Atlantic sunrise off Florida. See matching mole's
post.
Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The most recent Saturday Spotlight can be seen here. So far, more than 19,760 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
Adrift in Oil Country—by
Laura Gottesdiener via TomDispatch: "I hadn’t driven nearly 2,000 miles from Brooklyn to work as a cocktail waitress in a strip club. (That only happened after I ran out of money.) I had set off with the intention of reporting on the domestic oil boom that was reshaping North Dakota’s prairie towns as well as the balance of both global power and the earth’s atmosphere. This spring, production in North Dakota surged past one million barrels of oil a day. The source of this liquid gold, as it is locally known, is the Bakken Shale: a layered, energy-rich rock formation that stretches across western North Dakota, the corner of Montana, and into Canada. It had been considered inaccessible until breakthroughs in drilling and hydraulic fracturing made the extraction of oil from it economically feasible. In 2008, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the Bakken Shale contained 25 times more recoverable oil than previously thought, sparking the biggest oil rush in state history. Now, six years later, the region displays all the classic contemporary markers of hell: toxic flames that burn around the clock; ink-black smoke billowing from 18-wheelers; intermittent explosions caused by lightning striking the super-conductive wastewater tanks that hydraulic fracturing makes a necessity; a massive Walmart; an abundance of meth, crack, and liquor; freezing winters; rents higher than Manhattan; and far, far too many men. To oil companies, however, the field is hallowed ground, one of the few in history to break the million-barrel-a-day benchmark, earning it 'a place in the small pantheon of truly elite oil fields,' as one Reuters market analyst wrote."
If seeing is believing, then not seeing makes it easy not to believe.—by
pakalolo: "Most of the Greenhouse gases rapidly accelerating global warming are invisible. The sun's rays enter the earth and are absorbed by the oceans, the earths land masses and by plants. This process allows life to flourish on our planet. Some of the suns energy is reflected back into space particularly by polar regions and other snow covered areas. However, as in the case of a Greenhouse, moisture and heat is captured and contained by the glass panes allowing warm loving plants to survive even in winter. For the planet, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases prevent the escape of energy back into space. The gases that cause the Greenhouse gas are mostly invisible. It's not that these gases are bad, as life as we know it would not be possible without them. But to much of a good thing can cause great harm to life on the planet. In the video above, the Oceanic Preservation Society, has promoted a video that uses a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) that makes the invisible visible. The short clip is part of a new film being released in 2015 called Racing Extinction."
Hottest August On Record, Followed By Hottest September.—by
pollwatcher: "A new NASA report is showing that September was the hottest on record.
Global average surface temperatures last month made September 2014 the warmest in the records maintained by US space agency NASA. NASA reported a temperature anomaly – or variance to the long term 1951-1980 average – of 0.77C for September 2014. This is the second record-breaking month in a row following the warmest August on NASA's records. [...] As our species continues its crazy experiment with changing the atmosphere and oceans our very lives depend on, we are continuously surprised at what is happening. So now it seems that surface temperatures are warming faster than the entire atmosphere, and it may be linked to a change of winds over the oceans. Planet earth is a fascinating and very interesting place. We are far from understanding the consequences of rapidly changing the oceans and atmosphere but we and our children are about to find out, whether we like it or not."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the sustainable squiggle.
Critters & the Great Outdoors
Numerous marine fish and invertebrates to disappear in the tropics by 2050 due to global warming—by HoundDog: "James Kent, writing for The Wall Street Journal OTC, brings us the news that Marine fish, invertebrates to disappear from tropics due to Rising Temperature. Using the same climate change assumptions that are in the major recent U.N. Intragovernmental Panel on Climate Change study, a group of scientists from Canada's University of British Columbia are predicting that an increasing number of fish stocks will disappear from tropical areas, and move into new habitats further north including the Arctic and Antarctic regions by 2050. [...] “The tropics will be the overall losers. This area has a high dependence on fish for food, diet and nutrition. We’ll see a loss of fish populations that are important to the fisheries and communities in these regions,” said William Cheung, study co-author and associate professor at the UBC Fisheries Centre."
Daily Bucket: Whose Tern Is It?—by
Lenny Flank: "Some terns I encountered on a recent walk along the shore. The big ones with the orange beak are Royal Terns; the smaller ones with the black beak are Sandwich Terns."
The Daily Bucket: Which season is this?—by
Elizaveta: "When my daughter came into the kitchen a couple of days ago and caught the scent of an herbally, simmering chicken stock mingling with the smells of apple sauce and cinnamon she said, 'It must be fall.' I was definitely in my annual autumn mode, also busy turning last year's apple and pear sauces into leather and baking cookies made with left over roasted pumpkin from the night before. Yesterday my son said that the northwest weather was acting bipolar. We had ominous, dark clouds and buckets of rain one minute, and then bright sun and vivid blue skies the next. I contemplated the sky, trying to make the best decision about hanging out any laundry. I opted not to, which turned out for the best—and it feels off somehow to be line drying clothes in October. And while my kitchen is now often full of the signs of the season, my backyard and garden are sending mixed signals."
