face of a glacier that our eco-friendly ways can help save. 1) New Study Strengthens Link Between Greenland Ice Melt and Global Warming 2) Antarctica Melting Faster than Predicted 3) Green Party Candidates Hold First Presidential Debate 4) China Bans Plastic Grocery Bags 5) Britain Officially Supports New Nuclear Plants 6) New Federal Budget Goes Online, Not On Paper 7) World’s Cheapest Car Worries Environmentalists 8) U.S. Consumers Using “Smart Grid” Use Less Energy 9) Airport Goes Green in Singapore 10) Most Banks Get Failing Grade For Climate Commitment Live Earth Leader of the Week “Only 19 percent of young Americans have a world map.” “Half of young Americans can’t find New York on a map.” “Only 37 percent of young Americans can find Iraq on a map – though U.S. troops have been there since 2003.” That’s just a sampling of the many shocking facts that National Geographic cites as proof of the lack of geography education in this country. Instead of waiting for it to change, National Geographic is taking action through its My Wonderful World campaign. My Wonderful World is a campaign for children, designed to expand their geographic learning – in schools, at home and within their communities. In light of what global warming is doing to countries and their people all over the world, a bigger, brighter focus on geography education could not come at a better time. Climate change news will surely dominate our culture for many years, and our nation’s children need the point of reference that a solid geography education can provide. There are many ways you can join the campaign – from subscribing to the My Wonderful World newsletter to telling your lawmakers that you support geography education. Click this link to learn more about joining the campaign. It may not sign your paychecks, but the Earth will pay you back plenty if you treat every day as though it's take-your-green-to-work day. It's Essential Skill #25 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: Try these tips, and get creative with your own, and your eco-friendly work could become the most rewarding job you've ever known. 1) States Sue EPA Over Denial of Waiver to Regulate Emissions 2) Milan, Italy Charging People To Drive 3) Beijing to Adopt Cleaner Fuel Standard 4) U.S. Introduces Offshore Drilling in Polar Bear Habitat 5) As New Leader of G8, Japan To Focus on Environment 6) Super Bowl Goes Green 7) Cooler 2008 Still Expected To Be in Top 10 Warmest Years 8) Britain To OK New Nuclear Power Plants This Week 9) New Study Links Global Warming to Higher Mortality Rates 10) Kite to Help Carry Cargo Ship Live Earth Leader of the Week Where the federal government fails to act aggressively on climate change, American cities can pick up the slack. That’s thanks in part to the Cool Cities initiative created by the Sierra Club in 2005. In just three years, 781 U.S. cities have become Cool Cities by signing the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. Yet that’s just one of five steps cities must follow for the Cool Cities distinction: Step 1: Establish a campaign Find out if yours is a Cool City yet and, if so, which step it’s on in the process and what you do to help. If your city doesn’t have an activist lead yet, sign up. And if your city isn’t on the list, find out how to add it. Do this all at the Cool Cities website at www.CoolCities.us. 1) UK Expected to OK New Nuclear Power Plants 2) India Encourages Solar Power Plants Through Subsidies 4) Moorea Biocode Project to Analyze Impact of Global Warming on Ecosystems
1-15-07
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week 26: Living the Live Earth Pledge
"Glaciers are canaries in the global warming coal mine, sensitive measures of what's happening to our atmosphere," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "And glaciers are fracturing, liquifying, and flowing into the oceans at alarming rates."
So why is that a problem?
Two big reasons:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
Fifty years ago, the ice in Greenland responded to regional climate changes, and continued to do so up until the early 90s when melting started corresponding to global climate change. That’s according to a new study published in Journal of Climate, findings that suggest an even stronger link between the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and human-caused global warming. Click this link to read full story.
According to a study published in Nature Geoscience, the ice in Antarctica is melting even faster than expected. In just 10 years time, for example, ice lost during one 12-month period increased by 49 billion tons. Click this link to read full story.
Though it lacked the media coverage of debates among Democrats and Republicans, that didn’t stop the Green Party from holding its first presidential debate of the year among its five candidates. The Green Party will choose its candidate in Chicago in July. Click this link to read full story.
“Our country consumes huge amounts of plastic bags every year,” reads China’s government website. “While providing convenience to consumers, they have also caused serious pollution, and waste of energy and resources, because of excessive use and inadequate recycling.” The ban goes into effect June 1st. Click this link to read full story.
Determined to move away from fossil fuels, but not deterred by the danger of radioactive waste, Britain will allow the construction of new nuclear power plants, with no plans of limiting the expansion. Click this link to read full story here and here.
“This step will save nearly 20 tons of paper, or roughly 480 trees,” says the White House Budget Director of its decision to put the federal budget online instead of printing 3,000 copies at 2,200 pages each. Click this link to read full story.
India recently unveiled its new $2,500 Tata Nano. Though it gets 50 miles per gallon, environmentalists say it’s only going to do more harm than good. Before the Nano, just 7 in every 1,000 people in India own a vehicle. Now home to the world’s cheapest car, the number of new car owners (i.e., polluters) is expected to skyrocket. Click this link to read full story.
Consumers are responding to “Smart Grid” technology exactly as hoped – closely tracking their own energy use and adjusting it to use less. Not only did overall energy use decline among participants by 10 percent, but dipped even further – to a 15 percent decrease – during the more costly “peak” hours. Click this link to read full story.
Though the energy savings cannot come close to neutralizing the emissions produced by its airplanes, Singapore’s state-owned Changi Airport recently unveiled its $1.22 billion construction of a “green” airport terminal. The eco-friendly design includes skylights, a butterfly garden and 200 species of plants covering floor space the size of 50 soccer fields. Click this link to read full story.
According to a group of investors and green groups who are pushing banks to accept more environmental responsibility, most are falling short. They ranked 40 of the world’s largest publicly traded banks, and the median score out of a possible 100 was 42. Still, the results were promising: 1) 28 banks have calculated their greenhouse-gas emissions, 2) 24 have goals for reducing emissions and 3) 29 support alternative energy projects. Click this link to read full story.
My Wonderful World, a National Geographic-led campaign
1-7-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top 10 stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week 25: Living the Live Earth Pledge
Green your cube.
Whether you spend 40 hours a week in one of countless cubicles in a huge corporate office, or you run your own small business with just a handful of employees, how you work for a living directly impacts how the planet will ultimately work for you.
"If one million people shut down their office PCs overnight," writes author David de Rothschild, "we would eliminate up to 45,000 tons of CO2 per year." And that's just one of many cube-greening tips.
