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April, 2009
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Greenland, Day 8: We Reach the Summit
Day 8: The wind was still blowing hard when we woke up this morning. It was hellish outside but sweet inside our tent, so we gave ourselves a bit of a treat and stayed in bed most of the day catching up on conversation. I read a great and inspiring book that my friend (and daughter) Alexandra recommended: Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. It’s the story of Mortenson’s work building schools in the most remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan after a failed attempt to summit K-2, the second highest peak in the world.
Around mid afternoon the wind stopped as quickly as it started, a great relief. So we decide to go for the summit. The summit is kind of a joke as on this enormous icecap covering the whole of Greenland -- it feels like trying to identify the highest point on a bald person’s head.We packed up our camp around 4PM and trekked for six hours on an incline so gradual it was hardly noticeable. Thanks to our altimeter and GPS, we reached the highest point of our trek,...
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What's Happening: Swine Flu Tied to U.S. Pork Farms, Most Americans Air Polluted, and more
TOP STORY
Swine Flu: A Predictable Pandemic
The swine flu virus that is currently spreading across the globe has been known about for over a decade, and is tied to industrial pork-raising operations in the United States. "This type of virus emerged in the US in 1998 and has since become endemic on hog farms across North America. Equipped with a suite of pig, bird and human genes, it was also evolving rapidly." [New Scientist]
RECOMMENDED READING
Most Americans Live in Highly Polluted Areas
According to a study released yesterday by the American Lung Association, "sixty percent of Americans live in areas with unhealthy air pollution levels." Based on the most current air quality data reported to the E.P.A., the study found "that air pollution hovers at unhealthy levels in almost every major city and that 186.1 million people live in those areas." [The Associated Press]
Big Bucks For Renewable Energy Research
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced yesterday $193 million for renewable ene...
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Welcome to the Zen Den: Time to Feed Your Soul
Several years ago, I started a project called Explore. Through fact-finding missions to identify potential grant recipients, the Explore team gets an inside look at how non-profits work to alleviate global social problems in the areas of animal rights, health and human services, poverty, the environment, education and spirituality.
Explore.org showcases the knowledge gained through these travels, organized into an online library of philanthropy, consisting of short documentary films, photographic galleries, and interviews with the inspirational local leaders.
Over the course of my travels, I’ve found more than inspirational people whose selfless work is worthy of a broader audience. I’ve also experienced a renewed sense of calm on these voyages, and that too is worth sharing. Explore’s newest project, Zen Den, celebrates nature and its power to heal the soul. It is for those who wish to escape the urban squalor of everyday life and take in the serenity of our beloved pla...
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Greenland, Day 7: Panic in the Tent
DAY 7: I am sound asleep when I feel the whole tent lift up and begin to slide around. At first I thought that I had overslept and that Alain was playing a little joke by unfolding the tent while I was still in it. But when I saw him in his sleeping bag looking as alarmed as I was and I heard the wind howling outside our tent, I realized that the wind was behind the shakeup. Panic in the tent! Alain rushed out to stabilize the tent with ice screws and ice picks. We had not experienced winds like this since we arrived in Greenland, and were very tired last night, so we were negligent in anchoring the tent. (We have vowed that this will not happen again!)
The culprit is the katabatic wind, or Piteraq, as it is know in Greenland, where it has been recorded at speeds of 230 kilometers per hour along the East Coast. Katabatic winds are also known as fall winds because they occur when cold, high-density air flows from a high elevation to a lower elevation and is accelerated by the for...
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Does Regulating Industrial Agriculture Help Or Hurt the Clean Food Cause?
To regulate or not to regulate, that is the question. As HB-875 wends its way through Capital Hill, farmers like me are watching its progress with shock and fear. This so-called Food Modernization Act is really the euphemistic name for the largest assault against local, environmentally friendly, nutritionally superior food ever launched by industrial food advocates.Under the guise of food safety, this bill pushes forward an industrial agenda, using the power of law to accomplish what Monsanto by itself could not. Mandatory National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is designed to put prejudicial burdens on smaller producers. A Tyson chicken farmer only needs one Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) per factory house flock; a pastured poultry producer or backyard flock operator would need one implanted in every single chicken.
With 24-hour mandated up-do-date information, heaven help the backyard flock with a missing bird when the auditors show up to ...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 13: Arriving in Sarasota
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidification. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don't care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle.You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here. You can also check out my personal website with information about this and other adventures here.
I just finished perusing David Helvarg's, president of The Blue Frontier Campaign, Blue Notes E-news letter. It includes a lot of great articles including a wrap up of the very productive and exciting Blue Vision Summit. David recently published a new book about the Coast Guard. I love the Coasties! It always reassures me to see them on the water. They also have some great stories to tell. Come to think of it my...
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What's Happening: Specter Defects, Swine Flu, 100 Days of Obama, and more
TOP STORIES
As Specter moves to Democratic Party, will he help pass a climate bill?
Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter shocked Washington by switching to the Democratic Party on Tuesday. Will he provide the crucial filibuster-busting 60th vote to help pass climate legislation? "My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats than I have been for the Republicans ... I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture." [Grist]
Related:
- Senator Specter Changes Parties, Doesn't Change Climate Politics [WattHead]
Mexico Outbreak Traced to "Manure Lagoons" at Local Pig Farm
The first known case of swine flu was contracted by a 4-year old boy in La Gloria, Mexico. "The boy’s hometown...is close to a pig farm that raises almost 1 million animals a year. The facility, Granjas Carroll de Mexico, is partly owned by Smithfield Foods, a Virginia-based US company and the world’s largest producer and processor of pork produ...
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My new ocean film for NRDC out TODAY
Check out my latest film "Seventy-One Percent of Earth" - out today on the Natural Resources Defense Council's website!
It's a collaboration with the NRDC on the importance of creating Marine Protected Areas (like national parks on land) to revive our seas, with the help of a group of well-known big wave surfers: Rusty & Greg Long, Grant "Twiggy" Baker, Brian Conley, Frank Solomon and Anthony Tashnick.
