Peak oil has generated headlines in recent years, but the real threat to our future is peak water. There are substitutes for oil, but not for water. We can produce food without oil, but not without water. We drink on average four liters of water per day, in one form or another, but the food … Continue reading Peak Water: What Happens When the Wells Go Dry?
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Plastics
In 2012, 280 million metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide. These scientists project that a total of 33 billion metric tons will have been produced by 2050. Scientists calculated that the new classification would reduce the 33 billion metric tons of additional plastic produced by 2050 to 4 billion. In the March online issue … Continue reading Plastics
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UNEP scientist in climate change reduction recommendation
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) chief scientist Joseph Alcamo on Tuesday called for more efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) so as to slow down global warming. In an interview with Xinhua, Alcamo said that reducing SLCPs will also protect human health, and in some cases, reduce air pollution. According to the UNEP, SLCPs, … Continue reading UNEP scientist in climate change reduction recommendation
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Bulgarian referendum reflects uncertainty of nuclear power development
Bulgarians have postponed construction of a new nuclear power plant for an indefinite future, according to unofficial data released on Sunday evening after a low-turnout referendum held on this issue. According to parallel vote tabulation conducted by Alpha Research agency, although 61 percent of the voters said “yes” on whether the country should build a … Continue reading Bulgarian referendum reflects uncertainty of nuclear power development
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Philadelphia Mayor Nutter and Veolia Energy Mark Completion of Multi-Million Dollar ‘Green Steam’ Project
Veolia Energy North America, a leading operator and developer of efficient energy solutions, today commemorated the completion of the company’s multi-million dollar investment in its Philadelphia district energy network to convert it to 100 percent ‘Green Steam’. The Green Steam project featured the installation of two new rapid-response boilers and an expansion of Veolia Energy’s … Continue reading Philadelphia Mayor Nutter and Veolia Energy Mark Completion of Multi-Million Dollar ‘Green Steam’ Project
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CO2 emissions from Amazonia deforestation drop 16 percent this year
Carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere as a result of Amazon deforestation dropped to 352 million tons this year, or 16 percent less than in 2011, Brazil’s state-run National Space Research Institute, or INPE, said. In a communique Friday, the organization said that the calculation of emissions data was based on an analysis by the … Continue reading CO2 emissions from Amazonia deforestation drop 16 percent this year
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EU greenhouse gases in 2011: emissions fall 2.5%
Emissions of greenhouse gases in the European Union (EU) fell on average by 2.5 % from 2010 to 2011, although several countries increased emissions. Almost all European countries are individually on track towards their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol compared to last year, according to two reports published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). … Continue reading EU greenhouse gases in 2011: emissions fall 2.5%
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The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
“The U.S. Great Drought of 2012 has raised corn prices to the highest level in history. The world price of food, which has already doubled over the last decade, is slated to climb higher, ushering in a new wave of food unrest,” says Lester R. Brown, author of Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics … Continue reading The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
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Summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will soon be but a memory
Cambridge University Professor Peter Wadhams said the rapidly increasing pace of summer ice melt is such a “global disaster” that humankind must urgently study other methods to thwart global temperature rise. A leading expert on ice suggests that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the months of August and September as early as four … Continue reading Summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will soon be but a memory
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Recovery of ozone layer expected to take at least 40 years
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was signed on Sept. 16, 1987. It has succeeded in cutting the production and consumption of ozone-destroying chemicals, which have a long atmospheric lifetime and it will take several decades before their concentrations are back to pre-1980 … Continue reading Recovery of ozone layer expected to take at least 40 years
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We Can Reforest the Earth
Protecting the 10 billion acres of remaining forests on earth and replanting many of those already lost are both essential for restoring the earth’s health. Since 2000, the earth’s forest cover has shrunk by 13 million acres each year, with annual losses of 32 million acres far exceeding the regrowth of 19 million acres. Restoring … Continue reading We Can Reforest the Earth
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Greenland’s massive ice sheet melts
» By Chris Rose As the world’s media attention turned this week to the Summer Olympics in London, a somewhat downplayed story of astonishing implications was emerging from the world’s biggest island: almost 97% of Greenland’s ice sheet experienced melting during early to mid-July. In a normal summer period, according to the National Aeronautics and … Continue reading Greenland’s massive ice sheet melts
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