North Pole could be ice-free this summer, scientists say.
| Looming tropical disaster needs urgent action A major review by University of Adelaide researchers shows that the world is losing the battle over tropical habitat loss with potentially disastrous implications for biodiversity and human well-being.Published online today in the Ecological Society of America’s journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the review concludes we are “on a trajectory towards disaster” and calls for an immediate global, multi-pronged conservation approach to avert the worst outcomes. |
| State renews climate battle. California’s next great experiment starts today. The state Air Resources Board will outline this morning a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2020 and prepare the state for much deeper cuts in the years beyond. |
| U.S. Government Issues Shark Finning Ban in Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Waters The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today filed new rules that will require federal shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to land sharks with their fins still naturally attached. Previous federal regulations required only that fins and carcasses be brought to dock in a specific ratio, allowing shark fins to be cut off at sea. |
| Cooperative system could wipe out car alarm noise The persistent, annoying blare of an ignored car alarm may become a sound of the past if a cooperative, mutable and silent network of monitors proposed by Penn State researchers is deployed in automobiles and parking lots. “The basis of this system is trust,” says Sencun Zhu, assistant professor of computer science and engineering. “You need to trust the entity that distributes the system’s sensors, so you can rely on all the monitored cars having the goal of protecting your car and others from theft.” |
| Press Release: EDAF Launches National Ad Campaign in Support of Climate Security Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tony Kreindler, EDF, 202-572-3378 or 202-210-5791 (cell) Emily Diamond-Falk, EDF, 202-572-3365 or 202-841-8605(cell) (Washington – May 29, 2008) In the run up to an historic Senate vote on comprehensive climate change legislation, Environmental Defense Action Fund has launched a national television advertising campaign to counter special interest groups opposing the Climate Security Act, S. 3036.
"These ads are an effort to mobilize everyone who is sick of having our economy and environment hostage to imported oil,” said Keith Gaby, Communications Director for the National Climate Campaign at Environmental Defense Fund. "Americans clearly want action to fix climate change and break our oil addiction, but the interests opposing this bill are well-funded and well-organized.”
The Climate Security Act is a common-sense environmental and economic response to the escalating threat of climate change, and the ads call on Senators from both parties to support the bill. Its cap and trade policy will cost-effectively reduce U.S. global warming pollution, lessen our oil dependence, and restore American competitiveness.
Grounded, a television ad that is running nationally and in Washington, D.C., shows a man standing in front of an empty factory. "The Climate Security Act will spur investment in cleaner technology," he says. Suddenly, a barrel of oil falls out of the sky and whacks him in the head, driving him into the ground. After every statement, a barrel hits him, driving him further down. With only his head above ground, he says, "So, no surprise, some in Big Oil want to drive this bill into the ground."
Melt, another ad that begins running today nationally and in Washington, D.C., shows a candle in the shape of a man in a business suit. As he burns, he gives the typical excuses as to why we should not pass climate legislation now. "Sure, climate change is a problem, but let’s not rush into anything," he says. As he continues to melt, he offers obtuse excuses as to why America should postpone climate change legislation. With only his lips remaining on a mound of wax he cautions, "Remember: haste makes waste." Grounded can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij8rUPoTzPo
Melting can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFehmrVeCsI
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Environmental Defense Action Fund
Founded in May 2002, Environmental Defense Action Fund is at the forefront of educating legislators about developing new solutions that protect the natural world. Through grassroots and direct lobbying, EDAF amplifies Environmental Defense Fund’s ability to champion laws that are based on science, economic incentives, and, above all, the protection of our environment. |
| North Pole could be ice-free this summer, scientists say. The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. |
| Diesel Cars- Finally for Everyone in the US, or Too Late to the Party? Conflicting forces buffet the world of diesel-powered cars just as their greatest fuel efficiency successes are achieved. |
| $4 a Gallon Gasoline and Climate Change Both Call for the Same Solution: Collective Investment in Clean Energy “What do you have to say about global warming to the whole segment of Americans who are just waking up to energy issues with $4.00 per gallon gasoline?” That question came from the audience during a workshop on climate change I led recently. |
| Study questions method of listing fuel efficiency Listing vehicle fuel efficiency in “gallons per mile” instead “miles per gallon” would allow consumers to better understand potential fuel savings when they shop for a new car, according to a study released today.The Duke University study, published in Science magazine, says listing fuel efficiency in its current form leads consumers to assume fuel consumption drops at an even rate as efficiency improves. It doesn’t. |