Energy Environment and Climate Blog

Oil Back At $100: Higher Prices Here To Stay As Pipelines Ease Cushing Oversupply - Forbes

2011-11-17T11:47:00.000+01:00

Oil Back At $100: Higher Prices Here To Stay As Pipelines Ease Cushing Oversupply - Forbes: - Sent using Google Toolbar

Climate Change Lies: Bad Exemplars Portend Bad Science

2011-08-08T23:52:00.000+02:00

John Hill at Environmental Trends writes with respect to climate change lies that Bad Exemplars Portend Bad Science.

U.S. Department of Energy Online: Energy.gov Relaunched

2011-08-06T22:19:00.000+02:00

See U.S. Department of Energy at Facebook

The Five Best Environmental Websites/Blogs (Other Than This One, of Course) - Environmental Trends

2011-08-06T01:03:00.000+02:00

The Five Best Environmental Websites/Blogs (Other Than This One, of Course) - Environmental Trends: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Automobile Industry: Cars in Inner Cities: Urban Planning in Europe vs. the USA

2011-06-30T20:47:00.000+02:00

See the New York Times debate on discouraging cars in inner cities at Car Clash: Europe vs. the U.S.

Germany Adopts Laws to End Nuclear Power Era by 2022

2011-06-30T20:42:00.000+02:00

The German Spiegel Online News writes in A Revolution for Renewables: Germany Approves End to the Nuclear Era that:

"Germany's federal parliament, the Bundestag, passed a historic package of laws Thursday that commits the nation -- once and for all -- to a phase-out of nuclear power by 2022."

Germany in previous years has already taken great strides in shifting to renewable energies and e.g. massively subsidizing modern heating and insulation installations, so the German move is not surprising as such.

It remains to be seen whether a highly industrialized Germany will be able to rely solely on alternative energies and to keep from buying nuclear power from other countries if energy shortfalls occur.

Interactive Water Withdrawal and Use:Trend Compass Chart by EPIC Systems

2011-05-09T23:59:00.000+02:00

Try this interactive chart of stats for water withdrawal and use
see
Trend Compass Chart by EPIC Systems
to get the year use the bottom middle right movable horizontal bar

Wind Energy Output Under Rated Capacity of Wind Generation Facilities

2011-05-09T23:54:00.000+02:00

Wind energy facilities are apparently not up to their hype. See Brian Steed at Is the Energy Answer Blowing in the Wind? - Environmental Trends

Germany and Italy Currently Represent TWO-THIRDS of the World Solar Market According to Martin LaMonica at CNET's Green Tech

2011-05-05T01:52:00.002+02:00

If Germany and Italy currently account for two-thirds of the world's solar market, then what in the world is the rest of the world doing?

See Green Tech by Martin LaMonica at CNET News in
More countries, led by India, to fuel solar growth

Endangered Species and Illegal Imports of Animal Trophies, Polar Bars: plus, Conservation & Environmental Protection in Germany

2011-04-26T16:03:00.000+02:00

Erika Bolstad at the McClatchy Newspapers writes in Hunters' polar-bear trophies stuck in legal limbo about the effect of the Endangered Species Act on the sport hunting of polar bears in the northern regions of the world and the illegality of importing polar bear trophies into the USA, even if hunted prior to the Act:

"The Endangered Species Act prohibits importing animals that are listed as endangered or threatened. As a result, sport-hunted polar bear trophies from Canada can't be imported, the government argues, even if they were hunted before the bears were considered threatened."

It is estimated that there are about 25,000 polar bears left in a range across Canada, Russia, Greenland, Norway and Alaska, where local provinces also have their own rules about permissible hunting ("harvest rules"). For example, even U.S. law still permits Alaska Natives to shoot about three dozen polar bears each year. According to Bolstad, quoting polar bear expert Geoff York, The World Wildlife Fund, for example, does not oppose "sustainable harvests when they benefit local economies".

The tradition of hunting game for survival is as surely as old as the history of mankind so that it is difficult to oppose polar bear sport hunting on "strictly moral" grounds. Man's killing of animals for his own purposes is widespread on our planet. As one commenter to the article noted in replying to sport hunting critics:

"I don't know where you think your leather shoes, belts and double cheeseburgers come from...."

The opponents of course argue understandably that killing for sport rather than necessity are two horses of a different color, but there is a fine line there somewhere. That line raises the question of how many polar bears any geographic area can tolerate before they become dangerous or economically harmful and how much "sustainable harvesting" is required to keep animal populations healthy, regardless of the motivations of the individual hunters.

