As if we needed any more evidence demonstrating that anthropogenic climate change is real, that it is occurring right now, and that it poses a major threat to the planet's environment, we now have it -- in spades. Let's begin with the assessment by a Penn State University investigation, which completely exonerated climate scientist Michael Mann from any wrongdoing in the ridiculous, trumped-up, never-any-truth-to-it, pseudo-"scandal" known as "climate-gate." In reaction to this report, former House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) -- full disclosure, Boehlert's on the NRDC Action Fund board -- issued a statement which read:
This exoneration should close the book on the absurd episode in which climate scientists were unjustly attacked when in fact they have been providing a great public service. The attacks on scientists were a manufactured distraction, and today's report is a welcome return to common sense. While scientists can now focus on their work, policy makers need to address the very real problem of climate change.
Well said, Congressman, and keep up the great work, Professor Mann!
"no errors that would undermine the main conclusions in the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on possible future regional impacts of climate change"
"the summary conclusions are considered well founded, none have been found to contain any significant errors"
"ample observational evidence of regional climate change impacts, which have been projected to pose substantial risks to most parts of the world, under increasing temperatures"
In fairness, the Dutch report leveled several criticisms of the IPCC report: 1) even the few, minor errors shouldn't have been allowed to slip by; 2) the report's summary statement should have been written to provide a higher amount of transparency regarding its sources and methods; and 3) the report tended to focus solely on the adverse consequences of climate change, not on potentially positive impacts. These are non-trivial issues that need to be addressed. Having said that, as Joe Romm points out, "the overwhelming majority of research since the IPCC has found that the IPCC has consistently underestimated many key current and future impacts, particularly sea level rise (and carbon-cycle feedbacks)."
In the end, the bottom line from these reports is clear: the science behind human-induced climate change has emerged from this entire, ridiculous, episode overwhelmingly intact -- if not strengthened. The only real question now is, what are we going to do about it?
As if the oil companies from Texas – and their allies in the corridors of power - hadn’t done enough harm to our country already (for more, see the late, great Gulf of Mexico), now they are at it once again. This time, it’s Valero and Tesoro, pouring money into a campaign this election season to undo California’s landmark, clean energy and climate law, AB 32. On Tuesday, the oil companies’ proposition was certified for the November ballot. The fight, as they say, is on!
Sometimes it's good to be cautious--and other times it's better to go with your gut.
People told us not to visit Madagascar, that political conflict made the country unsafe for tourists.
But we decided to go anyway because if we had listened to those voices, we'd never have gone to Nairobi, Kampala, or Kigali.
We are cautious when we travel, but aware that our best and most eye-opening experiences are places well off the beaten path.
And, Anantanrivo, Madagascar's capital city, is a place we fell in love with.
The narrow streets, alleyways, cobblestone roads, and historic buildings remind you, at times, of parts of Western Europe. At the same time the markets, the noise, the traffic, the energy, the goats and livestock walking along the highways, were all quintessentially African.
Our journey started as we did a field visit to RTM. RTM is an Italian NGO, working with farmers to provide alternatives to slash and burn agriculture--which is practiced in many rural areas as a way to provide nutrients to the soil. Unfortunately, the nutrients don't last more than a season or two, forcing farmers to burn more forest.
Afterwards we met with Xavier Rakotonjanahary, Rice Breeding Coordinator, National Center of Applied Research for Rural Development. Xavier works with rural rice farmers, helping develop different breeds of rice that will help reduce labor, fertilizer, and other inputs.
We spent Danielle's birthday trekking in the rainforest in search of lemurs in the national rainforest of Antanarivo. Lemurs are only found in Madagascar (with the exception of the island of Comoros) largely because their ancestors were displaced everywhere else due to monkeys and apes.
In Madagascar, 90 percent of the country's original forest has been destroyed and lemurs are presently endangered due to deforestation and hunting. Additionally several species of lemurs are extinct, especially the larger species. The smaller lemurs are nocturnal and all we could see was their amazing red eyes on a night trek. We also saw large chameleons, turtles and giant snails.
During the day we saw lemurs playing (they travel as families) and eating flowers, leaves and fruits. In our video below you will see them playing, and can listen to a brief explanation about lemurs from our tour guide. They are pretty incredible animals with deposable thumbs and long tails that they use to balance themselves between trees.
In summary, if you are considering a visit to Madagascar, go. You won't regret it!
