Climate change, ecology, nature, environment, eco-friendly politics, non-profit projects, human rights, preservation, wildlife... all that we care about.
A: The environmental impact of meat and dairy products is a complex problem.
The livestock industry is damaging our planet in many ways. It is polluting the air – according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report, it generates more greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2 (18%) and methane, than the whole world’s transport (13,5 [...]
According to the recently released yearly study Energy Revolution (conducted by Greenpeace and the EREC – European Renewable Energy Council) Europe could reduce it’s CO2 emissions with 95 percent by 2050. The results of the study show that Europe could achieve this spectacular reduction in CO2 emissions by producing up to 97 percent of its [...]
Since I eat a banana almost every day I admit I’ve dreaded cutting down or giving them up based on the fact that they are not a local food and therefore not environmentally right-on. I naturally assumed they were not energy efficient due to their having to be shipped from Costa Rica or some such [...]
A new campaign by the Japanese government encourages people to go to bed one hour earlier in order to save energy and cut down on CO2 emissions. Not watching TV and having lights on late at night could cut household energy consumption by up to 20%
The campaign, launched by Japan’s Environment Ministry, is called ‘Morning [...]
I’ll bet when you think of all the studies being done on CO2 and Global Warming, you probably figure a lot of it has to do with the atmosphere or the ocean or plants of some kind—since that’s what it seems to affect the most. However, scientists have recently developed a method for finding and [...]
There are 3 basic things that are generally considered bad in the green world: plastics, BPA in plastics, and excessive CO2 emissions. Imagine if some of these things could be combined and used for the greater good. It seems unlikely, right? Well, guess what? Scientists are currently working on this very thing and they are [...]
We’ve all heard of super-heroes and super-villains, but did you know there are also super-greenhouse gases?
Recently, a rather serious issue was brought to my attention and now I am bringing it to yours. Lurking about our world are things known as HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons). They are man-made gases used as refrigerants and can be found in [...]
Palm oil has made its way into countless processed foods, soaps and cosmetics. It is also used to make ‘biofuel’ and even napalm – the gelled gasoline used to horrifying effect during the Vietnam War.
Now palm oil is engaged in another war – a war of the environment. Palm oil cultivation often destroys vital natural [...]
You’ve probably heard all the reports about how Climate Change will damage our crops and livelihoods via drought, flooding (from rising sea levels), and so forth. However, I’ll bet you haven’t heard about the latest threat climate change poses to crops: decreased nutritional value.
A study, published in Science magazine, shows that increased levels of CO2 [...]
It would seem that scientists have come up with yet another reason to put a stop to whale hunting.
Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division have discovered that whale fecal matter is an effective, plant-friendly fertilizer for the ocean. The research suggests if whale populations are allowed to flourish, their waste could also help marine [...]
Many people love going to the beach. I’m actually heading there tomorrow. There are so many things you can do at (or in) the ocean, such as swimming, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, whale watching, and so forth. It is an extremely vast ecosystem with so many life forms that scientists still haven’t finished [...]
Residents of Canada and the US can expect some changes in future vehicles and their emissions.
What kind of changes? Well, check this out:
All cars and trucks are required to have an average of 35.5 miles per gallon (15 km per liter) by 2016.
Average vehicle emissions will be limited to 295 grams of CO2 per mile [...]
East Midlands Airport in the United Kingdom will be partly powered by a biomass boiler fueled by willow trees. The trees have already been planted on a 26-hectare farm next to the airport’s runway.
This is the first project of its kind in the UK and part of the East Midlands Airport’s goal of making its [...]
A new article in The Ecologist shines a light on methane, the often-ignored greenhouse gas that is produced from both natural and human sources. Methane’s contribution to the greenhouse effect is estimated to be about 18% compared to CO2’s 63%. Yet it is also 20-30 times more potent than CO2 and has only one tenth [...]
Since 1979 China has more or less followed a government enforced policy of one child per family. It is a policy which dictates that urban couples are allowed only one child, whereas those in the countryside may have two – so long as the first child is a girl. Ethnic minorities, those with dangerous jobs [...]
