The Climate Action Blog

I attended Governor Crist's Florida Summit on Global Climate Change a few weeks ago, and Lord Adair Turner, Chairman of the United Kingdom Climate Change Committee, discussed climate change and economics.  He said there has been a concern that cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 (which is California's law) is a "threat" to the American way of life.  He went on to prove why that is not true (which I will discuss later in this blog).

But first I want to ask what happened to the "land of opportunity," to the country where "the sky's the limit?"  Where has America's hope gone, and why are we hesitant to seize the opportunity?

Actually, I know-the people that are putting out the message about the "threat" are those who feel threatened...ie. oil companies.  Yeah, things don't look good for them if our country needs to change our lifestyle and implement new technologies for energy.  But things don't look good for the entire world if we don't.  So who do you want to protect (hint: 2 answers are correct):

a. the incredibly rich oil company executives, whom if they retire now will have plenty of money for themselves and their families for generations to come

b. the poor child living in the African nation of Chad (who emits 1/2000 of carbon emissions/year of what an average American does)

c. ourselves. 

Friday, July 4, 2008

CARBON TRADING - NEW ZEALAND: NZ carbon trading market says it will get global approval. A New Zealand-based carbon trading market said on Thursday it was in a position to become Asia's leading market for trading in greenhouse gas emissions when it starts up in early 2009. Reuters. 4 July 2008.

POST-KYOTO: Environment: now what? Consumers, businesses and governments are taking steps to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions, but there is only one comprehensive, international program in place to fight global warming - the Kyoto Protocol. Time Magazine. 4 July 2008.

STATE POLICY - OFFSETS (CA): California emissions plan to explore use of offsets. Energy giant PG&E found a unique source of green energy last year: 5000 dairy cows on a Riverdale, CA farm. PG&E thinks its biogas project should offset part of the anticipated reductions that it would be required to make in emissions from its natural gas and coal facilities. Science. 4 July 2008. [Subscription Required]

Governor Charlie Crist hosted a Climate Summit in Miami 2 weeks ago and here are a few observations from the front row...

- In his opening keynote, Gov. Crist showed the value of leadership - - just one year ago, he challenged his state to tackle climate change and the result was a massive energy bill that will dramatically increase renewables (solar, wind, etc), improve energy efficiency (the cheapest power comes from the power plant you don't have to build!), and greenhouse gas reductions.

- Ray Anderson, founder and Chairman of Interface, a billion dollar American carpet company, told us how he had slashed energy consumption and greenhouse gases 60% in the past 10 years while doubling profits. Any doubts that we can be both environmentally and economically sustainable simultaneously were erased from the minds of 800 in attendance that night!

- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a knock-out punch of sorts - - he said the politicians who claim they can lower gasoline prices by drilling offshore or investigating oil companies are "blowing smoke". He challenged us to do the job ourselves, by inflating our tires properly, driving a bit slower, tuning up our engines, and using other simple methods to improve MPG by as much as 20% overnight. He made other suggestions of things we can do to take our economic and environmental destiny into our own hands - - great point - - we can't wait for politicians to do it!

Friday, June 27, 2008

FEDERAL POLICY: Court says no deadline for EPA on global warming. A federal appeals court refused Thursday to make a resistant Bush administration speed up a decision on whether greenhouse gases and global warming threaten public health and welfare. Associated Press. 27 June 2008.

STATE POLICY (CA): State renews climate battle. California's next great experiment starts today. The state Air Resources Board will outline this morning a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2020 and prepare the state for much deeper cuts in the years beyond. Sacramento Bee, California. 27 June 2008.

CANADA - TARGETS: Greenhouse gas reductions within reach, B. C. premier says. British Columbia is well on its way to achieving its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and if world oil prices remain as high as they are, the province will have no trouble hitting that target, says Premier Gordon Campbell. Canadian Press. 27 June 2008.

FEDERAL POLICY - SOLAR: Citing need for assessments, U.S. freezes solar energy projects. Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, expected to take two years. New York Times. 27 June 2008. [Registration Required]

(By Sasha Abelson, Guest Blogger to the Climate Program)

I have been searching for the right word to describe a particular phenomenon and concluded that such a word does not (yet) exist.  The phenomenon I am speaking of is as follows: upon becoming aware of a piece of information previously unknown to you, you become hyper-sensitized to that information.  You now to see it, hear it and read it everywhere.

Take the nurdle for example.  I had never heard the word until a scientist from Heal the Bay mentioned the nurdle in her lecture[i].  Nurdles are small plastic pellets which are melted down to create nearly everything made of plastic.  These nurdles escape from factories and often end up on beaches where they become a significant source of ocean and beach pollution.  Nurdles are frequently mistaken by marine life for fish eggs, and find their way into their digestive tracts causing starvation.  After learning of the nurdle, no longer is a stroll on the beach just a stroll on the beach.  Now, my eye cannot avoid spotting these tiny balls of brightly colored plastic.  This is what I have coined the Nurdle Effect. 

