Climate Change BLOG / Klimaatverandering BLOG

First zero-carbon city to rise out of the desert

2008-05-06T13:39:00.000+02:00

One of the world's largest oil producers has begun construction on the first zero-carbon city, powered entirely by renewable energy.

Officials from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, touted plans for a $22 billion development known as the Masdar Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Cambridge, US, in on 5 May.

"This is going to create huge business and research opportunities to get beyond where we are today," says Khaled Awad, of the government-owned Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company."

First zero-carbon city to rise out of the desert - earth - 06 May 2008 - New Scientist Environment

Microreactor converteert brandstof naar waterstof

2008-03-24T16:26:00.000+01:00

Het Amerikaanse bedrijf Innovatek heeft een microreactor ontwikkeld die in staat is om vrijwel iedere vloeibare brandstof om te zetten in waterstof. Recent heeft het bedrijf subsidie gekregen voor onderzoek naar commerciële toepassing.

De microreactors die door Innovatek zijn ontwikkeld kunnen aan elkaar gekoppeld worden, waardoor de hoeveelheid waterstof die per minuut geproduceerd wordt kan variëren van enkele liters tot meer dan zeshonderd liter per minuut. De microreactor weegt ongeveer een halve kilo en bevat een groot aantal microkanaaltjes die zijn voorzien van een katalyserend materiaal. Elke microtube produceert een constante hoeveelheid waterstof op basis van onder meer benzine, diesel, plantaardige olie, biodiesel, propaan, aardgas en glycerol.

Microreactor converteert brandstof naar waterstof | Tweakers.net Nieuws

Solar cell speeds hydrogen production - tech - 18 February 2008 - New Scientist Tech

2008-02-19T10:22:00.000+01:00

A solar cell that mimics photosynthesis has been used to make hydrogen directly from water. The prototype is inefficient, but the researchers who built it believe they can boost its efficiency, perhaps leading to a viable source of hydrogen to fuel cars and other vehicles.

Solar cell speeds hydrogen production - tech - 18 February 2008 - New Scientist Tech

Join Al Gore in Bali, Sign the petition

2007-12-08T09:49:00.000+01:00

Al Gore Says:

"In seven days I'm going to Bali, Indonesia to address the UN Climate Change Conference. In front of representatives from the world's countries, I will speak about the need for a visionary treaty to be completed, ratified and brought into effect everywhere in the world by 2010. I need you, your friends and family to sign this petition calling for a new, positive leadership role by our elected leaders. I will bring your signatures on stage with me as a clear demonstration of our resolve. This petition shows our commitment to solutions to the climate crisis. Please add your voice today and urge your friends to add theirs. The time for action is now. Only together can we make the change."

Sign Here:
Sign the petition

"How Carbon Tax Works"

2007-12-07T19:39:00.000+01:00

"Carbon tax is a form of pollution tax. It levies a fee on the production, distribution or use of fossil fuels based on how much carbon their combustion emits. The government sets a price per ton on carbon, then translates it into a tax on electricity, natural gas or oil. Because the tax makes using dirty fuels more expensive, it encourages utilities, businesses and individuals to reduce consumption and increase energy efficiency. Carbon tax also makes alternative energy more cost-competitive with cheaper, polluting fuels like coal, natural gas and oil.

Carbon tax is based on the economic principle of negative externalities. Externalities are costs or benefits generated by the production of goods and services. Negative externalities are costs that are not paid for. When utilities, businesses or homeowners consume fossil fuels, they create pollution that has a societal cost; everyone suffers from the effects of pollution. Proponents of a carbon tax believe that the price of fossil fuels should account for these societal costs. More simply put -- if you're polluting to everyone else's detriment, you should have to pay for it."

Source: Howstuffworks "How Carbon Tax Works"

Interactive Carbon Emission Map

2007-11-19T11:06:00.000+01:00

"At its core, Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) is a massive database containing information on the carbon emissions of over 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide. Power generation accounts for 40% of all carbon emissions in the United States and about one-quarter of global emissions. CARMA is the first global inventory of a major, emissions-producing sector of the economy.

CARMA is produced and financed by the Confronting Climate Change Initiative at the Center for Global Development, an independent and non-partisan think tank located in Washington, DC.

The objective of CARMA.org is to equip individuals with the information they need to forge a cleaner, low-carbon future. By providing complete information for both clean and dirty power producers, CARMA hopes to influence the opinions and decisions of consumers, investors, shareholders, managers, workers, activists, and policymakers. CARMA builds on experience with public information disclosure techniques that have proven successful in reducing traditional pollutants."

Link: CARMA - Carbon Monitoring for Action

Other interactive maps can be found here:

Link: www.nytimes.com

UN climate report: already out of date?

2007-11-12T18:00:00.000+01:00

"some experts are worried, fearing that the IPCC's ponderous machinery, which gives birth to a new review only every five or six years, is falling dangerously behind with what's happening to Earth's climate systems.

The new report notably fails to take into account a batch of dramatic recent evidence, including the shrinkage of the Arctic ice cap, glacier loss in Greenland, a surge in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and an apparent slowing of Earth's ability to absorb greenhouse gases, they say.

Taken together, say the sources, these phenomena suggest climate change is be occurring faster than expected -- and may even unleash "tipping points" that could uncontrolably accelerate the damage.

"Over the past several years we have realized ... that the speed at which changes can occur -- such as ice sheet disintegration and resulting sea level rise -- is much faster than IPCC has estimated," leading climatologist James Hansen, who heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, told AFP.

"We are now in a situation where the luxury of super-caution and reticence poses a danger for the planet and all its creatures," he said."

Bron:www.wbcsd.org

New Zealand Aims to be World’s First Carbon Neutral Nation

2007-10-23T13:06:00.000+02:00

Some say it is government propaganda, but at least this government is speaking out loud their intention.

"New Zealand has declared its aim to be carbon neutral in electrical energy by 2025, in stationary manufacturing energy in 2030 and in transport energy by 2040.

The New Zealand government has a history of leadership in sustainable energy planning already signaled its intention to be a leader in carbon neutrality when it announced its Emissions Trading Scheme in September. The October launch of the New Zealand Energy Strategy to 2050, titled Powering our Future: Towards a sustainable low emissions energy system, has provided further detail of the steps."

Bron: New Zealand Aims to be World’s First Carbon Neutral Nation

What Al Gore doesn't understand about climate change.

2007-10-22T18:31:00.000+02:00

"Gore has depicted the fundamental trade-off as one between environmental responsibility and personal greed. Of course, as everyone over the age of 12 is perfectly aware, the real trade-off is between the quality of our own lives and the quality of our descendants'.

In other words, climate policy is almost entirely about you and me making sacrifices for the benefit of future generations. To contribute usefully to the debate, you've got to think hard about the appropriate level of sacrifice. That in turn requires you to think hard about roughly half a dozen underlying issues

1. How much does human activity affect the climate?
2. How much harm (or good!) is likely to come from that climate change?
3. How much do we—or should we—care about future generations?
4. How likely are those future generations to be around, anyway?
5. Just how rich are those future generations likely to be?
6. How risk-averse are we?"

Read the article for further explanation.

Bron: What Al Gore doesn't understand about climate change. - By Steven E. Landsburg - Slate Magazine

Nuclear and CO2 storage 'key' to future EU energy mix

2007-10-09T10:13:00.000+02:00

"Renewable energies alone will not be sufficient to deliver the ambitious CO2 reduction targets agreed by EU leaders for 2020, warned a top Commission official speaking to EurActiv. Nuclear power and 'clean' fossil fuels using carbon sequestration and storage will be needed if Europe is to make up for the shortfall, said Matthias Ruete, Director General of the Commission's Transport and Energy directorate."

Bron: http://www.wbcsd.org

Slachtafval als Methaan Brandstof

2007-10-08T10:58:00.000+02:00

"A company in Sweden has developed a novel and environmentally sustainable -- if somewhat gruesome -- method of actually obtaining methane: boiling cow intestines.

The digestive tracts of all living creatures produce methane, a by-product of the action of bacteria breaking down ingested food matter. Because cows have four stomachs, they create considerably more of the gas than any other animal -- 75 percent of the total methane produced by all animals.

To date no viable method has been devised to capture this gas as it erupts from either end of the cow.

Swedish company Svenska Biogas, however, are currently doing the next best thing: taking the bits of cows that would otherwise be discarded during the slaughter process -- stomach and intestines primarily, but also udders, blood and parts of the liver and kidneys -- and extracting the residual methane directly from them.

"Depending on the cow's size, we can get 80-100 kilos of material from each animal," Carl Lilliehook, Managing Director of Svenska Biogas told CNN.

"These are all the things that would otherwise be classified as food-process waste and either incinerated or disposed of in landfill sites."

Bron: www.CNN.com

THE 11th hour trailer

2007-09-21T11:58:00.000+02:00

NASA: Earth nearing climate 'tipping points' - Climate Change - MSNBC.com

2007-09-18T13:53:00.000+02:00

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted by humans have brought Earth’s climate close to "critical tipping points, with potentially dangerous consequences for the planet," according to NASA and the findings of a new study.

"Only moderate additional climate forcing is likely to set in motion disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet and Arctic sea ice," NASA said in a statement about the findings.

Bron: www.MSNBC.com

God: The new weapon against climate change - earth - 16 September 2007 - New Scientist Environment

2007-09-17T10:48:00.000+02:00

"On the face of it, trying to get Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists to agree on something might seem about as hopeless as herding cats. But that's what was achieved last week on a ship in the Arctic, as religious leaders gathered to make a silent "prayer for the planet".

They stopped short of openly asking a deity to reverse global warming, but their vigil symbolises a growing consensus between religions on the seriousness of global warming. "Whatever denomination we are, we will try to proclaim loud and clear that we should, we must, pay attention to the water resources and climate change," said Cardinal Thomas McCarrick, who represented the Roman Catholic church.

The vigil in the Ilulissat Icefjord, the largest glacier in Greenland, was organised by Religion, Science and the Environment, a non-governmental organisation based in Greece."

