 Stories from October 1, 2008
In Brief
Snippets from the news
• Mayors envision 4.2 million new green jobs.• Investment in cleantech continues to soar.• Greenpeace and Sierra Club Canada: Don't vote Tory.• Climate change could kill off one-third of species by 2100, say scientists. • Coca-Cola lightens cans in Europe.• IKEA bags bags.
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2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved
Who Needs a Hg?
CFLs can increase mercury pollution in some areas, study finds
Energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs can lead to an increase in mercury pollution in some regions, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The study looked at mercury emissions in 130 countries and all 50 U.S. states to determine what role CFLs, which contain mercury, may have in upping mercury pollution. The study concludes that, in general, areas that get most of their power from coal-fired power plants -- such as China and Estonia -- can reduce their net mercury emissions overall by switching to CFLs since the bulbs help reduce electricity demand and thereby also reduce mercury pollution from coal plants. However, in areas where few coal-fired power plants are in operation, such as California and much of South America, CFL use may actually increase an area's overall mercury pollution since the toxic element can be released upon breakage or disposal of the bulbs. Other factors to consider, the study says, include the kind of coal burned in nearby coal plants and the availability of CFL recycling programs. Still, of course, CFLs save a significant amount of energy and prevent greenhouse-gas emissions -- one reason why Umbra Fisk has advised their use even though they contain mercury.
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2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved
Throw 'Em a Loan
Bush signs off on $25 billion loan to Big Auto
President Bush on Tuesday signed a $630 billion spending bill that includes a $25 billion loan to the struggling auto industry. (Bush's sign-off also marks the expiration of the offshore-drilling ban and keeps the federal government funded through Mar. 6, 2009.) The loan package -- the biggest federal subsidy for Big Auto since the feds bailed out Chrysler in 1980 -- is aimed at helping carmakers improve overall vehicle fuel efficiency to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, as authorized in the 2007 energy bill. But the money may be a time in coming: the Department of Energy has 60 days to set rules for loan qualification, and DOE Secretary Sam Bodman says it could take up to 18 months for any money to be doled out. Michigan congressfolk are pushing for funding to arrive within six months. But hey, maybe Americans don't need so many cars anymore: according to government stats released Tuesday, U.S. driving dropped in July for the ninth month in a row. Oh, just leave us to our wishful thinking.
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2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved
Chirp Thrills
Farmland birds don't seem to mind wind turbines, says study
The sights and sounds of wind turbines don't seem to bother farmland birds, according to research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Scientists studied the effects of two wind farms in eastern England on 3,000 birds of 23 species, and found that only pheasants seemed to be disgruntled enough to move farther away from the turbines. (Incidentally, if we had a band, we'd call ourselves The Disgruntled Pheasants.) "This is the first evidence suggesting that the present and future location of large numbers of wind turbines on European farmland is unlikely to have detrimental effects on farmland birds," says coauthor Mark Whittingham. "This should be welcome news for nature conservationists, wind energy companies, and policymakers." However, the study did not focus on whether birds were killed by flying into turbines, which is a main concern of conservationists.
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2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved
Meat and Dairy, Quite Contrary
Cutting meat and milk consumption cuts CO2 emissions, study says
Happy World Vegetarian Day! Just in time for the festivities, a new study from the Food Climate Research Network finds that cutting down on meat and milk consumption can help cut greenhouse-gas emissions. The four-year study focused mainly on the U.K., concluding that dramatically cutting the average Briton's weekly meat and milk intake could help reduce emissions since about 8 percent of the country's greenhouse gases come from meat and dairy production. The study also boldly recommends citizens cut alcohol from their diet -- which has little nutritional value but contributes some 1.5 percent of overall emissions -- as well as sweets and chocolate that also contribute unnecessarily to the GHG intensity of British diets. But the report also points out that voluntary personal actions are not terribly effective at reducing emissions and, anyway, people like to eat what they want. "Food is important to us in a great many cultural and symbolic ways, and our food choices are affected by cost, time, habit, and other influences," the report says. "Study upon study has shown that awareness-raising campaigns alone are unlikely to work, particularly when it comes to more difficult changes."
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2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved
Against Sprawl Odds
New California law aims to cut CO2 emissions by discouraging sprawl
A brand new law in California, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Tuesday night, aims to cut greenhouse-gas emissions in the state by discouraging sprawl. The influential California Air Resources Board will develop GHG-reduction goals for different regions in the state within the next two years and then regional planning agencies will compete for billions of dollars in state transportation funds, with priority given to communities that are denser, closer to employment centers, and along public-transportation routes. To sweeten the deal for builders, housing projects that comply with the smarter growth plans will be largely exempt from the state's strict environmental reviews. "What this will mean is more environmentally friendly communities, more sustainable developments, less time people spend in their cars, more alternative transportation options, and neighborhoods we can safely and proudly pass on to future generations," Schwarzenegger said. Another bill that was vetoed by the governor Tuesday would have imposed a $60-per-container fee on goods coming into the busy ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland to fund pollution- and traffic-reduction measures.
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2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved
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