Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.
Beneath the fold you will find announcements, today's eco-diary roundup, news, and of course phun with phytoplankton!
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Today's editor: Hopeful Skeptic
Selected Climate News:
China May Start State-Guided Carbon Market by 2014, Feng Says
China will likely set up a domestic market for trading carbon emissions by 2014 and hand companies "half-mandatory" targets for limiting their greenhouse gases, said a government official who oversees climate change issues.
China and India, which have captured the most investment in emissions-reducing projects overseen by the United Nations, are trying to set market mechanisms to encourage polluters to slow their growth of carbon-dioxide emissions even as both resist legally binding limits on the gases they release. Those plans contrast with market delays seen in several richer nations.
India may let power companies start trading renewable- energy credits this year as it bids to encourage reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions. The market may be worth as much as $16 billion within five years, Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency Director-General Ajay Mathur said in January.
Head of Minerals Management Service leaves post
Minerals Management Service Director Elizabeth Birnbaum resigned Thursday as head of the Interior Department's scandal-plagued Minerals Management Service, the department's chief said. Two sources told CNN that Birnbaum had been fired.
Carbonetworks Tapped to Track Chicago's Journey to World's Greenest City
Carbon software firm Carbonetworks will help the Windy City navigate its Chicago Climate Action Plan as it tries to reduce its carbon footprint 80 percent by 2050
Other Climate news from around the world:
UK's Chief Scientific Adviser Hits Out at Climate Skeptics
Nigeria: Minister Advocates Collaboration Against Climate Change
Australia on track to meet Kyoto target
Indonesia announces plan to protect forests, peatlands
Phytoplankton: Why we may be saying "So long and thanks for all the fish and oxygen!"
Let me start from the beginning:
What are phytoplankton?
They are tiny plants that are found floating in the upper layer of the ocean where there is light. And by "plants", I mean that they are photosynthetic. That is, just like the plants in our yards, they can take CO2 out of the air (or water in this case) and turn that CO2 into carbohydrates. Those carbohydrates are what feeds the rest of the life in the oceans. Small animals eat the phytoplankton, and bigger animals eat the small animals... etc. until you get up to huge animals like whales and bluefin tuna.
Some phytoplankton are eukaryotes (time to think back to your basic biology), like these gorgeous diatoms who make their shells out of silica, so the literally live in glass houses!
Other phytoplankton are actually bacteria, like these cyanobacteria (please don't call them blue-green algae... that is their older, misleading name). Yes, there are bacteria that act like plants in the ocean. In fact, by the numbers, there are 10 to 100 times more cyanobacteria in the oceans than their larger eukaryotic phytoplankton water-mates.
So, besides that beautiful microscope pictures, why should we care about phytoplankton?
First of all, as I mentioned above,they are the plants that feed the rest of the oceans. Without phytoplankton, the rest of the ocean starves to death, just like we would without plants.
Second, photosynthesis makes oxygen and consumes CO2. Which means that plants "breathe in" what we breathe out, and "breathe out" what we breathe in. And, believe it or not, these tiny plants (phytoplankton) provide about half of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. That's right, boys and girls... there are so many of those tiny buggers that their "breathing" equals the amount of "breathing" done by all the forests and grasses in the world. So, how bad wold it suck to try to survive in an atmosphere with only half of the oxygen we currently have?
That would be kind of like everyone being stuck at 16,000 feet elevation.
Third, as I mentioned above, the other half of the photosynthesis equation is "breathing in" CO2 and turning it into carbohydrates. Which means, essentially, taking CO2 out of the air and feeding it to fish. In case you haven't been paying attention to current events... CO2 in the air is a big problem. So, phytoplankton have an important role to play in the game of trying to mitigate climate change.
So, the good news is that we have billions and billions of phytoplankton to help clean up the CO2 mess we're making of out atmosphere.
The bad news is that some of these little guys use calcium carbonate to make the shells around their cells...
And calcium carbonate dissolves more easily when the water is more acidic...
And the more CO2 that is in the atmosphere, the more acidic the oceans get...
This image illustrates what happens to phytoplankton that build shells out of calcium carbonate when CO2 increases.
The cell on the left was grown under normal CO2 conditions, and the plates of its exoskeleton look healthy. The cell on the right was grown under high CO2 levels, and as you can see, it's plates were not able to form normally.
