Archive for the 'General' Category
The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to debate amendments to a bill proposed by Sens. Lieberman (I-CT) and Warner (R-VA) that would create a “cap and trade” system designed to cut total U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions. Yet an expert with the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) says the cap and trade system would slow economic growth with little if any environmental improvement to show for it.
“Back in 1997 the Senate took the sensible position that the U.S. should not adopt any climate treaty that would either harm the economy or that didn’t include meaningful participation by major developing countries,” said H. Sterling Burnett, senior fellow at the NCPA. “Now, with an election year fast approaching, many of the same Senators are rushing to adopt a unilateral bill that violates both of those principles. The good news is this proposal has little chance of becoming law.”
The bill, titled “America’s Climate Security Act,” would restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, petroleum refiners, major manufacturers and natural gas supplied to both residential and commercial buildings under what is called a “cap and trade” mechanism. Under a cap and trade system, government establishes a cap on total emissions, and then auctions or gives allowances to the affected industries, allowing them to emit carbon dioxide at certain levels. Companies are also allowed to trade their emission allowances among themselves, so that companies that can cost effectively cut emissions more than their allowed amount can sell their excess emission credits to others. Over time, the annual emissions limits would decline.
Burnett noted that an analysis of cap and trade proposals in general by the Congressional Budget Office estimated costs to the economy in tens of billions and perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars annually and concluded that the poor would bear the brunt of resulting higher energy prices.
“These costs could be quite high since the technologies don’t exist at the present to meet the emission reduction goals,” said Burnett. “There is no telling if and when we can separate economic growth from growth in energy use or at least from growth in fossil fuel use.”
Increasingly scientists are advocating geo-engineering approaches, as more immediate, cost-effective ways to reduce warming. And politicians and analysts world wide are coming to embrace the need for adapting to future warming.
The NCPA is an internationally known nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute with offices in Dallas and Washington, D. C. that advocates private solutions to public policy problems. We depend on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations that share our mission. The NCPA accepts no government grants.
December 08 2007 | General | No Comments »
How much energy do you save by switching light bulbs? Should you replace your refrigerator?
The Wall Street Journal’s Guide to Going Green answers these common questions. Some of the answers might surprise you.
Here’s a preview of Rebecca Smith’s article:
We hear the message day in and day out: It’s time to go green. But figuring out where to start can be daunting.
When you look for advice, you often find wildly impractical schemes about remaking your entire life to reduce your “carbon footprint.” Or you end up having to sort through heaps of perplexing statistics about power usage and efficiency.
Meanwhile, it can be tough to track down what most people actually need: a clear statement of the carbon consequences of, say, switching your light bulbs. And you’ll rarely find out if you’ll save enough on your energy bills to recover the cost of buying new appliances or changing your habits.
With that in mind, here are some answers to some commonly posed questions about what to do — and what not to do — to get greener.
Question 1: What are the simplest - and cheapest - things I can do to cut emissions?
Smith’s answer:
The most important thing to remember as you’re getting started is that you don’t have to change your whole life to make a difference.
“You can go crazy and get lost in the details and completely miss the point that every little bit helps,” says Carl Zichella, regional director in Sacramento, Calif., for the Sierra Club.
So where do you start? Here are just a handful of things that may be obvious — and yet so many people don’t do them. Heat or cool your home less. Drive or fly fewer miles. Run electrical equipment less and use less water since pumping water takes a lot of electricity. Buy more locally grown foods and goods that are manufactured nearby; they’re typically made with cleaner U.S. manufacturing processes, and companies use less fuel to transport them.
Plus, buy the most energy-efficient devices you can afford. For instance, look for appliances with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star label. Since the program started in 1992, the EPA says, it has helped Americans save $14 billion on energy bills and cut emissions equivalent to those of 25 million vehicles. The EPA now includes more than four dozen types of products in the program, everything from DVD players to air conditioners.
In addition, the EPA has a useful calculator that allows you to create a customized plan for reducing your environmental impact.
Don’t worry - more questions and answers are to come.
November 14 2007 | General | No Comments »
Environmental issues trigger some common “buzz” words - such as green, sustainable, carbon footprint, etc. - but what do they all mean? To the average person, their definitions could seem hard to tackle.
Although different experts and environmentalists define each term a little differently, some basic principles can be pieced together.
Let’s start with sustainability.
The American Heritage Dictionary has the following definition:
sus·tained, sus·tain·ing, sus·tains
To keep in existence; maintain.
To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for.
To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop.
To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage.
To bear up under; withstand: can’t sustain the blistering heat.
To experience or suffer: sustained a fatal injury.
To affirm the validity of: The judge has sustained the prosecutor’s objection.
To prove or corroborate; confirm.
To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently.
Still, where do you go from here?
The Foresight Design Initiative makes things a little easier and provides an online sustainability guide to living in Chicago.
The guide covers everything about sustainability from A to Z.
About the Guide
Sustainability is about making cities livable and equitable. It’s about creating and supporting an economy that nourishes people, fosters cultural diversity and protects the environment. It starts right here and now, with the decisions we make on a daily basis.
Now, not knowing the terminology cannot be an excuse.
November 09 2007 | General | No Comments »
With the 2007 Grenbuild Conference underway, people interested in attending might not know where to start.
One of the new and exciting events will be the First Annual Greenbuild Film Festival on Thursday, Nov. 8. Feature films that promote green building practices and address social, environmental and health topics will make the cut.
Some of the feature films will include:
-E2 Energy, an original series produced by kontentreal for national PBS broadcast and international distribution
-High Performance Building: Perspectives and Practice, a succinct 20-minute film featuring over 12 LEED projects as well as interviews with CEOs, school administrators, government officials, building managers, and many others who are realizing the real benefits of going green.
View the complete schedule of films before scheduling a visit.
November 08 2007 | General | No Comments »