Bron: New Scientist Environment

Kritiek op de "Global Warming Swindle"

2007-08-24T09:20:00.000+02:00

"Er is veel kritiek geweest uit wetenschappelijke hoek over de voorstelling van de feiten in The Great Global Warming Swindle. Vooral het gebruik van achterhaalde cijfers en onderzoeken voor het ondersteunen van de stellingname van de documentaire is bekritiseerd. In sommige gevallen worden de conclusies onderuitgehaald door niet gepresenteerde, nieuwere kennis. In ieder geval is er één wetenschapper geweest die zijn medewerking aan de film heeft ingetrokken, waarop deze film van internet is verwijderd.

In een open brief aan de maker van The Great Global Warming Swindle wijzen 40 klimaatwetenschappers zeven belangrijke misvattingen aan:

De gemiddelde temperatuur van de Aarde is niet zo hoog als tijdens de middeleeuwen. De documentaire verwijst hierbij naar een grafiek uit een rapport van het IPCC uit 1990. Deze grafiek toont slechts temperaturen tot 1975 en is in de afgelopen 17 jaar achterhaald door nieuw onderzoek. De United States National Academies publiceerde in 2006 een rapport waarin staat dat "geen enkele grootschalige temperatuur-reconstructie blijk geeft van middeleeuwse temperaturen die zo hoog waren als de laatste decennia van de 20e eeuw."

De gemiddelde temperatuur van de Aarde nam sterk af tussen 1940 en 1980. In de documentaire wordt een grafiek vertoond waarvan NASA als bron wordt gegeven. NASA heeft echter nooit een dergelijk grafiek gepubliceerd met betrekking op de gehele aarde. De temperatuur op het noordelijk halfrond nam af tussen 1940 en 1976, maar niet zo sterk als in het programma wordt gesteld.

De troposfeer warmt sterker op dan wat verwacht kan worden op basis van de modellen, en is dus niet door mensen veroorzaakt. In een wetenschappelijk review van 2006 stelt het US Climate Change Science Programme dat de temperaturen in de modellen soms boven, soms onder de geobserveerde temperatuur zitten. Er wordt geconcludeerd dat "gegeven de variatie in de resultaten van de modellen en de onderlinge overlap en de overlap met de beschikbare metingen, is er geen conflict tussen de geobserveerde veranderingen en de resultaten van klimaatmodellen."

Vulkanen produceren meer CO2 dan mensen. Hiervan wordt geen bron gegeven. Deze uitspraak is onwaar, vulkanische emissies zijn minder dan 2 procent van de menselijke emissis.

In het verleden volgde een stijging van de concentratie CO2 een temperatuurstijging, en dus is de huidige stijging van de temperatuur niet het gevolg van de toename van CO2. Deze conclusie staat lijnrecht tegenover de huidige wetenschappelijke inzichten volgens peer-reviewed journals.

Oceanen stoten grote hoeveelheden CO2 uit bij opwarming, en dus zijn menselijke emissies niet verantwoordelijk voor de stijgende temperaturen. Emissie van CO2 uit de oceaan kan wel een bijdrage leveren aan het versterkte broeikaseffect, dit is een positive terugkoppeling, maar geen oorzaak.

Variatie in de zonnecyclus kan de stijgende temperatuur verklaren. De in de documentaire gebruikte grafiek loopt slechts tot 1975, is niet afkomstig uit bekend wetenschappelijk werk en een bron wordt niet gegeven. Recent onderzoek wijst uit dat er zeker in de laatste decennia geen goede correlatie is tussen activiteit van de zon en de temperatuur op Aarde"

Bron: www.wikipedia.nl

The Great Global Warming Swindle

2007-08-21T11:51:00.000+02:00

Ook altijd naar de tegengeluiden luisteren.

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Carbon market encourages cutting trees

2007-08-21T11:33:00.000+02:00

"The Kyoto treaty has focused on assigning carbon credits for countries and companies that plant new trees where forests have been destroyed due to development, logging or farming, the authors noted. There is no credit for countries that maintain already-abundant forestland, the study said.

"The countries that haven't really been the target of deforestation have nothing to sell because they haven't deforested anything," said Gustavo Fonseca, an author of the study. "So that creates a perverse incentive for them to actually start deforesting, so that in the future, they might be allowed to cap-and-trade.""

Bron: www.wbcsd.org

Cartoon: SUV & Opec

2007-08-06T17:46:00.000+02:00

Bron: The Anti SUV Portal

Black Google: Blackle - Energy Saving Search

2007-08-03T10:48:00.000+02:00

"Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.
Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002
In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages."

Blackle - Energy Saving Search

Bush on Global Warming (parodie)

2007-07-16T18:30:00.000+02:00

KLM voorop in aanpak CO2 uitstoot

2007-07-13T10:11:00.000+02:00

Waarschijnlijk een KLM persbericht maar toch wel aardige info:

"Amstelveen - KLM en het Wereld Natuur Fonds (WNF) hebben vrijdag een overeenkomst gesloten over verregaande reductie en compensatie van de CO2 uitstoot door KLM. Beide organisaties zijn van mening dat de CO2 uitstoot krachtig moet worden aangepakt omdat de opwarming van de aarde een ernstige bedreiging vormt voor mensen en dieren.

Met deze overeenkomst wordt bekrachtigd dat de groei van de KLM, vergeleken met 2007, volledig CO2 neutraal wordt. Gebaseerd op de huidige productieplannen compenseert KLM hiermee ongeveer een hoeveelheid CO2 van 4 miljoen ton in een periode van 4 jaar. Dat gebeurt door middel van emissiereductie en compensatie.

KLM wil door snelle modernisering van de vloot en vermindering van brandstofverbruik zal KLM in 2012 een emissiereductie per passagier bereiken van 3%, oplopend tot 17% in 2020."

Bron: Blik op Nieuws.nl - Economie

7-07-07: tien stappen voor een klimaatneutraal leven.

2007-07-07T10:59:00.000+02:00

In navolging van Al Gore heb ik mijn eigen tien stappen bedacht die iedereen redelijk makkelijk zou moeten kunnen doen. En al doe je niet alle stappen elke stap is er één op weg naar een klimaatneutraal leven.

1. Stap over op groene stroom & 'groen' gas.

Een bedrijf als "Green Choice" verkoopt groene stroom en groen gas voor de prijs van de lokale grote speler zoals Nuon, Essent, etc. Overstappen is simpel, het kost je niks extra's. Vind je het risico te groot om over te stappen. Kijk dan bij de grote spelers, heel vaak hebben ze ook een groen alternatief voor enkele euro's per maand extra.

2. Neem een groene Credit Card

Green Card Visa en Rabobank hebben allebei een groene creditcard die geheel of gedeeltelijk je aankopen compenseren voor CO2 uitstoot.

3. Compenseer al je transport

Vliegen, Autorijden met de trein gaan verbruikt allemaal energie en dan vooral fossiele brandstoffen. Er zijn genoeg bedrijven die compensatie mogelijk heden aanbieden zoals Klimaatneutraal & Trees for Travel.

4. Eet minder vlees

De productie van Vlees is zeer milieubelastend door o.a. uitstoot van methaan, voer voor beesten ipv mensen, waterverbuik, grondgebruik. Meer hierover kan je lezen op www.fao.org.

5. Vermijd producten met veel verpakking & recycle

6. Koop energiezuinige producten

Kijk bij het kopen van electronica/witgoed naar het Energie verbruik. Hoe zuinig zijn ze? Op al het witgoed staan labels met het energieverbruik. Kijk niet alleen of het A,B,C,D,E,F, is maar ook naar het letterlijke verbuik achter de letters. Veel witgoed is namelijk al A (zuinig) vanwege de normen die al zeer lang vast staan. Meer over energiezuinige producten op www.energielabel.nl.

7. Wees zuinig met energie thuis.

Iedereen weet het: Verwarming lager, stand-by knop uit, lichten niet onnodig laten branden, etc. Wat natuurlijk ook goed werkt is isolatie. Goed voor je portemonnee en goed voor de aarde. Kijk voor tips op www.energielastenverlager.nl.

8. Wees zuinig met energie onderweg.

Natuurlijk kan je compenseren. Maar je kan ook voor de trein kiezen in plaats van de auto. De fiets in plaats van een brommer. Verder kan je tijdens het autorijden zuiniger rijden door middel van “het nieuwe rijden”, banden op spanning houden en wat minder de airco aan (gebruik ARKO=Alle Ramen Kunnen open).

9. Wees zuinig met energie op je werk

Standby knoppen uit op je werk is een kleine moeite. Verwarming lager draaien. Raampje open in plaats van airco aan. Print dubbelzijdig. Praat eens met de OR over het MVO dossier van je werk. Doet jouw bedrijf wel iets om Klimaatneutraal te worden.

10. Overtuig je vrienden, familie, werk, school om stap 1 tot en met 9 te doen.

Alleen lever je al een grote bijdrage maar met zijn allen schiet het echt lekker op.

Low-Carbon Recipes

2007-07-05T17:24:00.000+02:00

It’s low-carbon Thursday again, so here’s a hale and hearty dish. It’s high in energy, in terms of personal gains, but low energy in terms of environmental impact!

Ingredients:

2c cooked lentils
1 1/2 c cooked and sliced potatoes
1c diced roasted peppers and zucchini
1/2 c soya mayonnaise
Preheat oven to 350′F

In a greased oven-proof dish, place the roasted vegetables, then the lentils, then potatoes and spread the soya mayonnaise on top. Bake covered for 30 min, then take the lid off and bake for further 15 - 20 min - until the soya mayonnaise has a light brown tinge.

Bron: Low-Carbon Recipes

China heeft nu grootste CO2-uitstoot ter wereld

2007-06-21T13:33:00.000+02:00

China heeft nu officieel de grootste CO2-uitstoot ter wereld. Dat zegt het Nederlands Milieu- en Natuurplanbureau. China heeft daarmee de VS ingehaald.

Bron: China heeft nu grootste CO2-uitstoot ter wereld

PCCC - Het IPCC-rapport en de betekenis voor Nederland (MNP)

2007-06-12T09:03:00.000+02:00

in Nederland neemt de kans op hittegolven in de zomer en meer neerslag in de winter toe. Neerslag in de zomer is nog zeer onzeker en is afhankelijk van of atmosferische stroming wel of niet zal wijzigen.