Image source: Muller, et al. Biogeosciences, 7, 1109–1116, 2010 (link to PDF - subscription may be required)
Yes, it's ugly. And coral reefs are subject to the same pressure, since they also build their skeletons out of calcium carbonate.
It's also what we call a positive feedback to CO2 driven climate change.
CO2 goes up...
The oceans get more acidic and these phytoplankton die...
Fewer phytoplankton means the CO2 goes up faster (since they are not "breathing in" the CO2)...
And then the cycle continues.
So, the next time you see someone alone in their SUV running their A/C at full blast... ask them why they hate phytoplankton!
Okay, more seriously. We all have a responsibility to lower our CO2 footprints. You can go here and calculate your carbon footprint and find suggestions on how to make it smaller.
Also, call your congress-critters, and encourage them to make meaningful climate legislation.
Eco-series line-up:
(All times Eastern!)
Today's eKos diaries:
Author | Diary | Time | Tags |
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jamess | Scientists on the trail of some New Plumes of Unknown Origin | 05/28/10 03:52AM Pacific | Gulf of Mexico, Underwater Plume, Dispersants, Corexit, BP |
Sue Sturgis | What's next for coal ash? | 05/28/10 08:33AM Pacific | coal, coal ash, dirty coal, dirty energy, epa |
slinkerwink | Senator Sanders Takes Action On The Oil Spill! | 05/28/10 09:09AM Pacific | eKos, Bernie Sanders, Raul Grijalva, Oil Spill, 2010 |
RJ Eskow | Obama's Press Conference: You Can't Negotiate With Disaster | 05/28/10 12:45PM Pacific | afn, Barack Obama, bp, British Petroleum, Campaign for America's Future |
Cedwyn | Protesting the Palomar LNG Pipeline - Next Steps | 05/28/10 12:50PM Pacific | Mt. Hood National Forest, LNG, Ron Wyden, eKos |
Meteor Blades | No Text. Just Photos. You May Wish to Avert Your Eyes | 05/28/10 01:19PM Pacific | Recommended, British Petroleum, DK GreenRoots, eKos, green |
icebergslim | (Video) President Obama's News Conference Today in Southern Louisiana | 05/28/10 02:09PM Pacific | Louisiana, Barack Obama, BP (British Petroleum), BP, eKos |
mark louis | Renewable Energy Round-Up | 05/28/10 03:35PM Pacific | Renewable Energy Round-Up, eKos, solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen |
Fishgrease | Fishgrease: Booming The News Media | 05/28/10 04:01PM Pacific | Recommended, Gulf Oil Spill, BP, dkos fucking booming school, FUCT-O-DAC |
J Orygun | We Need A Dept of Cleaning Up | 05/28/10 04:12PM Pacific | gulf oil, epa, Mr. Clean, eKos |
Cpt Robespierre | DE-AL: In-depth interview on energy, environment w/John Carney | 05/28/10 04:50PM Pacific | John Carney, Delaware, ekos, dk-greenroots, clean energy |
whoknu | Dear Mr. President, The Time is NOW | 05/28/10 05:52PM Pacific | Barack Obama, Solar Power, Wind Energy, Deep Water Horizon, British Petroleum |
Stranded Wind | How To Share A [REDACTED] Sandwich | 05/28/10 06:05PM Pacific | Gulf Oil Spill, BP, Deepwater Horizon, eKos, Recommended |
chadlupkes | Dr. Soos on the Oil Spill | 05/28/10 07:10PM Pacific | oilspill, eKos, rhyme |
eKos | Phytoplankton are Phun! eKos Earthship Friday | 05/28/10 08:03PM Pacific | eKos, environment, phytoplankton |
Eddie C | Friday Evening Photo Blogging: Lion Cubs Today! | 05/28/10 08:45PM Pacific | FEPB, teaching, photography, photos, Bronx Zoo |
rfall | Overnight News Digest - Helping Hand Edition | 05/28/10 09:00PM Pacific | Overnight News Digest, OND, Community, Series, eKos |
Pluto | N_TION_LIZ_TION — Can America Buy a Vowel? Oil Made Easy | 05/28/10 09:32PM Pacific | oil, nationalization, eKos |
Meteor Blades | Green diary rescue & open thread | 05/28/10 09:36PM Pacific | green diary rescue & open thread, eKos |
Yesterday's eKos diaries:
Author | Diary | Time | Tags |
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Steven D | BP Wants Judge With Ties to Big Oil | 05/27/10 04:06PM Pacific | BP, Deep Horizon, Gulf Coast, Oil Spill, BP's Legal Liability |
joanil | 2nd undersea oil plume discovered in the gulf - updated | 05/27/10 04:51PM Pacific | gulf oil plume, eKos |
eb23 | Sponsored by BP; The Gulf of Mexico. FYYFF! | 05/27/10 05:09PM Pacific | BP, Gulf oilspill, rant, eKos |
Edger | BP Blaming Employees For The Gusher | 05/27/10 05:12PM Pacific | Recommended, eKos, offshore drilling, Well Blowout, Oil spill |
BruceMcF | Thursday Night Express: High Speed Rail, Rapid Streetcars, and Democracy | 05/27/10 05:42PM Pacific | ekos, learning, Living Energy Independence, passenger rail, Rapid Streetcars |
gmoke | How to Change US Energy in One Growing Season | 05/27/10 06:07PM Pacific | Recommended, energy, solar, bicycles, ecology |
palantir | Overnight News Digest -- Sci Tech | 05/27/10 09:00PM Pacific | Overnight News Digest, OND, group diary, community, science |
Miep | BP Top Kill Diary # 7 as of 10 pm MDT appx | 05/27/10 09:00PM Pacific | ekos, BP Gulf Rupture, BP Top Kill, have at it |
ridemybike | No Words. Only Tears & Heartbreaking Images | 05/27/10 09:00PM Pacific | oil spill, emotional testimony, Charlie Melancon, tragedy, BP |
Crashing Vor | Mr. President, Let Us In | 05/27/10 09:09PM Pacific | Louisiana, oil spill, eKos, Deepwater Horizon, volunteers |
LaughingPlanet | Great News: Indonesia Ends Its Deforestation | 05/27/10 09:53PM Pacific | REDD, Indonesia, Deforestation, shade-grown coffee, eKos |
RDemocrat | Gulf Oil Rig Victims Anger Should be Shared by All | 05/27/10 10:16PM Pacific | Corporate responsibility, Jerrold Nadler, compensation, Deepwater Horizon victims, Gulf Oil Spill |
Steve Bloom | Liz Birnbaum guilty as hell | 05/27/2010 15:51:16 Pacific | Elizabeth Birnbaum, Ken Salazar, MMS, BP, Gulf Coast, Interior Department, eKos |
akmk | Response to Norway's Oil Rig Crisis, Despite Double Safeguards, Bears Similarity to "Top Kill" | 05/27/2010 15:34:09 Pacific | Oil rig crisis, Norway, Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, BP, choices for the future, eKos |
FishOutofWater | Record Global Heating Causing Arctic Meltdown | 05/27/2010 15:28:14 Pacific | Recommended, ekos, environment, DK Greenroots, climate change, global warming, Arctic, Arctic Ocean, sea ice, John F Kennedy |
WarrenS | Singing For The Planet MA Climate Action andmdash; Now With Video! | 05/27/2010 14:51:15 Pacific | Jazz, Latin jazz, Indian music, Benefit concerts, music, citizen activism, 350.org, eKos, DK greenroots |
jamess | Obama pivots to Clean Energy | 05/27/2010 14:48:17 Pacific | Barack Obama, Clean Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Biofuels, Smart Grid, Smart Grid Investment Grant, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Green Jobs, Environment, BP, Press Conference, eKos |
LaughingPlanet | Breaking: Top Kill on hold | 05/27/2010 14:23:13 Pacific | Recommended, BP, Top Kill, Oilpocalypse, Oil Gush, Deepwater Horizon disaster, not a leak, not a spill, eKos |
bob zimway | Chaos at Chevron Shareholder Meeting | 05/27/2010 13:10:11 Pacific | Recommended, Chevron, Ecuador, Texaco, oil, ekos, energy |
Bruce Nilles | Coal: Good News, and An Opportunity for More | 05/27/2010 10:42:40 Pacific | Sierra Club, coal, mountaintop removal coal mining, EPA, West Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, eKos |
Lefty Coaster | Will Gulf disaster be eclipsed by a Tar Sands catastrophe in Canada? | 05/27/2010 10:30:26 Pacific | Canadian Tar Sands, Tar Sands Oil Production, DK Greenroots, ekos |