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A new ranking of the world's nations by environmental performance puts some of the globe's largest economies far down the list, with the United States sinking to 61st and China to 121st.
In the previous version of the Environmental Performance Index, compiled every two years by Yale and Columbia University researchers, the United States ranked 39th, and China 105th.
The top performer was Iceland, which gets nearly all of its power from renewable sources, followed closely by Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
"Countries that take seriously the environment as a policy challenge do improve, and those that don't deteriorate," said Daniel C. Esty, director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, who oversees the index project.
The paper does note that because most of the data is from 2007 and 2008, "the index does not fully reflect new efforts by the Obama administration" to improve environmental performance. It also notes that the U.S. scores well in forestry and safe drinking water, but our ranking is abysmal because we score low in areas like heat-trapping emissions and urban air pollutants.
Increasing renewable energy would help decrease our emissions. The good news is that we're advancing quickly in one area - wind power.
Despite a crippling recession and tight credit markets, the American wind power industry grew at a rapid pace in 2009, adding 39 percent more capacity. The country is close to the point where 2 percent of its electricity will come from wind turbines.
According to the NYT, that's up from virtually nothing a few years ago, and they reported that the American Wind Association said "the amount of capacity added last year, 9,900 megawatts, was the largest on record, and was 18 percent above the capacity added in 2008, also a banner year."
The nation's wind turbines generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 9.7 million homes, according to the report. Last year, Texas consolidated its lead as the nation's top wind producer, with a total capacity of 9,410 megawatts, about three times more than the second-largest producer, Iowa. They were followed by California, Washington and Minnesota.
And guess what the AWEA credits for the growth of wind power? "The U.S. wind industry shattered all installation records in 2009, and this was directly attributable to the lifeline that was provided by the stimulus package," said Denise Bode, the trade association's chief executive.
However, as extraordinary as growth has been in this area, they also point out that it could be better if Congress would pass a a federal mandate requiring that a certain percentage of power come from renewable sources. Mandates already exist throughout the European Union and in China, and in the U.S. 29 states have adopted a renewable power standard, including Michigan, which set a standard of 10% of electricity from renewable resources by 2015.
"The wind manufacturing sector has the potential to employ many more Americans in green jobs, but without a renewable electricity standard to provide a long-term market, the sector will be slow to grow," the trade group said in its report.
I'm so tired of the U.S. falling behind in everything but the strength of our military. The U.S. should be leading the way in this area instead of falling further behind. And although we're fortunate to have Gov. Granholm and other Democrats with foresight and vision pushing for higher standards, we're still stuck with obstructionist Republicans who would rather help their fossil fuel cronies than our environment. Just imagine how much better our country could be if Republicans didn't always stand in the way.
The Michigan Energy Fair presented by The Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, returns to Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekema, MI, June 26 - 28th(Friday thru Sunday). This has become the go to event for presenters, exhibitors and enviro-tech gurus in Michigan. Last year's attendance was well over 6000 people and Governor Jennifer Granholm gave the keynote address.
With more than 20 years of service in the Michigan Legislature as a State Representative, State Senator and Minority Leader, Cherry has received many awards and honors, including recognition from The Detroit News as one of Michigan's Most Effective Legislators. Cherry was named the 2005 Conservationist of the Year by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) and is the immediate past Chair of the Great Lakes Commission. He also has served as Chair of the National Lieutenant Governor's Association.
Cherry's focus on families and education has meant that more of Michigan's children have the opportunity to go to college. He has led the Lt. Governor's Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth, making a series of recommendations that have brought higher education into the larger discussion of creating and retaining jobs here in Michigan. He also serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Midwest Higher Education Compact.
Cherry's interest in politics began as a teenager through organizing and political activism. He took a job as administrative assistant to former State Senator Gary Corbin, later serving as political director for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO until his election to the Michigan House. As a legislator, Cherry focused on the issues that were most important to Michigan citizens - families, the quality of life in Michigan, the environment and Michigan's great outdoors. He has authored and co-sponsored several milestone Michigan laws dealing with workers' rights, environmental protection and conservation.
Saturday's keynote will be by Representative Dan Scripps (D-Leland). Dan is no stranger to the netroots or environmental group circles. He is considered by many to be a leader in environmental policy.
He is dedicated to creating good-paying jobs now, expanding educational opportunities to more residents and protecting our special way of life in Northern Michigan.
Dan owns his own consulting business, and has worked with the Leelanau Conservancy to develop a farmland protection strategy for Leelanau County. He has served as co-chair of the economic development committee for his local chamber of commerce and as vice president of the Leelanau Children's Center.