Daarnaast zijn de beleidsdoelen uit het Regeerakkoord geanalyseerd. Zo concludeert de brochure dat de beleidsdoelstellingen die Nederland in het Regeerakkoord heeft opgeschreven (-30% reductie van broeikasgassen, 2% per jaar energiebesparingstempo en 20% aandeel hernieuwbare energie, allemaal in 2020) leiden tot nationale kosten van mogelijk 8 a 9 miljard euro per jaar. Deze kosten kunnen lager zijn als niet alle drie de doelen tegelijkertijd worden nagestreefd, maar dan zal de energiemix in 2020 er zeker ook anders uit zien (bijvoorbeeld meer gebruik van CO2-opslag).

Over adaptatie (aanpassing aan de veranderende omstandigheden) kan nog niet veel worden gezegd omdat nog veel kennis niet beschikbaar is voor Nederland. Wel is duidelijk dat de hoogste kosten van adaptatie bij ruimte voor rivieren komt te liggen en de aanpassing van de rioleringssystemen. Over baten van adaptatie is nog helemaal te weinig kennis beschikbaar. De brochure eindigt dan ook met een oproep dat nog veel onderzoek naar kosten en baten van adaptatie nodig is.

Bron:PCCC - Het IPCC-rapport en de betekenis voor Nederland - Milieu- en Natuurplanbureau (MNP)

Recent CO2 rises exceed worst-case scenarios

2007-05-22T10:57:00.000+02:00

The world's recent carbon dioxide emissions are growing more rapidly than even the worst-case climate scenario used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, say researchers.

The team, led by Michael Raupach of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, looked at the growth of CO2 emissions and found that emissions growth suddenly accelerated in 2000. During the 1990s, emissions grew by 1.1% per year on average, but the number shot up to 3.3% between 2000 and 2004, when the study ended.

Bron:Recent CO2 rises exceed worst-case scenarios - earth - 21 May 2007 - New Scientist Environment

Bomen planten in noorden versterkt opwarming

2007-04-12T12:01:00.000+02:00

Planting new trees in snow-covered northern regions may actually contribute to global warming as they have the counter-effect of tropical forests, according to a study out Monday.

While rainforests help cool the planet by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing clouds that reflect sunlight, the dark canopy of Canadian, Scandinavian and Siberian forests catches sunrays that would be reflected back to space by the snow, the study said.

The study, published Monday in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that reforestation projects in the tropics would help mitigate global warming, but such projects would be "counterproductive" in high latitudes.

In mid-latitude locations like the United States and most of Europe, more trees would only create marginal benefits for climate change, the researchers said.

Bron: www.wbcsd.org

IPCC: Overzicht belangrijkste gevolgen klimaat verandering

2007-04-07T09:31:00.000+02:00

Overgenomen uit de samenvatting van het klimaatrapport van de IPCC. Deze samenvatting vind je hier.

Bron: www.ipcc.ch

IPCC: Droogte neemt toe, biodiversiteit neemt af.

2007-04-07T09:16:00.000+02:00

Toenemende droogte in toch al kwetsbare gebieden en een ongekend verlies aan biodiversiteit zullen de komende decennia het wereldbeeld bepalen. Ze zijn het gevolg van de klimaatverandering, en de effecten zijn nu al duidelijk zichtbaar.

Bron:www.nrc.nl

Honda schoonste automaker

2007-04-07T09:01:00.000+02:00

Honda and Toyota lead the world's top eight automakers in lowest greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollution, according to the results of a survey of the auto industry. America's Big Three -- Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, placed last on the list.

The survey is conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and ranks two factors to determine scores: smog-forming pollution emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. The scores are weighted across models and for the number of each type of car sold.

Bron: www.GreenBiz.com

Voorspelling: Radicale Nieuwe Klimaatzones

2007-03-27T14:00:00.000+02:00

"If global warming continues unabated, many of the world's climate zones may disappear by 2100, leaving new ones in their place unlike any that exist today, according to a new study. Researchers compared existing patterns of temperature and precipitation with those that may exist at the turn of the century, based on scenarios put forth in the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). They found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue rising at the same rate, up to 39 percent of Earth's continental surface may experience totally new climates, primarily in the tropics and adjacent latitudes as warmer temperatures spread toward the poles."

Bron:www.sciam.com

Smeltende Noordpool bron van olie en conflict.

2007-03-27T13:36:00.000+02:00

"The latest report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the ice cap is warming faster than the rest of the planet and ice is receding, partly due to greenhouse gases. It’s a catastrophic scenario for the Arctic ecosystem, for polar bears and other wildlife, and for Inuit populations whose ancient cultures depend on frozen waters.

But some see a lucrative silver lining of riches waiting to be snatched from the deep, and the prospect of timesaving sea lanes that could transform the shipping industry the way the Suez Canal did in the 19th century.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic has as much as 25 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas. Moscow reportedly sees the potential of minerals in its slice of the Arctic sector approaching $2 trillion."

Bron:www.MSNBC.com

Hersenen krimpen door warmer klimaat?

2007-03-27T13:20:00.000+02:00

"two head shrinkers at the University at Albany will soon publish research that suggests the human brain grew dramatically as our ancestors adapted to colder temperatures. Jessica Ash and Gordon Gallup studied 109 fossilized skulls from different latitudes to determine that "climate may have been an important selective force behind the evolution of human cranial capacity,"

Bron: www.wired.com

Airbus 50% minder brandstof in 2020

2007-03-23T12:16:00.000+01:00

"manufacturer Airbus is targeting a 50 per cent reduction in aircraft fuel consumption by 2020. Airbus vice-president, environmental affairs, Philippe de Saint-Aulaire, said the manufacturer was looking at airframe improvements to provide about 25 per cent of the reduction, while between 10 and 15 per cent would come from engine manufacturers. "The remainder, about 10 per cent, will come from air traffic control - to ensure there are more direct flights, to ensure that aircraft are not (circling) around the airport before they land," he said.

The Airbus environmental boss expects airframe improvements to come from weight reduction with the greater use of composites, aerodynamic improvements, and new systems that would allow the aircraft to operate more efficiently."

Bron: www.theaustralian.news.com.au

Fortune's meest groene bedrijven

2007-03-23T12:14:00.000+01:00

"The latest issue of Fortune magazine will be its first-ever green issue, which includes a list of ten companies that go beyond what the law requires to operate in an environmentally responsible way.

The companies cited by Fortune as being ahead of the learning curve on the strategic value of environmentalism in their industries include, in no particular order: Honda, Continental Airlines, Suncor, Tesco, Alcan, PG&E, S.C. Johnson, Goldman Sachs, Swiss RE and Hewlett-Packard. In separate stories, Fortune also notes the environmental efforts of Patagonia and DuPont, along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Bron: www.greenbiz.com

Katalysator verandert CO2 in brandstof

2007-03-16T11:35:00.000+01:00

"A new catalyst that can split carbon dioxide gas could allow us to use carbon from the atmosphere as a fuel source in a similar way to plants.

"Breaking open the very stable bonds in CO2 is one of the biggest challenges in synthetic chemistry," says Frederic Goettmann, a chemist at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany. "But plants have been doing it for millions of years."

Plants use the energy of sunlight to cleave the relatively stable chemical bonds between the carbon and oxygen atoms in a carbon dioxide molecule. In photosynthesis, the CO2 molecule is initially bonded to nitrogen atoms, making reactive compounds called carbamates. These less stable compounds can then be broken down, allowing the carbon to be used in the synthesis of other plant products, such as sugars and proteins."

Bron: www.newscientist.com

Ban Ki Moon (VN): Oorlog door klimaatverandering

2007-03-02T15:08:00.000+01:00

"In coming decades, changes in our environment and the resulting upheavals from droughts to inundated coastal areas to loss of arable land are likely to become a major driver of war and conflict"

Bron: www.msnbc.com

Museumn8 over klimaatverandering

2007-03-02T14:53:00.000+01:00

"Het klimaat verandert ingrijpend. Nu dat vaststaat is het tijd om na te denken over oplossingen. Niet doemdenken, maar vooruitdenken. Deze editie van de nachtsalon* wil bijdragen aan een constructieve benadering van dit ‘hot topic’. Op www.n8.nl staan alvast wat wereldideeën ter inspiratie.

De nachtsalon van 9 maart vindt plaats in Energetica, nationaal publiekscentrum voor energie. Dit museum is gevestigd in een spectaculair gebouw: de eerste elektriciteitscentrale van Amsterdam, gebouwd in 1903. Dit museum vormt ook het uitgangspunt voor het thema van de nachtsalon: duurzaamheid op het gebied van energie, ondernemen, eten en kleding. Daarbij geldt inmiddels ‘Ecologie = Economie’: wie in de toekomst rendabel wil ondernemen maakt geen verschil meer tussen winstbejag en een ecologisch duurzame werkwijze"

Ik ondersteun dit project van harte.

Meer over afval=voedsel in een oude post van mij.

Meer info over de nacht: www.n8.nl

Bron: Stichting Museumnacht Amsterdam via een email aan mij.

Gloeilamp in Europa op de tocht.

2007-03-02T14:52:00.000+01:00

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The world's three largest light bulb makers said Thursday they will push European consumers to switch to energy-saving bulbs in a bid to cut carbon dioxide emissions that are believed to contribute to global warming.

The statement by the European Lamp Companies Federation, whose members include General Electric, Siemens and Royal Philips Electronics, did not give a concrete time frame or target. (GE is the parent of NBC/Universal, which is a partner in MSNBC.com.)

They said their strategy would include "public incentives to encourage consumers to purchase more efficient products and setting performance standards that will eliminate the least efficient products from the market."

Bron: www.msnbc.com

IPCC: Vrees voor forse stijging temperatuur

2007-01-29T18:13:00.000+01:00

Klimaatdeskundigen sluiten niet uit dat de temperatuur deze eeuw met 6 graden of meer stijgt. Een stijging tussen 2 en 4,5 graden tot 2100 is in ieder geval hoogstwaarschijnlijk.

De berekeningen van de honderden topwetenschappers voor de Verenigde Naties staan in een ontwerprapport, waarvan de definitieve versie vrijdag in Parijs moet worden gepubliceerd. De Britse krant The Independent publiceerde maandag al conclusies uit het concept.

