Top Stories
Germany agrees to extend life of nuclear
power stations.—reliability high.
A story in The Guardian says that "Angela Merkel's coalition
government has agreed to a two-tier extension of the lifespans of
German nuclear power plants after marathon talks laid the groundwork
for the country's future energy policy." Newer plants will have their
operations extended 14 years beyond the previously planned shutdown
date, into the '30s. See The
Guardian. [Additional
fees levied on nuclear power will be used to stimulate the development
of renewable energy sources. Longer operation of the nuclear plants may
also reduce the need to build new coal-fired plants, or enable the
retirement of some old coal plants.]
Vulnerable Miami Hard at Work on Climate
Change Planning.—reliability high.
"Climate expert, Dr. Heidi Cullen, of the non-profit media
organization Climate Central, reports" on Miami's preparations in a
video. Long a leader in emergency planning for hurricanes, Miami-Dade
County is developing plans to adapt to climate change impacts. Tax
increases will be required. See video at Solveclimate
blog.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Mozambique's food riots – the true face of
global warming.—reliability medium.
In a comment piece Raj Patel writes that we should look at "the deaths
and burning tyres in Mozambique's "food riots" to see what happens when
extreme natural phenomena interact with our unjust economic systems."
Opinion in The
Guardian. [The
piece doesn't go into the details of politics in Mozambique which might
have contributed to the tension, for instance the low prices the
government maintained through the recent elections. And the prices of
water and other commodities also rose in Mozambique which contributed
to the unrest but can't be blamed on Russian weather. But the author
makes an impassioned argument. See also British wheat item below.]
Scientists Criticize System of Certifying
Fisheries.—reliability medium.
David Jolly posts that some marine scientists have written that the
Marine Stewardship Council's seafood certification system is not
protecting fish stocks as well as it should. He quotes the opinion
piece in Nature: "Objections to MSC certifications are growing. Scores
of scientists (including ourselves) and many conservation groups,
including Greenpeace, the Pew Environment Group and some national
branches of the WWF, have protested over various MSC procedures or
certifications. We believe that, as the MSC increasingly risks its
credibility, the planet risks losing more wild fish and healthy marine
ecosystems." See New
York Times Green blog. The Nature
opinion piece is behind a $32 pay wall. [All certification
systems are compromises between industry and green points of view, and
will be periodically subject to criticism.]
Rising wheat prices raise fears over UK
commitment to biofuels.—reliability high.
The UK has one plant to make bioethanol from wheat, and several more
under development. "According to the cereals and oilseeds division of
the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the three UK
biofuel refineries that are expected to be fully operating by 2014 will
require 3m tonnes, one-fifth of the wheat produced in the UK," the
article says. But the runup of wheat prices associated with Russia's
disastrous summer weather calls the strategy into question. "The 'dash
for wheat' could see large amounts of land converted to arable use both
in the UK and abroad. Green groups are concerned about what this will
mean for developing countries," according to the article in The
Guardian. [What
will consumers in the UK say if ethanol demand drives up the price of
wheat, as it has done to the price of maize in the U.S.? Of course
wheat makes up only a few percent of the price of bread in the UK, and
bread only a few percent of household budgets, quite different from
Mozambique. Don't expect riots.]
New York City Inks Contract for Up to 475
Compressed Natural Gas Buses.—reliability medium.
Michael Graham Richard posts: "The Board of the New York Metropolitan
Transit Authority (the "MTA") has awarded New Flyer of America a
contract for up to 475 buses. The contract is for 135 40-foot
compressed natural gas ("CNG") heavy-duty transit buses with options
for up to an additional 340 CNG buses." See TreeHugger.
Press release here.
Foothill Transit Adds All-Electric Buses to
Fleet.—reliability high.
In the first deployment of Proterra's EcoRide BE35 all-electric buses
by a major transit agency, "Foothill Transit, a public transport
provider that operates bus services in Southern San Gabriel and Pomona
Valleys, in California," will launch service with the vehicles and a
network of charging stations. It has the goal of establishing a full
fleet of "clean-fueled vehicles" by 2011. California transit agencies
have to purchase 15% of their annual bus orders as zero emission buses
starting in 2012. Story at Environmental
Leader.
Government and
Regulation
Manufacturers to Pay for E-Waste under New
Wisconsin Law.—reliability high.
"The new law also requires manufacturers to document that at least 80
percent of the electronic items they sell are being recycled, reports
Wisconsintrapidstribune.com. Currently, many manufacturers are
providing rebates to companies that accept electronics in order to meet
state electronic recycling requirements." More on the law's
requirements. See Environmental
Leader.