An environmental attorney, Dan has emerged as a statewide leader in environmental and energy issues, and was invited to participate in a think tank panel on Climate Change and Energy Policy Solutions at the Rothbury Music Festival in July 2008. He is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights and is an avid fisherman.
Sunday's keynote is Scott T. Harrison, CEO of Azure Dynamics.
Mr. Harrison comes to Azure Dynamics from Hayes Lemmerz, a two billion US dollar per annum Tier 1 auto supplier, where he was Group President responsible for two global businesses. Before joining Hayes Lemmerz in 2001, Mr. Harrison worked for Fisher Scientific Inc., where he was Vice President and General Manager of the Lab Equipment Group. Mr. Harrison began his automotive career with General Motors where he spent seven years in various positions of increasing responsibility at the Delco Chassis Division. During this time he participated in GM's Supervisor Exchange Program with Toyota Motor Corporation. With 17 years of direct experience in the automotive industry, Mr. Harrison has a strong record of sales growth, lean implementation, new product introduction as well as operations and supply chain experience
"Our goal is to offer Michigan residents educational information on how to
build or improve the efficiency of your home and business through our workshops. Then, you
can walk right over to the companies that sell the products. This is not only an educational event
but a place to engage the consumer with the companies in the sustainable energy field," stated
Jennifer Alvarado, GLREA Executive Director.
This year will include tours of Douglas Valley CSA Wineries, Michigan's first LEED-H Platinum Certified home built by Hybrid Homes and MasTech Manufacturing, the plant that produces the Windspire wind turbine. A kid's tent and musical entertainment will also be featured along with approximately 120 vendors and exhibitions, educational programs and speakers.
This is something to consider if you're in the market for a new television, especially one of those behemoth plasma models.
European Union countries are close to agreeing upon minimum energy performance standards for televisions, according to reports this week in the British press. It's likely the largest plasma models will be outlawed under the new requirements because of the extraordinary amount of electricity these units consume.
On the whole, plasma televisions use about 50 percent more power than those with liquid crystal displays.
Yikes. That's a lot of energy being consumed, especially if your household is anything like mine and the television stays on whether it's being watched or not. Exactly how much energy is being wasted?
...in the US, 275 million televisions gobble up as much electricity as is produced by 10 coal-fired power stations.
According to the NYT, the creation of national efficiency standards for televisions is in stand-by mode in this country, although California regulators are proposing state standards that would require all new TVs use 50 percent less energy by 2013.
In the meantime, if you're worried about the environment and your electric bill, there are a couple of things you can look for when buying a television. The familiar Energy Guide labels provide specific information on how much electricity an appliance is likely to use annually and how much the operating costs are likely to be; however, the standards used for television efficiency date back more than 30 years.
Televisions that meet the new Energy Star specification will be up to 30 percent more energy efficient than conventional models. If all televisions sold in the United States met the new Energy Star requirements, the savings in energy costs would grow to be about $1 billion annually and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by the equivalent of about 1 million cars.
More information about Energy Star televisions (and other products) can be found here. Energy efficiency does make a difference. The EPA said "in 2007 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million vehicles."
From Lt. Gov. John Cherry and the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes comes news that a series of public meetings have been scheduled to give residents an opportunity to share their ideas on ways to protect the lakes.
These are the dates and locations:
October 13, 2008 in Marquette at Northern Michigan University's University Center
October 16, 2008 in Clinton Township at Macomb Community College's Center Campus University Center
October 17, 2008 in Grayling at the Grayling Township Hall
October 20, 2008 in Detroit at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments' office
October 21, 2008 in Muskegon at Grand Valley State University's Annis Water Resources Institute
October 23, 2008 in Saginaw at Saginaw Valley State University
October 27, 2008 in Petoskey at North Central Michigan College's University Center
November 19, 2008 in Kalamazoo at the Kalamazoo Nature Center
All meetings are scheduled for 7 PM. They're seeking input on a draft action plan with specific recommendations for steps they can take to protect and preserve the Great Lakes in a way that enhances our economic prosperity. A copy of the draft plan is available here, along with more information on the meeting sites.
If you can't attend but still want to comment on the plan, you can do so by emailing DEQ-GreatLakesRestoration@michigan.gov, or by mailing your written comments to the Office of the Great Lakes, DEQ, P.O. Box 30473-7973, Lansing, Michigan 48909.
