CO2 goes live! (0)
Posted 9 April, 2008 in Carbon trading, Emmissions monitoring, Political issues
Researchers based at Purdue University have posted a YouTube video showcasing Vulcan, a project to increase the resolution of carbon dioxide emissions across the US. You can watch it by clicking the link below:
A moving target (0)
Posted 18 March, 2008 in Carbon offsetting, Carbon trading, Political issues
So is the UK making cuts in its greenhouse gas emissions or not? Well, that depends on which set of statistics you use. First, there are the stats that the Government presents to the UNFCCC, which appear to show that we’re doing rather nicely, thank you very much. Then again, there’s the more comprehensive set of figures – the Environmental Accounts – that the Office for National Statistics prepares. Crucially, the Environmental Accounts include emissions associated with international aviation and shipping. (more…)
Just bag it (1)
Posted 14 March, 2008 in Alternative power, Biofuel technology, Carbon offsetting, Carbon trading, Climate change, Footprint reduction, Political issues
One of the documents released with this year’s UK budget – intriguingly entitled “An environmentally sustainable world” [they forgot to add the bit about being in a human timescale] — gives thirteen announcements on how the Government intends to tackle climate change. Number twelve is “to eliminate single-use carrier bags” and warns that the “Government will legislate and impose a charge if retailers do not take voluntary action.” (more…)
[More] claptrap from “on high” (0)
Posted 11 March, 2008 in Climate change, Political issues, Religion and environment
You all know the Seven Deadly Sins, the ones that they made the film about? Well, they’re no longer deadly enough according to the Vatican. Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti has come up with a new list, especially designed for the media-savvy generation of new kids on the block. Here’s the things you shouldn’t get mixed up in, if you don’t want to be eternally toasted (in not a nice way):
Environmental pollution
Genetic manipulation
Accumulating excessive wealth
Inflicting poverty
Drug trafficking and consumption
Morally debatable experiments
Violation of fundamental rights of human nature. (more…)
That sinking feeling (0)
Posted 10 March, 2008 in Carbon offsetting, Climate change, Forests and woodlands, Political issues
Welcome to www.eighteenpercentcarbon.com. Let’s talk about trees. Here’s an article, first published in Conservation magazine (April-June 2007), then in the Nature Conservancy’s mag, about the role of trees in carbon sequestration.
That Sinking Feeling
We dig fossil fuel out of the ground, burn it and fill the atmosphere with carbon dioxide, and then plant trees to soak it back up. If only it were so simple.
Aren’t trees great? There’s something so utterly natural about meandering through a leafy woodland glade, staring up at that immense, almost overwhelming beech tree, and giving the big old thing a hug. And not only are trees our friends, but they can also save the planet. Right? According to the website of the CarbonNeutral Company (formerly known as Future Forests), “the invisible nature of greenhouse gases contrasts with how easy it is to understand how trees absorb CO2 and put out oxygen.” So there you have it. We dig fossil fuel out of the ground, burn it, and fill the atmosphere with carbon dioxide—and the trees soak it right back up. (more…)