In addition to shutting off your computer at the end of the day:
Live Earth News Watch: Top 10 Stories
California and 15 other states say the Environmental Protection Agency has no legally valid reason to deny them the right to regulate their own vehicle emissions. In its decision, the EPA had said the new federal energy bill would enact tougher emission standards than the state’s proposals. California counters with this – the new federal energy bill would cut emissions by 8 million tons in the state; the state’s proposal would cut emissions by 17 million during the same time frame. Click this link to read full story here and here.
If you drive into the urban center of Milan, Italy, on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., you’ll be paying up to $14 a day for this polluting privilege, though eco-friendly vehicles are exempt. Click this link to read full story.
In yet another attempt to clear its skies before the hosting the Olympics in August, Beijing is requiring all gasoline retailers to sell only that which meets Euro IV fuel standards. Click this link to read full story.
As our dependence on oil and gas continues, so does its negative impact on the environment, and this time it’s the polar bears that are going to pay the price. The Bush Administration has OK’d the use of 29.7 million acres in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea for offshore oil and gas drilling. The area is home to one of only two polar bear populations in the country – a species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may soon list as endangered. Click this link to read full story.
“Japan hopes to lead the worldwide discussions in order to hand over clean skies to our children,” says Japan Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, whose country will lead the G*, or Group of Eight rich nations, in 2008. Fukuda’s plans include a proposal that all eight countries reduce emissions 50% below 1990 emissions by 2050 and a special climate change meeting before the official G8 summit in July. Click this link to read full story.
To make the big game in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 3 as eco-friendly as possible, the National Football League is 1) planting 9,000 trees throughout the state, 2) powering the stadium and NFL theme park with clean energy and 3) donating leftover food from bowl-affiliated events throughout the week to local food agencies that help the hungry. Click this link to read full story.
Thanks to what’s expected to be an unusually strong La Nina weather phenomenon this year, the Earth will be cooler than it has been in 8 years. Unfortunately, this is not a symptom of climate change finally going in the opposite direction. Not only will 2008 still be in the top 10 warmest years on record, but global warming is expected to escalate in the years ahead. Click this link to read full story.
Though nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years, Britain is one of several countries scoffing at the danger. Though Greenpeace criticizes the government’s public consultation for its flawed information, Britain is expected to give the official OK on new nuclear power plants this week. Click this link to read full story.
For every one-degree Celcius that the temperature rises, we will see an increase of 1,000 deaths a year. That’s according to a new study to be published in Geophysical Research Letters. “The study is the first specifically to isolate carbon dioxide’s effect from that of other global-warming agents and to find quantitatively that chemical and meteorological changes due to carbon dioxide itself increase mortality due to increased ozone, particles and carcinogens in the air.” Click this link to read full story.
If all goes according to plan, a huge kite-like sail attached to a cargo ship in the Atlantic Ocean will help the vessel cut down on 15% of its energy use. “The kite will be used whenever it is possible on the voyage,” says a spokesperson for the German-based shipping company, “and we are convinced it will revolutionize cargo shipping.” Click this link to read full story.
Cool Cities, solving global warming one city at a time
Step 2: Engage the community
Step 3: City signs the agreement
Step 4: Initial solution steps
Step 5: Advanced smart energy solutions
1-2-08
After reading this week's Essential Skill for Living the Live Earth Pledge, scroll down for our top stories and Live Earth Leader of the Week.
Week 24: Living the Live Earth Pledge
If you've ever gotten into a debate with family or friends over the legitimacy of global warming, and found yourself grasping at straws to make the best argument possible, Essential Skill #24 in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook is for you:
Convince a skeptic.
Author David de Rothschild offers this mock-conversation in hopes of helping you respond to skeptics who question the existence, proof, danger and cause of global warming, as well the impact of greener practices on our economy.
Skeptic: "Global warming?! Scientists can't even agree on whether warming exists, or how it might work if it does."
Response: "Virtually every credible scientific organization and study has concluced that the Earth is heating up, and that higher CO2 levels affect global temperatures."
Skeptic: "All this so-called 'proof' comes from computer programs and hypothetical projections. There's no real-world evidence of current climate change."
Response: "Climate scientists have been keeping accurate records of surface temperature for the past 50 years, and those records definitively show that the Earth is getting hotter -- a conclusion that's supported by data gathered from ice cores, satellites, and weather balloons."
Skeptic: "Then how come the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are getting bigger? If global warming were real, they'd both be shrinking."
Response: Actually, overall, both are shrinking. Greenland's ice sheet loses 48 cubic miles of ice per year. The amount of ice in certain areas may be increasing, but that's because global warming leads to global moistening, and the extra precipitation feezes and becomes ice where it falls. The bigger point: global warming is a shift in climate patterns over a span of several decades, not day-to-day change."
Skeptic: "Fine, but if global warming leads to milder winters, better farming, and longer summer vacations, why fight it? It sounds pretty good."
Response: "Rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and more frequent droughts don't sound good to me. The real concern is how quickly we're making the climate change. Rapid shifts don't give species (including Homo sapiens) time to adjust, and we're not only heating up the Earth to the highest temperatures in human history -- we're doing it faster than ever before."
Skeptic: "But carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas. Humans might have nothing to do with the increase."
Response: "I've heard that claim too. It was in an oil industry-funded ad that proclaimed, 'Carbon dioxide: They call it pollution, we call it life.' Each year, the burning of fossil fuels results in more than 24 billion tons of CO2 emissions worldwide. CO2 levels are higher today than they've been at any point in the last 650,000 years."
Skeptic: "Even if global warming is real, we can't stop it without ruining our economy and cutting millions of jobs."
Response: "Recycling is already a $50-billion-a-year industry, and within 10 years solar power is slated to generate $69 billion a year. There are plenty of opportunities for making money while reducing CO2. The Industrial Revolution got us here; there's no reason that a Green Revolution can't get us out."
If you want to know more, check out Grist's comprehensive "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic."
Live Earth News Watch: Top 5 Stories of the Week
Though Germany is phasing out nuclear power plants because of the safety concerns, Britain is building new ones in an attempt to meet its 2020 goals for climate change. “I don’t think the government has any other option,” says one analyst. “It’s a necessary evil. Click this link to read full story.
Determined to build a renewable energy infrastructure, India is offering subsidies for solar power plant production as a way of minimizing the high costs that would otherwise make this technology out-of-reach. Click this link to read full story.
3) Beijing Meets 2007 “Blue Sky Days” Target
Just three days before the end of the year, China was one day short of meeting its goal of 245 “blue sky days” in 2007. “I predict that we will be able to meet this year’s target in the last three days,” said a spokesman for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. According to a press release on the Chinese government’s official website, they not only met the goal, but exceeded it by one, recording 246 “blue sky days” in 2007. Now Beijing will aim to have even more "blue sky days" in 2008.
