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January 11, 2008 3:43 pm Matty Environment, Film and Tele, Green Building, In the News, Issues, Making Money Being Green

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Hunters Are Worried About Global Warming
Pulled from the SF Chronicle with Commentary from Matty Byloos for GEaP; April 9, 2008
Global warming could force elk and mule deer from much of the American West. Wild trout could disappear in lower Appalachian streams. Read the rest.

Aspen Environment Forum: The Word on Gray Wolves
By Lisa Hymas for GRIST; March 28, 2008
The gray wolf population in the northern Rocky Mountains is being dropped from the federal endangered species list on Friday. Read the full story.

Bats Perish, and No One Knows Why
By Tina Kelley for New York Times; March 25, 2008
Wildlife biologists fear a significant die-off in about 15 caves and mines in New York, as well as at sites in Massachusetts and Vermont. Whatever is killing the bats leaves them unusually thin and, in some cases, dotted with a white fungus.

Green Bandwagon Is Getting a Big Push
By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAY; March 23, 2008
“The missing ingredient is the force of public opinion.” That’s the line Cathy Zoi recalls from former vice president Al Gore when he urged her to become CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Scientists Warn of Soot Effect on Climate
By James Randerson, science correspondent: The Guardian; Monday March 24 2008
Soot produced by burning coal, diesel, wood and dung causes significantly more damage to the environment than previously thought, according to research published today. So-called “black carbon” could cause up to 60% of the current warming effect of carbon dioxide, according to the US researchers, making it an important target for efforts to slow global warming.

Federal Panel OKs LNG Terminal in Sound
By Peter Urban for the Connecticut Post; March 21, 2008
WASHINGTON — Over the objections of Connecticut elected officials, a federal panel Thursday gave the green light for construction of a floating liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound.

Business Groups Campaign Against Climate Change Bill
By Matthew Brown for the Associated Press; March 19, 2008
BILLINGS, Mont.—Energy companies and other business interests have launched a nationwide campaign to undermine climate change legislation pending in Congress, saying it could cost millions of jobs, drive gasoline prices sharply higher and suck thousands of dollars from household incomes.

Ralph Nader on the Record: An Exclusive Interview With Grist
By Amanda Griscom Little for GRIST: March 19, 2008
e brought you the seat belt. He launched a consumer advocacy empire. He got 2,883,105 votes in the 2000 presidential election, which critics argue helped put George W. Bush in the White House. Ralph Nader has earned fame — and infamy — for many doings over his 40-plus years as a firebrand activist. Perhaps less well-known is his contribution to environmental protection in the U.S.

Vatican Official Updates Ways of Sinning: Drugs, Pollution, Genetic Manipulation
From The Canadian Press; Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sinning has gone global, according to a Vatican official who has singled out genetic experiments, pollution and mind-damaging drugs as among today’s new sins.

Tiger Population Critical, Species at Crossroads: WWF
By Adam Cox for Reuters; Tuesday, March 11, 2008
STOCKHOLM — The world’s tiger population may have halved in the past quarter of a century and at least one of the remaining five sub-species is in danger of becoming extinct, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) experts said on Tuesday.

Environmental Groups Sue U.S. Over Polar Bears
By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent for Reuters; Monday March 10, 2008
A trio of environmental groups sued the U.S. government on Monday for failing to meet a legal deadline to decide if polar bears should be considered threatened by climate change under the Endangered Species Act.

Britain Budgets for Future Low-Carbon Economy
From Environment News Service; Monday March 10, 2008
In its budget for 2008-2009, the British government has allocated hundreds of millions of pounds for clean energy technologies over the next three years.

2008 Republican Convention Goes Green?
By Nadia Osman for Green Eggs and Planet; Thursday, March 6, 2008
As contradictory as it seems, this year’s Republican convention will be green. What this will do to the Party, or how much is real, may be another thing.

Carbon Group Seeks to Open U.S. to Global Offsets
From REUTERS; Thursday March 6, 2008
A greenhouse emissions business group hopes to shape U.S. climate change legislation to include broad use of international carbon offsets, like wind and solar power farms in developing countries, that are not currently in the leading climate bill.

Seattle Area Fires Linked to Eco-Terrorism
By Nadia Osman for Green Eggs and Planet; Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Four multi-million dollar homes went up in flames near Seattle, with evidence indicating that an eco-terrorist organization had burned down the buildings.

