Weekly Green Blog Round-Up
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Interesting post from Celsias, who dissects the term global warming, and exposes how interest groups can read into it what they want. The result? The question “Do you believe in global warming?” is now meaningless.
Ecological Economics fleshes out the ongong carbon tax debate . Bottom line is that some are better than others, but it’s no cure-all.
Ever heard of agro-housing? Guess what - it’s exactly what you think it is - and it’s getting a second look in China, says Jetson Green.
Finally, interesting insight in light of this week’s tragedy in California. What turns a fire into a disaster, according to a post on TreeHugger, is a not-so-good mix of politics and planning.
We can do this the easy way, or…
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What to make of Arnold Schwarzenegger? His recent morph from, well, The Arnold to California governor was strange enough. The Hummer-lover’s evolution from mainstream Republican to eco-warrior, however, was even more unexpected – but also great fun to watch.
And it’s about to get a whole lot more fun. Schwarzenegger announced over the weekend that he will make good on his threat to sue the EPA, forcing its hand to help him implement tough new (and California-only) auto emission standards.
U.S. carmakers are already fighting California measures in court. Whether they have a legal case isn’t really important. What is important is that popular will is clearly drifting toward fuel efficient cars and the price of oil is likely to make that trend permanent. Using courts to delay or push back that tide is kind of like the record companies suing downloaders instead of adjusting the business model in a fruitless attempt to stop another act of popular will. Companies can either act now, or pay later.
This isn’t just talk - Morgan Stanley last week said sales from clean energy sources could grow to US $1 trillion by 2030 as part of an industry drive it says is “durable and accelerating.” In other words, there’s a lot of money to be made. Businesses can act now and earn later.
That’s the easy way. Schwarzenegger is showing us what the hard way looks like.
Small report, big steps
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Here’s something that largely flew under the radar. The large industry sector in North America is generating less pollution now than a decade ago, according to a new report released this week.
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation found that the amount of toxic chemicals being released into the environment by facilitates that are the largest emission culprits has dropped by 15 per cent from 1984 to 2004 (although the total volume is still dangerously high, it warns) as more of the material gets recycled. It all represents “slow and steady progress,” says the CEC.
It’s become popular to talk about Tipping Points ever since Malcolm Gladwell’s book hit nearly seven years ago. While it’s premature to say we’ve jumped the hurdle when it comes to getting the general public to think green all the time, this week is full of encouraging news that points in that direction.
Wind farms are spinning away in Texas despite local opposition. The solar industry predicts that we’re on the verge of a solar boom. Kansas just joined a growing list of states saying “No thanks” to coal plants. They’re even turning the Bronx into a forest.
So when large industry – traditionally among the worst environmental offenders – is taking steps like this, clearly groundswell is slowly becoming a tidal wave.
Weekly Green Blog Round-Up
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This week’s Green Blog round up has a bit of everything, from the light-hearted to the serious-minded.
Great post on TreeHugger this week that could serve as a wake-up call/lesson for a lot of political leaders on this side of the pond. Despite having to work with 20 separate mayors from many different ideological backgrounds, seems the City of Paris still managed to hammer out an agreement to slash carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. Impressive.
Meanwhile, DeSmogBlog pokes a hole in Toyota’s growing rep as a green pioneer, pointing out that despite the fuzzy glow of the Prius, the global auto giant is busy fighting tougher U.S. emission standards.
What’s everyone’s favourite eco-TV-celeb Ed Begley doing with Home Depot? Check it out on ecorazzi.
Ever wondered what a “zero energy” house looks like? Have a look. And heads up you folks living in the San Francisco area, because it’s for sale.
When it comes to green-savvy, the old truism that older is wiser may not always be true, according to this post from Planetsave.