Cleaning up its skies is just one of many ways Beijing is trying to prepare for its hosting of the Olympics in August. Despite its efforts though, some events may be postponed if air quality proves that it could be harmful to athletes. Click this link to read full story.
Though Moorea is a small tropical in the middle of the South Pacific, scientists from the University of California at Berkeley say its ecosystem is complex enough to represent ecosystems throughout the world. So scientists are going to spend the next 3 years taking inventory of every single species in the ecosystem, including coral reefs. Among other things, the Moorea Biocode Project is expected to reveal how species respond to rising sea levels and temperatures. Click this link to read full story.
5) New Software Calculates Emissions Associated with Shipping Consumer Products
“Freight transportation is responsible for a substantial share of emissions of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases,” says Dr. Arpad Horvath of the University of California at Berkeley. In response, Horvath and other scientists have developed an online software that allows retailers to calculate the emissions associated with consumer purchases, providing them with an opportunity for offsetting these emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. Click this link to read full story.
Live Earth Leader of the Week
University of California at Berkeley
Considered one of the leading research universities in the country, the University of California at Berkeley is associated with two important developments associated with climate change in this week’s news.
UC Berkeley is leading the U.S.-French research team in the Moorea Biocode Project, a three-year undertaking during which scientists will inventory every species on the island of Moorea, an ecosystem considered complex enough to represent other ecosystems around the world in terms of the impact of climate change, among other factors.
The university is also associated with the new online software that enables retailers to calculate for consumers the emissions associated with the shipping of products so they can purchase carbon credits accordingly.
Click this link to learn more about the University of California at Berkeley Research.
Click this link for news Archives that go all the way back to the announcement of the Live Earth Concerts.
When we started this unofficial Live Earth website, Watch7-7-07.com, it was in response to the need we saw for all Live Earth supporters to spread the word about the Live Earth Concerts organized by Save Our Selves – 7 shows on 7 continents spanning one 24-hour period on 7-7-07 – raising awareness and resources to help solve the global warming climate crisis. Little did we know that hundreds of people from all over the world would come to depend on us – “The Watch Team” – for the most up-to-date Live Earth Concert information. We knew our daily unique visitors were growing fast, but were shocked to learn that nearly 3,000 people came to this website on 7-7-07 for info and links to the concerts shown live online at LiveEarth.msn.com. After months of documenting every detail leading up to the Live Earth Concerts, we preserved its history in our Archives. We also created an original series of Top Moments from each of the shows for anyone who wants to Re-Live the Concerts – a permanent record of the most memorable performances and speeches that helped launch the Live Earth Movement. After building such a strong base of interest, we realized that Watch7-7-07 had an opportunity to continue its Live Earth role – after watching the Live Earth Concerts, it’s time to watch the Live Earth Movement. Who We Are ... How To Recycle
ABOUT US
Kel K. is the visionary behind Watch7-7-07.com as a means of promoting the Live Earth Concerts, and now the Live Earth Movement. Kel is an environmentalist, soy candle artist and music promoter. To check out Kel's eco-friendly soy candles, go to Dripping In Color Soy Candles. And to check out her promotional work on MySpace, go to both Lily Wilson and Melissa Etheridge's eco-friendly street teams.
Meredith Simonds is the creative director, researcher and writer for Watch7-7-07.com. For more on her work, check out The Vegan Pledge.
Are you doing all that you can?
How To Buy Carbon Credits
Six steps to carbon neutral.
Are you Living the Live Earth Pledge?
Our Living the Live Earth Pledge Blog is a virtual expedition through The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. Every week we dedicate a blog to one of the 77 essential skills to survive (and stop) climate change, as discussed in the book by author David de Rothschild. Everything we learn and do will be in accordance with living the Live Earth 7-Point Pledge below. Please read it, live it, and, if you haven't yet, sign your name to it at LiveEarthPledge.org.
The Live Earth Pledge
1) To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth
2) To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral"
3) To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2
4) To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation
5) To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal
6) To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests
7) To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
Go To Great Links
1Sky
11th Hour Action
350
A Truly Inconvenient Truth
Act Now Blog
Adventure Ecology
Al Gore
Alliance for Climate Protection
An Inconvenient Truth
Avalaunch Festival
Bioneers
Blog Action Day
Campus Climate Challenge
Carbon Fund
The Carbon Neutral Company
Caring Consumer
Catalog Choice
China Dialogue
Climate Crisis Coalition
Clinton Climate Initiative
Cool Cities
Connect2Earth
Countdown 2010
Current TV
Daryl Hannah
Dripping In Color Soy Candles
Earth Day Network
Earth Hour 2008
Earth Lab
Eco-Libris
Eco-mmunity
Ecorazzi
Energy Star
EnviroLink
Environmental News Network
Ethical Weddings
Focus the Nation
Globespotter
GoVeg
Green Passport
Greenpeace
Greening the Capitol Initiative
Greenlight News
Grist: Enviro News & Humor
iGo Green
I Count
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC)
Laurie David
Leonardo DiCaprio
Lights Out America
Live Earth: The Concerts
Living the Live Earth Pledge
Local Harvest
MySpace Impact
My Wonderful World (for kids)
National Geographic
National Polar Bear Plunge
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Nature Conservancy
NPR Climate Connections
NukeFree.org
Official Live Earth Blog
One Billion Bulbs
Power Shift
The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment
RechargeIT Initiative
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Rock the Vote
Roots & Shoots (for kids)
Save Our Selves (Official Live Earth Website)
Sierra Club
Solar City
Solve Climate
Step It Up
Stop Global Warming Virtual March
Sundance Channel
The Climate Group
Treehugger
Tropical Rainforest Coalition
UN Framework Convention On Climate Change
U.S. Green Building Council
U.S. Conference of Mayors
The Vegan Pledge
We're In This Together
World Conservation Congress
WorldSpace Live Earth Blog
Live Earth Concert Performers
Click this link to Re-Live the Concerts through our picks of the most memorable moments from each of the shows.
