Last Week's Heat Wave Brought A Number Of Issues For Commuters
July 21, 2013 - Sen. Charles Schumer has called for a review of the region’s mass transit rail systems so upgrades can be implemented.
In a press release, New York’s senior senator said last week’s heat wave highlighted the need to strengthen the equipment and make the transit systems more resilient.
Schumer has called on a number of federal agencies to review the infrastructure so necessary funding for improvements can be included in next year’s federal Transportation Reauthorization bill. read more>>>
22 Jul 2013 - America’s renewable energy boom could protect more lives and prevent more climate pollution if wind turbines and solar panels were being installed in different locations, a new study suggests.
Solar and wind energy is most valuable to society when it replaces coal burning. read more>>>
July 22, 2013 - The idea that glaciers change at a glacial speed is increasingly false. They are melting and retreating rapidly all over the world. But the unpredictable flood surges at the Mendenhall Glacier, about 14 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska’s capital, are turning a jog into a sprint as global temperatures and climate variability increase.
Starting in July 2011, and each year since, sudden torrents of water shooting out from beneath the glacier have become a new facet of Juneau’s brief, shimmering high summer season. read more>>>
07/22/2013 - By spring, San Francisco will launch CleanPowerSF, a 100 percent renewable energy alternative to PG&E power. CleanPowerSF is the single biggest step we collectively can take to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It creates a path toward energy independence by giving San Franciscans the ability to invest in and build out our own renewable resources, which will create living-wage jobs.
Other California municipalities are already seeing the benefits of this model. Marin County has operated a thriving community-choice aggregation program for the past two years and Sonoma County is pressing forward with its own initiative. read more>>>
A college student uses music to depict rising temperatures from 1880 to 2012
July 22, 2013 - As people in the Midwest and the East Coast broil in blistering temperatures, they’re reminded of how it might relate to global warming. But rather than using big data to relay the effects of climate change, a University of Minnesota undergrad is illustrating the point with his cello.
Through a process referred to as data sonification, Daniel Crawford used global annual surface air temperature data from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and converted it into a range of musical notes. read more>>>
July 26, 2013 - Republicans mocked President Obama’s speech this week on economic recovery, but don’t expect any alternative jobs proposal from them. They’re too busy holding our gasping economy over a cliff, threatening to let go unless his health care law is defunded.
This is their only answer to our unemployment crisis: Cut spending, at any cost. read more>>>
July 25, 2013 - Almost all silicon PV panels available on the market today are black. Copper indium gallium (CIGS) cells and panels are often a dark coppery color, largely because those colors absorb more light more readily. But what if you could choose PV panels that match the color of a home or building’s original paint color? That’s one of the things being worked on at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF.
"Not enough work has been done so far on combining photovoltaics and design elements to really do the term 'customized photovoltaics' justice," said Kevin Füchsel, project manager at the Fraunhofer. He has been developing nanostructured solar cells that can allow for more flexibility in terms of design. read more>>>
07/24/13 - Vice President Biden said in India on Wednesday that fighting climate change shouldn’t be at odds with economic development efforts in the world’s second-most-populous nation.
Biden devoted plenty of space to climate change in his speech at the Bombay Stock Exchange at a time when the White House is vowing to step-up international engagement.
“Of course India’s first priority is and must be lifting its citizens out of poverty. But unless we can develop a sustainable path on a low-carbon path, the consequences of climate change will seriously undermine the development and growth, as well as harm the very health of the people of India,” Biden said in a wide-ranging speech in Mumbai. read more>>>
July 24, 2013 - As Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, George Shultz helped negotiate the most successful global environmental treaty to date: the Montreal Protocol, which phased out the use of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting chemicals. Those chemicals also act as potent greenhouse gases, so the agreement also makes him the negotiator of one of the most effective global climate treaties ever, despite being part of an administration that famously removed solar technology from the White House roof. read more>>>
23 July 2013 - A group of 200 self-identified Evangelical scientists sent a letter to Congress last week expressing their scientific belief that climate change is real and calling for legislation to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment. The letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Reid, House Speaker John Boehner and members of the United States Congress, stands as a sharp rebuttal to those members of Congress who have invoked their Christian faith to deny climate change.
All of the signatories had a Masters or doctorate in a scientific field and cited their belief in Christian teachings on compassion for the poor, as well as the increase in extreme weather events. read more>>>
18 July 2013 - Businesses and policymakers in Europe and China must work together to ensure that economic growth and environmental concerns “go hand-in-hand”.
Jul 17, 2013 - Stating that environmental degradation is costing 5.7 per cent of GDP annually, World Bank today said India can make green growth a reality by putting in place plans to lower environmental degradation at minimal cost of 0.02-0.04 per cent of gross domestic product.