Here in Germany, for example, annual hunts of wild boar and deer and other animals are necessary in order to reduce overpopulation, which if uncontrolled results, for example, in wild boars literally invading human-inhabited locations and leaving a trail of destruction.

Moreover, wild boar and deer on German roads contribute heavily to thousands of accidents each year, with many human injuries, including fatalities, which has led many autobahns to be "fenced off" and special overpasses just for animals to be constructed at great cost in order not to bar animals from their natural territory. See e.g. Verkehrsrundschau.de.

The "sustainable harvest" of animals by hunting is in fact necessary and regularly practiced in Germany and we take the following figures from the Deutsche Jagd Zeitung djz.de for the year 2007/2008 as an example: harvested were 447,000 boar, 1 million deer (yes, Germany has many deer and forests), 525,00 rabbits, 269,000 wild hares, 543,000 foxes, 29,000 racoons, and 26,700 racoon dogs. It is always amazing to this observer that a country so thickly populated by humanity as Germany still has such a massive population of wildlife. In this connection, the forestry profession is quite important and the local forester is a respected person.

Living in an intelligent harmony with plants and wildlife is essential, as shown above. In Germany the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) publishes national Red Lists of endangered species which are supplanted by local state published lists as well.

The German protection of nature is detailed in English at WISIA Online, which points to the German Federal Nature Conservation Act (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz, BNatSchG) and the German Federal Ordinance on the Conservation of Species ((Verordnung zum Schutz wild lebender Tier- und Pflanzenarten, Bundesartenschutzverordnung, BArtSchV), as well as to the Federal Hunting Act (Bundesjagdgesetz, BJagdG) and the Federal Game Conservation Ordinance (Bundeswildschutzverordnung, BWildSchV).

Article 1 of the Bundesartenschutzverordnung (Bundesartenschutzverordnung - BArtSchV) provides a list of protected species, as these are protected in Germany by a variety of measures (e.g. "hunting bans, raptor nest surveillance, bat nesting boxes, amphibian tunnels, etc." ).

There are special restrictions imposed via the Foreign Trade Act (Außenwirtschaftsgesetz, AWG) the export list (Ausfuhrliste) and import list (Einfuhrliste) in the broader sense that protected animals and plants and their products can not be imported or exported pursuant to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Washington Convention ()).

Protected animals can not be sold in Germany, also not on websites such as eBay, and violators can be imprisoned.

April set to be warmest on record as Britain basks in the sun | UK news | The Guardian

2011-04-25T00:20:00.000+02:00

April set to be warmest on record as Britain basks in the sun | UK news | The Guardian: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Forcasting When Heat Waves Turn Deadly : Discovery News

2011-04-22T16:05:00.000+02:00

Forcasting When Heat Waves Turn Deadly : Discovery News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Powering the World with Renewable Energy is Possible Say Stanford and UC-Davis Researchers Jacobson and Delucchi via What on Earth? at Science Friday Blog

2011-03-16T21:18:00.002+01:00

At The Science Friday Blog (Every Day is Science Friday), Neil Wagner uses his comic strip "What on Earth?" in a posting titled
A world of wind power… and solar power…and…
to refer to the research
of Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford University and Mark A. Delucchi of UC-Davis
which claims that:
"the world could transition to exclusively renewable power sources ... in 40 years or less."

Apparently, the technology is there. Read the whole thing.

Index of air quality in the world's major cities: December 24 - News & Advice, Travel - The Independent

2010-12-30T01:07:00.000+01:00

Index of air quality in the world's major cities: December 24 - News & Advice, Travel - The Independent: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Bee Crisis in Europe: Something Must be Done: The European Parliament Reports on Bees and Environment

2010-10-28T23:44:00.000+02:00

Bees are dying off at an alarming rate in Europe, which could have catastrophic consequences for food supplies, since bees are essential for pollination of fruits and vegetables.

See To bee or not to bee..?

Even in our private garden, we have noticed a drop in bee visitations, in spite of increased plants and flowers this year.