Antarctica Live Earth Concert
Nunatak
Australia Live Earth Concert
Blue King Brown
Crowded House
Eskimo Joe
Ghostwriters
Jack Johnson
John Butler Trio
Missy Higgins
Paul Kelly
Sneaky Sound System
Toni Collette and the Finish (pictured)
Wolfmother
Brazil Live Earth Concert
Jorge Ben Jor
Jota Quest
Lenny Kravitz (pictured)
Macy Gray
Marcelo D2
MV Bill
O Rappa
Pharrell Williams
Vanessa Da Matta
Xuxa
China Live Earth Concert
12 Girls Band
Anthony Wong
Eason Chan
Evonne Hsu
Huang Xiao Ming
Joey Yung
Pu Ba Jia
Sarah Brightman
Soler
Wang Chuan Jun and Wang Rui
Wang Xia Okun
Winnie Hsin
Germany Live Earth Concert
Chris Cornell
Enrique Iglesias
Jan Delay
Juli
Katie Melua
Roger Cicero
Lotto King Karl
Mando Diao
Maria Mena
Marquess
Mia
Reamonn
Revolverheld
Sasha
Shakira
Silbermond
Snoop Dogg
Samy Deluxe
Stefan Gwildis
Yusuf
Japan Live Earth Concert (Kyoto)
Bonnie Pink
Michael Nyman
Rip Slyme
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Japan Live Earth Concert (Tokyo)
Abingdon Boys School
Ai Otsuka
AI
Ayaka
Cocco
Genki Rockets
Kumi Koda
Linkin Park
Rihanna (pictured)
Rize
Xzibit
South Africa Live Earth Concert
Angelique Kidjo
Baaba Maal
Danny K
Joss Stone (pictured)
The Parlotones
The Soweto Gospel Choir
UB40
Vusi Mahlasela
Zola
UK Live Earth Concert
Beastie Boys
Genesis
Black Eyed Peas
Bloc Party
Corinne Bailey Rae
Snow Patrol
Damien Rice
David Gray
Duran Duran
Kasabian
Foo Fighters (pictured)
James Blunt
John Legend
Keane
Madonna
Metallica
Paolo Nutini
Pussycat Dolls
Razorlight
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Spinal Tap
Terra Naomi
US Live Earth Concert
AFI
Akon
Alicia Keys
Bon Jovi
Keith Urban
Dave Matthews Band
Fall Out Boy
John Mayer
Kanye West
Kelly Clarkson
Kenna
KT Tunstall
Ludacris
Melissa Etheridge (pictured)
The Police
Roger Waters
Smashing Pumpkins
Taking Back Sunday
Washington D.C. Live Earth Concert
Blues Nation
The Breaking Wind
Garth Brooks
Native Roots
The Plateros
The Reddmen
Trisha Yearwood
White Oak Singers
Yarina
Watch the Truth
To buy or get more information about the 2007 Academy Award-winnning An Inconvenient Truth, go to ClimateCrisis.net.
Watch our Sponsors
Dripping In Color Soy Candles
10% from the sale of the 36-oz Earth Soy Candle go to the Alliance for Climate Protection. These eco-friendly soy candles are and handmade fresh to order with all-natural soy wax, biodegradable fragrances and unbleached cotton wick.
Get the Facts
1Sky
11th Hour Action
350
A Truly Inconvenient Truth
Act Now Blog
Adventure Ecology
Al Gore
Alliance for Climate Protection
An Inconvenient Truth
Avalaunch Festival
Bioneers
Blog Action Day
Campus Climate Challenge
Carbon Fund
The Carbon Neutral Company
Caring Consumer
Catalog Choice
China Dialogue
Climate Crisis Coalition
Clinton Climate Initiative
Cool Cities
Connect2Earth
Countdown 2010
Current TV
Daryl Hannah
Dripping In Color Soy Candles
Earth Day Network
Earth Hour 2008
Earth Lab
Eco-Libris
Eco-mmunity
Ecorazzi
Energy Star
EnviroLink
Environmental News Network
Ethical Weddings
Focus the Nation
Globespotter
GoVeg
Green Passport
Greenpeace
Greening the Capitol Initiative
Greenlight News
Grist: Enviro News & Humor
iGo Green
I Count
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC)
Laurie David
Leonardo DiCaprio
Lights Out America
Live Earth: The Concerts
Living the Live Earth Pledge
Local Harvest
MySpace Impact
My Wonderful World (for kids)
National Geographic
National Polar Bear Plunge
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Nature Conservancy
NPR Climate Connections
NukeFree.org
Official Live Earth Blog
One Billion Bulbs
Power Shift
The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment
RechargeIT Initiative
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Rock the Vote
Roots & Shoots (for kids)
Save Our Selves (Official Live Earth Website)
Sierra Club
Solar City
Solve Climate
Step It Up
Stop Global Warming Virtual March
Sundance Channel
The Climate Group
Treehugger
Tropical Rainforest Coalition
UN Framework Convention On Climate Change
U.S. Green Building Council
U.S. Conference of Mayors
The Vegan Pledge
We're In This Together
World Conservation Congress
WorldSpace Live Earth Blog
Live Earth Concert Performers
Click this link to Re-Live the Concerts through our picks of the most memorable moments from each of the shows.
Antarctica Live Earth Concert
Nunatak
Australia Live Earth Concert
Blue King Brown
Crowded House
Eskimo Joe
Ghostwriters
Jack Johnson
John Butler Trio
Missy Higgins
Paul Kelly
Sneaky Sound System
Toni Collette and the Finish (pictured)
Wolfmother
Brazil Live Earth Concert
Jorge Ben Jor
Jota Quest
Lenny Kravitz (pictured)
Macy Gray
Marcelo D2
MV Bill
O Rappa
Pharrell Williams
Vanessa Da Matta
Xuxa
China Live Earth Concert
12 Girls Band
Anthony Wong
Eason Chan
Evonne Hsu
Huang Xiao Ming
Joey Yung
Pu Ba Jia
Sarah Brightman
Soler
Wang Chuan Jun and Wang Rui
Wang Xia Okun
Winnie Hsin
Germany Live Earth Concert
Chris Cornell
Enrique Iglesias
Jan Delay
Juli
Katie Melua
Roger Cicero
Lotto King Karl
Mando Diao
Maria Mena
Marquess
Mia
Reamonn
Revolverheld
Sasha
Shakira
Silbermond
Snoop Dogg
Samy Deluxe
Stefan Gwildis
Yusuf
Japan Live Earth Concert (Kyoto)
Bonnie Pink
Michael Nyman
Rip Slyme
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Japan Live Earth Concert (Tokyo)
Abingdon Boys School
Ai Otsuka
AI
Ayaka
Cocco
Genki Rockets
Kumi Koda
Linkin Park
Rihanna (pictured)
Rize
Xzibit
South Africa Live Earth Concert
Angelique Kidjo
Baaba Maal
Danny K
Joss Stone (pictured)
The Parlotones
The Soweto Gospel Choir
UB40
Vusi Mahlasela
Zola
UK Live Earth Concert
Beastie Boys
Genesis
Black Eyed Peas
Bloc Party
Corinne Bailey Rae
Snow Patrol
Damien Rice
David Gray
Duran Duran
Kasabian
Foo Fighters (pictured)
James Blunt
John Legend
Keane
Madonna
Metallica
Paolo Nutini
Pussycat Dolls
Razorlight
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Spinal Tap
Terra Naomi
US Live Earth Concert
AFI
Akon
Alicia Keys
Bon Jovi
Keith Urban
Dave Matthews Band
Fall Out Boy
John Mayer
Kanye West
Kelly Clarkson
Kenna
KT Tunstall
Ludacris
Melissa Etheridge (pictured)
The Police
Roger Waters
Smashing Pumpkins
Taking Back Sunday
Washington D.C. Live Earth Concert
Blues Nation
The Breaking Wind
Garth Brooks
Native Roots
The Plateros
The Reddmen
Trisha Yearwood
White Oak Singers
Yarina
Watch the Truth
To buy or get more information about the 2007 Academy Award-winnning An Inconvenient Truth, go to ClimateCrisis.net.
