75 sports champions warn of warmer winters in latest effort by environmental campaigners to urge president to act on climate
9 April 2013 - Olympic medallists in snowboarding and skiing have called on Barack Obama on to save winter sports by taking ambitious measures against climate change.
In a letter to the White House, 75 champions, including pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones and Olympians Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Jacobellis said a run of record warm years and sporadic snowfalls jeopardised the survival of their sports and a winter tourism industry worth $12bn a year.
"As professional athletes, representing a community of 23 million winter sports enthusiasts, we're witnessing climate change first-hand. Last year was the warmest year on record, and once again, we're currently experiencing another winter season of inconsistent snow and questionable extremes. Without a doubt, winter is in trouble. read more>>>
Global warming will make it difficult to raise grapes in traditional wine country, but will shift production to other regions
8 April 2013 - Bid adieu to Bordeaux, but also, quite possibly, a hello to Chateau Yellowstone. Researchers predict a two-thirds fall in production in the world's premier wine regions because of climate change.
The study forecasts sharp declines in wine production from Bordeaux and Rhone regions in France, Tuscany in Italy and Napa Valley in California and Chile by 2050, as a warming climate makes it harder to grow grapes in traditional wine country.
But also anticipate a big push into areas once considered unsuitable. That could mean more grape varieties from northern Europe, including Britain, the US north-west and the hills of central China. read more>>>
April 10, 2013 - Using currently available building strategies and renewable-energy technology, the city could cut CO2 90 percent by 2050, authors argue.
According to the study, 90 by 50, buildings are responsible for 75 percent of the city’s CO2 emissions, with transportation producing another 21%. Based on modeling eight major types of residential and commercial buildings, the authors conclude that using techniques that are “in almost all cases currently available,” such as increased insulation and heat-pump technology, the building sector could be nearly free of carbon emissions. read more>>>
03/20/2013 - Los Angeles officials are speeding up plans to end the city's reliance on coal-powered energy, a move that could help Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's drive to burnish his legacy as an environmental leader.
On Tuesday, commissioners at the Department of Water and Power moved forward with plans to dump the utility's interest in a coal-burning plant in Arizona and convert another one in Utah to natural gas. The plants provide nearly 40% of the city's energy.
The changes, coupled with new commitments to renewable power, would make the city coal-free by 2025, utility officials said.
That is two years earlier than a state-imposed deadline that requires the utility to be coal-free by 2027, when its contract with Utah's Intermountain Power Project is up. read more>>>
29 March 2013 - An opinion poll conducted by Ipsos MRBI on behalf of the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) has found that 80 percent of people in Ireland support wind power. The results, taken from a poll of 916 respondents, were strongly welcomed by IWEA.
““This is a clear indication that there is widespread support for wind energy in Ireland” said Kenneth Matthews, CEO of IWEA. “The support shown for the installation of wind farms emphasises that many Irish people see wind energy as a real alternative which will help stabilise their energy bills and also benefit Ireland in terms of jobs and investment to the local economy. read more>>>
Apr. 9, 2013 — Hanyang University in collaboration with Stanford University has succeeded in fabricating peel-and-stick thin film solar cells (TFSCs). The Si wafer is clean and reusable. Moreover, as the peeled-off TFSCs from the Si wafer are thin, light-weight, and flexible, it can be attached onto any form or shape of surface like a sticker.
Professor Dong Rip Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering has succeeded in fabricating peel-and-stick thin film solar cells (TFSCs) with the collaboration of Stanford team led by Professor Xiaolin Zheng. This method makes possible the overcoming of hardships related to working with traditional solar cells, namely the lack of handling, high manufacturing cost, and limited flexibility while maintaining performance. read more>>>
11 Apr 2013 - Some of the world's largest businesses yesterday called on America's political leaders to urgently accelerate efforts to build a greener economy, arguing that "tackling climate change is one of America's greatest economic opportunities of the 21st century".
Published to coincide with the release of President Obama's Budget Plan, which includes a series of measures designed to drive low-carbon investment, the "Climate Declaration" was backed by a host of high-profile brands, such as Adidas, Ben & Jerry's, Ikea, L'Oreal, Nestle, Nike, Starbucks and Unilever, as well as a number of leading technology firms including CA, Ebay, EMC and Intel. read more>>>
Apr 10, 2013 - Time Oak Hotel & Suites in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been certified by Green Globe. The mission of TIME Hotels is to create a better and “greener” place for us and future generations to come. TIME Hotels recognizes the importance of sustainable tourism, and over the past few years, policies and initiatives aiming to reduce the environmental impact have been adopted.
“We are extremely proud to earn the renowned Green Globe Certification,” said Mr. Mohamed Awadalla read more>>>
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