Environmental Groups Want Duke’s Cliffside Permit Rescinded
By John Downey for the Charlotte Business Journal; Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Nineteen environmental groups have asked N.C. regulators to set aside an air-quality permit for Duke Energy Corp.’s proposed Cliffside coal-fired unit. The groups want the N.C. Division of Air Quality to either strengthen mercury controls at the site or cancel the permit.

Climate Skeptics Question Al Gore on Climate Warming at NY Conference
By Nadia Osman for Green Eggs and Planet; Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Al Gore, known for his environmental policies, was targeted on Monday at a global warming conference hosted by skeptic scientists on Monday in New York.

Toxic Yellow Dust Increasing in China
By Nadia Osman for Green Eggs and Planet; Monday, March 3, 2008
China’s annual springtime “yellow dust” storms(with toxic particles), are making their way southward, up the Korean peninsula and toward Japan.

Climate Skeptics Roast Al Gore on Global Warming
By Steve James for Reuters; Monday March 3, 2008
Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his environmental advocacy, was the main target on Monday at a conference of dissident scientists skeptical of his views on global warming.

Ocean Cooling May Solve Antarctic Mystery
By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent; Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:20am EST
Fossil evidence of a cooling of the oceans 35 million years ago may have solved a mystery about how Antarctica froze over in one of the big climate shifts in Earth’s history, scientists said on Thursday.

More Jobs, Cleaner Environment Comes From Hosting Olympic Games, Says Rogge
From The Canadian Press; February 28, 2008
VANCOUVER - Hosting an Olympic Games can leave a lasting legacy like boosting a country’s economy, improving social conditions, even cleaning up the environment, Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said Wednesday.

Noah’s Ark for Crop Seeds Opens in Arctic Norway
By John Acher for Reuters; Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:24am EST
LONGYEARBYEN, Norway - Norway launched a Noah’s ark of the plant kingdom on Tuesday to protect crop seeds, among mankind’s most valuable resources, from cataclysm inside an Arctic mountainside.

Anger Over Plan to Allow Elephant Cull
By James Macintyre, The Independent; Tuesday, 26 February 2008
South Africa has announced it will reverse its 1995 decision to ban the killing of elephants. Animal rights campaigners said that up to 10,000 elephants would be killed after the country said it was taking the action in order to control the animals’ booming population.

China Eyes Heftier Fines for Water Polluters
From Reuters, Beijing; Tuesday, February 26, 2008 6:30am EST
China stepped up pressure on polluters on Tuesday as it debated a draft law that would allow for fines against the heads of companies that foul the water and floated the idea of an end to tax breaks for polluting exporters.

As Fidel Castro Exits, Cuba Eyes 3.2 Billion Gallons Per Year of Sugar Cane Ethanol
From Biofuels Digest; February 21, 2008
In Cuba, the potential to produce between 2 billion and 3.2 billion gallons per year of sugar cane ethanol has been projected by industry analysts. Cuba is transitioning from the 49-year rule by Fidel Castro to the leadership of biofuels supporter Raul Castro. Fidel Castro blocked a proposed expansion into Cuba by Archer Daniels Midland in the 1990s. Cuba recently began overhaul of its 17 ethanol refineries last year.

World Switches on to Earth Hour Switch-Off
By Rob Taylor for REUTERS; Tuesday Feb 19, 2008 8:17am EST
As many as 30 million people are tipped to switch off lights and televisions around the world to help fight climate change with 24 cities joining Earth Hour on March 29, environment group WWF said on Wednesday.

Cloud of Scandal Over Environment
By Wu Zhong, China Editor; From Asia Times Online: Greater China, February 20, 2008
HONG KONG - A whiff of scandal, and possibly an intriguing power play, is gathering over the proposed restructuring of China’s State Council, or cabinet, a topic that will be high on the agenda of the first annual session of the new five-year term of parliament, the National People’s Congress, when it gets underway on March 5.

Coal’s Time Is Up in U.S., Environmentalist Warns
By Steve James, for REUTERS; Thursday Feb 14, 2008 2:39pm EST
The United States should leave its estimated 200 years’ supply of coal in the ground and invest in wind farms and solar technology for its power-generating needs, a leading environmental analyst said on Thursday.