All these guys use the ocean as their playground and spend lots of time in the water. They are keenly aware of the ocean environment and see the impact human behavior has on our oceans. Like most of us they are looking for ways to help protect the awesome environment of the ocean. It is easy to feel powerless in the huge challenges we face as humans on earth. But the key is to know that every voice counts. Often I feel my voice is tiny but then my voice combined with all other like-minded voices will create a powerful group of voices turning into one big voice that speaks up for what...
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Greenland, Day 6: The Infernal Climb
DAY 6: As usual, we start our morning ritual with a long, warm bubble bath followed by breakfast on the terrace with Belle Hill Farm eggs, Canadian bacon, and Cumberland sausages served on chinaware. While we eat, we look forward to the end of the day when we will get our 2-hour oil massages...
Wishful thinking.
Today we decided to give our skis a break so we loaded them onto Moby Dick, our trusty sled (see above). Our feet were our chosen mode of transportation as the terrain is a steady incline on an unbelievably chaotic glacier. It looks like a rough ocean with 6-foot-tall whitecaps, frozen solid.We zigzag through this terrain pulling our sled, which is much less disciplined than we are. Melting water rushes around us -- it is the kind of landscape that you normally find at the end of the summer. Alain curses a few times as he struggles to find a way through, bactracking several times to find a passage. The defining phrase of the day was Alain’s, when he said that he...
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Greenland, Day 5: A Lovely Day on the Ice
DAY 5: Another lucky day with the weather today: sunny and no wind, no major complaints.
Total distance traveled: 12 kilometers. (I prefer to measure in kilometers. It sounds more impressive than miles.) We left camp and headed up the frozen fjord, passing towering, 30-foot-tall icebergs that had broken off the glacier and lay stuck in the sea ice. We could clearly see that the glaciers around us were receding. Before we left Qaanaaq, the Inuits told us that this phenomenon has increased over the past five years.Once we reached the end of the fjord, the fun begun as we started climbing
up the slow incline of the Tugto Glacier. We made our way up through a small canyon made in the glacier where melting water forms a river in the summer. The surrounding landscape seems alien to me: mountains made of ice and rock, no vegetation. The only animals we saw were two ravens. They came out of nowhere and followed us for two hours and made for great company. Alain noticed tha... -
The National School Lunch Program: Time for a Makeover!
I believe that the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is in need of a complete overhaul. The inception of the program was predicated on the fact that there were malnourished children all across the country that couldn’t learn or think. As these same children grew into adulthood, they became a National Security liability, because many of them were too malnourished to become an active part of our armed forces. Along the decades the government has set about to assure that nutritious food was being served and the program came to feed over 30 million children a day with a price tag of over 8.5 billion dollars a year. Another function of the program was promoting large scale agriculture and what resulted was a system at odds, supporting large scale farmers, who often produced food that when consumed as the majority of a daily diet is not necessarily healthy and promoting children’s health. To my mind there is a clear case of conflict of interest in supporting agribusiness companies ... -
What's Happening: Clinton on International Climate Plans, Gas Drilling Threatens Drinking Water, and more
TOP STORY
Clinton: U.S. Will 'Lead The Way' On International Climate Plan
In her opening remarks to the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, Secretary of State Clinton recognized climate change as a "clear and present danger to our world," and pledged that the United States would "lead the way" in international negotiations to reduce global greenhouse gas pollution. Clinton "told environment ministers from the world's 17 largest economies that the Obama administration is 'fully engaged in negotiations toward a global emissions treaty.'" [Greenwire - New York Times]
AUDIO
An Aged Electric Grid Looks To A Brighter Future
"The nation's electricity grid is facing some huge challenges — it's outdated and unprepared for increasing demand and a future that includes more renewable sources of energy." The first in a 10-part series on the smart grid. [Morning Edition - NPR]
VISUAL
Visualizing The Grid - An Interactive Map
"The U.S. electric grid is a complex network of independentl...
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Greenland, Day 4: Polar Bears Pass Through Town
DAY 4: This morning was our last in Qaanaaq. During breakfast at our guest house, our host fed us one last polar bear story.
This year they have seen a record number of polar bears passing through the edge of town -- 10 sightings over the past six weeks, when it started getting light out after the long, dark Arctic winter. The reason is that the open sea is gradually moving closer to the village as the sea ice melts.
The good news for us is that it is not a dangerous time of the year for polar bear attacks. They only attack people when they are really hungry, which is only in the fall, as the winter darkness draws nearer and it becomes harder to catch seals. Even then they’re really only a risk when they haven’t eaten enough during previous months. (Polar bears need to start off the winter with a full stomach.)
At this time of the year, the females are with their babies and tend to run away from people. Males are busy looking for females and occasionally kill the babies ou...
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Possible swine flu pandemic was feared by many, years ago...
In June 2002, the Coalition Citoyenne Santé & Environnement was founded by citizens who were objecting to pig CAFOs in the province of Quebec. There were many reasons to not want industrialised pig farms, the same as in Europe and the United States: one that was mentioned many times is that these concentrated animal farms would be breeding pools for superbugs.
The fact that pigs are the stepping stone between the many avian viruses and man, and that antibiotics are regularly used in micro-dosing to promote fast growth in CAFOs made the threath of epidemics very real. Well, here we are, 7 years later. Swine flu has struck.
"New U.S. swine flu cases spread pandemic fears"
Here is the link:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/ -
An Unclear and Present Danger
In my personal opinion, there needs to be some major shifts in the priorities of our water quality treatment. My foremost concern is in regards to new and emerging contaminants or constituents, particularly pharmaceutical drugs. Whether you are aware of it or not, medical drugs have been finding their way into our drinking water at a staggering rate. Since not all drug residues are absorbed by the human body, every time you take a pill a fraction of the residue eventually finds its way down the toilet and back through the water system.
Unfortunately, most of our water treatment facilities are not properly equipped to detect all these drug residues, essentially giving these constituents a free pass to your tap. I believe that this has the potential to become a severe issue in the future, but the severity can be reduced if proper attention is paid to it now. Since having pharmaceutical drugs in our water is somewhat of a new concept, there is understandably less focus on the situatio...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 12: Surfing, Wind, Pelicans, and Navigational Snafus
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidification. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don't care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here. You can also check out my personal website with information about this and other adventures here.