Sue Sturgis | 'Dumpsites in Disguise': How some coal ash recycling threatens public health | 05/27/2010 10:13:25 Pacific | coal, coal ash, dirty coal, dirty energy, epa, lisa jackson, tva, disaster, regulation, toxic, toxic waste, environmental issues, public health, electricity, pollution, water pollution, facing south, north carolina, beverly perdue, pricey harrison, eKos |
News Nag | New Atlantis and Banglateche. A poem of the Gulf tragedy and the future of Acadiana. | 05/27/2010 10:05:25 Pacific | Gulf tragedy, Gulf of Mexico, oil spill, BP, corporate criminals, pirates, Acadiana, Bayou Teche, New Atlantis, Banglateche, fisherman, Cajuns, New Orleans, environmental, eKos, Rescued |
Ellinorianne | Help Save Back to Natives Restoration! | 05/27/2010 10:04:20 Pacific | ekos, dkgreenroots, natives, fundraising, help, Rescued |
khowell | BP Top Kill Day Two - Mothership | 05/27/2010 09:30:34 Pacific | Top Kill, BP, liveblog, Recommended, eKos |
Cedwyn | Obama Presser Liveblog - "MMS needs a topkill of its own" Edition | 05/27/2010 09:23:40 Pacific | Recommended, MMS, BP, eKos, Liveblog |
rperks | BP Gulf Spill Forces Us to Confront Our Oil Addiction | 05/27/2010 07:50:57 Pacific | BP, clean energy, dirty energy, gulf coast, gulf spill, obama, oil, oil addiction, oil drilling, oil spill, eKos |
Crashing Vor | We Have Something the People in Alaska Didn't UPDATED | 05/27/2010 05:11:30 Pacific | Louisiana, oil spill, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, eKos, Recommended |
water willow | Helping in the Gulf; preparing for and preventing future oil spills, hemorrhages and catastrophes | 05/27/2010 03:17:26 Pacific | Gulf of Mexico, Oil Spill, eKos |
ivote2004 | Obama's Solyndra Solar speech really worth reading (w/ transcript) | 05/27/2010 01:18:08 Pacific | eKos, Obama, solar, photovoltaics, energy, renewable, sustainable, green economy, green jobs, Solyndra, smartgrid, advanced battery technologies, BP, oil gusher, oil volcano, oil spill, clean energy, Barry Commoner |
About eKos
The Idea
This project was inspired by the Earth Day @ DKos Blogathon. In case you missed it, we had 31 participating environmental diaries, all of which were linked to in the Mothership. During the event we had several requests for an eco-mothership diary series in the mould of the Earth Day effort.
The Mission
eKos is all about promoting community eco-diaries. Daily Kos already showcases several series, but sometimes the work of dedicated green diarists pass off the recent diary list hardly noticed. Our goal is to make these diaries more accessible. In the process we hope to build community and bring in a broader audience to the exceptional environmental writing here at DK.
How eKos Works
If you want a diary included in the list, please let us know by leaving a comment. We'll do our best to search out green diaries, but are bound to miss a few. For eKos to live up to it's full potential, eco-diarists will need to post a link to the mothership at the end of their diary. This will provide readers with easy access to other recent environmental diaries.
Requirements
eKos is meant to be inclusive, but we will have standards for quality and content of listed diaries. (As long as you don't violate site rules and have a modicum of relevant, original content, you should be fine.)
'eKos' tag
If your diary gets listed, we'll ask you to add the eKos tag to your diary.
Contact
You can follow us on Twitter
If you are interested in becoming an eco-ranger for eKos, or just want some more info, e-mail ekos350atgmaildotcom
eKos Rangers
In no particular order:
Regina in a Sears Kit House
boatsie
Hopeful Skeptic
RLMiller
patrickz
Earthfire
Ellinorianne
A Siegel
dRefractor
SolarMom
Please give them some mojo if you see them, they deserve it!
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