Watch our Sponsors
Dripping In Color Soy Candles
10% from the sale of the 36-oz Earth Soy Candle go to the Alliance for Climate Protection. These eco-friendly soy candles are and handmade fresh to order with all-natural soy wax, biodegradable fragrances and unbleached cotton wick.
Get the Facts
Do Some Digging
For unbiased, factual information about global warming, check out the following links:
Global Warming, an article in the encyclopedia section at MSN's Encarta online reference guide. It's a comprehensive article, full of easy-to-understand explanations, such as this excerpt from the opening paragraph (if you read anything from this article, please read this for a general understanding of the global warming concept):
"The planet has warmed (and cooled) many times during the 4.65 billion years of its history. At present Earth appears to be facing a rapid warming, which most scientists believe results, at least in part, from human activities. The chief cause of this warming is thought to be the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, which releases into the atmosphere carbon dioxide and other substances known as greenhouse gases. As the atmosphere becomes richer in these gases, it becomes a better insulator, retaining more of the heat provided to the planet by the Sun." Click here to read the article in full ...
For more in-depth study, check out Wikipedia's series of articles on Global Warming, including those listed and linked to below:
Scientific Opinion On Climate Change
Global Warming Controversy
Renewable Energy
The Live Earth Carbon Assessment & Footprint Report
The Live Earth Movement was launched on 7-7-07 through the Live Earth Concerts on all 7 continents, featuring more than 100 artists. The goal of the event was not only to raise awareness and resources for the fight against climate change, but also to set a Green Event Standard for the hundreds of other large-scale live events hosted all around the world every single year.
Some of the key energy reduction strategies used during the Live Earth Concerts included:
- Energy efficient lighting
- Employee eco-training sessions
- Sets built with reusable/recyclable materials
- Running generators on biodiesel
- Recycling and composting
- Purchase of carbon offsets
- Signs made with agro-materials
- Bio-based inks and VOC-free paints
- Donations of signs and banners for future use
- Booking of local artists
- Encouraging musicians to fly commercial airlines
- Alternative-fuel buses and tour vehicles
- Fleet or fuel-efficient automobiles
- Merchandise made from organic or bamboo fibers with agro-inks
- Recycled tape for recording
- Encouraging attendees to use mass transit
- Recruiting local volunteers
After an 11-week accounting and auditing process, here’s what we know.
The Live Earth Concerts generated 19,708 tons of carbon emissions, 87% of which came from travel. Still, compared to other large-scale live events, this amount of carbon emissions was drastically lower considering that is was really multiple concerts rolled into one.
There was 97 tons of waste generated during the Live Earth Concerts, 81% of which was either recycled or composted:
- Japan diverted 99% of its waste
- South Africa diverted 97% of its waste
- Brazil diverted 86% of its waste
- China diverted 85% of its waste
- The US diverted 76% of its waste
As for mass transit to and from the Live Earth Concerts:
- 78% of China concert-goers used mass transit
- 75% of Japan concert-goers used mass transit
- 68% of UK concert-goers used mass transit
- 46% of Australia concert-goers used mass transit
- 33% of Germany concert-goers used mass transit
- 23% of US concert concerts-goers used mass transit
Click this link to read the full Live Earth Carbon Assessment & Footprint Report. Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Honorable members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen. I have a purpose here today. It is a purpose I have tried to serve for many years. I have prayed that God would show me a way to accomplish it. Sometimes, without warning, the future knocks on our door with a precious and painful vision of what might be. One hundred and nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life's work, unfairly labeling him "The Merchant of Death" because of his invention -- dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace. Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name. Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken -- if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose. Unexpectedly, that quest has brought me here. Even though I fear my words cannot match this moment, I pray what I am feeling in my heart will be communicated clearly enough that those who hear me will say, "We must act." The distinguished scientists with whom it is the greatest honor of my life to share this award have laid before us a choice between two different futures -- a choice that to my ears echoes the words of an ancient prophet: "Life or death, blessings or curses. Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency -- a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst -- though not all -- of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly. However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world?s leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler's threat: "They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent." So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun. As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising. The experts have told us it is not a passing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And the consistent conclusion, restated with increasing alarm, is that something basic is wrong. We are what is wrong, and we must make it right. Last September 21, as the Northern Hemisphere tilted away from the sun, scientists reported with unprecedented distress that the North Polar ice cap is "falling off a cliff." One study estimated that it could be completely gone during summer in less than 22 years. Another new study, to be presented by U.S. Navy researchers later this week, warns it could happen in as little as 7 years. Seven years from now. In the last few months, it has been harder and harder to misinterpret the signs that our world is spinning out of kilter. Major cities in North and South America, Asia and Australia are nearly out of water due to massive droughts and melting glaciers. Desperate farmers are losing their livelihoods. Peoples in the frozen Arctic and on low-lying Pacific islands are planning evacuations of places they have long called home. Unprecedented wildfires have forced a half million people from their homes in one country and caused a national emergency that almost brought down the government in another. Climate refugees have migrated into areas already inhabited by people with different cultures, religions, and traditions, increasing the potential for conflict. Stronger storms in the Pacific and Atlantic have threatened whole cities. Millions have been displaced by massive flooding in South Asia, Mexico, and 18 countries in Africa. As temperature extremes have increased, tens of thousands have lost their lives. We are recklessly burning and clearing our forests and driving more and more species into extinction. The very web of life on which we depend is being ripped and frayed. We never intended to cause all this destruction, just as Alfred Nobel never intended that dynamite be used for waging war. He had hoped his invention would promote human progress. We shared that same worthy goal when we began burning massive quantities of coal, then oil and methane. Even in Nobel's time, there were a few warnings of the likely consequences. One of the very first winners of the Prize in chemistry worried that, "We are evaporating our coal mines into the air." After performing 10,000 equations by hand, Svante Arrhenius calculated that the earth's average temperature would increase by many degrees if we doubled the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Seventy years later, my teacher, Roger Revelle, and his colleague, Dave Keeling, began to precisely document the increasing CO2 levels day by