Crunch Time for India’s Tigers: Numbers Down By Half
From Environmental News Service; February 13, 2008
NEW DELHI, India: India has lost more than half of its tiger population in the past five years, a new government tiger census shows. Crunching the numbers for its 2006-2007 census, the National Tiger Conservation Authority estimates the population at between 1,165 and 1,657 tigers.

Lake Mead Goes Dry Within 13 Years, Researchers Say
Matty Byloos, for GEandP; February 13, 2008
Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have asserted that it is fifty per cent likely that Lake Mead will end up going completely dry within 13 years, or by the year 2021.

Gorillas in Congo Photographed Reproducing Face to Face
Matty Byloos, for GEandP; February 12, 2008
Apparently, “Leah,” the first gorilla to be recorded or seen using tools, has also recently become the first gorilla ever to be photographed mating in a face-to-face position on a preserve in the Congo.

Bank of America Creates Environmental Banking Team
From Reuters, Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008 1:06pm EST
Bank of America Corp, the second-largest U.S. bank, is creating an environmental banking group focused on finding and financing ways to promote conservation and reduce global warming, Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said on Tuesday.

London to Triple Traffic Charge on Polluting Cars
By Brian Lysaght; from Bloomberg.com, Europe: February 12, 2008
London Mayor Ken Livingstone will triple the city’s daily congestion charge to 25 pounds ($49) for the most-polluting cars and sport utility vehicles, his latest plan to cut carbon emissions by boosting driving costs.

U.S. Moves to Cut Energy Use by Televisions
From Reuters Environmental News Coverage; Tuesday Feb 5, 2008 5:53pm EST
The Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday digital televisions will face more stringent requirements to earn its energy efficient label. Starting November 1, televisions carrying the EPA’s Energy Star label will have to be up to 30 percent more efficient than conventional models.

Nuclear, Coal and Science Get Boost in New Bush Budget
From Planet Ark: World Environment News; February 5th, 2008
WASHINGTON - Research into producing electricity from low-emission coal and nuclear plants saw big funding boosts in the 2009 budget request submitted by the US Energy Department Monday, along with experiments in basic energy sciences.

Climate Set for “Sudden Shifts”
By Pallab Ghosh: Science correspondent, BBC News, Monday, 4 February 2008
Many of Earth’s climate systems will undergo a series of sudden shifts this century as a result of human-induced climate change, a study suggests. A number of these shifts could occur this century, say the report’s authors.

A Sustainable Super Bowl
From The Press Democrat; Published: Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
Green initiatives litter this year’s Super Bowl in Arizona. Among standout measures, the NFL is planting thousands of trees in Arizona forests blackened by wildfires to help offset greenhouse gas emissions. The effort will offset the 350 tons of greenhouse gas produced by the league’s 3,000-vehicle ground-transportation fleet. The University of Phoenix Stadium and the adjacent NFL theme park will be powered with clean energy sources, from New Mexico wind turbines to California geothermal plants. Read the full story for more details.

Hawaii Climate Conference Ends Without Targets
By Audrey McAvoy; Published to the Associated Press site February 1, 2008
HONOLULU (AP) — A meeting of delegates from the nations that emit the most pollutants ended without concrete targets for slashing greenhouse gas emissions, but participants praised what they saw as a new willingness by the United States to discuss possible solutions.

Dutch to Explore New Ways to Defend Coastline
From REUTERS; Friday February 1, 2008 2:10pm EST
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government said on Friday it would explore new ways of protecting its coastline from the effects of climate change, including the use of ground-breaking sensor technology.

Rethinking the Meat Guzzler
By Mark Bittman, NY Times; Published: January 27, 2008
A SEA change in the consumption of a resource that Americans take for granted may be in store — something cheap, plentiful, widely enjoyed and a part of daily life. And it isn’t oil. It’s meat. Find out more.

California Bill Offers Rebates, Exacts Fees Based on Car Emissions
By Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times; January 27, 2008
Buyers would get money back on autos with lower emissions and be charged extra on higher polluters. This week, the California Assembly is expected to vote on the California Clean Car Discount Act, which, if passed, would be the nation’s first “feebate” law, imposing charges and granting rebates based on a vehicle’s emission of carbon dioxide and other gases.

Less Waste Urged With Energy Efficiency Gains
By Tom Bergin; Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:31am EST
LONDON (Reuters) - High oil prices have spurred countries to use energy more efficiently, a report by an energy industry group said, but the authors say concerted government action is still needed to encourage less waste.