All comments are due by November 26, 2008, and additional information is available by contacting the Office of the Great Lakes at 517-335-4056.
The League of Conservation Voters will endorse Sen. Obama today at a series of events across the country, including Bloomfield Hills, MI. Former Energy Secretary Federico Pena will be joining LCV in Denver, CO. and Gov. Bill Richardson will be in Santa Fe, NM., but I didn't find information on who would be appearing in Michigan. It's probably safe to say it won't be Joe Knollenberg who was named to the group's 2008 Dirty Dozen list.
Here's part of their statement endorsing Obama:
"Senator Obama's proven record and his commitment to a clean, renewable energy future make him the best choice for President," LCV President Gene Karpinski said. "At a time when this country must reinvent itself for a new energy future, we can imagine no better steward than Barack Obama. Under his leadership, America will finally achieve the economic growth, environmental protection, and national security that are possible with a new, clean energy economy."
"We have a real choice here," said Carol Browner, LCV board member and the longest-serving EPA Administrator in the agency's history. "Barack Obama has been a committed leader and has offered bold and comprehensive proposals when it comes to global warming, energy and the environment. John McCain, whose plan will be a continuation of Bush-era political gimmicks, will carry on Bush's legacy of failure when it comes to energy policy,"
For thirty-eight years, LCV's annual Environmental Scorecard has been the nationally accepted, non-partisan, environmental report card for our leaders. Barack Obama has earned an impressive lifetime 86% score. His opponent, Senator McCain, has earned only a 24% score.
Solving the related challenges of energy and global warming is LCV's top priority, and the records of McCain and Obama are very different on these issues. Barack Obama plans to raise fuel efficiency to 52 miles per gallon by 2030, invest $150 billion in clean energy technology, require utilities to produce 25% of energy from renewable sources by 2025, and to implement a cap and trade program that will reduce global warming pollution by 80% and make polluters pay for their emissions. Senator McCain has no plan to accomplish any of these goals and has voted against them throughout his career. He opposes new fuel efficiency laws, opposes a national renewable electricity standard, and offers only $300 million for the development of clean technologies.
The Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth announced their support for Obama earlier this year.
You can read more here, including LCV's fact sheets on the voting records of Senator Obama and Senator McCain.
Yesterday former Vice-President Al Gore challenged Americans to produce 100% of our electricity from renewable energy --- and truly clean carbon-free sources, within ten years.
It's time that more politicians step up and talk about reality.
Gore spoke about the three most important issues facing our country: the economy, energy policy, and national security. He also spoke about how they are related.
We are borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways to destroy our planet.
Dan Scripps, Democratic Candidate for the 101st State House seat, held a press conference this morning in Ludington, calling on State and Federal legislators to act on the Democrats plan to reduce the cost of gas by investing in alternative fuels and an incentive package for production and sale.
"Last week the average cost of a gallon of gas here in Michigan was $4.19. It's an increase of 28% in the last year and 5% in the last month. Locally prices are even higher. $4.25 in Freesoil, $4.27 in Bear Lake, $4.29 in Beulah. this is not news to our working families. Because of sky rocketing gas prices citizens have to make difficult choices everyday. They have to cut spending to afford gas. Which means less money being pumped into our local economy and our local businesses. They are saving less money than ever before, which means less money put away for their children's education and they are increasing their debt. A recent Associated press poll showed that gas prices are causing a hardship for nine out of ten Americans. Meanwhile, oil companies are continuing to post record profits. In February of this year, Exxon Mobile, the largest gas company in the country reported that it's 2007 profits hit $40.6 billion. Now, some are quick to blame our neighbors who own local gas stations, but when the price of oil spikes our locally owned and operated gas stations also feel the pain. It hurts their business and our local economy, the same way that it hurts our wallets. More and more of our local gas stations can't even afford to stay in business. Something has to be done."
Environmentalism and faith go hand-in-hand despite what you might hear from conservatives.
The Sierra Club, it turns out, isn't a bunch of secular leftist anti-God nature-worshippers, as some folks might have tried to paint them in the past. Nearly half of the club's 1.3 million members attend worship regularly... Americans in general, it turns out, are further along than many of us realized: 67 percent of all Americans, when asked why they care about the environment, explain that it is God's creation. Their love for God and their love for God's creation are inseparable -- naturally.
