Is Obama’s clean energy revolution possible?
Recent studies point to the feasibility of a global clean energy revolution. Last night US President Barack Obama called for a massive green energy make-over of the world's largest economy.…
Prairie grass-based biofuels could meet half current fuel demand without affecting forests, food
Biofuels could meet up to half the world's current fuel consumption without affecting food production or forests, argues a study published last month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.…
Indonesia to open protected forests to geothermal power
The Indonesian government will soon issue a decree allowing geothermal mining in protected forests, reports The Jakarta Post. Mining of any kind is currently prohibited in protected forest areas, but…
Majority of Americans confused on climate change basics
Most Americans don't understand the basics of climate change, according to a new poll by researchers with Yale. The poll found that over half of Americans deserve an 'F' on…
Humanity consuming the Earth: by 2030 we’ll need two planets
Too many people consuming too much is depleting the world's natural resources faster than they are replenished, imperiling not only the world's species but risking the well-being of human societies,…
Farms in the sky, an interview with Dickson Despommier
To solve today's environmental crises—climate change, deforestation, mass extinction, and marine degradation—while feeding a growing population (on its way to 9 billion) will require not only thinking outside the box,…
Citizens of 188 countries challenge leaders on climate change
As world leaders continue to fumble a coherent, rapid, and comprehensive response to climate change, citizens from around the world yesterday sent a message to inert politicians by participating in…
EU’s biofuels target driving land grabs in Africa, says group
The European Union's renewable fuels target is driving land grabs in Africa that threaten the environment and local communities, claims a new report from Friends of the Earth (FOE). Africa:…
Environmental assessment for Borneo coal plant riddled with errors
The Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for a proposed coal plant in Sabah is full of holes, according to activists with the organization Green SURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the…
Visiting the Gulf: how wildlife and people are faring in America’s worst environmental disaster, an interview with Jennifer Jacquet
"President Obama called it 'the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced.' So I thought I should face it and head to the Gulf"—these are the opening words on the…
U.S. approves first offshore wind farm
The Obama Administration has approved the nation's first offshore wind farm after more than eight years of legal challenges, reports the Associated Press. Speaking Wednesday in Boston, U.S. Interior Secretary…
What happened to China?: the nation’s environmental woes and its future
China has long been an example of what not to do to achieve environmentally sustainability. Ranking 133rd out of 146 countries in 2005 for environmental performance, China faces major environmental…
Analysis shows Borneo can say ‘no’ to coal power
Plans for a coal power plant in the Malaysian state of Sabah in northern Borneo have run into stiff opposition. Environmentalists say the coal plant could damage extensive coral reef…
Could special bonds fund the green revolution and stabilize the climate?
There is no question that governments around the world are moving slowly and sluggishly to combat climate change, especially when placed against the measures recommended by climate scientists. Only a…
UK failing to meet biofuel sustainability standard
Only 4 percent of biofuel imported for use in the UK — and 20 percent of biofuel used overall — meets the environmental sustainability standard set by the Renewable Transport…
Could space technology save our planet?
A new book, Paradise Regained: the Regreening of Earth argues that the solutions to the world’s current environmental crises—including climate change—could be lying far beyond our planet. "As a scientist…
James Hansen says Copenhagen approach “fundamentally wrong” would be better to “reassess”
James Hansen, one of the world's foremost climatologists, told the Guardian today that he believes the Copenhagen talks are flawed to the point where failure of the talks may be…
Blackout in Brazil: Hydropower and Our Climate Conundrum
Would a climate change tribunal offer justice to those affected by global warming? It’s everyone’s worst nightmare: being caught in an underground subway in the midst of a power outage.…
Fossil fuel subsidies “bringing us closer to irreversible climate change”
The Green Economy Coalition is urging G20 finance ministers to rapidly put an end to fossil fuel subsidies. In a letter to the ministers, the coalition argues that these subsidies…
The Yangtze River may have lost another inhabitant: the Chinese paddlefish
In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million…
US subsidies of oil and coal more than double the subsidies of renewable energy
During the fiscal years of 2002-2008 the United States handed out subsidies to fossil fuel industries to a tune of 72 billion dollars, while renewable energy subsidies, during the same…
Power, profit, and pollution: dams and the uncertain future of Sarawak
Solar powered conservation
Environmental disappointments under Obama
Little hydroelectric dams become all the rage, but do they harm the environment?
Will hydrocarbon biofuels replace gasoline and ethanol?
In a Perspectives piece in Science, John R. Regalbuto argues that the world will soon see a revolution in biofuels, but not those made from corn. Instead Regalbuto, program director…
Wind could power the entire world
Wind power may be the key to a clean energy revolution: a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science finds that wind power could provide for…
Bioelectricity bests ethanol on two fronts: land use and global warming
Yesterday the Obama Administration established a Biofuels Interagency Working Group to oversee implementation of new rules and research regarding biofuels. On the group’s first day they would do well to…
Clean energy investment moving too slowly to avoid irreversible climate change
Cellulosic ethanol healthier, better for the environment, than corn ethanol
Prairie grass ethanol will kill fewer people and foul the environment less than corn ethanol