Longer growing seasons and higher concentrations of CO2 may encourage faster growth rates in trees, according to a 22-year scientific study of mixed hardwoods in the eastern United States. During the study average temperatures increased by 0.3 degrees while the growing season was extended by 7.8 days. Furthermore, the CO2 concentration in the forest air [...]
Supply and Demand. It’s a common thing amongst businesses and consumers. We demand something, they supply it. They demand something and some other company, manufacturer, or what-have-you supplies it. Such a common thing is about to take a bit of an unexpected turn.
The world of supply and demand is changing and it’s coming to the [...]
Lawn care is becoming more of an obsession these days. Most of us will do some lawnmowing, spray some weed killer and call it a day. However, there are people who go to extreme lengths of making sure their lawn is perfectly green. They will use fertilizers, pesticides, sprinkler systems, leaf blowers, branch chippers, and [...]
Those of you who followed GreenFudge last year may remember a story about the Biotruck Expedition: an old, salvaged school bus that traveled to Asia on french fry (chip) fat and biodiesel made from cooking oil. Why? They were (or actually, still are) trying to travel around the world without emitting more than 2 tons [...]
In an unprecedented and audacious move to curb global greenhouse gas emissions, the Federated States of Micronesia – a small nation of islands in the western Pacific Ocean – have appealed against the refitting of a coal plant in far off Prunerov, Czech Republic. Prunerov – owned by the utilities conglomerate CEZ – is one [...]
The time frame for possible action against global warming has changed yet again. Researchers are now giving world leaders up to 40 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible.
During a recent study (and the first of its kind), analysts used a detailed energy system model to compare the potential 2050 emission levels [...]
‘In short, China has gone from a slow-growing, insular country to the world’s second-largest economy and largest exporter in a single generation […] Commensurate with China’s economic growth has been its growth in CO2 emissions.’
–Kurt Zenz House, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Kurt Zenz House is a fellow at MIT, where he ’studies and develops methods [...]
According to a recent announcement made by the EPA, greenhouse gases do, indeed, have a negative effect on human health.
We already know the fumes from fossil fuels and the like can cause problems, ranging from asthma to migraines. Now, the EPA is pushing the fact that CO2 and other such pollutants should be regulated under [...]
Have you ever heard those tales of how dumping toxic waste into water will cause the aquatic life to mutate into something out of science fiction? Well, apparently marine life as of late are going through some shocking changes, and while it may not be like something out of the twilight zone, it sure has [...]
‘Made up of decomposed trees and plants, sometimes as deep as 50 feet, the waterlogged land stores billions of tons of carbon dioxide. But once drained or cleared, the peat land releases many times more carbon dioxide than the deforestation of rain forests. Most experts believe that, as with rain forests, the protection of peat [...]
Sunday, December 6th, 2009, marked the final convergence of delegates to negotiate terms for a climate change treaty.
Today—December 7th, 2009—marks the beginning of the biggest climate change conference in world history. Today we will begin to see if the last two years of talking will lead to serious action. Today we will start to see [...]
The U.S. Department of Energy is funding trials to extract geothermal energy using carbon dioxide. The concept of pumping geothermal fluid using supercritical CO2 was first discussed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2000.
The output was expected to exceed projections, as well as, yield a 50% hotter geothermal resource as mentioned by Lawrence Berkeley [...]
You think you know but you have no idea… about global warming, that is. Some estimates state that 18% of global warming is caused by something called black carbon, most of it coming from the developing world: Asia, Latin America and Africa – especially India and China. Black carbon is basically soot. Produced mainly by [...]
Just when you quote a source about how much livestock farming contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, it gets worse. A lot worse. According to a recent article in the London Times, methane – the second most important greenhouse gas produced by human activity – has an even more powerful effect on climate change than previously [...]
Sweden has been a world leader in finding new ways to reduce emissions. Now, consumers around the country are probably perplexed to read labels such as “Climate declared: .87 kg CO2 per kg of product “ on their grocery items and restaurant menus. The concept of creating this food guideline is their first step towards [...]