July 18, 2013 - The federal government is extremely keen on driving innovation to make Australia more environmentally sustainable, and it believes that IT is a crucial part of achieving its green goals, according to Minister Assisting for the Digital Economy Senator Kate Lundy.
July 17, 2013 - The crystalline solar photovoltaic market was a $28.3 billion industry in 2010 and is on track to hit $118.4 billion by 2017, according to a report from New York-based market analytics firm ResearchMoz.
July 17, 2013 - The Microgrid Deployment Forum conference goal is to bring together local project champions, technology suppliers, professional service providers, system owners, utilities, and other professionals from across the industry for one day of focused information sharing and networking and a second day of practical training and examination of use cases. The forum will directly follow the International Solar Energy Societys Solar World Congress at the same location.
uly 18, 2013 — Stanford University scientists have created the thinnest, most efficient absorber of visible light on record. The nanosize structure, thousands of times thinner than an ordinary sheet of paper, could lower the cost and improve the efficiency of solar cells, according to the scientists.
July 19, 2013 - To reduce Hawaii's dependence on fossil fuel, the State of Hawaii has set a goal of achieving 70 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2030. The widespread deployment of EVs in Hawaii is a key approach toward the reduction of fossil fuel dependency. Increased use of EVs can reduce Hawaii's dependency on imported oil and encourage use of electricity from indigenous renewable resources, such as wind and solar. Fueling a vehicle with electricity, even from conventional generation, is cleaner and costs the customer less per mile than using gasoline in an internal combustion engine. 
July 19, 2013 - A Green Economy Exhibition will be open to representatives from around the Pacific during the inaugural Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) at Sheraton Fiji Resort and Spa on August 5 to 7 in Nadi.
18 July 2013 - Councillors in Reading, UK, have been asked to approve a draft Reading Climate Change Strategy that aims to increase the use of renewable energy in the Borough by eight percent by 2020
19 July 2013 - The number of wind farms could increase in the UK following a successful test of new safety equipment
07/17/2013 -- Factors such as increasing demand and cost of energy along with ageing energy infrastructure are driving microgrid market globally. Microgrid market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.7% during the period of 2012-2018. With advantages such as fewer line losses, lower demand of infrastructure and the ability to rely on more localized sources of power generation, microgrid is gaining more popularity in commercial, military and industrial sectors.
14 July 2013 - The World Bank’s proposal to end coal financing reflects 21st century realities – severe public health and climate change impacts associated with coal are no longer justifiable in a century chock full of cheap and abundant clean energy alternatives. More importantly, coal and the centralized system it powers will not end energy poverty - only a decentralized clean energy ‘grid’ will get the job done. As other international public finance institutions (IFIs) step forward to end coal finance the real question is whether the World Bank will lead, follow, or get out of the way as this inevitable transition occurs.
July 17, 2013 (ENS) – The first decade of the 21st century was the warmest decade recorded for both land and ocean surface temperatures since modern measurements began around 1850, finds a new report by the World Meteorological Organization.
July 16, 2013 (ENS) – Heat waves and drought conditions are touching off wildfires, shriveling grasslands across the western states and stressing eastern urban residents, forcing lawmakers and public lands managers alike to rethink their approach to water supplies.
July 15, 2013 (ENS) – Energy demand for urban transport is expected to double by 2050, but the latest report from the International Energy Agency sees potential savings of up to US$70 trillion through energy efficiency.
July 2013 - Healthy Kids, Happy Students: Through a unique partnership with public-health researchers, VMDO Architects transforms an old high school into a prototype for the next generation of green schools.
17 July 2013 - Signup for free solar assessments through Solarize Brooklyn closed at midnight on July 15. We are very happy to say that more than 375 Brooklyn homeowners and coop buildings signed up before the deadline, more than double our original goal!
07/17/13 - China just secured its position as the world leader in solar power by installing a record 3 gigawatts of utility-scale solar power. The nation has constructed 40 new solar plants (with over 1 GW of production capacity) since December 2012, surpassing Germany as top solar producer in the world. China now operates an astounding 132 utility-scale solar plants.
Jul. 15, 2013 - Greenhouse gases emitted today will cause sea level to rise for centuries to come. Each degree of global warming is likely to raise sea level by more than 2 meters in the future, a study now published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows. While thermal expansion of the ocean and melting mountain glaciers are the most important factors causing sea-level change today, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets will be the dominant contributors within the next two millennia, according to the findings. Half of that rise might come from ice-loss in Antarctica which is currently contributing less than 10 percent to global sea-level rise.