| |  |  | Wednesday, January 16, 2008 | ||
| News of Note BEIJING (Reuters) - China's wind power generating capacity surged to 5.6 gigawatts by the end of last year, but over a quarter of it is still not connected to the grid because of bad planning, an industry expert said on Wednesday. Shi Pengfei, vice-president of the Chinese wind energy association, said capacity growth in 2008 is likely to speed up, with another 4 GW expected to be added by the booming industry. Top Stories Inflatable cars? What?!! A Bay Area startup, XP vehicles is tossing in its radical idea for a proposed ultra light, ultra-efficient car that is powered by both fuel cells and batteries. The body of this radical concept is proposed to be made up of preinflated airbags, of which, the company claims will be so safe that you could actually drive the car off of a 25-ft cliff without inflicting injury. The inflatable car is scheduled to be targeted at Asian markets initially. Water, our most basic need, is poised to be the most baffling challenge of the 21st century. It is being ignored wantonly at a time when more than 1 million people per year die from its scarcity and contamination. Children under age five account for at least 90 percent of water-related deaths. Meanwhile, economic productivity and educational opportunities are lost to illness, leaving millions more in an impoverished state even if they do survive their first five years of life. Access to water is a human right. Yet that statement makes many people uncomfortable. Most in the developed world can hardly imagine water being anything more than a nominal expense that is easily drawn from a faucet. They think, "Surely it is a commodity to be bought and sold. It hardly costs anything, and it is even reusable, so what's the big deal?" The World Bank has emerged as one of the key backers behind an explosion of cattle ranching in the Amazon, which new research has identified as the greatest threat to the survival of the rainforest. One car gets 46 miles per gallon, features fancy accessories, and sports two engines with a combined 145 horsepower. The other car reportedly gets 54 miles per gallon, runs on a diminutive 30-horsepower engine, and is positively spartan in its interior trimmings. The first is a darling of the environmentally conscious. The latter is reviled as a climate wrecker. These two vehicles are the Toyota Prius and the newly unveiled Tata Nano, dubbed “the people’s" car. Is there a double standard? | ENN Spotlight
But could something in the environment also be making Americans fat in epidemic numbers? More Top Stories
A week before the European Union executive unveils a fiercely contested package of proposals to cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost renewable energy sources and promote biofuels, Barroso said the EU must "put our money where our mouth is."
Grain prices are near record levels as the United States produces more ethanol, now made mostly from corn, to blend with gasoline and stretch available motor fuel supplies.
The discount retailer also said the stores will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting down on refrigeration costs. The first of these new energy-saving stores is set to open January 23 in Romeoville, Illinois. |  |        | ||
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| Member Press Releases By: the Center for Biological Diversity In a January 7, 2008, memo, Mike Lockhart, who retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in frustration after 32 years - including the past eight years as the leader of the black-footed ferret recovery program - strongly criticized the agency's leadership for making back-room deals with the state of South Dakota and U.S. Forest Service that undermined the black-footed ferret recovery program by allowing poisoning of prairie dogs. Black-footed ferrets depend on prairie dog colonies for survival; prairie dogs are their primary prey, and prairie dog burrows are used as shelter and dens. By: the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Robert W. Corell, Global Change Program Director at The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, and Senior Policy Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, on Thursday, January 17, 2008 in Washington, D.C. Given for a lifetime of leadership and achievement in advancing environmental science and its use in decision-making, the award will be presented during NCSE's 8th national conference, Climate Change: Science and Solutions, at a special ceremony at 5:30 p.m., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. By: the Environmental Law Institute The deadline for nomination forms for the 2008 National Wetlands Awards Program has been extended by 15 days. The National Wetlands Awards Program honors individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of our nation's wetlands. All submissions for the 2008 Awards program must be received by January 31, 2008. By: Great Ape Trust of Iowa The Rwandan government, Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark have announced that the Gishwati Forest Reserve is the future site of the Rwanda National Conservation Park, setting into motion one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration and ecological research efforts ever. The selection of Gishwati as the location for Rwanda's first national conservation park comes less than three months after the project was unveiled at the Clinton Global Initiative by Rwanda President H.E. Paul Kagame and Ted Townsend, founder of Great Ape Trust and Earthpark. By: the International Fund for Animal Welfare The International Fund of Animal Welfare (IFAW) held a landmark "Lobster Gear Summit" today in conjunction with the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association (AOLA), connecting regional lobstermen groups with fishing gear manufacturers, federal and state fisheries officials and rope-recycling specialists for a day of information sharing, fact-gathering and strategic planning. The meeting was held in order to discuss what is needed for industry-wide compliance toward recent equipment mandates issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). By: the Globe Foundation of Canada A report by the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), states Canada can achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets of 20 percent by 2020 and 65 percent by 2050 by implementing a clear, consistent and certain emission price signal across the Canadian economy as soon as possible. The report, Getting to 2050: Canada's Transition to a Low-emission Future, argues the immediate introduction of market-based policy in the form of an emission tax or a cap-and-trade system or a combination of the two is economically feasible and quite likely only way of achieving the government's stated emission reduction targets. By: the Center for Biological Diversity The federal government Friday proposed protecting the black abalone as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. The action comes in response to a formal administrative petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in December 2006 that sought protection of the species. The black abalone, an intertidal mollusk historically ranging from near the California-Oregon border to Cape San Lucas, Baja California, has declined by as much as 99 percent in most of its range. By: World Land Trust On the 17th January the World Land Trust and their Patron, Sir David Attenborough, will launch Webcam in the Forest at the Linnaean Society of London, as part of its ongoing program of showing to the world at large, conservation in action. Editor's Note : 'Network News' features press releases submitted directly by organizations in ENN's member network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by ENN and is not subject to ENN's editorial process. | |||||
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A personal quest to promote the use of wind energy and hydrogen technology in the Great Lakes area of the United States. The Great Lakes area is in a unique position to become an energy exporting region through these and other renewable energy technologies. *Update 2014: Just do it everywhere - Dan*
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
ENN: Inflatable cars, Barroso hits back, family cars consuming US grain crop and much more...
Being fat has long been seen as a personal problem, fixed only by struggling against the proliferation of fast food restaurants, unlucky genes, and a sedentary life.
STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hit back on Wednesday at criticism from member states and industry of planned radical proposals to fight climate change and save energy.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Almost a third of the U.S. grain crop next year may be diverted from the family dinner table to the family car as fuel, putting upward pressure on food prices, a leading expert warned on Tuesday.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, said on Tuesday it will open four stores that use 25 percent less energy than its supercenters that were in operation in 2005.
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