July 2010
35 posts
Tim Wirth: #1 Goal of Natural Gas Industry Should... →
In a speech today, Sen. Tim Wirth, a longtime advocate of natural gas, urges the industry to take the gloves off in its lobbying effort against the coal industry.
UN Foundation President (
Saudis Stop New Oil Exploration to Prolong... →
For the radar: The Saudi Gazette reports King Abdullah has announced that the nation has stopped oil exploration on new fields to protect the petroleum supply for future generations….
An Argument Against the Obama Global Health... →
A new article in the journal AIDS argues against the Obama Global Health Initiative.
A new article in the journal AIDS argues against the Obama Global Health Initiative. The authors…
EPA Approves First Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine... →
Mountaintop removal mine in Kentucky, photo: iLoveMountains.org via flickr. One more item that probably would’ve made more headlines had there not been a gigantic oil spill in the Gulf…
How Even the Most Remote Villagers Can Watch the... →
UNICEF erects a giant inflatable television screen in a remote village in Zambia to broadcast the World Cup
Check this out. UNICEF erects a giant inflatable television screen in a remote…
Morning Coffee - 8 July 2010 →
Summary: Spy swap meet; BP says relief well not ahead of schedule after all; Iranian mom faces death by stoning;
Top Story: U.S. & RUSSIA PLAN LARGEST SPY SWAP…
Walmart 'Surprised' Greenpeace Singled Out Them... →
Responding to Greenpeace’s recent report (a screengrab of which is above) on the wholesale destruction of Indonesian rainforest by Sinar Mas Group affiliate Asia Pulp & Paper, …
Today's Oil Spill Nonsense: Overt Media... →
As the BP oil spill moves from being a short and bloody battle to a long and drawn out war, I’ve personally have moved to from anger to trying to think more constructively, but here are two…
China No Longer a Developing Nation - Per Capita... →
Beijing shopping mall, photo: John via flickr James Kanter over at the New York Times point out a very important statistical update: According to an assessment of per capita carbon…
Morning Coffee - 7 July 2010 →
Summary: Iran bans mullets; “Climategate” hack victims cleared of wrongdoing; UK grants asylum to persecuted gays; BP oil in Lake Pontchartrain; Queen addresses UN.
Top Story:
Sea Shepherd's Captain Pete Bethune Given... →
photo: Barbara Veiga / Sea Shepherd Pete Bethune, captain of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s now-sunken Ady Gil, has been given a two-year suspended sentence for boarding the…
What Is Sustainable Development & Why Is Defining... →
photo: Jaume Ventura via flickr Even though it’s at the center of environmental thinking, the concept of sustainable development is pretty broad; and considering how often the term gets…
Queen Elizabeth II at the United Nations →
The Queen of 16 UN member states addresses the General Assembly.
The Queen of England addresses the General Assembly today.
Mr President, Secretary-General, Members of the General…
Morning Coffee - 6 July 2010 →
Summary: Obama and Netanyahu meet in D.C.; Australian PM proposes “Ellis Island” in East Timor; Libya wants to buy up “bargain” BP stock.
Top Story: NETANYAHU…
Walmart, KFC, Burger King Paper Purchases... →
photo: Patrick Barry via flickr Greenpeace is again pointing a finger the international companies responsible for Indonesian deforestation, and the international brands aiding and…
Feds Back Big Solar Power With Nearly $2 Billion... →
photo: Cam Vilay While you were watching fireworks this past weekend, the Department of Energy has announced $1.85 billion in loan guarantees for some big solar power projects—what…
Hyper-Invasive Kudzu Worsens Ozone Levels, Air... →
photo: Donna Sullivan-Thomson via flickr Just as much of the US east of Appalachia is in the midst of a serious heat wave comes word that kudzu—that hyper-invasive vine that can…
UN Under Siege in Sri Lanka: Why Accountability... →
The UN compound in Columbo, Sri Lanka is under siege by nationalist hordes who oppose efforts to investigate or prosecute war crimes committed against Tamil civilians last year.
There is a…
Melinda Gates on Microsavings →
The next big thing in microfinance is going to be microsavings.
It turns out that microcredit is not just for developing small businesses and raising incoe levels. One of the major benefits…
Traditional Birth Attendants Persist in Uganda →
Traditional birth attendants in Uganda refuse to disappear, despite a ten-month-old government ban.
Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) are one of the trickiest topics in global health. On…
Bangladesh and Our Global Future →
Agriculture researchers in Bangladesh predict that if nothing is done, rice production will dramatically decline by 2050, just as the nation’s population is peaking.
Agriculture researchers…
Expanding the U.S. Transmission Grid: Past... →
The U.S. electricity grid is in desperate need of an update. Currently, the country has more than 164,000 miles of high-voltage electric transmission lines. They power millions of American homes,…
Global Inequality and the Financial Crisis... →
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development cuts this video of the economist James Galbraith explaining how the financial crisis has effected levels of global inequality.
The…
New EcoLabel Index Sorts Out Validity,... →
photo: Joshua W via flickr The sheer proliferation of eco-labeling, certification and recognition programs, covering everything from food, to clothing, to energy and more, is…
UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Kyrgyzstan... →
The head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres headed to Kyrgyzstan this week to oversee the UN Refugee Agency’s efforts there. Sky News caught up with him yesterday
The…
Morning Coffee - 2 July 2010 →
Summary: Lahore suicide bombing kills 42; Why Tibetans don’t get altitude sickness; UN investigates “forcible transfers” of Palestinians from E. Jerusalem.
Top Story:
Scrubbing CO2 From Atmosphere Could Be A... →
photo: Sarah McD via flickr Regardless of what methods are used, from hard geoengineering artificial CO2 scrubbers to softer methods like reforestation projects, actively…
A Picture is Worth... In 1991 The Fattest US... →
2009: photo: Ed Yourdon via flickr. TreeHugger has done post after post on why people in the United States are fat, detailing everything from the effects of farm policy, suburban…
Organic Farming's Balanced Ecosystems Naturally... →
photo: USDA There are myriad advantages that organic farming has over chemical agriculture, from the health of the land to the quality of your food. Now a new study in the…
Feed-In Tariffs Boost Renewables in Italy,... →
Solar PV panels in Furth, Germany, image courtesy of Siemens
In an article published Monday, renewable energy expert Paul Gipe documents the rapid advance in Italian solar…
Failed States and the UN →
Foreign Policy magazine takes an annual look at the world’s “failed states.”
I attended a panel at the New America Foundation yesterday that included James Traub (one of my favorite
BP Oil Spill Causing More Gulf Dead Zones as... →
BP oil spill protest in New Orleans, photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans via flickr It’s only been a few days since NOAA-backed scientists forecasting the size of this year’s Gulf of…
Morning Coffee - 1 July 2010 →
Summary: Storm stalls oil cleanup in Gulf; Greek workers strike; UN prosecutor to Guatemala; “Dr. Death” jailed in Oz; Survey: Humans sorta support gender equality.
Top Story:
New York Power Authority Applies For Long Island... →
photo: Julian Menichini via flickr Never to be left out of the action, New York has joined other northeast states in marching down the path towards building offshore wind farms: …
Happy Canada Day! →
In honor of Canada day, here is arguably the best classic wrong song written about Canadian colonial history.
In honor of Canada day, here is arguably the best classic rock song ever…