day. But unlike most other forms of pollution, CO2 is invisible, tasteless, and odorless -- which has helped keep the truth about what it is doing to our climate out of sight and out of mind. Moreover, the catastrophe now threatening us is unprecedented ? and we often confuse the unprecedented with the improbable. We also find it hard to imagine making the massive changes that are now necessary to solve the crisis. And when large truths are genuinely inconvenient, whole societies can, at least for a time, ignore them. Yet as George Orwell reminds us: "Sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield." In the years since this prize was first awarded, the entire relationship between humankind and the earth has been radically transformed. And still, we have remained largely oblivious to the impact of our cumulative actions. Indeed, without realizing it, we have begun to wage war on the earth itself. Now, we and the earth's climate are locked in a relationship familiar to war planners: "Mutually assured destruction." More than two decades ago, scientists calculated that nuclear war could throw so much debris and smoke into the air that it would block life-giving sunlight from our atmosphere, causing a "nuclear winter." Their eloquent warnings here in Oslo helped galvanize the world?s resolve to halt the nuclear arms race. Now science is warning us that if we do not quickly reduce the global warming pollution that is trapping so much of the heat our planet normally radiates back out of the atmosphere, we are in danger of creating a permanent "carbon summer." As the American poet Robert Frost wrote, "Some say the world will end in fire; some say in ice." Either, he notes, "would suffice." But neither need be our fate. It is time to make peace with the planet. We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war. These prior struggles for survival were won when leaders found words at the 11th hour that released a mighty surge of courage, hope and readiness to sacrifice for a protracted and mortal challenge. These were not comforting and misleading assurances that the threat was not real or imminent; that it would affect others but not ourselves; that ordinary life might be lived even in the presence of extraordinary threat; that Providence could be trusted to do for us what we would not do for ourselves. No, these were calls to come to the defense of the common future. They were calls upon the courage, generosity and strength of entire peoples, citizens of every class and condition who were ready to stand against the threat once asked to do so. Our enemies in those times calculated that free people would not rise to the challenge; they were, of course, catastrophically wrong. Mahatma Gandhi awakened the largest democracy on earth and forged a shared resolve with what he called "Satyagraha" -- or "truth force." In every land, the truth -- once known -- has the power to set us free. Truth also has the power to unite us and bridge the distance between "me" and "we," creating the basis for common effort and shared responsibility. There is an African proverb that says, "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." We need to go far, quickly. We must abandon the conceit that individual, isolated, private actions are the answer. They can and do help. But they will not take us far enough without collective action. At the same time, we must ensure that in mobilizing globally, we do not invite the establishment of ideological conformity and a new lock-step "ism." That means adopting principles, values, laws, and treaties that release creativity and initiative at every level of society in multifold responses originating concurrently and spontaneously. This new consciousness requires expanding the possibilities inherent in all humanity. The innovators who will devise a new way to harness the sun?s energy for pennies or invent an engine that?s carbon negative may live in Lagos or Mumbai or Montevideo. We must ensure that entrepreneurs and inventors everywhere on the globe have the chance to change the world. When we unite for a moral purpose that is manifestly good and true, the spiritual energy unleashed can transform us. The generation that defeated fascism throughout the world in the 1940s found, in rising to meet their awesome challenge, that they had gained the moral authority and long-term vision to launch the Marshall Plan, the United Nations, and a new level of global cooperation and foresight that unified Europe and facilitated the emergence of democracy and prosperity in Germany, Japan, Italy and much of the world. One of their visionary leaders said, "It is time we steered by the stars and not by the lights of every passing ship." In the last year of that war, you gave the Peace Prize to a man from my hometown of 2000 people, Carthage, Tennessee. Cordell Hull was described by Franklin Roosevelt as the "Father of the United Nations." He was an inspiration and hero to my own father, who followed Hull in the Congress and the U.S. Senate and in his commitment to world peace and global cooperation. My parents spoke often of Hull, always in tones of reverence and admiration. Eight weeks ago, when you announced this prize, the deepest emotion I felt was when I saw the headline in my hometown paper that simply noted I had won the same prize that Cordell Hull had won. In that moment, I knew what my father and mother would have felt were they alive. Just as Hull's generation found moral authority in rising to solve the world crisis caused by fascism, so too can we find our greatest opportunity in rising to solve the climate crisis. In the Kanji characters used in both Chinese and Japanese, "crisis" is written with two symbols, the first meaning "danger," the second "opportunity." By facing and removing the danger of the climate crisis, we have the opportunity to gain the moral authority and vision to vastly increase our own capacity to solve other crises that have been too long ignored. We must understand the connections between the climate crisis and the afflictions of poverty, hunger, HIV-Aids and other pandemics. As these problems are linked, so too must be their solutions. We must begin by making the common rescue of the global environment the central organizing principle of the world community. Fifteen years ago, I made that case at the ?Earth Summit? in Rio de Janeiro. Ten years ago, I presented it in Kyoto. This week, I will urge the delegates in Bali to adopt a bold mandate for a treaty that establishes a universal global cap on emissions and uses the market in emissions trading to efficiently allocate resources to the most effective opportunities for speedy reductions. This treaty should be ratified and brought into effect everywhere in the world by the beginning of 2010 -- two years sooner than presently contemplated. The pace of our response must be accelerated to match the accelerating pace of the crisis itself. Heads of state should meet early next year to review what was accomplished in Bali and take personal responsibility for addressing this crisis. It is not unreasonable to ask, given the gravity of our circumstances, that these heads of state meet every three months until the treaty is completed. We also need a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store carbon dioxide. And most important of all, we need to put a price on carbon -- with a CO2 tax that is then rebated back to the people, progressively, according to the laws of each nation, in ways that shift the burden of taxation from employment to pollution. This is by far the most effective and simplest way to accelerate solutions to this crisis. The world needs an alliance -- especially of those nations that weigh heaviest in the scales where earth is in the balance. I salute Europe and Japan for the steps they?ve taken in recent years to meet the challenge, and the new government in Australia, which has made solving the climate crisis its first priority. But the outcome will be decisively influenced by two nations that are now failing to do enough: the United States and China. While India is also growing fast in importance, it should be absolutely clear that it is the two largest