De deskundigen buigen zich deze week op een conferentie van de VN in de Franse hoofdstad over de gevolgen van het broeikaseffect. In het vorige verslag uit 2001 spraken de wetenschappers al de verwachting uit dat de temperatuur met 1,4 tot 5,8 graden zou kunnen toenemen.

De verwachtingen over de stijging van de zeespiegel lagen zes jaar geleden bij 9 tot 88 centimeter. Inmiddels gaan de deskundigen uit van een gemiddeld 43 centimeter hogere zeespiegel in 2100, zelfs als de hoeveelheid kooldioxide in de atmosfeer wordt gestabiliseerd. Kooldioxide geldt als een van de hoofdoorzaken van het broeikaseffect.

Bron: www.nu.nl

Communicatie over klimaatonderzoek

2007-01-14T10:54:00.000+01:00

"Hoe gaat het in de praktijk als je wetenschappelijk ambtenaar bent en geacht wordt de minister en haar beleid te dienen? In het juni-nummer van Meteorologica liet Huug van de Dool ons in de keuken van de Amerikaanse ambtenaren kijken. In dit artikel zal ik op verzoek van de redactie iets over mijn ervaringen vertellen, als Directeur Klimaatonderzoek en Seismologie van het KNMI en als Nederlands vertegenwoordiger bij het IPCC."

Lees verder...

The Footprint of a Cheeseburger

2007-01-03T18:23:00.000+01:00

"Based on a variety of sources, the researchers conclude that the total energy use going into a single cheeseburger amounts to somewhere between about 7 and 20 megajoules -- the range comes from the variety of methods available to the food industry.

The researchers break this down by process, but not by energy type. Here, then, is my first approximation: I split the food production and transportation uses into a diesel category, and the food processing (milling, cooking, storage) uses into an electricity category. Split this way, the totals add up thusly:

Diesel -- 4.7 to 10.8 MJ per burger
Electricity -- 2.6 to 8.4 MJ per burger

With these ranges in hand, I could then convert the energy use into carbon emissions, based on fuel. For electricity, I calculated the footprint using both natural gas and coal; if you're lucky enough to have your local burger joint powered by a wind farm, you can drop that part of the footprint entirely.

Diesel -- 90 to 217 grams of carbon per burger
Gas -- 37 to 119 grams of carbon per burger
Coal -- 65 to 209 grams of carbon per burger

...for a combined carbon footprint of a cheeseburger of 127 grams of carbon (at the low end, with gas) to 426 grams of carbon (at the high end, with coal). Adding in the carbon from operating the restaurant (and driving to the burger shop in the first place), we can reasonably call it somewhere between a quarter-kilogram and a half-kilogram of carbon emissions per cheeseburger."

Source: www.greenbiz.com

India and China in warming study

2007-01-02T10:33:00.000+01:00

"India and China have agreed to send an expedition to the Himalayas to study the impact that global warming is having on glaciers there.
They fear that melting glaciers could threaten rivers which support the lives of millions of people.

Scientists and mountaineers from the two countries are now planning to head for the source of two rivers."

Source: www.bbc.co.uk & www.cnn.com

Huge ice shelf breaks free in Canada's far north

2007-01-02T10:21:00.000+01:00

"A chunk of ice bigger than the area of Manhattan broke from an ice shelf in Canada's far north and could wreak havoc if it starts to float westward toward oil-drilling regions and shipping lanes next summer, a researcher said on Friday.

Global warming could be one cause of the break of the Ayles Ice Shelf at Ellesmere Island, which occurred in the summer of 2005 but was only detected recently by satellite photos, said Luke Copland, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa's geography department.

It was the largest such break in nearly three decades, casting an ice floe with an area of 66 square km (25 square miles) adrift in the Arctic Ocean, said Copland, who specializes in the study of glaciers and ice masses. Manhattan has an area of 61 square km (24 square miles).

The mass is now 50 square km (19 square miles) in size.

"The Arctic is all frozen up for the winter and it's stuck in the sea ice about 50 km (30 miles) off the coast," he said.

"The risk is that next summer, as that sea ice melts, this large ice island can then move itself around off the coast and one potential path for it is to make its way westward toward the Beaufort Sea, and the Beaufort Sea is where there is lots of oil and gas exploration, oil rigs and shipping.""

Source: www.reuters.com

Imagine Earth without people

2007-01-02T10:12:00.000+01:00

"15,589 Number of species threatened with extinction"
Now just suppose they got their wish. Imagine that all the people on Earth - all 6.5 billion of us and counting - could be spirited away tomorrow, transported to a re-education camp in a far-off galaxy. (Let's not invoke the mother of all plagues to wipe us out, if only to avoid complications from all the corpses). Left once more to its own devices, Nature would begin to reclaim the planet, as fields and pastures reverted to prairies and forest, the air and water cleansed themselves of pollutants, and roads and cities crumbled back to dust.

"The sad truth is, once the humans get out of the picture, the outlook starts to get a lot better," says John Orrock, a conservation biologist at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, California. But would the footprint of humanity ever fade away completely, or have we so altered the Earth that even a million years from now a visitor would know that an industrial society once ruled the planet?"

Great story, and in the top 13 of most interesting new scientist stories of 2006.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Kerst: Twee Weken Vakantie

2006-12-18T18:22:00.000+01:00

Hallo,

Deze blog is twee weken uit de running vanwege kerst en nieuwjaars perikelen.

Fijne Kerst Allemaal...

Race naar de maan voor Fusie Brandstof

2006-12-15T10:19:00.000+01:00

"NASA's planned moon base announced last week could pave the way for deeper space exploration to Mars, but one of the biggest beneficiaries may be the terrestrial energy industry.

Nestled among the agency's 200-point mission goals is a proposal to mine the moon for fuel used in fusion reactors -- futuristic power plants that have been demonstrated in proof-of-concept but are likely decades away from commercial deployment.

Helium-3 is considered a safe, environmentally friendly fuel candidate for these generators, and while it is scarce on Earth it is plentiful on the moon.

As a result, scientists have begun to consider the practicality of mining lunar Helium-3 as a replacement for fossil fuels."

Bron: www.wired.com

An Inconvenient Truth volledig online !

2006-12-15T08:41:00.000+01:00

Dit is deel 1, de film is opgesplitst in 10 delen van ongeveer 10 minuten.
Op het einde van elk deel ziet u telkens een aantal links naar de volgende delen. De overgang van deel 5 naar deel 6 en volgende wordt niet altijd aangegeven. Tik op www.youtube.com rechtsboven in het Search vak bv. “An Inconvenient Truth part 6”.

Kijk verder op www.youtube.com, bedankt Patrick voor de tip.

CDA en PvdA pleiten voor ambitieus klimaatbeleid

2006-12-15T08:26:00.001+01:00

"CDA en PvdA sporen het nieuwe kabinet aan tot een ambitieus energie- en klimaatbeleid. De twee grootste fracties in de Tweede Kamer leggen de lat hoog. Nederland moet in Europa met gelijkgestemde landen inzetten op een koploperspositie, bleek bij de behandeling van de VROM-begroting voor 2007 in de Kamer.

CDA-Kamerlid Liesbeth Spies noemde de Amerikaanse ex-president Bill Clinton en zijn vicepresident Al Gore, beiden actief tegen klimaatverandering en onlangs op bezoek in Nederland, als lichtend voorbeeld.

In een motie die samen met PvdA'er Diederik Samsom is voorbereid, pleit zij voor een langetermijnstrategie, naast een stabiel investeringsklimaat op het gebied van energiebesparing en duurzame energiebeleid tot 2020"

Bron: www.new-energy.tv

Discutabele Oneindige Energie Claim

2006-12-15T08:21:00.000+01:00

"A controversial technology company this week reiterated a series of audacious claims that have outraged scientists around the world.
The Dublin-based engineering company Steorn claims it has created a perpetual motion machine that uses a series of weights and magnets to generate "free energy". The system is claimed to break the laws of physics by producing more power than it consumes, and could potentially lead to the development of everlasting batteries.

Sean McCarthy, the chief executive of Steorn, told an audience in London that the company had already produced a prototype which ran independently for four weeks. He also claimed to have built another motor using the system which could produce enough energy to power a Porsche car."

Bron: www.guardian.co.uk meer over oneindige energie www.wikipedia.org

India's CO2 uitstoot brengt geen schade

2006-12-15T08:17:00.000+01:00

"India, considered to be one of the world's top polluters, said on Thursday that it was not doing any harm to the world's atmosphere despite increasing emissions of greenhouse gases. Experts say unchecked greenhouse gas emissions could see global temperatures rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius in the next 50 years and could result in devastating climate change.

While India is not required under the Kyoto Protocol to cut emission levels at this stage, experts say its emissions are rising due to its rapid economic development and could become a significant contributor to global warming. But the country's environment minister told parliament India's emissions were insignificant compared to those of richer nations which should take the lead in curbing greenhouse gases.

"India is very little in terms of emissions and we are not the biggest polluters when compared to the developed nations," said Environment Minister A. Raja. "We are not doing any harm to the entire world. We are, in spite of the developmental activities taking place in this country, very categorical that our emissions are below three percent which is within limits," he said, referring to India's percentage contribution to total global emissions."

Bron: www.reuters.com

Sex leven zeehonden verbeterd door klimaatverandering

2006-12-15T08:10:00.000+01:00

"Climate change could be disastrous for some animals, but male gray seals are probably not complaining -- it has improved their sex lives. Weaker males would not normally have a chance with the females, who usually go for the more dominant types. But lower rainfall levels have forced female seals on the remote Scottish island of North Rona to travel further from their partners to find fresh water, giving the weaker males more opportunity to mate with them.

"The increased movement amongst the females allows the weaker males to mate," said Dr. Sean Twiss of the University of Durham in England.

Dominant males typically mate with 10-15 females, which they guard on their territory, according to a study published in the Royal Society's journal Biology Letters. "These males' ability to dominate is easy when rainwater pools are abundant and females cluster in a small geographical area, but during the dry season the area in which the females are located becomes too big and they can no longer successfully keep an eye on them all," Twiss said in a statement.

During a 9-year study of the seals on North Rona, Twiss and scientists from the University of St Andrews in Scotland recorded a 61 percent increase in the number of males contributing to the genetic pool."These findings show that climate change, whilst endangering many species, could also help to increase the genetic diversity of some species," Twiss said."

