Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.
Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.
Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.
Tonight's editor: Hopeful Skeptic
Please remember to rec the BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 78
Also please support today's Gulf Recovery Blogathon Diaries and check out Pam's amazing diary on How to Help.
All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.
Gulf Recovery Blogathon Calendar (All times Pacific)
Wednesday August 11
1pm noweasels
2pm boatsie
3pm Daniel Kessler (Greenpeace)
4pm mogmaar
5pm Patriot Daily
6pm Project Gulf Impact
Thursday August 12
1pm pico
2pm Fishgrease
3pm citisven
4pm Bill Mckibben
5pm oke
6pm Project Gulf Impact
7pm JekyllnHyde
Friday August 13
1pm La Feminista
2pm Pam La Pier
3pm rb137
4pm Meteor Blades
5pm Laurence Lewis
6pm Project Gulf Impact
The Gulf Recovery blogathon is a three-day series about what we can do to assist the citizens, wildlife and eco-systems of the Gulf Coast. Through diaries on a wide range of subjects –- by an incredible team of writers -- we hope to promote awareness of the continuing crisis caused by the devastating deluge of oil that has overwhelmed the Gulf since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on Tuesday, April 20, nearly four months ago.
In non-oil-spill news... The environmental disasters continue to mount (all emphases are mine):
Devastating floods in Pakistan and Russia's heatwave match predictions of extremes caused by global warming even though it is impossible to blame mankind for single severe weather events, scientists say.
This year is on track to be the warmest since reliable temperature records began in the mid-19th century, beating 1998, mainly due to a build-up of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
"We will always have climate extremes. But it looks like climate change is exacerbating the intensity of the extremes," said Omar Baddour, chief of climate data management applications at WMO headquarters in Geneva.
When will the global warming deniers be convinced?
In less depressing news:
Study: Solar Power Officially Cheaper Than Nuclear in North Carolina
Aided by subsidies, some utilities are purchasing commercial-scale solar for up to 30% less than nuclear, Duke University researchers say.
The sunshine of North Carolina, a state on America's Atlantic seaboard, has long been a draw for tourists seeking a little southern warmth on the region's beaches. But holiday companies are not the only ones trumpeting a good local deal. The price of the state's solar-generated electricity has fallen so far that it is now cheaper than new nuclear power, according to a report published in July by researchers at the state's Duke University.
The authors say their figures indicate a "historic crossover" that significantly strengthens the case for investment in renewable energy – and weakens the arguments for large-scale, international nuclear development.
I'm on the fence about nuclear, since I feel like climate change poses a greater planetary threat than nuclear power waste. However, if we can avoid creating that waste, all the better!
Tomtech pointed us to a website that has daily maps tracking the locations of oil washing up on shore along the gulf coast.
Here is one from today:
And if we zoom in:
It looks like the barrier islands are taking the brunt of the oil, but plenty of tar balls are still washing up on the shore of the mainland.
If those images make you want to cry, here's something to make you laugh...
The Onion once again proves their awesomeness.
According to witnesses, the catastrophe began shortly after the tanker, which sailed unimpeded across the Gulf of Mexico, stopped safely at the harbor and made contact with oil company workers on the shore. Soon after, vast amounts of the black, toxic petroleum in the ship's hold were unloaded at an alarming rate into special storage containers on the mainland.
From there, experts confirmed, the oil will likely spread across the entire country's infrastructure and commit unforetold damage to its lakes, streams, and air.
"We're looking at a crisis of cataclysmic proportions," said Charles Hartsell, an environmental scientist at Tufts University. "In a matter of days, this oil may be refined into a lighter substance that, when burned as fuel in vehicles, homes, and businesses, will poison the earth's atmosphere on a terrifying scale."
"Our fear is that we'll start seeing this stuff in tanker trucks headed to gas stations all over America," Environmental Protection Agency official Ralph Linney said. "And once they start pumping it into individual cars for combustion, it's all over."
"How can we possibly contain this after it's spread to 250 million vehicles, each one going in a different direction?" he added.
