[Source: Popular Mechanics] The process is cheap, efficient, and scalable, meaning it could soon be used to remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have discovered a chemical reaction to turn CO2 into ethanol, potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change. Their Read More…
Tag: climate change
California climate change laws: More electric cars, solar power expected under tough new rules
[Source: The Mercury News] California is already a world leader in developing environmental policies that address climate change. But under a landmark bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday requiring far steeper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than anything the state has ever attempted, the next 15 years will likely see big changes for Read More…
California governor looks to extend climate-change efforts
[Source: Associated Press] California Gov. Jerry Brown has launched a campaign to extend some of the most ambitious climate-change programs in the country and ensure his environmental legacy when he leaves office in two years. The centerpiece of the push is a cap-and-trade program that aims to reduce the use of fossil fuels by forcing Read More…
Here’s proof we can solve global environmental problems if we try
[Source: The Huffington Post] “We can now be confident that the things we’ve done have put the planet on a path to heal,” one scientist says. Nearly three decades ago, a group of alarmed policymakers, armed with data about a large — and growing — hole in the ozone layer, met in Montreal and agreed Read More…
Ozone hole over Antarctica is closing, reports Science
[Source: Reason.com] In the 1980s, researchers discovered that the protective stratospheric ozone layer over Antarctica was thinning. Since stratospheric ozone reduces the amount of damaging ultraviolet light from the sun that reaches the surface, this was potentially very bad news. Scientists quickly identified chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) widely used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners, and as Read More…
Antarctic ozone hole shows signs of healing
[Source: Science Recorder] Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Leeds have discovered that the ozone layer above Antarctica has been slowly healing, a recent study published in the journal Science reports. The ozone layer is a section of the Earth’s atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays. However, greenhouse gas Read More…
State’s progress toward 1.5 million ZEVs by 2025
[Source: California Center for Jobs & the Economy] As part of the AB 32 climate change program, Executive Order B-16-2012 administratively created a goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on California roads by 2025, with a sub-goal that their market share is expanding at that point. The order also established interim mileposts primarily related Read More…
Oil gears up for another climate fight
[Source: CALmatters] A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. The state has a good cap and trade system, Robert Stavins said, but some of its other Read More…
California’s drought adds $2 billion in electricity costs
[Source: The Sacramento Bee] A hydro shortage has raised California’s electricity costs by a combined $2 billion the past four years, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pacific Institute, a water policy think tank based in Oakland. In addition, the institute said the drought has contributed to climate change: California’s fossil-fuel power plants Read More…