CO2 emitters -- most of all, my own country -- that will need to make the boldest moves, or stand accountable before history for their failure to act. Both countries should stop using the other?s behavior as an excuse for stalemate and instead develop an agenda for mutual survival in a shared global environment. These are the last few years of decision, but they can be the first years of a bright and hopeful future if we do what we must. No one should believe a solution will be found without effort, without cost, without change. Let us acknowledge that if we wish to redeem squandered time and speak again with moral authority, then these are the hard truths: The way ahead is difficult. The outer boundary of what we currently believe is feasible is still far short of what we actually must do. Moreover, between here and there, across the unknown, falls the shadow. That is just another way of saying that we have to expand the boundaries of what is possible. In the words of the Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, "Pathwalker, there is no path. You must make the path as you walk." We are standing at the most fateful fork in that path. So I want to end as I began, with a vision of two futures -- each a palpable possibility -- and with a prayer that we will see with vivid clarity the necessity of choosing between those two futures, and the urgency of making the right choice now. The great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, wrote, "One of these days, the younger generation will come knocking at my door." The future is knocking at our door right now. Make no mistake, the next generation will ask us one of two questions. Either they will ask: "What were you thinking; why didn't you act" Or they will ask instead: "How did you find the moral courage to rise and successfully resolve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve?" We have everything we need to get started, save perhaps political will, but political will is a renewable resource. So let us renew it, and say together: "We have a purpose. We are many. For this purpose we will rise, and we will act." What Al Gore Said In His Opening Statement To Congress On March 21, 2007
Top 5 Quotes From An Inconvenient Truth
1) "The most vulnerable part of the earth's ecological system is the atmosphere -- vulnerable because it's so thin. My friend, the late Carl Sagan, used to say, 'If you had a big globe with a coat of varnish on it, the thickness of that varnish relative to that globe is pretty much the same as the thickness of the earth's atmosphere compared to the earth itself.' And it's thin enough that we are capable of changing its composition."
2) "I had a professor named Roger Revelle who was the first person to propose measuring carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. After the first few years of data, he intuited what it meant for what was yet to come. He showed our class the results of measuring after only a few years. It was startling to me. He was startled -- and I just soaked it up like a sponge."
3) "The ice has stories to tell us. My friend Lonnie Thompson digs core drills in the ice. They dig down and they bring the core drills back up and they look at the ice and they study it. When the snow falls, it traps little bubbles of atmosphere and they can go in and measure how much CO2 was in the atmosphere the year that snow fell. What's even more interesting, I think, is they can measure the different isotopes of oxygen and figure out a very precise thermometer and tell you what the temperature was the year that bubble was trapped in the snow as it fell. They can count back year by year the same way a forester reads tree rings. If you look at 1,000 years worth of temperatures and compare it to 1,000 years of CO2, you can see how closely they fit together."
4) "Now 1,000 years of CO2 in the mountain glaciers -- that's one thing. But in Antarctica, they can go back 650,000 years. In all of this time-- 650,000 years -- the CO2 level has never gone above 300 parts per million. There is one relationship that is far more powerful than all the others -- when there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer because it traps more heat from the sun inside. Carbon dioxide having never gone above 300 parts per million, here is where CO2 is now -- way above where it's ever been as far back as this record will measure."
5) "Starting in 1970 there was a precipitous drop off in the amount and extent and thickness of the Arctic ice cap. It has diminished by 40% in 40 years and now two major studies show that within 50 to 70 years in summertime it will be completely gone?. Right now the Arctic ice cap acts like a giant mirror; all the sun's rays bound off -- more than 90%. It keeps the earth cooler. But as it melts and the open ocean receives that sun's energy instead, more than 90% is absorbed. So there is a faster build-up of heat here at the North Pole -- in the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic in general -- than anywhere else on the planet."
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) Reports
About IPCC
In 1988, two organizations joined forces to study climate change. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Together they formed the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change "to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation." IPCC is open to all WMO and UN members and those involved in the reports include 2,500+ scientific expert reviewers, 800+ contributing authors, 450+ lead authors and 130+ countries. They released their first Assessment Report in 1990, a second in 1995, a third in 2001 and now they're in the process of releasing the fourth -- in four installments. "Mitigation of Climate Chane" is the third in this set of four installments.
Breakdown of the Reports
Summary of the Summary: A Breakdown of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
On November 17, the IPCC released its "Summary for Policymakers.". The summary is 25 pages. Greenlight News summarizes that into in this "Summary of the Summary" blog.
"Mitigation of Climate Change" (3rd Installment of 4th Assessment Report)
How are we going to stop global warming? Well, the IPCC has a pretty good idea, as indicated in its third installment of its fourth Assessment Report. The following information comes from the table on page 35 of the Summary for Policymakers.
Between now and 2030, the IPCC projects the commercialization of improved “eco-friendly” technologies and practices to help cool the planet in all of the following sectors:
ENERGY
* Carbon Capture and Storage for gas, biomass and coal-fired electricity generating facilities
* Advanced nuclear power
* Advanced renewable energy, like tidal and waves energy, concentrating solar and solar PV Transportation
* Second generation biofuels
* Higher efficiency aircraft
* Advanced electric and hybrid vehicles with more powerful and reliable batteries
BUILDINGS
* Integrated design of commercial buildings including technologies, such as intelligent meters that provide feedback and control
* Solar PV integrated in buildings Industry
* Advanced energy efficiency
* Carbon Capture and Storage for cement, ammonia and iron manufacturing
* Inert electrodes for aluminum manufacturing
AGRICULTURE
* Improved crop yields
FORESTRY/FORESTS
* Tree species improvement to increase biomass productivity and carbon sequestration
* Improved remote sensing technologies for analysis of vegetation/soil carbon sequestration potential and mapping land us change
WASTE
* Biocovers and biofilters to optimize CH4 oxidation
To see what’s commercially available NOW in each of these sectors, check out the table on page 35 of the Summary for Policymakers.
"Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" (2nd Installment of 4th Assessment Report)
The actual report is 1,572 pages, but the "Summary for Policymakers" is just 23. Information is presented in many comprehensive ways throughout, focusing on 6 specific areas of climate change impact -- 1) fresh water, 2) ecosystems, 3) food, fibre and forest products, 4) coastal systems and low-lying areas, 5) industry, settlement and society, and 6) health.