That statistic doesn't surprise me. I've been on the stewardship committees of several churches over the years and we always took seriously our moral responsibility to care for God's creation. In fact, I can't speak for all churches, but I've never known a church that didn't practice "recycle, reduce and reuse" conservation.
Getting back to the Sierra Club, they have a new booklet, "Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet," filled with stories from Baptists, Catholics, Quakers, Buddhists and people of other faiths that share how they're caring for God's earth by fighting mountaintop removal, protecting watersheds, building energy-efficient buildings, promoting energy conservation, sponsoring local agriculture, etc.
The booklet highlights one faith-based environmental initiative from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, including this group from Alma, MI:
Answering this call to action, a diverse group of nuns, priests, farmers, educators and lay persons formed Michigan Catholic Rural Life Coalition (MCRLC). Founded in 1991, MCRLC seeks to understand the connection between food, agriculture and environmental issues through the lens of faith, specifically Catholic social teaching. The group is a member of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, a national organization which brings together the Catholic Church and care of rural communities and natural resources.
MCRLC promotes a sustainable food system that nourishes people, local communities and the earth. MCRLC serves as an educational resource for the Catholic community in Michigan and assists the Catholic Dioceses in advocating for land, food, agriculture and environmental issues. They also encourage and facilitate related interfaith dialogue.
The rest of the story and full PDF report is available here. Check it out. It makes a great resource for churches across Michigan.
"The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it; the world, and all that lives upon it." (Psalm 24:1)
We all know the hit worker's wages take because of free-trade, but there's also a connection between global warming and free-trade according to the Sierra Club.
In addition, specific trade rules can inhibit the greening of our economy and the implementation of smart energy policies. Free trade has most significantly contributed to global warming in the following ways:
By promoting a 'race to the bottom' mentality where businesses are encouraged to relocate to countries with weak or non-existent environmental and labor laws.
By creating unsustainable consumption patterns and an onslaught of 'cheap' products that do not reflect their real cost in terms of their environmental or social impact. For example, the average American meal is now shipped approximately 1,500 miles from field to dinner plate (about the same distance as from Chicago to Boise).1 In climate-terms this means 435 fossil fuel calories to fly a 5-calorie strawberry.2
By sharply increasing the volumes and distances of goods shipped globally via fossil-fuel burning transportation (land, air, and water). Over the past 15 years, international trade has exploded and shipping capacity has grown by 50 percent.3 Satellite photographs show that trails of pollution thousands of miles long are causing semi-permanent clouds above shipping routes in the North Atlantic, Pacific and other oceans.4
By enabling rapid deforestation, natural resource depletion, and land conversion for industry, industrial agriculture, transportation, and commerce. Deforestation --which releases stored carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions --now accounts for 1/5 of global greenhouse gas emissions5.
By its trade rules which can thwart and/ or roll back policies crafted to protect communities and the environment such as local procurement regulations, renewable energy requirements, or standards regarding environmentally friendly production methods.
By its business-biased, closed-door trade tribunals. To date trade rulings have, by and large, sided with business interests over concerns for the environment.
Click here to learn more and see what their suggestions are for protecting communities, workers and the environment.
You gotta love it! The Christman Building has been recognized as the region's greenest structure.
It's also the first building in the world to receive two platinum LEED certifications - one for the shell and exterior and one for Christman's office space.
Read about it in today's LSJ. What I love about this is that long term planning and design was combined with the historical preservation of a building to create an award winning energy efficient structure.
Lt Gov John Cherry (follow him on Twitter!) will be meeting with Rt. Hon Hilary Benn, the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. The Lt. Gov and Benn will meet to hold a press conference and sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the State of Michigan. The Memorandum which pledges Michigan and the UK to work jointly toward reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and partner to increase climate-friendly commerce.
The press conference will be held from 9:00 until approximately 9:15. After the press conference, Cherry and Benn will meet with members of Governor Granholm's Climate Action Council, which is comprised of representatives from public interest groups, environmental organizations, utilities, the manufacturing sector, and other key industries, universities, and state and local governments. This meeting will last until approximately 9:45am, and the public is welcome to observe.
The meeting will take place Monday morning (5/12/08), at 9:00am, in Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's southeast Michigan office at 3022 West Grand Blvd., 14th Floor, in Detroit.
Cherry has a history of involvement in environmental affairs and alternative energy, but is taking this particular meeting in place of the Governor. Governor Granholm is unable to attend.
More on the Michigan Citizen Action Council here and here.