☀ friday trestle trail sunset ☀—by blueyedace2:
☀ sunny fall colors ☀—by
blueyedace2.
Dawn Chorus—by lineatus: "Banding yesterday, banding again today. Yesterday brought one of my favorite visitors ..."
Another Short Glacier Park Photo Diary—by
Ojibwa: "Living next door to Montana’s Glacier National Park, our normal routine is to expose any out-of-town visitors who stop by the house to at least a few hours of experiencing the Park. Shown below are some late afternoon photographs from a fast trip into Glacier with an unsuspecting guest."
Eco-Related Candidacies, DC & State Politics
A prairie populist: Climate Hawks Vote endorses Rick Weiland.—by RLMiller: "When I met Rick Weiland at Netroots Nation 2013, I was struck by two things: his political courage in opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, and his detailed grasp of energy efficiency building standards. Curious, I started following him on Twitter. Whereupon I was exhausted just following him online as he barnstormed the state. Now, I'm proud to report that the fledgling organization I've cofounded, Climate Hawks Vote, is endorsing him to be the next United States Senator from South Dakota. Meet the Everywhere Man and his 311-town tour of South Dakota."
IA Senate Now A One-Point Race; Joni Ernst Doubles Down On Eliminating The EPA—by dartagnan: "The battle for the Senate in Iowa is now a one point race. Sarah Palin protege and stealth Koch Brothers candidate Joni Ernst leads Bruce Braley 47-46% with 3-4% "undecided," in the latest Bloomberg, Des Moines Register poll. In last night's debate Ernst, the new darling of the far right, dutifully parroted one of the Kochs' most cherished issues, their fervent desire to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency: Republican Joni Ernst defended her call to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency during an Iowa Senate race debate here Saturday night, saying states should lead the way on ending pollution. This echoed a nearly identical statement Ernst made during the Republican primary: Another area that we need to look at is the Environmental Protection Agency. When we talk about the rules and regulations that are burdening business owners, whether it is in ag, whether it is in industry here in the state of Iowa, let's shut down the federal EPA and focus on those issues here in the state where the state knows best how to protect resources. What would it mean, in practice, to 'shut down the EPA?'"
CO-Sen: NextGen Teams Up Up With Latino Advocacy Group In Going After Cory Gardner (R) In Spanish Ad—by poopdogcomedy: "As part of its ongoing offensive against Senate candidate Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), the super PAC NextGen Climate Action Committee teamed up with the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way to launch an environmental ad this week aimed at Colorado's Latino voters. The 30-second, Spanish-language spot, which began airing Monday, attacks Gardner's record on climate issues, saying he does what is best for himself and and "only helps the rich.' 'Republican Cory Gardner wants to deceive us,' the ad says, according to an English translation provided to The Huffington Post. 'He says he values our community, but he supports polluters who poison our air and water, pollute our neighborhoods, and put our children's health in danger.'"
Rep. Paul Ryan denies climate change caused by human activity—by Hunter: "Rep. Paul Ryan, the ex-vice-presidential contender and man once widely lauded in Washington as the grand prophet of a new era of Republican policy wonks, suggests that climate change cannot be caused by man because the climate has changed in the past so there. The planet has faced climate change forever and humans' pollution might not be to blame for shifts, Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan said Monday during a debate against his Democratic challenger. [...] One of the sharpest differences came when the moderator asked each candidate if he thought human activity is to blame for changes to the planet's climate. 'I don't know the answer to that question,' Ryan said. 'I don't think science does, either.' [...] It's curious how the Republican leader most lauded as a policy wonk just happens to have the same opinions and dim view of the actual policies involved as, say, Sarah Palin does."
No, Congressman Benishek, I'm a scientist, and you're a liar—by engine17: "'Well, I am a scientist,' Congressman Benishek said. 'You know, I believe in peer-reviewed science. But, I don’t see any peer-reviewed science that proves there is man-made catastrophic climate change.' No, Congressman Benishek, I’m a scientist and you’re a liar. [...] And all of us scientists, ol’ colleague, ol’ buddy, all of us know that if we are looking into a subject that is not right in the middle of our own area of competence, there is one proper scientific way to proceed. It may sound difficult, but for any scholar with any familiarity with our most precious scientific tool, it is a simple exercise. And, I’m sure, that, as a scientist, none of this is news to you. So the scientific way to proceed, with the help of a good reference librarian at a research university, is to identify the leading journals in the field, and read the recent invited reviews by recognized experts in the field. That you did not do this is obvious from your position, so just the phrase 'I am a scientist,' used in this context makes you a liar right out of the gate. You did nothing that remotely resembles a reasonable scientific examination of the topic."
