Cool News
Iowa Lands Large New Wind Farm
Thursday, June 19th, 2008A new wind farm slated to begin operation later this year in southwestern Iowa has received formal approval, giving some good news to a state that has been devastated by severe flooding. The project will boast 67 turbines, generating 100.5 megawatts of clean power while producing no global warming pollution.
Midwest cities fare poorly on per-capita carbon emissions
Thursday, May 29th, 2008New research from the Brookings Institution shows that most urban areas in the Midwest rank emit more carbon than their counterparts on the West Coast. The Brookings report ranks 100 U.S. metropolitan areas, and found that western cities have relatively smaller carbon footprints in part because of warmer weather, but also because of cleaner hydroelectric power. Chicago ranked 15th best in the nation, but other Midwest cities fell further down the list. Cleveland, for example, ranked 31 and Detroit came in 37; Minneapolis-St. Paul came in at number 47. Toledo, Cincinnati and Indianapolis were near the bottom of the list. The full ranking can be downloaded from Brookings’ website here [pdf file] and individual city profiles are here. The report also includes policy recommendations, the New York Times reports, “including federal legislation setting a price on carbon emissions, increasing financing for energy research and development, revising federal policies that reward states with high levels of travel and fuel use and providing more, and more predictable, financial support of mass transit.”
Ever Thought of Solar Grilling?
Thursday, May 29th, 2008Imagine grilling outside without having to worry about cleaning up charcoal, refilling the propane gas tank, or worrying about the carbon dioxide pollution that outdoor grilling releases. A new type of product-a solar grill-cooks outdoors without those unwelcome side effects.
Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and 16 More States Seek Ruling that Global Warming Endangers Public Health
Thursday, May 29th, 2008As the final months of the Bush Administration wind down, states are going to court to force the U.S. EPA to act to regulate carbon dioxide as endangering public health. This action follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, holding that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act’s standards.
Massachusetts Congressman Introduces Sweeping Global Warming Bill
Thursday, May 29th, 2008As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s (I-CT) and Sen. John Warner’s (R-VA) global warming pollution reduction legislation next week, a new bill has been introduced this week. Rep. Edward Markey’s (D-MA) proposed bill would reduce carbon dioxide pollution by 85% by mid-century, making it the most sweeping piece of legislation introduced at the federal level thus far.
First Transportation/Global Warming Forum Begins in Germany
Thursday, May 29th, 2008The transportation sector produces about 33% of global warming pollution, mostly from cars and trucks. Now, at a first-of-its-kind forum in Germany, international transportation experts are discussing ways to change how all of us get from Point A to Point B. Not lost on the participants is the global warming pollution they themselves are creating in traveling to Germany.
Consider Native Landscaping!
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008With spring in full swing, those of us who garden can help reduce global warming pollution by planting species native to the Midwest instead of traditional grass. Native plants require no mowing, so there’s no associated global warming pollution from a lawn mower. In addition, native plants have depeer root systems than grass, permitting greater underground sequestration of carbon dioxide.
Kansas Governor Stands Up Against Coal Plant Expansion
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008For the third time, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) has vetoed legislation that would have permitted an old-technology coal plant in the southwest part of Kansas. The Sebelius Administration identified the carbon dioxide pollution from a larger coal plant as too significant a risk. Kansas is also the only Great Plains state to have joined the Midwestern Governors Association’s working group of six states that currently is drafting a cap-and-trade plan for Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Department of Interior Polar Bear Ruling Subject of Lawsuit
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008Last week, the U.S. Department of Interior made news around the world when it agreed to list the polar bear as a “threatened” species. But despite the fact that the main threat is loss of ice shelf habitat because of global warming, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said that the federal government would not use global warming pollution reduction as a tool to save the bears. Several environmental groups are now taking the Bush Administration to task because of the Secretary’s position.
Walruses Also Threatened as Ice Melts
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008Media coverage of melting ice caps has largely focused on polar bears, but other species are also in danger. With ice melting three weeks earlier in the spring, and one month later in the fall than it did just 20 years ago, walruses and other ice-dependent creatures are in trouble, too.