The East wind was mostly at my back on the outside run from Bonita Springs to Sanibel Island. I surfed little wind swells from Estero Island almost all the way to the big bridge that connects the island to the mainland. The wind was my friend yesterday, except for some bouts along the East side of Pineland Island. Here I had to take a NE direction to make my way through the inland water. It was a much longer paddle...
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Greenland, Day 3: The Dying Hunters
DAY 3: The village of Qaanaaq is small and simple. Here about 100 families live quietly on the edge of a fjord far above the arctic circle. Farther north, in fact, than any other permanent settlement in the world. There are only six cars. Ski-doos are forbidden.
The traditional livelihood for the villagers is hunting and fishing, generally using sleds pulled by a team of twelve dogs (similar to Huskies). Today, there are only about 70 hunters left, as the job gets harder and harder and their revenue is steadily decreasing because of the dramatic changes that have fallen upon the region over the last 15 or so years.
Earlier today, we met Paulus Simigaq, a 42-year-old who has been hunting arctic wildlife (caribou, musk ox, polar bear, narwaal, walrus, seal, halibut and beluga whales) since he was five. Because so much of the sea ice that these hunters depend on is turning more and more into open water, the hunting territory is shrinking fast. The fjord has historically stayed fr... -
What's Happening: Swine Flu, California's Low Carbon Cars, and more
TOP STORY
World on Swine Flu Alert
"The United States declared a "public health emergency" yesterday as countries from New Zealand to Scotland investigated suspected cases of illness that they feared might be a strain of swine flu that has been identified in Mexico, the United States and Canada." This new flu strain, which is a dangerous combination of human, avian, and swine viruses, has infected over 1,000 people and killed at least 68. Officials at the World Health Organization warn that this outbreak could become a global pandemic. [Washington Post]
Related:
- "Swine flu outbreak linked to Smithfield factory farms." Tom Philpott makes the link between the outbreak's origins and the world's largest pork packer and hog producer. [Grist]
- "Contagion on a Small Planet." Andy Revkin on how "an urbanizing planet knitted by transportation is an extraordinarily welcoming world for infectious disease, particularly easily transmitted viruses like the flu." [Dot Earth-NY Times]
- Int...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 11: Wind and Smoke
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidification. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don't care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
My paddles seem to be plagued with lots of wind. In 2007, Chris Simons, a fellow East Coast paddler, and I could not believe the ferocity of the near constant north wind in our faces. Similar to today's paddle, we had forest fire smoke, so thick it burned our lungs. (This area of Florida has had some bad brush fires in the last few days, filling the air along the gulf with smoke)
Last year, when I paddled from New Jersey to Washington, DC--for my first partnership with NRDC--the winds, both NE and SE, made most o...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 10: Navigation
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidification. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don't care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
What a ripping awesome paddle yesterday. The wind howled at my back, giving me perfect little wind swells to ride. One boater turned around to see if I needed help and told me he thought it was getting nasty. "Nasty" is relative to what boat your in. In an outrigger, it can be fun-unless it's really, really nasty.
Navigational challenges abound around the south end of Florida. Paddling into Everglades City, I kept an outside course and almost missed the cut off for the Chokoloskee Bay. Being that far of... -
Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 8: Entering the Everglades
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidifictaion. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don’t care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
Back in the rythm after skipping the Key Largo to Flamingo Center paddle, and eager to turn in early, I am loving this part of Florida. The ICW provides much to look at, a never ending supply of wonderful folks with whom to socialize, and of course a close proximity to the pounding surf of the ocean I love.
The wildness and navigational challenges of the Gulf Coast sharply contrast the marked waterways on the Atlantic side of Florida. Following the points of land on the outside challenge me more, navigation...
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Top 10 Reasons Mother Nature is 'Too Big to Fail'
As the debate about how to revive our economy while sustaining our environment heats up, it's important to remember that the economic driver truly "too big to fail" is Mother Nature herself.
It's been calculated that nature's "Ecosystem Services" are worth over $33 trillion dollars a year – nearly double the size of the global economy. And while that figure is important for putting a value on Nature's contributions to the economy, it belies the fact that without nature we could not survive at all.
So the true value of natural services? Priceless.
In their seminal work "Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on BioDiversity," Harvard M.D.'s teamed up with Oxford University Press, the U.N. Environment Program, and famed biologist E.O. Wilson to compile a comprehensive picture of how diverse species and ecosystems provide "materials, conditions, and processes that sustain all life on this planet, including human life."
Here's a look at the Top 10 things Mother Nature does f...
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Greenland, Day 2: A Village Relocated
DAY 2: Last night we ate a curious looking steak. After we finished, I was told that it was whale! That explains the fishy taste of it.
This morning we flew to Qaanaaq--a four hour flight (with a stop to refuel) in a 12-seat propeller plane (a Dash 7) that makes the flight once every week. We finally arrived at our destination--the northernmost community on planet. Here in Qaanaaq, 600 Inuits live permanently in near total isolation.
The village of Qaanaaq used to be located 100 miles further south. Then, in 1950, the U.S. government in the height of the Cold War decided to establish a military base near the town, and brought several thousand Americans along with them. There were soon a number of problems integrating with the Inuits, so the Americans moved them north to Qaanaaq's present location.
We talked with a man who was two years old when the village was "relocated" by the U.S. The Americans brought 12,000 workers in to build the base, working alongside a Danish contractor...
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Saying Goodbye to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee
I've lived my entire 44 years in and around Knoxville, Tennessee.
I'm very sad to say that as each year goes by, The Great Smokies, as they're known to locals, are leaving us.
The traffic that goes thru this tremendous tourist attraction are killing trees. It barely resembles what I remember as a child, teenager and young adult.
In case you're not aware, the mountains are called the "Smokies" because as you drive up into the mountains you gaze upon, what looks like small clouds just sitting there between the valleys of these beautiful mountains.
They are also known as The Appalachan Mountains that run thru several south eastern states.
Now I don't go anymore and haven't in a few years, because I know each trip that I take to drive across the mountain to venture into Cherokee, North Carolina kills a few more trees, possibly also plants that can't be located anywhere else in the country, maybe even the world.
It TRULY is such a beautiful, unspoiled, vision to take in. And the AIR, can you...