Benishek revisited—by engine17.
Eco-Justice & Eco-Activism
Stand with the Pacific Island Warriors—by boatsie: "The Pacific Climate Warriors are traveling from 12 Pacific Islands to Australia, to take the fight to save their homes directly to the fossil fuel industry. Using traditional canoes, 30 Pacific Climate Warriors are going to paddle into the oncoming path of coal ships in an effort to shut down the world’s biggest coal port for a day. We know the Pacific Warriors actions are going to be so powerful the fossil fuel industry will need to launch their multi-million dollar PR machines in an attempt to dismiss them. But we are going to make so much noise that that we will be impossible for even the most mighty PR machine to dismiss. Stand with the Pacific Warriors and show the fossil fuel industry, and the world, that they are not acting alone by adding your name to the letter of solidarity on this page. By signing on this letter you will show the fossil fuel industry that the Pacific Climate Warriors are supported by people from around the world."
Yeb Sano Marches on for Climate Awareness: Reclaim Power Takes on Nuclear Energy—by boatsie: "'Climate change is the defining issue of our generation. We will be measured by how we respond to this crisis," said Philippines chief climate diplomat Yeb Sano on Day 14 of the 1,000-kilometre march, which is scheduled to arrive November 8, one year after Typhoon Yolanda killed 6000 people, in Tacloban. The march began in Manila on October 3rd. Along its route, the Climate Justice March is making stops in villages to educate people about how to prepare for future extreme climate events. 'It aims to empower communities and help them become resilient to the impacts of disasters and climate change,' said Sano."
Climate Chaos
Global Warming Changes Everything, Say Those Wacky Liberals At The, Erm...Pentagon—by Retroactive Genius: "You know how the Pentagon has always been a hotbed of liberal pantywaists and pearl-clutchers, with all their 'make love, not war' rebop and all that 'give peace a chance' stuff? Well, the hippies of the US military are at it again. According to The Guardian: The defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, will tell a high-level meeting of military leaders on Monday that the Pentagon is undertaking sweeping changes to operation systems and installations to keep up with a growing threat of rising seas, droughts, and natural disasters caused by climate change. 'A changing climate will have real impacts on our military and the way it executes its missions,” Hagel wrote in his introduction to a Pentagon report out today. “We are considering the impacts of climate change in our war games and defence planning scenarios.'"
Stop Asking Candidates Whether They "Believe in" Climate Change. That's Not the Real Question.—by Liberty Equality Fraternity and Trees: "No self-respecting moderator should be asking candidates whether or not they 'believe in' anthropogenic climate change. They should be asking candidates how they plan to respond to it. Asking the question 'Do you believe in anthropogenic climate change?' gives a certain veneer of credibility or respectability to the 'no' answer, a credibility or respectability which it does not deserve. We do not need to be discussing whether climate change is real or whether it is human-influenced. We know that. And we know that we need to act.
Asking the real question—how to address climate change—presents an opportunity for substantive policy discussions, something often lacking in these candidate forums and televised debates."
NASA: Methane hot spot in U.S. is triple the size of previous estimates—by Jen Hayden: "Stunning news from NASA: One small 'hot spot' in the U.S. Southwest is responsible for producing the largest concentration of the greenhouse gas methane seen over the United States—more than triple the standard ground-based estimate—according to a new study of satellite data by scientists at NASA and the University of Michigan. Methane is very efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere and, like carbon dioxide, it contributes to global warming. The hot spot, near the Four Corners intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, covers only about 2,500 square miles (6,500 square kilometers), or half the size of Connecticut."