The endorsements keep rolling in. From the mailbox-
The League of Conservation Voters, the independent voice for the environment, today announced the endorsement of Mark Schauer in the election for Michigan's Seventh District.
"State Sen. Mark Schauer believes in a science-based, not lobbyist-swayed, approach to global warming," LCV representative and Michigan native Kerry Duggan said. "He knows that clean energy technologies and higher efficiency standards will be an economic boon to the state, which has excellent potential for wind-power development."
"Here in Michigan there is a growing recognition about the potential ripple effect of the benefits of pursuing innovative energy ideas," Schauer explained. "We know that increasing renewable energy generation will generate good jobs, provide another source of income for our farmers, help keep energy affordable, and fight global warming."
"Schauer has shown impressive leadership protecting Michigan's natural resources," Duggan added. "As Senate Minority Leader, he sponsored Bill 724 to protect the Great Lakes, which sustain Michigan's livelihood and contain over twenty percent of the world's fresh water. In Congress, Sen. Schauer will oppose drilling in the Lakes, large water withdrawals, and bottled water companies siphoning our water without regulation."
Schauer's dedication to sound environmental policies is evident in his high Michigan League of Conservation scores; in his past two terms he has earned 100%.
In stark contrast, first-term incumbent Rep. Walberg (R) opposed every major clean energy reform in Congress last year, earning a 5% score for 2007. Rep. Walberg voted against repealing tax breaks to Big Oil, protecting Michigan's coastlines from unnecessary drilling, and conserving the state's water and air quality. Walberg's 5% score in 2007 was a sharp drop from that of his predecessor, Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz, who earned a 58% in 2006.
Just in time for Earth Day, congratulations Senator Schauer!
How thirsty do you have to be to try to move a state border?
It sounded like a joke when I first read about back in February while visiting Georgia, but it was all too true. Plagued by drought and in the midst of a water feud with the states of Florida and Alabama, Georgia had set its sights northward, and began asking the state of Tennessee to allow their shared border to be moved, so a portion of the Tennessee River would enter the Peach State.
The Wall Street Journal is hosting an economics conference in California where CEOs and political leaders are debating energy, technology, regulation and creating environmental capital.
But one theme quickly emerged: Inaction is unacceptable. Failure in the environmental arena means forfeiting a leading U.S. role in a rapidly growing global industry. And time is running short.
Did you hear that Mike Cox? GE's CEO, Jeff Immelt, has more to say in the video below. He also candidly told the WSJ that he's no environmentalist - "he just smells the chance to make a lot of money - if the U.S. doesn't miss the train altogether." Money. That should be something Cox and his fellow Republicans understand - or will they stand in the way and allow Michigan to miss the train altogether?
Green is the word at this year's auto shows as the car manufacturers slowly admit that oil is now over $100 a barrel and the public is more interested in fuel economy than gewgaws and brute force. I attended the Chicago Auto Show on February 16, 2008, where at least 30 out of the more than 40 exhibitors featured at least one alternative fuel vehicle as part of their display. (Hummer wasn't one of them, in case you were wondering.)
The words "miracle fuel" in this column by Jack Lessenberry caught my eye, because a miracle is about what this world needs when it comes to fuel. Coskata's process sounded promising when I first read about it.
Our technology enables the low-cost production of ethanol from a wide variety of input material including biomass, municipal solid waste and other carbonaceous material. Using proprietary microorganisms and patented bioreactor designs, we will produce ethanol for under US$1.00 per gallon.
Ethanol from garbage? Even better, Coskata says it can make ethanol from old tires, according to USA Today.
As if we needed any more evidence demonstrating that anthropogenic climate change is real, that it is occurring right now, and that it poses a major threat to the planet's environment, we now have it -- in spades. Let's begin with the 
As if the oil companies from Texas – and their allies in the corridors of power - hadn’t done enough harm to our country already (for more, see the late, great Gulf of Mexico), now they are at it once again. This time, it’s Valero and Tesoro, pouring money into a campaign this election season to undo California’s landmark, clean energy and climate law, AB 32. On Tuesday, the oil companies’ proposition 
Sometimes it's good to be cautious--and other times it's better to go with your gut.
Afterwards we met with Xavier Rakotonjanahary, Rice Breeding Coordinator, National Center of Applied Research for Rural Development. Xavier works with rural rice farmers, helping develop different breeds of rice that will help reduce labor, fertilizer, and other inputs.
Saturday's keynote will be by 
Lt Gov John Cherry (