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What's Happening: More House Climate Hearings, World's Rivers Drying, and more
TOP STORIES
Utilities Press House for Free Emissions Credits
Surprising noone on the second day of climate bill hearings in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, "power company executives amplified their call today for free emission credits...ensuring the public won't face skyrocketing electric bills." They asked for "40 percent of the proposed cap-and-trade program's allowances for free distribution to regulated local distribution companies (LDCs) within the electricity sector." [Greenwire-New York Times]
Fossil Fuel Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate
"For more than a decade the Global Climate Coalition, a group representing industries with profits tied to fossil fuels, led an aggressive lobbying and public relations campaign against the idea that emissions of heat-trapping gases could lead to global warming." But in 1995, the coalitions own scientists were already "advising that the science backing the role of greenhouse gases in global warming could not be refuted."...
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Greenland, Day 1: A Lesson in Luggage Lost
DAY 1: If there was a direct flight from New York City to Ilulisat, Greenland, it would take only about three hours. Unfortunately, the shortest route to the west coast of Greenland this time of the year is through Copenhagen. Meaning that we have to take an 8 hour flight east only to turn around and fly 5 hours northwest to Kangerlussat in Greenland. Then there's another one hour flight north to Ilulisat, where I am now. But we're not done yet. Tomorrow, we have our last flight up to Qaanaak, another three and a half hours north in a small twin otter.
And then the adventure really starts!
Well, that's what I thought. It actually started today, as my luggage didn't arrive with me in Ilulisat. The next flight isn't for another week, so I will have to do without!
Desperate for apparel, we rushed to a small Inuit clothing store before it closed, and found a few things that will complement the gear that my partner Alain will kindly share. Fortunately, there's a mountainee... -
Energy Boon or Dirty Boondoggle: Which Would You Choose?
Driving many conversations on energy and climate is a single question: What will the future look like?
Even if you're not interested in the environment, you've asked a similar question before. If you've ever wondered what the weather will be over your vacation, if you've ever filled out a sports bracket, or if you've guessed what gas prices will be like tomorrow, you've ventured a forecast.
Now, let me venture another guess -- hardly ever were you right. That was only one person, in one instance. In instances of collective forecasts, the problem can be worse. Consensus is rare. Opinions diverge, camps form and passions run hot.
When it comes to predicting the future of energy, this is especially true. For energy and environment experts, the question of what the future will look like is most often interpreted to be asking: how much longer will oil dominate?
In response, roughly two large groups have formed. On the one hand, there are those who predict that the age of oil is coming to ... -
HELP THE NRDC PROTECT OUR OCEANS
I recently finished a short film for the NRDC, it will be launched on their site in the near future. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to protect wildlife and wild places and to ensure a healthy environment for all life on earth. My film was done for the ocean program. The most important issue at hand is creating underwater national parks much like national parks on land. It is like creating the Yosemites of the sea, where wildlife can thrive safe from human threats. The few ocean parks that have already been created in the U.S. are home to more fish and bigger fish than unprotected areas. They give peace to the diverse world below the surface. And they are one of the best ways we can help our oceans fight back. Go to the NRDC's website for more info and look for my movie on their site COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU!!!!!!!!!!
It features the Long brothers, Grant " Twiggy" Baker, Brian Conley, Frank Solomon and Anthony Tashnick. Three of these guys were nominated in th...
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What's Happening: Obama's Earth Day, House Climate Talks, Dust Storms, and more
TOP STORIES
Obama Calls for New Era of Energy Exploration
At an old Maytag factory in Iowa that's been converted into a wind turbine parts manufacturer, President Obama called for a "new era of energy exploration in America." Speaking at Trinity Structural Towers, a 90-person firm that opened up after Maytag shut its doors in 2007, Obama highlighted the two potential energy paths ahead: "The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy." [AP-Google]
House Panel Begins Debate on Climate Bill
The House Energy and Commerce Committee commenced hearings on the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill yesterday. "As lawmakers deliberated on the benefits and costs of placing a national cap on carbon-based emissions, electric utility executives, environmental advocates and clean-technology entrepreneurs alike made their case in front of the panel as well as behind the scen...
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Destination: Greenland -- Why Go North?
PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE: It's a beautiful sunny day and I am relaxing at home in Connecticut with my wife Vicky and my three lovely and very funny daughters, Alexandra, Sarah and Laela. Spring has arrived, the birds are singing, nature is blossoming. I am about to leave for Greenland. I'll be gone for three weeks, and I have just gone to my desk to try to quickly answer the question: "Why am I doing this?"
But before I explain the why, I'll explain the what part of the equation. I'm flying to Thule, Greenland, which is also known as Qaanaaq. There I'll spend a day or two with the local Inuit community before strapping on skis and setting off to traverse the Humboldt Glacier -- the Northern Hemisphere's largest and fastest moving river of ice. My partner in crime is the famed Belgian explorer Alain Hubert, co-founder of the International Polar Foundation and a great defender of the Arctic environment.
Now onto that "why" question... The first two obvious reasons are "adventure" an...
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Making Every Day Earth Day
On its 39th anniversary, Earth Day still feels vital to me, but I know that some of you out there think that its time has passed. Everyday should be Earth Day, you say. Choosing just one, single day to say you care about the planet we call home -- what good is that?
The first Earth Day came at the end of a decade in which social activism drove this nation's political agenda. Moved by a desire to create that better world, we got together to fight for change the only way a large group of like-minded people could: we laced up our shoes and walked side-by-side. When you have to get together in person, well, you obviously need a specific day to meet up. And that day turned out to be Wednesday, April 29, 1970.
Some of us who fought for this country's first environmental protections make the mistake of assuming that because young people today are less likely to be found marching down the National Mall as the shopping mall, that they must not care as deeply as we did when we were yo...
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Climate Change and Restaurants: Introducing the Low Carbon Diet
When we at Bon Appétit Management Company first considered taking on the challenge of lowering the carbon emissions of our business, I admit, I was hesitant. I wasn't sure what fighting climate change had to do with serving great tasting food. I was apprehensive about the complexity of the science. I was concerned about implementing a Low Carbon Diet in our cafés while meeting all of our operational goals.