U.N. Aid Chief Worried by Food Inflation, Weather
Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:42pm EST
BRUSSELS (Reuters) — Rising food prices and extreme weather are sparking more humanitarian disasters around the world, the United Nations’ top official for emergency relief warned on Tuesday.

Forest Service Sets Land Plan for Tongass
By Kate Golden; From Juneau Empire, Sunday, January 27, 2008
The U.S. Forest Service released a new 10-year land use management plan for the Tongass National Forest on Friday morning. In a new approach, some acres will be open to harvest now, while others, particularly those in biologically sensitive areas, could be harvested later if the timber industry grows.

Europe Transport Can Meet New Emission Limits: Barrot
By Sam Cage; Friday Jan 25, 2008 8:53am EST
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The European car and airlines industries should be able to adapt to new plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions, EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said on Friday.

Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks to Manage Wolves
From the Montana News Station; Updated: Jan 25, 2008 12:43 PM
Montana state wildlife agents will soon be given more latitude to shoot wolves under a new rule being published by the federal government. The ruling will allow state game agencies to kill endangered gray wolves that prey on wildlife in the Northern Rockies.

Illegal Clearing on the Rise, Brazil to Increase Monitors in Rain Forest
Green Eggs and Ham; Friday, January 25, 2008
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for an emergency cabinet meeting at the presidential palace, in which other government representatives, including the Environment Minister Marina Silva, were present to discuss the situation with Brazil’s rain forests. It seems that emergency measures are now required to prevent further deforestation in the Amazon rain forest.

The Lowdown on Top Soil: It’s Disappearing
By Tom Paulson, From the Seattle Post Intelligencer; Tuesday, January 22, 2008
While many worry about the potential consequences of atmospheric warming, a few experts are trying to call attention to another global crisis quietly taking place under our feet. Call it the thin brown line. Dirt. On average, the planet is covered with little more than 3 feet of topsoil — the shallow skin of nutrient-rich matter that sustains most of our food and appears to play a critical role in supporting life on Earth.

GM Forms Team for Hybrids and Electric Vehicles
From REUTERS;Thursday Jan 24, 2008 1:26pm EST
DETROIT: General Motors Corp said on Thursday it formed a new organization to speed up the implementation of advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric vehicles. The world’s largest automaker, which plans to produce the Chevrolet Volt plug-in car by the end of 2010, said the global team will be based in Warren and Milford, Michigan; Mainz-Kastel, Germany; and Shanghai, China.

Drought Could Force Nuke-Plant Shutdowns
By Mitch Weiss, Associated Press Writer; Thursday, January 24, 2008
Nuclear reactors across the Southeast could be forced to throttle back or temporarily shut down later this year because drought is drying up the rivers and lakes that supply power plants with the awesome amounts of cooling water they need to operate.

Gore’s Moral Obligation — Why Al Gore Isn’t Running for President
Mark Hertsgaard, a fellow of The Nation Institute; featured on GRIST, 4:18 AM on 24 Jan 2008
As Hillary, Obama, and Edwards continue to slug it out in the early primary states, one name is conspicuously absent among the Democratic candidates to become the next president of the United States. Where is Al Gore?

Warming May Reduce Hurricanes Hitting the United States
By Jim Loney; REUTERS, Wednesday Jan 23, 2008 3:49pm EST
Rising ocean temperatures linked to global warming could decrease the number of hurricanes hitting the United States, according to new research released on Wednesday.

Green Tech Investment Topped $5 Billion in 2007
From REUTERS; Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 6:33am EST
Investments in environmentally friendly “clean-tech” companies rose 44 percent to more than $5 billion last year as soaring oil prices, climate change concerns and government incentives boosted interest in renewable energy, an industry group said.

Whole Foods Markets Says Plastic Bags Are Over
By Matty Byloos for Green Eggs and Planet; January 23, 2008.
Whole Foods concurrently announced that it will be ending the use of disposable plastic grocery bags at the checkouts in all of its 270 total stores, which are located in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The deadline goal? April 22, 2008: Earth Day.

Nigeria: Federal Government to Audit Nigeria’s Environment
By Pamela Sombo; Posted to the web 22 January 2008
The federal government is set to audit Nigeria’s environment in terms of its efforts at militating against climate change. This has become imperative due to gas emissions emanating from oil exploration which makes it necessary to ascertain the trend of gas emissions in the country and further remind of the potential dangers of unabated gas emissions.