Bron: www.reuters.com

IBM krijgt als eerste bedrijf logo HIER voor klimaatvriendelijke kantoren

2006-12-13T13:27:00.000+01:00

"Greenpeace Nederland beloont de energiezuinige kantoorpanden van IBM met een klimaatlogo. Dit logo van de landelijke klimaatcampagne HIER werd nog niet eerder toegekend aan kantoren. IBM Nederland bemachtigde het logo door haar kantoorpanden energiezuinig te maken en groene stroom in te kopen. Om de toekenning bij haar medewerkers te onderstrepen vertoont IBM Nederland hen de klimaatfilm ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. In deze film gaat de voormalige Amerikaanse presidentskandidaat Al Gore in op de verwoestende gevolgen van klimaatverandering. Greenpeace roept alle bedrijven in Nederland op om hun kantoren klimaatvriendelijk te maken.

“Als we het klimaatprobleem tegen willen gaan, moeten we allemaal onze bijdrage leveren. Zowel op het werk als thuis”, aldus Harry van Dorenmalen, algemeen directeur IBM Nederland. “IBM kon zo snel aan de criteria voldoen omdat we al jaren bezig zijn om onze kantoorpanden zo energiezuinig mogelijk te maken. In die periode hebben we ingezet op een forse energiebesparing van 4% per jaar. Ook lieten we een warmtekrachtkoppeling installeren op het hoofdkantoor in Amsterdam. Resultaat: maar liefst 38% minder CO2-uitstoot.”"

Bron: www.duurzaam-ondernemen.nl

2006 warmste jaar in Nederland in 300 jaar

2006-12-13T13:23:00.000+01:00

"This year is on track to be the warmest in the Netherlands since temperatures were first measured in 1706, the Dutch meteorological institute KNMI said on Tuesday, linking the record with global warming.

The average temperature in 2006 is likely to exceed 11 degrees Celsius in the Netherlands, beating a previous record of 10.9 degrees in 2000, Rob van Dorland of the KNMI atmospheric research department told Reuters in an interview.
"So far December is warmer than normal unless we get a very cold spell in the last two weeks of the month. According to our predictions, we will have average temperatures of above 11 degrees for the year," van Dorland said.

Dutch temperature records are among the oldest in the world. Methodical thermometer-based records began on a more global basis around 1850.

Experts have said that the average global temperature in 2006 is likely to be among the five or six hottest on record.

Van Dorland said the 10 warmest years in the Netherlands occurred in the past 18 years, which was in line with rising global temperatures and was a sign of a warming planet"

Bron: www.planetark.org

Opwarming aarde beinvloedt ruimte-afval

2006-12-13T13:19:00.000+01:00

"Human-caused increases in carbon dioxide emissions are thinning Earth’s outer atmosphere, making it easier to keep the international space station aloft but prolonging the life of dangerous space debris, scientists said Monday.

“It’s a bit of a two-edged sword,” said Stanley Solomon, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. “In the future, it will be a little bit easier to keep the space station, for instance, in orbit. It will need a little bit less fuel.”

“On the other hand, it will give space junk a much longer lifetime,” he told the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco."

Bron: www.msnbc.com

Philips wil af van gloeilamp

2006-12-11T09:12:00.000+01:00

"Na 115 jaar moet het maar eens afgelopen zijn. In 1891 vormde de gloeilamp de grondslag van het huidige Philips. Nog steeds is deze oude technologie buitengewoon belangrijk voor de lichtdivisie. „Over tien jaar willen wij dat alle traditionele gloeilampen zijn vervangen door energiezuinige lampen”, zei Theo van Deursen, topman van die lichtdivisie, gisteren op een conferentie in Brussel over energiebesparing .

Bij een gloeilamp gaat 95 procent van de energie inwarmte zitten en niet in licht. Bij een spaarlamp is dat veel minder. Er kan wereldwijd voor 51 miljard euro aan elektriciteitskosten worden bespaard, rekende Van Deursen gisteren voor.

De technologie van de spaarlamp bestaat al sinds begin jaren tachtig, maar deze fluorescerende lamp is nooit doorgebroken. Het prijsverschil is groot en niemand rekent bij het winkelschap uit wat hij op zijn energierekening kan besparen. 12 euro per lamp per jaar, rekende Van Deursen voor.

Zomaar stoppen met het produceren van gloeilampen zal Philips niet doen. „Andere bedrijven moeten hetzelfde doen, anders springt iemand in het gat ”, zei Van Deursen. „Wij gaan met concurrenten in overleg.”

De meeste winst is overigens te behalen bij straatverlichting en in kantoren, door gemeenten en projectontwikkelaars. „Het probleem is dat de personen die beslissen over de aanschaf van licht, niet dezelfde zijn als de mensen die de energierekening betalen”, zei Philips-topman Gerard Kleisterlee. „We moeten hard werken aan bewustwording.”

Bron: www.nrc.nl

VN: impact klimaatverandering door mensheid minder dan gedacht

2006-12-10T12:15:00.000+01:00

"Mankind has had less effect on global warming than previously supposed, a United Nations report on climate change will claim next year. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says there can be little doubt that humans are responsible for warming the planet, but the organisation has reduced its overall estimate of this effect by 25 per cent.

In a final draft of its fourth assessment report, to be published in February, the panel reports that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has accelerated in the past five years. It also predicts that temperatures will rise by up to 4.5 C during the next 100 years, bringing more frequent heat waves and storms. The panel, however, has lowered predictions of how much sea levels will rise in comparison with its last report in 2001.

Climate change sceptics are expected to seize on the revised figures as evidence that action to combat global warming is less urgent.

Scientists insist that the lower estimates for sea levels and the human impact on global warming are simply a refinement due to better data on how climate works rather than a reduction in the risk posed by global warming.

The IPCC has been forced to halve its predictions for sea-level rise by 2100, one of the key threats from climate change. It says improved data have reduced the upper estimate from 34 in to 17 in.

It also says that the overall human effect on global warming since the industrial revolution is less than had been thought, due to the unexpected levels of cooling caused by aerosol sprays, which reflect heat from the sun."

Bron: www.telegraph.co.uk

India loopt voor in aanpassen aan Klimaatverandering

2006-12-09T18:15:00.000+01:00

" India, likely to be one of the countries worst-hit by global warming, is already ahead of most developing nations in putting in place measures to help it adapt to climate change, the World Bank said on Thursday.Experts predict that the earth's temperature will rise by 2-3 degrees centigrade in the next 50 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue at current rates.This will seriously affect the Indian subcontinent and result in more frequent and more severe natural disasters like floods and droughts, more disease and poor crop yields, they add.

Experts estimate that it will cost the world tens of billions of dollars a year for countries to adapt to the new challenges.But Rahill said the cost for India would be marginal compared to its overall development budget."Since India is already investing heavily in infrastructure and other development programmes, the cost of adaptation to climate change would be a marginal increase to that," he said.Rahill said the challenge was to step up measures in rural areas where there were already serious water shortages.

According to India's The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), climate change will particularly hit crop production with around 66 percent of cultivated land dependent on rain."

Bron: http://uk.news.yahoo.com

Gore: Stop extra uitstoot nu!

2006-12-09T17:59:00.000+01:00

"Former US Vice President Al Gore says he will start a grassroots political movement next month to seek a "freeze" on carbon emissions that scientists say are to blame for global warming.

Modelled after the nuclear freeze movement of the 1980s, Gore said he planned to enlist groups ranging from entrepreneurs and activists to political leaders to push for stronger policies to limit the growth of greenhouse gases.

"I think we need a carbon freeze," Gore told policy and business leaders at a conference organised by a venture capital firm. "I intend to launch an ongoing campaign of mass persuasion at the beginning of 2007."Gore said the grass-roots campaign would put heat on leaders in Washington to come up with more sophisticated policies to address global climate change.

"I think we need a mass movement in the United States. I think it ought to start at the grass roots," said Gore, author of the book, An Inconvenient Truth, which was made into a hit documentary film on global warming."

Bron: www.climateark.org

Fokke & Sukke, trekken het niet

2006-12-09T17:41:00.000+01:00

Bron: www.foksuk.nl

Minder verkoop Asobakken in VK

2006-12-08T12:48:00.000+01:00

"Sales of gas-guzzling 4x4s slipped this year as buyers weighed up their environmental impact and the threat of punitive road taxes. But the fall may be no more than a blip in a sector that has otherwise shown solid growth over the last decade. "There is no doubt that environmental factors are rising up the agenda for new car buyers", said Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) which released car sales figures on Wednesday.

"Lower fuel consumption and emissions are now as important for many people as safety features and price," he said in a statement. The SMMT figures showed sales of the so-called Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) dipped by just over 9,500 during 2006, a drop of 5.5 percent, although half the fall was attributed to model changeovers of two favourites -- the Honda CRV and the LandRover Freelander."

Bron: www.planetark.org

Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge

2006-12-08T12:42:00.000+01:00

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking Fortune 500 companies double their current level of green power purchasing. The goal of the green power challenge is to exceed 5 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power purchases among participating companies. Five billion kilowatt hours could power more than 400,000 average American homes or avoid the equivalent CO2 emissions associated with more than 680,000 passenger cars each year.

There are more than 40 Fortune 500 companies participating in the Green Power Partnership; their annual green power purchases currently total 2.5 billion kWh. EPA's current top five Fortune 500 Green Power Partners are Wells Fargo Company, Whole Foods Markets, Johnson & Johnson, Starbucks and DuPont Company."

De lijst van participerende bedrijven is zeer interessant.

Bron: www.greenbiz.com & www.epa.gov

Lingerie Catalogus (Victoria's Secret) wordt groen

2006-12-08T12:31:00.000+01:00

"Limited Brands, owners of Victoria's Secret, have long been under attack by environmentalists for printing millions of catalogues on paper made by clearcutting Canada's boreal forests. (earlier post here) Now they are dumping Canadian source West Fraser Timber and will print on paper made from FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified fibre. 360 million catalogues will now be made from paper that does come from caribou habitat and "does not contribute to the demise of endangered species."

Eindelijk een excuus om een mooie vrouw op mijn site zetten.