I needn't have worried. When Helene York, director of Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation first introduced the connection between food and climate change to an audience of chefs and managers, they were rapt. When our people learned that the food system is responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, they were concerned. As workers in commercial kitchens serving tens of thousands of meals every day, they realized that they had the power to make a real difference.
Over a three year period we pledged to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in the highest imp... -
Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 7: Miami Through Key Largo
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidifictaion. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don’t care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
Today was a no go for paddling. I don't usually let predictions of potentially bad weather stop me from going out, but this run from Key Largo to Flamingo, in the Everglades, had enough navigational issues that I figured I better think twice. So I sat it out and did some "housework" and catch up calls.
Yesterday's very windy, 50 mile paddle started off fantastically. Monk, a guy who I met via email prior to the Miami 2 Maine trip a couple years ago, joined me on the water at the Miami Beach Rowing Club. From...
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Walking the Talk
Though most people know me for my role as the host of the HGTV home improvement shows Carter Can and Red Hot & Green, they may not know that I pursued a degree in nutrition in college, or that my career as a carpenter began at age 12. Even at that young age, having a well-nourished and healthy body was very important to me. It’s only natural that my views on health and well being extend to the way we treat the environment, and I try to help HGTV viewers find ways to make their own lives healthier and more environmentally sustainable on Red Hot & Green. To me, it’s simple: When choosing building materials, why not select products that aren't harmful to the environment? With all of the new eco-friendly products available today, there are many ways for people to take simple steps to be green at home.
People are looking to increase the “green” in their everyday lives, but are often confused and overwhelmed by how to achieve it. To help clarify and show people how easy it...
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What's Happening: Earth Day, Solar Pope, Green Jobs, and more
Happy Earth Day!
TOP STORY
Climate Week on the Hill
Expect this to stay the top story all week. Whenever Congress sits down to discuss the most ambitious piece of climate and energy legislation ever seen in Washington, discussions that hold our future in the balance, it's worth paying close attention.
The EPA yesterday offered an opening shot: "Just days after declaring that carbon emissions were a threat to human health, the Environmental Protection Agency has given high marks to the bill." More importantly, it counters the standard "energy tax on the poor" argument regularly laid out by opponents of climate policies, proclaiming that "the cap-and-trade policy has a relatively modest impact on U.S. consumers," and that, if revenues from a carbon price are returned to the consumer, median and lower-income households "could be... better off than they would be without the program." [Green, Inc.-New York Times]
- Waxman-Markey analysis [EPA (pdf)]
SCREENING
Green Jobs on Earth Da...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 4: Pompano Beach, FL
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidification. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don't care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle.You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here. You can also check out my personal website with information about this and other adventures here.
Thanks to my gracious boat hosts in Pompano, today saw an incredibly smooth departure. Once again, the wind pushed me through the Intracoastal Waterway at a pretty good clip. Blue skies, puffy clouds, and wind at your back make for a pretty perfect day. Since I only had 14 miles to go, it felt like a day off, and so I meandered along the waterway, taking a picture here and there of interesting sites, like one of the man...
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What's Happening: Climate Week Kicks Off in the House, Indigenous Climate Summit, and more
TOP STORY
Climate and Energy Week in the House
Beginning today at 3pm, "house Democrats will begin the sprint toward global warming legislation this week with a series of hearings featuring high-ranking Obama administration officials and dozens of other witnesses to discuss the expansive climate and energy measure unveiled last month." The Energy and Commerce Committee will explore the 648-page draft climate and energy bill in what Ed Markey promises to be "an exhaustive set of hearings." [ClimateWire-New York Times]
RECOMMENDED READING
Coal Plant Protesters Arrested
Charlotte, North Carolina police reported that 44 anti-coal protesters were arrested Monday near the headquarters of Duke Energy, "the largest utility in the state and serves about 4 million electric customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky." Activists were calling for construction to halt on the Cliffside Power Plant, a "$2.4 billion coal-fired generator [that] will pump tons of carbon dioxide and other p...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 3: Boca Raton
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidifictaion. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don’t care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
Strong winds pushed me down the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) from Riviera Beach, leaving me a full hour and a half ahead of schedule with time to cool my heels. During that wait a man came out of a house to chat with me about my boat. Perhaps Eric McNett of Eastern Outrigger will have another customer, I don't know, but it certainly would be the very least I can do for Eric, who's donation of the boat has really made these "paddles for the Ocean" possible. Another wonderful donation that keeps on giving is Mic...
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A food revolution in the making from Victory Gardens to White House Lawn
Last month, First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground for a new vegetable garden on the South lawn of the White House. It's the first time food will be grown at the President's residence since Eleanor Roosevelt planted her Victory Garden during World War II. Back then, as part of the war effort, the government rationed many foods and the shortage of labor and transportation fuel made it difficult for farmers to harvest and deliver fruits and vegetables to market. The First Lady's Victory Garden set an example for the entire nation: they too could produce their own fruits and vegetables. Nearly 20 million Americans answered the call. They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots, and even on city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different types of produce, and formed cooperatives--all in the name of patriotism.
By the time the war ended, home gardeners were producing 40 percent of the United States' produce. They aided the war effort by creating local food networks th...
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What's Happening: Endangerment, Drugs in Water, Goldman Prize, and more
TOP STORY
EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases a Threat to Public Health
In a long-anticipated announcement, the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that greenhouse gases "pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that could trigger a series of federal regulations affecting polluters from vehicles to coal-fired power plants." This "endangerment" finding "is likely to intensify pressure on Congress to pass legislation that would limit greenhouse gases, as President Obama, many lawmakers and some industry leaders prefer." [Washington Post]
SPECIAL NRDC LIVE CHAT: Join David Doniger for a live online discussion about the EPA's endangerment determination on Monday, April 20, at 1 p.m. Eastern on NRDC's Switchboard blog. You can submit questions in advance via the Comments on this post.
Related:
- Proposed Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under the Clean Air Act [EPA]
- How to submit a written comment to the EPA about this finding and wher...
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Healthy Oceans Paddle, Day 2: Stuart, Florida
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidifictaion. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don’t care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
Another beautiful day. More boats on the water today than yesterday. Could be the weather, could be the extremely affluent neighborhood I was paddling through (Jupiter, Palm Beach). I did retrieve a couple of the usual plastic bags, but mostly it was a relaxing paddle with wind at my back.