Rich Countries Owe Poor Ones Trillions Over Environmental Damage, Study Shows
From the Canadian Press, January 21, 2008
As rich countries push away from the table after four decades of environmental degradation, the poor ones are stuck with the bill, says new research attempting to assess the costs and causes of human economic activity.

NASA and the Goddard Institute Report 2007 Tied as Earth’s 2nd Warmest Year
Goddard Institute for Space Studies at NASA: January 16, 2008
Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City have found that 2007 tied with 1998 for Earth’s second warmest year in a century. Read the full story.

Monsanto’s Latest Court Triumph Cloaks Massive Market Power
By Tom Philpott; January 17, 2008 From GRIST
Preventing people from saving seeds and freely propagating crops has been tried before. In medieval times, merchants in the Levant strove mightily to corner the coffee market by refusing to export raw coffee beans that might be replanted. Their effort eventually failed, and coffee now flourishes in Latin America, South Asia, and southern Africa. But Monsanto has patent law on its side. Monsanto has established for itself the right to claim ownership of genetic material — a revolutionary step in the history of property rights.

FDA Gives the A-OK to Consume Cloned Animals
By Ellen Slattery; Jan 17th 2008 9:04AM
After six years testing the safety of cloning, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed cloned animals fit for consumption. Don’t like it? Well, you don’t have much of a choice.

Vertical Farm Rises in Las Vegas
By Shayna Glick; Posted Jan 16th 2008 10:07AM
Las Vegas is a town known for doing things in a big way. Well now they’re giving sustainability the royal treatment. There’s a proposal on the table to build the world’s first vertical farm. Not just any vertical farm either, but 30 storys of it.

U.S. Calls for January 30-31 Climate Talks in Hawaii
From Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON — US President George W. Bush has called major world economies to a second round of climate change talks on January 30-31 in Hawaii, the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality announced. Topics of discussion include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy security and efficiency, and sustaining economic growth.

Bush Exempts Navy From Environmental Law
By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press; From Wednesday, January 16, 2008
President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast — a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals.

Anti-Whalers “Taken Hostage” on Japanese Whaling Ship
By Michael Perry; SYDNEY (Reuters); Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Two anti-whaling activists were “taken hostage” and tied to a radar mast of a Japanese whaling vessel in the Southern Ocean on Tuesday, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said.

Escalating Ice Loss Found in Antarctica
By Marc Kaufman; Washington Post Staff Writer; Monday, January 14, 2008; Page A01
Climatic changes appear to be destabilizing vast ice sheets of western Antarctica that had previously seemed relatively protected from global warming, researchers reported yesterday, raising the prospect of faster sea-level rise than current estimates.

State of the World 2008: Environmental Woes Sow Seeds of Sustainability
WASHINGTON, DC, January 10, 2008 (ENS) – Concern about environmental degradation is beginning to impact the global economy, according to a new report by an international environmental research group.

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Green News Videos

Jan. 23 - Thousands of residents suffering in the wake of South Korea’s worst oil spill protest against Samsung, owner of one of the vessels involved.

January 24, 2008: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, hearing entitled, “Oversight of EPA’s Decision to Deny the California Waiver”

December 26, 2007. The positive side of Colony Collapse Disorder: The Bees dying is proof of the Gaia Principle.

February 6, 2007. The new feature-length documentary Crude Impact directed by James Wood examines how deeply our current existence relies on fossil fuels, and the cost that extracting oil has had on indigenous populations and the environment.

June 8, 2007. Today the European Union has the most environmentally-friendly arsenal of rules in the world and has done more to tackle pressing ecological problems, such as climate change, than any other major power. But it has not always been like this.

October 4, 2007. Speaking at the UN climate change conference in New York, commission president Barroso underlined that this issue was not just about European warming, but about global warming.

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Green News Archive

Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him
By Andrew C. Revkin; Story originally published: January 29, 2006
The top climate scientist at NASA says the Bush administration has tried to stop him from speaking out since he gave a lecture last month calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.

Researchers Fear Navy’s Sonar May Harm Whales
By Rachel X. Weissman, The New York Times; From April 10, 2001
Some biologists and environmental groups fear that such mass strandings will become more common if the Navy wins approval for a sonar program it wants for detecting submarines.