Bron: www.treehugger.com & www.greenbiz.com

Doorbraak in zonnecel technologie

2006-12-07T17:52:00.000+01:00

"A photovoltaic (PV) cell achieved a milestone earlier this week with a conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent. Produced by Spectrolab, Inc. and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the breakthrough could lead to PV systems with an installed cost of $3 per watt -- and produce electricity at a cost of $0.08 to $0.10 cents per kilowatt-hour."

Ter vergelijking: Nuon vaste prijsstroom kost ongeveer 10 eurocent per KWH.

Bron: www.renewableenergyaccess.com & www.nuon.nl

Exxon financiert Europese anti-klimaat lobby

2006-12-07T17:43:00.000+01:00

"The world's largest energy company is still spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund European organisations that seek to cast doubt on the scientific consensus on global warming and undermine support for legislation to curb emission of greenhouse gases.

Data collated by a Brussels-based watchdog reveals that ExxonMobil has put money into projects that criticise the Kyoto treaty and question the findings of scientific groups. Environmental campaigners say Texas-based Exxon is trying to influence opinion-makers in Brussels because Europe - rather than the US - is the driving force for action on climate change.....

It has long been known that the oil giant, which in 2005 recorded an all-time record for quarterly income, has spent millions of dollars to fund climate sceptics. Exactly how much is unknown but some estimates suggest $19m (£9.7m) since 1998.

Such is the concern about ExxonMobil that earlier this year the Royal Society, considered Britain's leading scientific academy, wrote to it asking that it stop funding groups that have "misrepresented the science of climate change by outright denial of the evidence"."

Bron: www.independent.co.uk

Warmere Oceanen verhogen CO2 uitstoot en verstoren voedselketen

2006-12-07T17:26:00.000+01:00

"Global warming will stifle life-giving microscopic plants that live in the surface layer of the oceans, cutting marine food production and accelerating climate change, according to a study published on Wednesday.

Phytoplankton are not only the foundation of the marine food chain, but every day they take more than 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, scientists from Oregon State University, NASA and four other institutions said.

But as global warming heats the surface layer of the ocean it becomes lighter and therefore separated from the cooler depths from which the phytoplankton get many of their nutrients.

This cuts their numbers, not only reducing the food in the oceans but slashing the amount of carbon dioxide they take from the air and therefore accelerating the climate warming process."

Bron: www.msnbc.com & www.msnbc.com

Vee is vervuilender dan auto's

2006-12-06T15:14:00.000+01:00

"According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation.

....the livestock sector accounts for 9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of this comes from manure.

Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface.... As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for example, some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing.

The livestock business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth’s increasingly scarce water resources, contributing among other things to water pollution, euthropication and the degeneration of coral reefs"

Iets minder biefstuk eten dus... :(.

Bron: www.fao.org

Apple minst groene electronica bedrijf

2006-12-06T11:41:00.000+01:00

"The Green Electronics Guide (from Greenpeace) ranks leading mobile and PC manufacturers on their global policies and practice on eliminating harmful chemicals and on taking responsibility for their products once they are discarded by consumers. Companies are ranked on information that is publicly available and communications/clarifications with the companies"

Hieronder een gedeelte van de lijst

7.3 Nokia - Good on all criteria, but needs clear timeline for PVC phase out for all applications.

7 Dell-Loses points for not having models free of the worst chemicals. Strong support for takeback.

6 Fujitsu-Siemens- High score on chemical policy, some models free of worst chemicals. But should improve takeback and recycling.

6 Motorola- Big improvement on all criteria, info on cleaner products, still to provide clear timelines for phase out of worst chemicals.

5.7 HP-Needs to do better on the chemicals criteria especially phase out timelines and greener products. High scores on takeback.

5 Sony- Some models without the worst chemicals, loses point for inconsistent takeback policies.

4 Samsung-Scores points for timelines for toxic phase out but poor on waste criteria. Loses points for inconsistent takeback policies.

3.7 Toshiba-Some models without the worst chemicals and reports on recycling, but no timelines for chemical phase out and poor on other waste criteria.

2.7 Apple-Low scores on almost all criteria and no progress.

Bron: www.greenpeace.org

Indianenstammen bijeen voor klimaatverandering

2006-12-06T11:33:00.000+01:00

"More than 50 American Indian tribes from around the country will gather Tuesday in Yuma County to begin the first conference held on global warming dedicated to native peoples.

The Tribal Lands Climate Conference will run for two days, collecting firsthand reports on the effects of global warming and reporting what some tribes are doing to help protect their lands.

The event's agenda originally included appearances by former Vice President Al Gore and Arizona's Sen. John McCain, but both dignitaries recently canceled, stating conflicts with their schedules.

The conference is hosted by the Cocopah Tribe and the Virginia-based National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Leaders with the latter organization stressed that American Indians provide a unique and invaluable view of environmental changes because tribes possess long-standing historical experiences with the planet's cycles and were among the first people to document "devastating impacts" on climate change."

Bron: www.yumasun.com

Clinton spreekt op Soestdijk over klimaat

2006-12-05T08:22:00.000+01:00

"Oud-president van de Verenigde Staten Bill Clinton houdt donderdag een toespraak over klimaatverandering op Paleis Soestdijk. De NOS zendt de toespraak live uit op Nederland 1.

Clinton, president tussen 1992 en 2000, is in Nederland op uitnodiging van de Nationale Postcode Loterij. Clinton is te gast als oprichter van de Clinton Foundation, die zich onder meer richt op klimaatverbetering. De toespraak wordt tussen 15.10 en 15.40 uur verwacht. Op de bijeenkomst in Soestdijk zijn ook vertegenwoordigers aanwezig van de andere 49 organisaties die door de loterij worden gesteund."

Bron: www.trouw.nl

2006 warm, maar niet heetste jaar

2006-12-05T08:19:00.000+01:00

"The average temperature in 2006 is likely to be amongst the hottest since records began nearly 150 years ago, giving what seems another example of global warming, experts said on Monday.

Autumn and early winter temperature records have been set from the Alps to Moscow this year, hurting ski resorts but extending growing seasons. Arctic sea ice shrank to near record lows in the summer.

"This year is likely to be in the top five, probably about the fifth warmest worldwide," said David Viner, senior climate scientist at the British University of East Anglia.

But some earlier parts of the year were cooler and experts say that 2006 will not beat all-time global records -- 1998 or 2005 -- since reliable records began in the 1860s.

The U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the 10 years 1996-2005, with the exception of 1996, are the warmest on record with 1998 the most sweltering.

NASA, by contrast, reckons that 2005 was hottest ahead of 1998."

Bron: www.reuters.com

Chinese overheid koopt groen

2006-12-05T08:18:00.000+01:00

"China's Ministry of Finance and the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) have announced that starting in 2007, the nation’s central and provincial governments will prioritize their purchasing of environmentally friendly products and services.

The government’s new "green procurement" policy will be implemented at all levels of jurisdiction starting in 2008.

The two agencies released a new “green purchasing list” that specifies a range of recommended products carrying the China Environmental Label, China’s only national eco-label for environmentally friendly goods and services. Government purchasers will be required to buy products from the list when these alternatives are available; otherwise financial authorities may refuse to pay for the items. “By purchasing environmentally friendly products and services, the government could become the real driving force for industry to develop green technology,” explained an official with SEPA."

Bron: www.greenbiz.com

Shell CEO veroordeelt USA over Kyoto accoord

2006-12-05T08:15:00.000+01:00

"The chief executive for Shell berated Washington on Monday for spurning the United Nation's Kyoto agreement on global warming, saying U.S. backing for a global regulatory framework would create incentives for oil companies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“For us as a company, the debate about CO2 is over. We've entered a debate about what we can do about it,” Royal Dutch Shell PLC chief Jeroen Van Der Veer told a gathering of hundreds of political and business leaders from the Middle East and elsewhere."

Bron: www.theglobeandmail.com

Windmolens zijn schaars

2006-12-04T20:30:00.000+01:00

"There is an inexhaustible supply of wind to drive their blades, but materials needed to make wind turbines are limited and the industry fears it will fail to keep pace with growing demand for the clean energy source.

"We do whatever we can but it's impossible to increase our (production) capacity overnight," a spokesman for the Danish group Vestas told AFP.

"There is a gap between industrial capacity and demand, and it will take several years before we can fill the gap. Don't expect miracles," Peter Wenzel Kruze added

Between 1995 and 2005 the amount of electricity produced using wind power grew on average by 32 percent per year in Europe while the number of wind turbines rose by around 22 percent.

Similar growth in the sector has been recorded in the United States where wind power production expanded by 36 percent in 2005 with the help of federal funding.

A number of countries have announced plans for major wind farm programmes both on land and at sea. The rush to wind power has proved a boom for the industry in the shape of lucrative contracts but it has also caused problems for companies as they struggle to meet multiplying deadlines."

Bron: www.wbcsd.org

Winter laat wereldwijd op zich wachten

2006-12-04T09:31:00.000+01:00

"Flowers are blooming on the slopes of Alpine ski resorts and bears are having trouble hibernating in Siberia amid a late start to winter that may be a portent of global warming.Rare December pollen is troubling asthma sufferers as far north as Scandinavia, sales of winter clothing are down and Santa Claus is having to reassure children his sleigh will take off on Christmas Eve, snow or no snow.

From Ottawa to Moscow, temperatures have been way above average at the start of the winter in the northern hemisphere -- with exceptions including a rare snowstorm in Dallas, Texas. Like many places, Austria has had the mildest autumn since records began and many ski resorts have delayed the season's start. Snow cannons are idling on green slopes that would usually be pistes, shrinking the billion-dollar winter business.

"The mountain peaks are shining white -- but not white enough that we can expect skiers to go there," said Martin Ebster, tourism director of St. Anton in the Arlberg ski resort, which postponed the season start to next weekend.

Many scientists say a single warm winter is most likely part of the natural variations of an unpredictable climate. Still, years of mild temperatures fit predictions of global warming, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.

The U.N. Environment Program warned in 2003 that rising temperatures, widely blamed on emissions from power plants, factories and cars -- were likely to raise the snow line steadily higher up mountains and cripple low-lying ski resorts."

Bron: www.reuters.com

GM werkt aan electrische ASO-bak.