I ran into an old friend, Woody, who drives a TowBoatUSA boat in the Stuart area. He's a great guy, and two years ago escorted me into Stuart to the Pirate's Cove. Once again I got to stay there, but this time with my family. Wo...
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What's Happening: High-Speed Rail, Dead Sardines, Offshore Arctic Drilling, and more
TOP STORY
Obama Pushes Vision for High-Speed Rail
President Obama yesterday "declared his intention to build a nationwide system of high-speed rail lines in some of the country's most populated corridors," calling upon tranportation administrators to "make no little plans." The administration has identified ten corridors ranging in length from 100-600 miles (see map below) that will benefit from the $8 billion dedicated to high-speed rail in the stimulus package, and more funds that Obama is requesting in his budget.
What we're talking about is a vision for high-speed rail in America. Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city. No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. (Laughter.) Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would b...
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Launch of Thousand-Mile Paddle for Healthy Oceans
I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans. My goal is to build support for a Healthy Oceans Act and steps to protect our oceans from global warming and ocean acidifictaion. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don’t care, I paddle to inspire. I am documenting my journey on this blog during the month-long paddle. You can read more about the paddle, see photos, and take action here.
Yesterday's departure from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute was a very fitting place to begin my 1000 mile journey to New Orleans. The work they are doing boggles the mind. They do a lot of stuff with submersibles, among other things, and are capable of exploring conditions and creatures 3000 feet down. Not only does what they learn from their studies benefit us land-lubbers, especially when they discover new medicinal uses for the chemicals produced by various sponges and corals, but the conservation...
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What's Happening: Pesticide Tests, Superfund Stimulated, Outer Space Solar, and More
TOP STORY
EPA Calls for Pesticides Tests
The Environmental Protection Agency has called upon pesticide manufacturers to test 67 chemicals used in their products to determine if they threaten or disrupt the endocrine system in human and other animal populations. "Researchers have raised concerns that chemicals released into the environment interfere with animals' hormone systems, citing problems such as male fish in the Potomac River that are bearing eggs." The tests, which will eventually cover all chemicals used in pesticides, "will begin this summer and will focus on whether these chemicals affect estrogen, androgen and thyroid systems." [Washington Post]
RECOMMENDED READING
Germany Bans Genetically Modified Corn
German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner announced a ban on the cultivation of MON 810, a GM corn. Sale of the seed will also be prohibited. Aigner emphasized that this should be noted as an "individual case and not as a statement of principle regarding future pol...
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What's Happening: Valley Fever, New Greenpeace Chief, Texas Wind, Andy Rooney, and More
TOP STORY
Valley Fever Fueled by Warming Southwest
Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is a fungal disease endemic to the southwestern United States. Cocci spores are propelled by the wind and fine airborne particulates, and health experts are saying that "global warming will multiply the incidence due to increased airborne dust and sandstorms." The numbers show this endemic disease is already on the rise: "Higher wind speeds and drought upped Arizona’s yearly count from 33 cases of valley fever per 100,000 in 1998 to 43 per 100,000 in 2001...The number of cases in Arizona more than quadrupled from 1997 to 2006, according to a Mayo Clinic study. During that same period, incidence rates in California jumped from 2.5 to 8.4 cases per 100,000 people." [Daily Climate]
LISTENING BOOTH
India's Green Revolution, launched more than 40 years ago, ushered industrialized agriculture into the northern state of Punjab. Through the national program "Indian farmers started growing crops ...
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Setting out for New Orleans--only 1200 miles to paddle
Our ocean is in trouble. This amazing resource that provides us with food, recreation, respite, and the air we breathe, also plays a major part in regulating weather. Its ability to do that, as well as to sustain the many life-forms depending on it, including us, become compromised with the increasing rise in its temperatures, the melting of polar sea ice, and the acidification of its waters.
So with all this going wrong in our oceans and planet, does no one know or does no one care? This is why I am partnering with NRDC to paddle my outrigger canoe 1200 miles around Florida and west to New Orleans, starting tomorrow. For those who do not know, I paddle to inform and for those who don’t care, I paddle to inspire. I plan to document my journey on this blog for the next three weeks, and you can read more about it and see photos here.
I'm not a professional paddler, but a mom of two kids. So yes, I’m a mother who is away from her children while I am “at sea”, by my own voli...
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What's Happening: Waterless Mexico City, MTR Illustrated, Bluefin Tuna Nearly Gone, and More
TOP STORY
Mexico City Runs Dry
"About five million people, or a quarter of the population of Mexico City's urban sprawl, woke up Thursday with dry taps." Depleting reservoir supplies have lead the Mexican government to order five water stoppages leading up to summer's (hopefully) rainy season. Said Felipe Arreguin, under director of the National Water Commission, "We had to have the stoppages now to make sure that some supply can continue until the rain in June." Experts hold up wasteful consumption, climate change, and deforestation as factors contributing to the shortage. [Time]
MUST SEE
Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Illustrated
Future Grows More Hazy for Mountaintop Mining [Washington Post]
RECOMMENDED READING
Overfishing to Wipe Out Bluefin Tuna
Analysis from the conservation group WWF has found that overfishing "will wipe out the breeding population of Atlantic bluefin tuna...in three years unless catches are dramatically reduced." A two-month open fishing season begins ...
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A Bad Economy Makes For A Bad Environment
As the markets have gone down, long-held assumptions have been thrown up and into the air. Economic theories, and not just the value of our homes and our retirement accounts, are coming undone. In some cases, that may just be a good thing.
Consider the argument that climate change solutions, no matter what you may think about the science, are simply too costly. This has long been a stock argument of the political right. Indeed, it was one of the publicly stated reasons President George W. Bush chose not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
The logic is fairly simple. Because greenhouse gas emissions are so deeply embedded in our purchases and productivity, people have argued that a strong climate response will require a weakening of our economy. It's been presented as a choice: you can have either a stable climate, or you can have economic growth. Now -- choose.
It is true that carbon is deeply embedded in our processes of production and consumption. For this reason, steps towards decarbo... -
What's Happening: WaPo: "Arctic Sea Ice is Melting," High-Speed Rail, Solar Cooker, and More
TOP STORY
"Make no mistake, Arctic Sea ice is melting."