"It's scary stuff," said Logansport, IN native Wayne Cummings, talking to reporters from behind the wheel of an idling Ford F-150 XLT pickup. "I read somewhere that it might take years before we know the full extent of the damage, and by that time it will be impossible to do anything about it."
"All I know is, we have to think of some way to fix this problem before it's too late," Cummings said before driving off.
Noting that they have acted in strict accordance with U.S. laws and complied with the orders of federal regulators, representatives from ExxonMobil, BP, ConocoPhillips, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Chevron have all denied responsibility for the disaster.
(All times Eastern!)
eKos diaries from Wednesday, August 11, 2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
US Offshore Oil Drilling Began Late 1800s | War on Error | 9:23:20 PM | ekos, Offshore Drilling, History of Offshore Drilling, Red Tide, London Smog |
Gulf Recovery: BP Worker Exposes Truth of Working Oil Spill Cleanup | Project Gulf Impact | 9:08:05 PM | Recommended, BP, Oil Spill, Poison, Deepwater |
Gore: Cutting renewable energy program a bad decision | Jed Lewison | 8:12:05 PM | Energy, Al Gore, eKos |
Gulf Recovery: Art to the Rescue | Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse | 8:06:56 PM | Recommended, Gulf Recovery Blogathon, BP, environment, climate change |
Gulf Recovery: Who Cares About Health Effects? | mogmaar | 7:52:17 PM | Recommended, oil spill, eco, green, health |
Climate Change Reality: Ending the Age of Oil | danieljkessler | 5:25:24 PM | Recommended, climate change, Gulf Recovery Blogathon, eKos |
Gulf Recovery: Invisibility Cloaks & Time Warps | boatsie | 5:00:55 PM | Recommended, Gulf Recovery, Gulf Recovery Blogathon, BP, activism |
Gulf Recovery (I): Introduction | noweasels | 3:59:00 PM | Recommended, Gulf Recovery, brown pelicans, eKos, Gulf recovery blogathon |
Innovation of the Week: Handling Pests with Care Instead of Chemicals | NourishingthePlanet | 9:46:58 AM | eKos, FAO, Fertilizer, Food, Food and Agriculture Organization |
BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 78 | Gulf Watchers | 6:00:00 AM | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, LMRP |
Life in Little Texas | Miep | 2:05:53 AM | Carlsbad, New Mexico, mining, karst, ekos |
eKos diaries from Tuesday, August 10, 2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
Beautiful Birds of Botswana - A Photo Diary | Haole in Hawaii | 11:04:28 PM | birds, botswana, africa, photography, pooties |
Next Steps 4 Climate Movement:Al Gore on Repower America Town Hall call (liveblogged) | raines | 8:53:35 PM | Al Gore, eKos, global warming, climate change, Repower America |
Burning Coal + Hot Days = Unhealthy Air Warnings | Bruce Nilles | 1:34:14 PM | eKos, Clean Air Act, Sierra Club, coal, Clean Air Transport Rule |
Green Light! Flywheel Energy Storage | aaraujo | 1:12:04 PM | Recommended, eKos |
Impact of Climate Change Is Obvious in Antarctica | RogerShuler | 12:02:15 PM | James McClintock, Antarctica, climate change, global warming, UAB |
What’s Green, White and Blue? American Jobs | Leo W Gerard | 11:40:56 AM | Wind farm, green jobs, manufacturing, manufacturing jobs, energy independence |
Village Green: 'Peace Gardens' Bring Needy Communities Together | Kaid at NRDC | 9:05:20 AM | eKos, environment, community, neighborhoods, sustainability |
BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 77 | Gulf Watchers | 6:02:49 AM | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, LMRP |
The Famine Of 2011 | Stranded Wind | 1:20:31 AM | Russia, Pakistan, fire, flood, famine |
Ice, Fire, Deluge, Famine, Heat and a Definitive Trend: Act Today | LaFeminista | 1:12:58 AM | Recommended, ekos, famine, heat, ice |
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