2006-12-04T09:21:00.000+01:00

""General Motors Corp. Wednesday detailed its commitment to building new electric vehicles as it attempts to shed its reputation for producing gas-guzzling trucks.

Stung by criticism that it conspired to kill the electric car, the world’s largest automaker said it plans to make a plug-in electric hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, with double the fuel efficiency of any current sport utility vehicle.

GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner called the plug-in hybrid technology a “top priority” for the automaker.

Wagoner said vehicles that run on a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, as well as fuel-cell vehicles, which use hydrogen to create electricity and emit only water, are part of its plan to reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil.

Wagoner also said all versions of its Hummer SUVs will offer an engine powered by bio-fuels within three years.

GM is pushing its green image amid falling U.S. sales — down 9.4 percent through October. It has also been losing U.S. market share to Toyota, which has ridden its reputation for quality and fuel-efficiency to a No. 1 position in the local market."

Bron: www.msnbc.com

Oerbossen belangrijke opslagplaats CO2

2006-12-02T10:42:00.000+01:00

"Old-growth forest might store far more carbon than previously thought, making their preservation a higher priority in carbon trading and other efforts to tackle global warming. Classified as forests at least 100 years old, old-growth forests are widespread in tropical and subtropical developing countries. Until now, they were not thought to absorb and store significant amounts of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

In a study published in Science this week, however, scientists show that a 400-year-old forest in southern China is soaking up carbon from the atmosphere considerably faster than expected.

Knowing this, developing countries with abundant old-growth forest cover could ask rich countries for compensation through the global carbon trade, said team leader Guoyi Zhou.The finding could also help reduce deforestation in the developing world, added Zhou, from the Guangdong Province-based Dinghushan Forest Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences."

Bron: www.scidev.net

Gebruik WC voordat je gaat vliegen

2006-12-02T10:36:00.000+01:00

"Could it be the first flush of environmental awareness in China? One of the country's leading airlines has begun encouraging passengers to use the toilet before they board flights as a way of saving energy.

Chinese Southern Airlines hopes to reduce costs with the new policy because it estimates that a single flush at 30,000 feet uses a litre of fuel, the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. "The energy used in one flush is enough for an economical car to run at least 10km," pilot Liu Zhiyuan was quoted as saying

The airline also hinted at plans to improve efficiency by carrying fewer creature comforts. The company estimates the average aircraft in their fleet uses 60 tonnes of fuel a day simply to carry blankets and pillows. Reducing the human waste in the aeroplane's tanks would also save 47m yuan (£3m) per year."

Bron: www.guardian.co.uk

Stern: China's leiders onderkennen broeikasprobleem

2006-12-02T10:34:00.000+01:00

"China's leaders recognize the urgency of tackling climate change and that reducing greenhouse gases does not mean slamming the brakes on growth, the author of an acclaimed report on global warming said on Friday.

At a news conference to outline a study he presented to the British government in October, former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern disputed the premise of several questions that China was not doing enough to address global warming.

"There is a sense of urgency in China," Stern, head of the British government's economic service, said. "It's important to recognize that China is moving, and moving quite quickly."

Other Western diplomats and environmental experts are less impressed, however, and privately fret that China's leadership is not fully aware of the dangers of global warming or putting enough priority on measures to tackle it.

Stern's review said timely measures to curb the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that warm the planet, and so avoid the worst impact of climate change, could cost as little as 1 percent of global gross domestic product a year."

Bron: www.reuters.com

USA: vind biodiesel met je GSM

2006-12-01T08:46:00.000+01:00

"Working from the idea that more people will fill up with biodiesel if they knew where they could get it, NearBio offers a free service delivering a database of more than 1,000 biodiesel sellers (as of today, they've got 1039 locations across the country) to mobile phones via WAP (wireless access protocol) or text messaging.

Something of a technology-driven upgrade from The Biodiesel Hotline, NearBio takes your city and state, or zip code, or GPS coordinates and gives you distance, directions, address, phone number, blends and other facility details for the five closest stations. If your phone has internet access, the information is always available from NearBio.com; if it has email capability, you can send an email to sms(at)nearbio(dot)com; if you prefer text messaging, follow the instructions for your service provider. For driving directions, you just reply to the text of the location where you want to go"

Meer informatie op www.nearbio.com

Bron: www.treehugger.com & www.wired.com

Brussel stuurt CO2-plannen EU-landen terug

2006-12-01T08:24:00.000+01:00

"De Europese Commissie heeft woensdag een streep gezet door plannen van negen EU-landen over het aantal CO2-uitstootrechten 2008-2012. De landen staan te veel uitstoot toe. Ze houden geen rekening met nieuwe technieken en maken te veel gebruik van projecten voor uitstootbeperking ver buiten Europa, vindt Brussel.

Negen landen, waaronder Duitsland en Zweden, moeten hun geplande uitstoot met zo'n 7 procent verminderen vergeleken met de CO2 die in 2005 in de lucht kwam. Alleen Groot-Brittannië had het aantal rechten goed verminderd.

De Europese Commissie beslist later over de plannen van de vijftien andere EU-landen. Naar verwachting is het Nederlandse plan in januari aan de beurt."

Bron: www.new-energy.tv

Poep concertbezoekers wordt omgezet in energie

2006-12-01T08:20:00.000+01:00

"De poep van bezoekers van cultuurplatform De Puddingfabriek in Groningen verdwijnt niet langer in het riool maar wordt voortaan gebruikt voor de verlichting tijdens concerten. Dat heeft Puddingfabriek-directeur Wimer van der Veen donderdag bekendgemaakt.

De ontlasting van bezoekers wordt opgevangen in een groot reservoir waarna het door middel van een chemisch proces wordt omgezet in energie. De vrijgekomen energie wordt in eerste instantie alleen gebruikt voor het licht en geluid tijdens optredens en concerten. Wat er dan nog aan energie overblijft, wordt teruggegeven aan het stroomnet.

De poep wordt opgespaard tot er een groot optreden plaatsvindt. Om genoeg energie te krijgen, moeten ongeveer 200 bezoekers naar het toilet zijn geweest."

Net als in Canada wordt ook hier het Rioolafval gebruikt. Alhoewel ik het commentaar heb gekregen dat bovenstaand item een grap is (zie hier), zijn er bedrijven zeer serieus bezig om riool afval om te zetten in energie.

Bron: www.new-energy.tv

Amerikanen rijden minder kilometers

2006-11-30T22:33:00.000+01:00

"High gasoline prices not only slowed fuel demand growth and cut sales of gas-guzzling vehicles in 2005, they also prompted Americans to drive less for the first time in 25 years, a consulting group said in a report Thursday.

The drop in driving was small -- the average American drove 13,657 miles per year in 2005, down from 13,711 miles in 2004 -- but it is more evidence that the market works and prices help control consumption, Boston-based Cambridge Energy Research Associates said.

"Price matters," CERA Chairman Daniel Yergin said.""

bron: www.reuters.com

Koloniseren van andere planeten noodzakelijk

2006-11-30T22:29:00.000+01:00

"Humans must colonize planets in other solar systems traveling there using "Star Trek"-style propulsion or face extinction, renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said on Thursday.

Referring to complex theories and the speed of light, Hawking, the wheel-chair bound Cambridge University physicist, told BBC radio that theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible.

"Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid collision or a nuclear war could wipe us all out," said Professor Hawking, who was crippled by a muscle disease at the age of 21 and who speaks through a computerized voice synthesizer.

"But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe," said Hawking, who was due to receive the world's oldest award for scientific achievement, the Copley medal, from Britain's Royal Society on Thursday.

Previous winners include Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.

In order to survive, humanity would have to venture off to other hospitable planets orbiting another star, but conventional chemical fuel rockets that took man to the moon on the Apollo mission would take 50,000 years to travel there, he said."

Misschien is dit wel de oplossing voor het klimaatprobleem. Andere planeten koloniseren....

Bron: www.reuters.com

"Pure" een goed doel tegen CO2

2006-11-30T22:23:00.000+01:00

"Britain’s first charity dedicated to combating climate change was launched yesterday with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by a million tonnes a year — the equivalent of a medium-sized power station in Britain.

The charity, Pure, will offset carbon dioxide emissions by buying the regulated carbon credits allocated to industry with funds given by the public. It then cancels the credits by taking them off the market so that the total of emissions that can be traded is reduced.

The scheme is also open to organisations and businesses that can calculate their carbon footprint online and make gifts to reduce it."

Ik weet niet of het nu heel veel anders is dan bijvoorbeeld www.klimaatneutraal.nl maar om het compenseren van je CO2 als een goed doel neer te zetten is wel een andere benadering. Ik zie het zelf niet als een goed doel waar je af en toe wat duiten naar toe strooit maar als een morele plicht of anders gezegd een levenswijze om je co2 te compenseren.

Bron: www.timesonline.co.uk

Mijn auto rijdt op poep

2006-11-29T12:42:00.000+01:00

"A Canadian company is creating an alternative green fuel from a new source of energy that was under our noses all along - human sewage.

Scientists at biofuel group Dynamotive say the oil produced from human waste can be used instead of fossil fuels to generate heat and power in diesel engines and boilers. They have successfully carried out the transformation on a pilot scale and are looking at ways to scale up the process to commercial quantities.

Andrew Kingston, president and chief executive officer of Dynamotive, said: "There are no process issues at this point to stop us using human sewage sludge. If we can supply the oil then people will use it."

bron: www.theguardian.co.uk

Xerox papier wist zichzelf uit

2006-11-29T12:34:00.000+01:00

"Xerox scientists have invented an "erasable paper" -- a way to make prints whose images last only a day, so that the paper can be used again and again.

The technology, which is still in a preliminary state, blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use.

The experimental printing technology, a collaboration between the Xerox Research Centre of Canada and PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Inc.), could someday replace printed pages that are used for just a brief time before being discarded. Xerox estimates that as many as two out of every five pages printed in the office are for what it calls "daily" use, like e-mails, Web pages and reference materials that have been printed for a single viewing."

Nu nog "erasable diapers".

Bron: www.greenbiz.com

Niveau Broeikasgas Methaan Stabiliseert

2006-11-28T20:13:00.000+01:00

" U.S. study suggests levels of atmospheric methane have been nearly flat for seven years, following a rise that spanned at least two decades.