BBC News - Study measures Atlantic plastic accumulation

2010-08-22T23:45:00.000+02:00

BBC News - Study measures Atlantic plastic accumulation: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Judge Rules that Genetically Altered Biotechnology Sugar Beets Not Kosher Until Thorough Environmental Review by the Government

2010-08-22T16:39:00.002+02:00

Michael Liedtke, AP Business Writer, in his August 15, 2010 article Judge's Ruling Uproots Use of Biotechnology Beets reported that Federal U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Northern District of California has invalidated government approval of genetically modified biotech sugar beets and has barred all future planting pending a full environmental impact review by the government (see the order in Case3:08-cv-00484-JSW Document570 Filed 08/13/10, in Center for Food Safety v. Vilsack, at the New York Times and at DocStoc).

Andrew Pollack covered the story at the New York Times in Judge Revokes Approval of Modified Sugar Beets.

See Federal Judge Bans Genetically Modified Sugar Beets at Treehugger.com

Crossposted from LawPundit.

BP Oil Plume May Still Stretch 21 Miles from Spill Site

2010-08-19T22:11:00.000+02:00

Scientists report undersea oil plume stretching 21 miles from BP spill site
by David A. Fahrenthold and Kimberly Kindy, Washington Post Staff Writer

NASA Finds Sun-Climate Connection in Old Nile Records - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

2010-08-04T16:54:00.000+02:00

NASA Finds Sun-Climate Connection in Old Nile Records - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

NASA - Coronal Mass Ejection Headed for Earth

2010-08-03T13:13:00.000+02:00

NASA - Coronal Mass Ejection Headed for Earth: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

July 29, 2010 Webcast: Rewards and Risks of "Green:" How to Make Your IP Assets Work Double-Duty While Minimizing the Risks of Disputes : Nano & Cleantech Blog

2010-07-27T13:39:00.000+02:00

July 29, 2010 Webcast: Rewards and Risks of "Green:" How to Make Your IP Assets Work Double-Duty While Minimizing the Risks of Disputes : Nano & Cleantech Blog: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Precluding Plant Mass Extinctions: The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway

2010-07-25T20:50:00.000+02:00

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, according to Svalbard’s Tale (Norway or No-Way), is "an ambitious project to store a massive amount of seeds as a genetic backup plan precluding plant mass extinctions."

Hat tip to diffbot: Svalbard’s Tale (Norway or No-Way):

2010 Already Hottest Year on Record since NOAA Records began in 1880

2010-07-17T00:01:00.000+02:00

Picture This: Dry Heat - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Take a look at that link for a picture of the partly dried out River Elbe near Dresden in Germany.

"US researchers announced on Thursday that June had been the hottest month ever recorded. The scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that the first half of the year was also the warmest period since records began in 1880, indicating that 2010 could break all records."

Environmental Law (Energy_Alerts) on Twitter

2010-07-16T15:49:00.000+02:00

Environmental Law (Energy_Alerts) on Twitter: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Factbox: Developments in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill | Reuters

2010-07-07T01:29:00.000+02:00

Factbox: Developments in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill | Reuters

Binge Flying? Britain Curbing Airport Growth to Aid Climate - NYTimes.com

2010-07-04T12:36:00.000+02:00

The concept of "binge flying" is a new one, seemingly putting the onus on your average low-cost air traveler.

Britain Curbing Airport Growth to Aid Climate - NYTimes.com

Maybe one should evaluate the percentage of airplanes in the air that are accountable to unnecessary business travel which could be conducted online via the newest networking technologies.

BP Relied on Cheaper Wells - WSJ.com

2010-06-19T23:47:00.000+02:00

BP Relied on Cheaper Wells - WSJ.com

Top 50 wildlife and conservation Twitter accounts | Celia Cole | Environment | guardian.co.uk

2010-06-04T16:20:00.000+02:00

Top 50 wildlife and conservation Twitter accounts | Celia Cole | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP warns of L.A. refinery flaring -filing | Reuters

2010-05-31T12:25:00.000+02:00

BP warns of L.A. refinery flaring -filing | Reuters

Latest oil spill developments - CNN.com

2010-05-31T12:22:00.000+02:00

Latest oil spill developments - CNN.com

U.S. official: Flow of oil from spill has stopped - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

2010-05-28T20:59:00.000+02:00

U.S. official: Flow of oil from spill has stopped - Gulf oil spill- msnbc.com

Signs of trouble evident hour before oil rig explosion - CNN.com

2010-05-26T11:39:00.000+02:00

Signs of trouble evident hour before oil rig explosion - CNN.com

North Slope crude spills from Alaska pipeline - CNN.com

2010-05-26T10:58:00.000+02:00

North Slope crude spills from Alaska pipeline - CNN.com

Environmental Protection and Politics : Per Capita Gasoline Consumption by State Correlates with Presidential Election Voting in 2008 with Republican States Using More and Democratic States Using Less

2010-05-21T02:19:00.001+02:00

Take a look here at environmental protection and Presidential election politics from a different angle and with a new twist.