So begins a Washington Post editorial that implicitly acknowledges the mistakes and misstatements in Op-Ed columnist George Will's three recent columns. "According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the maximum extent of the winter sea ice cover for 2008-09 was the fifth-lowest on record...Global warming is doing a number on Arctic Sea ice." [Washington Post Editorial]
RECOMMENDED READING
Changing Rains
The world is already bearing witness to climate change's impacts on precipitation patterns. What's in store? OnEarth contributor Elizabeth Kolbert says, "Look for floods where it's already wet and deeper droughts where water is scarce." [National Geographic]
A Future for High-Speed Rail
Some money for high-speed rail was slipped into the stimulus plan, but not enough to actually build even one system. "Roughly six proposed routes with federal approval for high-...
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Chemical Giants, Regulators and Governments Fiddle While Honeybees Burn
As many of you know, populations of honeybees have, in recent years, been tragically and "mysteriously" disappearing around the world.
I say "mysteriously" with some sarcasm, because pesticides are already known to be one of the factors. Yet, instead of removing these known toxins from the market, ever-more harmful ones are, shamefully, being approved!
Not only do the bees produce our honey, they are our most important pollinators, responsible for the production of up to one-third of the human food supply!
Despite countless studies into the phenomenon, which has been dubbed "Colony Collapse Disorder," nothing is being done and the bees continue to disappear.
So I'm not really optimistic for the future of these wondrous creatures.
Why? Because we have now let harmful chemicals insinuate themselves so completely into our lives, we can no longer separate reality from industry or government hype.
Some Manitoba beekeepers are themselves concerned about chemicals now being sprayed on crop...
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What's Happening: MTR Reeling, Florida's Solar City, Austalia, and more
TOP STORY
E.P.A. Halts Three More Mountaintop Removal Permits
In what's becoming a recurring headine, the E.P.A. is " is objecting to three more federal permits for mountaintop-removal coal mining," expressing "concern that the permits would threaten water quality," and "saying they failed to adequately account for the effects of dumping rock from blasted mountaintops into valley streams and rivers." [Greenwire-NY Times]
RECOMMENDED READING
Solar-Powered City in the Sunshine State
An old NFL lineman (turned developer) yesterday unveiled a "startlingly ambitious plans for a solar-powered city of tomorrow in southwest Florida's outback, featuring the world's largest photovoltaic solar plant, a truly smart power grid, recharging stations for electric vehicles and a variety of other green innovations." [Time]
What Will Global Warming Look Like? Australia
Many climate scientists are looking to Australia as global warming's "harbinger of change." The nation is "beset by prolonged drought...
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Why Save the Artic National Wildlife Refuge - Up Close and Very Personal
After rafting and hiking for 12 days in June of 2006 from the upper watershed of the Hulahula River through the Alaska Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea, all through ANWR, my wife and I appreciate more than ever why renewable energy must be developed in lieu of oil exploration in ANWR, on and off shore. Above, two of our group are climbing for a high view of the Hulahula valley. In the background is Mt. Michelson. Below, the view overlooking our campsite on the extensively braided Hulahula.
The above picture illustrates the incredible beauty, contrast and life found in ANWR.
Below, we nose up to the "old" ice on the Hulahula in the coastal plain as we get closer to the Beaufort Sea.
With the temperature in the upper 30s F and in a strong wind, the below mother Eider duck hunkers down on the barrier and stunningly barren Aery Island to care for her eggs, determined not to move even for a distant photographer. The male will leave the nest area to act as a decoy.
A graveyard of tre...
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You Are What You Throw Away
In our consumer-driven society, producing trash occurs more regularly than bowel movements for most people. We use what we need, dispose of the rest and move on with little thought. Trash is removed from our sight and our lives as quickly as possible. We do not think of trash as a reflection of ourselves, but if we are what we eat, we are even more what we throw away.
Bard College performed abysmally in the 2009 Recyclemania competition, a contest between universities to promote recycling and waste awareness where recycling rates are carefully tracked. My college managed to recycle just 23% of its solid waste, while the most efficient colleges recycled over 80%. In the wake of the competition, a small group of students from the Environmental Collective and Zero-Waste Initiative clubs decided to conduct a waste audit in one of the college’s largest dorms. If our recycling rate was so low, what were we throwing away?
For the audit, we collected trash accumulated over ten hours from a ...
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What's Happening: Geoengineering, Endangered Rivers, Andean Glaciers, and more
TOP STORY
Climate Geoengineering "On The Table" in Obama White House
In a stunning revelation, the White House science advisor John Holdren admitted that "tinkering with Earth's climate to chill runaway global warming...is being discussed inside the White House as a potential emergency option." The concept, called geoengineering, would be a last resort option, but one that needs to be taken seriously considering the climatic tipping points the world is approaching. "It's got to be looked at," said Holdren. "We don't have the luxury ... of ruling any approach off the table." He compared our global warming track akin to being "in a car with bad brakes driving toward a cliff in the fog." Long considered a radical idea, Holdren is certainly the highest level government figure ever raising this issue. [AP]
RECOMMENDED READING
America's Most Endangered Rivers
American Rivers, a conservation group, has released a list of the ten most endangered rivers in the U.S. Atop the list i...
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What's Happening: Climate & Economy, George Will Friendly Fire, Cap and Dividend, Perc
TOP STORY
Climate and Economy: Still Hand in Hand
Since taking office, the Obama administration has stuck to a very clear and direct message: action on climate change and the economy go hand in hand. Everyone from the media, a Republican congress, heads of the fossil fuel industry, and even members of their own party have perpetuated the false environment-economy dichotomy, but the White House hasn't wavered. Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said yesterday, "The carbon price signal created by a cap-and-trade system will encourage energy efficiency, the low-hanging fruit of greenhouse gas emissions reductions...More importantly, it will also encourage the development and deployment of the clean-energy technologies that will be critical to address climate change, enhance energy security and create jobs that can't be outsourced." [Greenwire-NY Times]
QUOTATIOUS
"The new evidence — including satellite data showing that the average multiy...