University of California-Irvine researchers say their finding indicates methane might no longer be as large a global warming threat as previously thought.

Professors F. Sherwood Rowland and Donald Blake, along with researchers Isobel Simpson and Simone Meinardi, believe one reason for the slowdown in methane concentration growth might be leak-preventing repairs made to oil and gas lines and storage facilities. Other reasons may include a slower growth or decrease in methane emissions from coal mining and natural gas production.

"If one really tightens emissions, the amount of methane in the atmosphere 10 years from now could be less than it is today," said Rowland, co-recipient of a 1995 Nobel Prize for discovering that chlorofluorocarbons in products such as aerosol sprays and coolants were damaging the Earth's ozone layer. "We will gain some ground on global warming if methane is not as large a contributor in the future as it has been in the past century."

The methane research appeared in the Nov. 23 online edition of Geophysical Research Letters."

Bron: www.climateark.org

Minder CO2 per biertje?

2006-11-28T20:07:00.000+01:00

"De brouwerijen van InBev hebben in 2005 wereldwijd 2,66 miljoen ton CO2 uitgestoten, wat meer is dan de 2,63 miljoen ton in 2003 en de 2,42 miljoen ton in 2004. Per hectoliter (100 liter) geproduceerde drank (bier of soft drinks) was er evenwel een daling van 16,84 kg CO2 in 2003 tot 14,53 kg in 2004 en 14,47 kg in 2005. Dat blijkt uit het jaarverslag 2006 dat de brouwerij zopas uitbracht over haar milieuprestaties."

Bron: energie-klimaat.blogspot.com

Meer rechtszaken door klimaatverandering

2006-11-28T19:58:00.000+01:00

" 2007 U.N. report with stronger evidence that humans are causing global warming is likely to spur more lawsuits around the world such as a case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, a legal expert said.

Lawsuits from Australia to California are already testing how far courts agree with most scientists’ view that human activities — led by burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and vehicles — are warming the planet.

“We’re going to get more and more of these cases,” Peter Roderick said, director of the Climate Justice Program, which is linked to environmental group Friends of the Earth,"

bron; www.msnbc.com

De energie-toekomst ligt in de woestijn

2006-11-27T19:48:00.000+01:00

"Two German scientists, Dr Gerhard Knies and Dr Franz Trieb, calculate that covering just 0.5% of the world's hot deserts with a technology called concentrated solar power (CSP) would provide the world's entire electricity needs, with the technology also providing desalinated water to desert regions as a valuable byproduct, as well as air conditioning for nearby cities.

The desert land is plentiful and cheap but, more importantly, there is roughly three times as much sunlight in hot deserts as in northern Europe. This is why the reports recommend a collaboration between countries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa to construct a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid for the sharing of carbon-free energy. Alternating current cables, which now form the main electricity grids in Europe, are not suitable for long distance transport of electricity because too much is lost on the way. Dr Trieb, of the German Air and Space Agency, says the advantage of DC cables is that the loss in transport is only about 3% per 1,000 kilometres, meaning losses between North Africa and Britain of about 10%."

Bron: www.theguardian.co.uk een een voorbeeld van een csp project hier.

Grote bedrijven EU willen ‘stimulans’ milieubeleid

2006-11-27T19:41:00.000+01:00

"De leiders van 25 grote ondernemingen hebben maandag een brief gestuurd naar de voorzitter van de Europese Commissie, Jose Manuel Barroso. In de brief roepen ze op om investeringen in milieu te stimuleren in ‘een helder beleidskader dat voor de lange termijn waarde creëert voor emissieverminderingen.’ Onder de schrijvers zijn onder meer bedrijven als Shell en Air-France KLM. Zij willen in gesprek met de Europese Commissie."

Bron: www.volkskrant.nl

Groene Levi's Spijkerbroek

2006-11-25T10:18:00.001+01:00

"They're not the first "green jeans" to go on the market, but Levi's says its new eco jeans are the first fully sustainable denims from a major brand.
The trousers, which go on sale tomorrow in 20 Levi's stores across the UK, are made with completely organic materials on a production line that uses sustainable production processes.

The jeans are made with 100% organic cotton denim, have a coconut shell button on the waistband and non-galvanised metal fly buttons. The indigo finish has been produced from potato starch, mimosa flower and Marseille soap. They are produced in a dedicated area of the Levi's factory in Hungary, on machinery that has been specially cleaned to comply with the certification process."

Bron: www.guardian.co.uk

Hoge Raad VS spreekt zich uit over CO2

2006-11-25T10:03:00.000+01:00

"The Supreme Court is set to enter the debate on global warming for the first time next week when 12 states and several environmental groups argue that the Bush administration should regulate the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles.

The states are challenging a 2003 Environmental Protection Agency finding that, under the Clean Air Act, the agency does not have the authority for such regulation.

Government lawyers argue on behalf of the EPA that even if the administration had the authority to regulate, it would decline to do so at this time. They note the administration's policy aimed at global climate change in general does not include setting emissions standards for new cars.

In the briefs the lawyers write, "As ongoing scientific studies provide additional information about the problem and potential solutions, the United States stands ready to take further measures and to work with the rest of the world to address the phenomenon of climate change."

The 12 states believe that the effects of climate change caused by global warming will wreak havoc on coastal properties and increase emergency response costs due to sudden storms and floods."

Bron: www.abcnews.com

EU wil 20% energie besparen in 2020

2006-11-25T10:02:00.000+01:00

"De EU-landen streven naar 20 procent energiebesparing in 2020. De besparing kan 100 miljard euro opleveren. Ministers van Energie van de 25 EU-landen hebben dat donderdag in Brussel vastgesteld, op voorstel van de Europese Commissie.

Doel is dat apparaten energiezuiniger worden, gebouwen beter geïsoleerd en elektriciteitscentrales efficiënter. Brussel riep burgers al op om meer spaarlampen te plaatsen. Burgers moeten apparaten niet op standby zetten, maar gewoon uitdoen: dat kan enorm veel stroom en geld schelen, betoogde de Europese Commissie.

Bijkomend voordeel van de besparing is dat de uitstoot van broeikasgas CO2 drastisch afneemt, zo is de gedachte. Tegelijk wordt de EU minder afhankelijk van energieleveranciers als Rusland en Iran."

Bron: www.new-energy.tv

Biodiesel tanken bij Total Belgie

2006-11-25T09:59:00.000+01:00

"Belgische automobilisten kunnen sinds donderdag in de tankstations van Total biodiesel tanken. Dat zei algemeen directeur van Total Belgium, Miguel del Marmol, tijdens een persconferentie. Leverancier voor de biodiesel is Oleon, een van de vier producenten die van de overheid toestemming heeft gekregen om uit de landbouw afkomstige diesel te produceren. De eerste leveringen van zuivere biodiesel hebben vorige week plaatsgevonden.

De allereerste biodieseltankbeurt vond vandaag/donderdag plaats in het tankstation naast de autosnelweg in Nijvel, in aanwezigheid van minister van Middenstand en van Landbouw Sabine Laruelle en haar collega van Leefmilieu en Pensioenen, Bruno Tobback.
Total stelt dat het de komende weken stelselmatig in alle Belgische stations de klassieke diesel zal vervangen door biodiesel. Begin 2007 zouden dieselrijders in alle stations van Total meer milieuvriendelijke diesel moeten kunnen tanken."

Bron: http://energie-klimaat.blogspot.com

VK: Belasting voor Asobakken gaat omhoog

2006-11-25T09:12:00.000+01:00

""Chelsea tractor" drivers and air travellers face substantial increases in tax as part of Gordon Brown's pre-budget report next month. According to a report in today's Financial Times, the chancellor is preparing to increase the top rate of vehicle excise duty for the most polluting cars, including four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Air travellers also face a rise in air passenger duty, a move which follows the Stern report on climate change, which called for urgent action on global warming.
At the moment, travellers pay duty of £5 for short-haul flights and up to £40 on long-haul journeys."

Bron: www.guardian.co.uk

Formule 1 een beetje groener

2006-11-24T08:11:00.000+01:00

"It will take some doing for Formula One to trade in its gas-guzzling, cash-devouring image for something leaner, greener and altogether more planet-friendly.The sport's major players are working on it as a priority, however.

Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the auto industry, with the threat of legislative action hanging over manufacturers. It would be wrong to assume that Formula One has only just woken up, however. Champions Renault's Enstone factory in central England is powered by renewable energy and rates as carbon neutral in CO2 emissions, while the FIA plants tens of thousands of trees every year in Mexico to balance the 'carbon footprint' left by the global traveling circus.

The FIA wants a new fuel efficiency engine for 2011 after the introduction in 2009 of a lightweight system harnessing wasted energy from the brakes to provide extra horsepower in short bursts.

By 2010 the body hopes to draw up a regulation for the recovery and re-use of waste heat from the engines. In the longer term there is likely to be a completely new and smaller turbo-charged engine, in line with industry trends, and possible use of bio-fuels."

Bron: www.reuters.com

Gezond Eco-Systeem is zakelijk belang

2006-11-23T09:12:00.000+01:00

"A new publication warns that companies must transform business models and operations if they are to avoid major economic losses caused by the current degradation of ecosystems and the vital services they provide.

This research indicates that many companies recognize the risks associated with degrading ecosystems and are trying to adapt accordingly, but most fail to associate healthy ecosystems with their business interests. A collective business response is therefore needed to address the scale of environmental change currently taking place."

Bron: www.greenbiz.com

China's Groene Revolutie

2006-11-23T09:11:00.000+01:00

" China is on a major drive to boost renewable energies and cut pollution - for sound financial and political reasons. Oil is too expensive and the government wants alternative energies to reduce China's dependence on it.

Local government officials in Dunhuang in Gansu province said they would build the world's biggest solar plant there, a 100-megawatt project costing £400m that will take five years to build. Dunhuang is sunny, with 3,362 hours of sunshine every year, making it a prime spot for solar energy development.

The world's biggest solar plant is at Arnstein, near Wuerzburg in southern Germany, with a 12-megawatt capacity. Beijing is also examining the potential of ethanol and biodiesel. China produced one billion litres of ethanol last year - a small proportion of global production (which hit 33 billion litres) but one that is growing."

Bron: www.independent.co.uk