What's especially intriguing about the report is its breakdown of climate change by region. Particularly disturbing impacts are for each region are quoted below. Click here to read the report's 23-page "Summary for Policymakers" in full at IPCC's website.
AFRICA
"New studies confirm that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity."
"By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to an increase of water stress...."
"The area suitable for agriculture, the length of growing seasons and yield potential, particularly along the margins of semi-arid and arid areas, are expected to decrease.... Local food supplies are projected to be negatively affected by decreasing fisheries resources in large lakes due to rising water temperatures."
"Towards the end of the 21st century, projected sea-level rise will affect low-lying coastal areas with large populations.
ASIA
"Glacier melt in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding, rock avalanches from destabilised slopes, and affect water resources within the next two to three decades."
"Fresh water availability in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia particularly in large river basins is projected to decrease...."
"Coastal areas, especially heavy populated mega-delta regions in South, East and Southeast Asia, will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea...."
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
"As a result of reduced precipitation and increased evaporation, water security problems are projected to intensify by 2030 in southern and eastern Australia and, in New Zealand, in Northland and some eastern regions."
"Significant loss of biodiversity is projected to occur by 2020 in some ecologically-rich sites...."
"Ongoing coastal development and population growth areas ... are projected to exacerbate risks from sea-level rise and increases in the severity and frequency of storms and coastal flooding by 2050.)
"Production from agriculture and foresty by 2030 is projected to decline ... due to increased drought and fire."
EUROPE
"For the first time, wide ranging impacts of changes in current climate have been documented: retreating glaciers, longer growing seasons, shift of species ranges, and health impacts due to heat wave of unprecedented magnitude."
"Nearly all European regions are anticipated to be negatively affected by some furture impacts of climate change.... Negative impacts will include increased risk of inland flash floods, and more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion."
"The great majority of organisms and ecosystems will have difficulties adapting to climate change."
LATIN AMERICA
"Productivity of some important crops are projected to decrease and livestock productivity to delcines, with adverse consequences for food security."
"Sea-level rise is projected to cause increased risk of flooding in low-lying areas."
"Changes in precipitation patterns and the disappearance of glaciers are projected to significantly affect water availaibity for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.
NORTH AMERICA
"Warming in western mountains is projected to cuase decreased snowpack, more winter flooding, and reduced summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources."
"Disturbances from pests, diseases, and fire are projected to have increasing impacts on forests, with an extended period of high fire risk and large increases in area burned."
"Cities that currently experience heat waves are expected to be further challenged by an increased number, intensity and duration of heat waves during the course of the century...."
"Population growth and the rising value of infrastructure in coastal areas increase vulnerability ... with losses projected to increase if the intensity of tropical storms incresaes. Current adaptation is uneven and readiness for increased exposure is low."
POLAR REGIONS
"The main projected biophysical effects are reductions in thickness and extent of glaciers and ice sheets, and changes in natural ecosystems with detrimental effects on many organisms including migratory birds, mammals and higher predators. In the Arctic, additional impacts include reductions in the extent of sea ice and permafrost, increased coastal erosion...."
"In both polar regions, specific ecosystems and habitats are projected to be vulnerable, as climatic barriers to species' invasions are lowered."
"Despite the resilience shown historically by Arctic indigenous communities, some traditional ways of life are being threatened...."
SMALL ISLANDS
"Deterioration in coastal conditions, for example through erosion of beaches and coral bleaching, is expected to affect local resources, e.g., fisheries, and reduce the value of these destinations for tourism."
"Sea-level rise is expected to exacerbate inundation, storm surge, erosion and other coastal hazards."
"Climate change is projected by the mid-century to reduce water resources in many small islands."
"With higher temperatures, increased invasion by non-native species is epxected to occur...."
To read about the 1st Installment of the 4th Assessment Report, go to www.IPCC.ch.com.
Al Gore's Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2007 in Oslo, Norway
Now comes the threat of climate crisis -- a threat that is real, rising, imminent, and universal. Once again, it is the 11th hour. The penalties for ignoring this challenge are immense and growing, and at some near point would be unsustainable and unrecoverable. For now we still have the power to choose our fate, and the remaining question is only this: Have we the will to act vigorously and in time, or will we remain imprisoned by a dangerous illusion?
"There is a sense of hope in this country that this United States Congress will rise to the occasion and present meaningful solutions to this crisis."
"We've quadrupled human population in less than one century -- from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 6.56 billion today.... Having multiplied by four the numbers of people on this planet -- and we're going from over six and a half now to over 9.1 almost certainly within the next 40, 45 years -- that in itself causes a big change in the relationship between humanity and the planet."
"There are times, rare though they be, when a relatively small group is called upon to make decisions and show courage because the result of what they do will shape the prospects, not only for themselves and for their kin, but for all future generations."
"I came here today, Mr. Chairman, with some messages to the Congress and they'll be delivered to your offices. They're from 516,000 people who just in the last few days have responded to an email request that I sent out to say this hearing's been scheduled and I'd like to be able to tell the members of these committees that I'm not here by myself -- there are lots of Americans who feel as strongly as I do.... The folks that have contacted AlGore.com -- we've been getting a 100 new contacts per second in the last couple of days.... This is building. And it's building in both parties; the faith communities, the evangelical communities, the business leaders, 10 of the CEO's of the biggest corporations in America."
"I promise you a day will come when our children and grandchildren look back and they'll ask one of two questions. Either they will ask, 'What in God's name were they doing? Didn't they see the evidence? Didn't they realize that four times in 15 years the entire scientific community of this world issued unanimous reports calling upon them to act. What was wrong with them? Were they blinded and numbed by busy-ness of political life or daily life to take a deep breath and look at the reality of what we're facing? Did it seem perfectly alright to keep dumping 70 million tons every single day of global warming pollution into this earth's atmosphere? Did they think all the scientists were wrong?'
Or, they'll ask another question. They may look back and they'll say 'How did they find the uncommon moral courage to rise above politics and redeem the promise of democracy? And do what some said was impossible, and shake things up. And tell the special interest groups, Okay, we've heard ya and we're gonna do the best we can to take your considerations into account, but we're gonna do what's right.'"
"I believe that we should start using the tax code to reduce taxes on employment and production and make up the difference with pollution taxes -- principally CO2."
"This Congress should enact a moratorium on the construction of any new coal-fired power plants that is not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration."
"I believe this Congress should set a date in the future for the ban on incandescent light bulbs."
"The SEC ought to require disclosures of carbon emissions in the corporate reporting.... Stock holders ought to know that."
"I cannot possibly overstate the strength of the hope and good feeling that people all over this country have about this Congress and the new approach that they feel is being taken here."
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