While testing the new "Google Reader Play" we ran across the Infrastructurist.com by Martha Kang Mcgill, who presents a gasoline per capita consumption map of the United States by individual State, a map which looks curiously similar to a New York Times map of the 2008 Presidential election results by State in the United States, which we had archived in our memory.

So we compared the two maps.

On the whole, the "red states" (who voted Republican for McCain) use more gasoline per capita than the "blue states" (who voted Democrat for Obama), which can not be a function of wealth, since the Southern states are generally poorer. The colors show the per capita consumption, while the size of a state shows total consumption. Why would this possible per capita gasoline correlation exist?

Gulf oil spill: 'top kill' could be last best chance to stop leak - CSMonitor.com

2010-05-20T02:50:00.000+02:00

Gulf oil spill: 'top kill' could be last best chance to stop leak - CSMonitor.com

Robert Redford: Mr. President: Now Is the Time For Clean Energy

2010-05-20T02:35:00.000+02:00

Robert Redford: Mr. President: Now Is the Time For Clean Energy

Oceans' Fish Could Disappear by 2050 : Discovery News

2010-05-19T22:48:00.000+02:00

Oceans' Fish Could Disappear by 2050 : Discovery News

Volcanic ash: fresh wave of UK flight disruption spreads south | World news | The Guardian

2010-05-17T02:06:00.000+02:00

Volcanic ash: fresh wave of UK flight disruption spreads south | World news | The Guardian

Green Inc. column - Gap in Rules on Oil Spills From Wells - NYTimes.com

2010-05-17T01:49:00.000+02:00

Green Inc. column - Gap in Rules on Oil Spills From Wells - NYTimes.com

Giant Plumes of Oil Found Under Gulf of Mexico - NYTimes.com

2010-05-17T01:46:00.000+02:00

Giant Plumes of Oil Found Under Gulf of Mexico - NYTimes.com

Recyclables - Washington Post - Nina Shen Rastogi

2010-03-24T22:06:00.000+01:00

Nina Shen Rastogi at "The Green Lantern" column in the Washington Post asks: Recyclable or not? Check the rules in your locality about labels, tape, etc..

Climate Scam : Blogs have Hijacked Peer Review Process says ‘Climategate’ Scientist

2010-02-27T02:00:00.000+01:00

"Blogs have Hijacked Peer Review Process says ‘Climategate’ Scientist" - Climate Scam: Review of the Climate Change News

The Climate, Global Warming and Air Moisture Increase at the February 12, 2010 Newsletter - The Week in Germany

2010-02-13T18:57:00.000+01:00

The Newsletter The Week in Germany, February 12, 2010 of the German Missions in the United States has an opening op-ed by Karen Carstens, Webteam Germany.info, Co-Editor, The Week in Germany, on the topic of the climate and global warming where she writes that the current winter does not negate the theory of global warming:

"Cooler than average temperatures and record-breaking snowfalls are not, however, reason to dismiss global warming as some kind of secret plot for world domination....

I want to say just one word to you. Just one word. ... Moisture."

Global warming - if true - means increased moisture in the air, which, if temperatures are sufficiently cool, can in fact lead to increased snow.

read the entire analysis here

German Missions in the United States - Year of Science

2010-01-23T01:19:00.000+01:00

German Missions in the United States - The Future of Energy : Motto of the Year of Science 2010

"The future of energy: this is the motto of the Year of Science 2010, which begins on January 22 and is organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research together with the Science Initiative."

Venture Funding Moves from Clean Energy to Efficient Lighting and Energy-Management Software : Biotech Leads the Pack

2010-01-22T10:52:00.000+01:00

Venture Funding Stabilizes, Shifts to Biotech, Shuns Energy - BusinessWeek

Biotech is on the rise as drug companies seek to offset expiring patents and as investments are being made in new technologies such as genome and cancer research. Less money is going into clean energy and more into projects for efficient lighting and energy-management software.

Tim Mullaney, January 22, 2010 (Bloomberg) , writes:

"Venture-capital funding for startup companies stabilized in the fourth quarter, with investor interest shifting toward drug development and away from clean energy....

Biotech was the largest industry for the quarter."