Friday, June 20, 2008

BIOFUELS: Idemitsu, Mitsubishi To Mass-Produce Non-Food Biofuel 6/20/2008 - Idemitsu Kosan Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. plan to mass-produce biofuel that does not rely on corn or other food materials, bringing into operation one of the world's largest plants as early as 2011, The Nikkei reported in its Friday morning edition.  Biofuel demand has surged in light of soaring crude oil prices and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. and Brazil account for 75% of world bioethanol production, with corn and sugar cane as the primary components. Some see this as contributing to the rise in food prices around the world. For more read Clean Technology Investor 6/20/08

RUSSIA - TARGETS: Russia To Back Japanese Method For Targeting CO2 Cuts  6/20/2008 - The Russian government intends to support the Japanese approach to setting targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, said Arkady Dvorkovich, an aide to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, The Nikkei reported in its Friday morning editions.  The Russians will announce their support for the Japanese system, which would first establish goals by industrial sector, at next month's Group of Eight meeting in Japan.
Reductions in global warming gas emissions must be achieved through efforts from the ground up, rather than from the top down, Dvorkovich said. For more read Clean Technology Investor 6/20/08

Like clockwork, as summer begins to unfold, I can’t help but reflect back to my summers as a child. Many of those were spent visiting my grandparents who lived in a tiny coastal logging and fishing town at the northern tip of California.  At the time I was in awe of the abundant garden my grandpa kept -- filled with green beans, garlic, lettuces, tomatoes and most any kind of vegetable you could imagine. The peas were my favorite and I can still remember snapping the pod back to reveal a half-dozen sweet, round orbs ready for consumption. It was, for a girl from the city/suburbs, remarkable.

I now realize that those visits exposed me to more than just a garden filled with treats but a way of life that ironically we are touting today as the answer to our energy crisis. My grandmother, Sophie, in particular taught me about conservation and demonstrated in her actions the beauty of living the “simple” life. I’m guessing that most Americans of the 1930s and 40s were similar to her.

Friday, June 13, 2008

SOLAR THERMAL POWER: In Israel's Negev Desert blooms a field of 1,640 robotic mirrors that behave like sunflowers. It is the world's 'highest-performing, lowest-cost' sun-energy system. says the company testing it. Los Angeles Times, California. 13 June 2008. [Registration Required]

INTERNATIONAL: U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson urged other Group of Eight industrialized nations Friday to back a special fund of up to $10 billion to help developing countries fight global warming. Associated Press. 13 June 2008.

INTERNATIONAL POLICY (GERMANY): Germany's left-right coalition said on Thursday it had agreed on plans to tax new vehicles on how much they pollute instead of engine size in a bid to encourage the production of greener cars. Agence France-Presse. 13 June 2008.

NUCLEAR: Gordon Brown has signalled he wants Britain to play a major role in the race to build an extra 1,000 nuclear power stations across the world as part of his vision for ending the global "addiction to oil". London Independent, England. 13 June 2008.

STATES/POLICY (MA): Governor Deval Patrick announced the rollout yesterday of a statewide initiative to reduce air pollution emitted from the vehicles. Boston Globe, Massachusetts. 13 June 2008.

I walked into a pet groomer the other day and asked if they carried Advantage (preventive flea ointment for dogs and cats).  The response was that this was a natural pet groomer and Advantage contains strong chemicals that could harm my pet.  I felt guilty.  How could I have not thought of this?  I am an environmentalist, and my three rescued, formerly-feral cats are my pride and joy!  I already have plans for using Born Free baby bottles for when that day comes (Bisphenol-A free baby bottles), and I have bought Sigg water bottles for my family, but how could I miss this?

In a day and age where even our pets are demanding environmentally friendly, natural products, it shocks me that our federal government is still lagging on environmental legislation.  With the Warner-Lieberman climate bill (S2191) getting rejected two weeks ago, it sounds as though no matter how hard we personally try, we are doomed.

But wait, there is hope!  In fact, I always believe in a happy ending.  (Call me young, call me naïve, call me just plain annoying, but I choose to keep my hope for my own personal sanity.)  This time I'm not even being naïve.  Three major things in the environmental world that EVERYONE needs to know:

1. Our United States are saving the world

Last month I visited Walmart's annual sustainable packaging conference in Bentonville, Arkansas. I learned that the first such meeting took place in a conference room in Walmart's headquarters just three years ago and 50 people attended. The 2008 version needed a massive convention center and was bursting at the seams with suppliers, shippers, and buyers of eco-friendly packaging. You can see where this trend is going.

So what does Walmart know that the rest of the world may still be trying to understand? CEO Lee Scott reportedly told his employees and suppliers alike to reduce wasteful, non-recyclable packaging, because Walmart was paying for waste twice - - once when the package came in the door, and once when they paid someone to haul it away from the back of the stores. Walmart saw the opportunity to benefit the environment and their bottom line at the same time.

But how does the world's largest retailer cut the waste from so many products? They computerized a scorecard, evaluating packaging on a variety of sustainability metrics that flow all the way back down the supply chain. Vendors get a score for the packaging of each item and are then automatically directed to suppliers of products that are more sustainable any time the packaging comes up short.

Walmart took a simple problem - - but a massive one - - and created a clever, self-perpetuating solution. Bottom line? Less waste, more recyclable content (that Walmart now separates and recycles at a profit), better economics, better environment.