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Balancing Renewable Energy Projects & Public Lands Stewardship
America is on the verge of a renewable energy gold rush. Hundreds of applications for wind and solar projects have been filed on public lands. I think this is long overdue. We need sustainable energy to help us reduce global warming pollution, and we need it fast. But if we don't handle this boom carefully, unspoiled wildlands will get trammeled in its wake. Right now, we have an opportunity to start the clean energy era off right.
It begins with agreeing which sensitive areas should remain undeveloped. Wind and solar power are pollution free, but they are not impact free. They leave an industrial footprint on the land, and some pristine places would be forever altered by their presence.
That's why my friends at NRDC got together with Google Earth and started mapping out public lands where renewable development is not appropriate. Some of the spots colored in on the map are obvious--national parks, wilderness areas, and national monuments where energy development is already prohib... -
What's Happening OnEarth- Tuesday, April 7th
TOP STORY
Arctic Melt: Thinning Up Top
Yesterday we brought news of a massive ice shelf collapse in Antarctica. Today our attention is drawn north, where NASA reports that the total volume of sea ice in the Arctic reached a record low last summer, and that the existing ice cover is also thinning. Thin ice that melts and re-freezes every year now makes up about 70% of the Arctic, up from 40%-50% two decades ago. Thick ice that has lasted two or more years has fallen to about 10%, down from 30%-40%, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. (See animation below.) [Guardian]
Related:
- Satellites Show Arctic on Literally Thin Ice [NASA]
RECOMMENDED READING
Now Back Down South
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared at the " first-ever joint session of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting." Of the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, Clinton said, "The genius of the Antarctic Treaty lies in its relevance today. It was written to meet the chall...
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The Road Less Traveled
Stecoah Gap sits, at 3,165 feet, in a high saddle in western North Carolina's Cheoah Mountains. It's a quiet place - a weatherbeaten, two-lane state highway crosses the mountains in the gap, amid a thick tangle of hardwoods, wildflowers, and the white-blazed footpath of the Appalachian Trail. Black bears lumber across the road from time to time. Brightly-colored salamanders scuttle underfoot.
But Stecoah Gap is getting attention not for what lives in its forests and nearby coves, but for what lies beneath. Last year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation released its plans to drill a 2,870-foot long tunnel almost 500 feet below Stecoah Gap, as part of a project aimed at building a mostly four-laned highway across the southern Appalachian highlands of North Carolina and Tennessee.
Deemed Corridor K, the road-building project is part of the larger Appalachian Regional Commission's Appalachian Development Highway Program, authorized by Congress in 1965 to build modernized highw...
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What's Happening OnEarth- Monday, April 6th
TOP STORY
Massive Antarctic Ice Bridge Collapses
An ice bridge holding a vast Antarctic ice shelf in place has shattered. The BBC files a video report:
[BBC]
Related:
- "Breakaway ice shelf will reshape map of Antarctic." [Times Online]
RECOMMENDED READING
E.P.A.'s Most Wanted
The "E.P.A. Fugitives" List "was established in December to try to draw attention to serious environmental crimes." There are now 180 FBI agents "fully authorized with arrest powers, carrying firearms,” to find and arrest the 21 environmental fugitives on the list. [New York Times]
Dead Ducks in Alberta Toxic Ponds
A Syncrude Canada executive reported that 1,606 ducks died in ponds that contain toxic waste from the oil sands extraction process in northern Alberta. [AP-Huffington Post]
Debunking Climate Myths
Dave Roberts has heard every bit of misconception, mistaken conventional wisdom, and myth surrounding climate and energy issues. Time to take them on: "Forthwith, an effort to debunk the mai...
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What's Happening OnEarth- Friday, April 3rd
TOP STORY
Climate the "Biggest Loser" at G20
The G20 meetings and agreement (written as a communique) have climate experts and activists up in arms, saying that the announced $1.1 trillion stimulous package "risks locking the world into a high-carbon economy in which greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise" and that these meetings were a huge "missed opportunity." The communique spends only two paragraphs ("tacked on the end") commenting on a low-carbon economy and climate change neogiations, and the British government "lost the battle to include a commitment to spend a substantial share of the economic stimulus on low-carbon recovery projects." [Guardian]
Related:
- George Monbiot worries that "our leaders have learnt nothing from the financial crisis," and is outraged that "The environmental clauses - which contradict almost everything that goes before - have been tacked onto the end of the communique as an afterthought. No new money has been set aside. No new ideas are proposed; j...
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What's Happening OnEarth- Thursday,
TOP STORY
Reactions to Waxman-Markey Climate and Energy Bill
- Joe Romm says it's a "solid bill" and a "good first step," and gives it a B+. [ClimateProgress]
- Dave Roberts thinks that lumping all the energy and climate legislation together in one bill is smart. [Grist]
- Bradford Plumer wonders how the carbon permits will be distributed. [The Vine-The New Republic]
RECOMMENDED READING
China To "Conquer" Global Electric Car Market
A Chinese company known for manufacturing batteries, BYD, will release a fully electric sedan later this year and "plans to dominate the global market for clean-transport." The company's name stands for "Build Your Dreams, which prompted snickers when the company debuted in US car shows last year, as did the soaring ambitions of the founder Wang Chuanfu, who has stated that BYD will be the biggest carmaker in China by 2015 and the biggest in the world by 2025." [Guardian]
Nestle in Bottled Water War
The Nestle company is gearing up for a legal battle over...
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What's Happening OnEarth- Wednesday, April 1st
TOP STORIES
House Kicks Off Climate "Discussion"
House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders, Ed Markey (D-MA) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), introduced a much-anticipated "discussion draft" of combined energy and climate legislation on Tuesday. Called "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," the proposal "would create the first federal requirements to boost energy efficiency and ensure that a quarter of the nation's electricity comes from renewable sources." It also includes carbon emissions goals more ambitious than the Obama administration had proposed. [Washington Post]
Related:
- Chairman Waxman, Markey Press Release [House.gov]
- Kate Sheppard has details of the proposal. [Grist]
- The bill "sidesteps the auction debate." [Green Inc.- NY Times]
"Another Blow to Mountaintop Removal"
In a move that's being called "another blow to mountaintop removal," a federal judge in West Virginia yesterday issued a ruling that blocks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from issuing so-called "nat...
Mowing the Lawn