Hagel instructs DoD to Prepare and Adapt to Climate Change: That's Progress—by
jamess: "As meager as it may be, this is "progress" in the turning of the ship of state, towards a new direction, one that acknowledges the Threats of Realities of Climate Change, we are all facing as over-leveraged energy consumers. Especially considering the "anti-science" fervor that has taken over the Do-Nothing segments of Congress, like some run-away strain of Not-a-Scientist Ebola. Despite that wide-spread Congressional malaise, some Branches of Government are ready to acknowledge a Climate-impacted future -- if only indirectly -- as indicated by this "breaking" news, just posted by Department of Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel: The Department of Defense Must Plan for the National Security Implications of Climate Change."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Bárðarbunga: Who's Watching The Watchers? A Fox Named "Gosi"—by
Rei: "Another day, another symptom or two which I don't know whether to credit to the pollution. Had a nasty headache all day today. On days that I'm lucky, the horizon is only blued out in my rear view mirror when I leave home. When I'm not lucky, it's through my windshield ahead of me. Perhaps I shouldn't be working outside when there's pollution, but my land isn't going to prepare itself for winter. My neighbors sheep aren't going to round themselves up either. At least the mist cleared out of Miðdalur in time for that. It's nice having two meters across the fjörd from me. But given that they usually can't even agree on the levels and they're on the same side, and I'm at a couple hundred meters higher elevation across the fjörd, they're of limited utility. I've taken to just judging by how much my valley is blued out. [...] When one gets symptoms, you can't personally say whether it's random or due to the pollution; you need statistical analysis to do that. And statistical analysis is finally starting to come in. For example, Reyðarfjörður has all together spent under two days over danger mark, with under a week in poor air quality levels. However, asthma medication consumption has increased 46% for the whole period since the eruption started."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Selling Off Our Public Lands (and why)—by ban nock: "As a hunter I totally get it. When I read this web site, Daily Kos, and read open mockery of these people and their concerns about the places they live and the livelihoods lost I too am lost, lost for words. Since when does a web site supposedly supportive of the Democratic Party laugh at impoverishing working class rural people? Those very people we should be supporting we are instead driving into the arms of those who would privatize our vast public lands. When rural western Americans have one group actively doing everything they can to keep one from using the public lands that rural people live in, how much worse would state control be? I don't agree with turning federal lands over to the states, but I sure as heck do understand it. What's worse, some asshole from CA/NY/Wherever, or some asshole from the State Capital? That's the reasoning."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
How hard is it to serve a nutritious meal to 5000 people, using dumpster-bound ingredients only?—by citisven: "Well, really not that hard at all. Since the first Feeding the 5000 event was held in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2009, these inspiring campaigns to shine a light on the incredible global food waste have "mushroomed" from Paris to Dublin, Manchester, Sydney, Amsterdam, Brussels, and other cities across the globe. Inspired by the hard-to-swallow reality that roughly one-third of the edible parts of food produced for human consumption—about 1.3 billion tons per year—gets lost or wasted globally, these large public events rescue food that normally would be wasted at farms, groceries and restaurants and turn it into stews and curries for up to 5,000 people. On Saturday, October 18, from 12 to 5pm, EndFoodWaste.org will bring scrumptious "second hand" meals prepared from quality fresh food that would otherwise have been waste before it hit the stores to thousands of people at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, California. There will also be special presentations, grocery giveaways, and demonstrations on how to combat food waste in your kitchen. Next Wednesday, October 22, from 11 to 2pm at The Pit and Top of Lenoir Dining Hall, Carolina Dining Services team members at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill will serve veggie curry, Brunswick Stew, Jamaican Fish Chowder, and Fruit Cobblers, all gleaned from salvaged fruit and vegetables left to rot at farms around North Carolina due to retailer’s strict cosmetic standards or to overproduction."
Feeding the 5,000 in Nantes, France, 2013.
On World Day of Food Sovereignty, Struggling for Land in Brazil—by
Bev Bell: "October 16 is World Food Day. To ensure that there is food for the world, and that it is not controlled by corporations, small farmers and allies across the globe have also named October 16 the Day of Action for Food Sovereignty and against Transnational Organizations. A posting by La Via Campesina, the coalition of more than 160 peasants and small-farmer movements across continents, says that it 'organizes this day of solidarity, resistance, and mobilisation in order to make citizens aware of the current threats to peoples’ food sovereignty.' (To find out about U.S. actions for this day, click
here.)"
Global Hunger Index Released: A long Way to Go ...—by boatsie: "With just one year left before the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals, The 2014 Global Hunger Index (GHI) reveals 805 million people worldwide continue to experience hunger and that serious problems remain with the 'hidden hunger' or 'micronutrient deficiency,' which impacts some 2 billion people worldwide. [...] WorldWatch Institute reports today that the impact of climate change on crops is expected to result in a 20-percent rise in child malnutrition. While dramatically impacting crop yields, increasing global temperatures will also alter global precipitation patterns and exacerbate the spread of insects and weeds which threaten the viability of food crops. Rice, maize, wheat, sorghum and millet crops, those most essential to meet the nutritional needs huge swaths of the world's population, will be most effected."
A Clear and Present Danger—by Robocop: "With the advent of another attempt to pass a GMO labeling law in Oregon, it’s evermore frustrating to hear and read all the misinformation and outright lies touted by the industry in order to protect their bottom line. But it’s what is emerging now in otherwise respected print publications and pronouncements from admired individuals that prompts me to once again discuss the clear and present dangers of GMO crops. These particular publications and people, in scholarly fashion, are committing the sin of omission. Michael Specter, a staff writer for the New Yorker, recently wrote two articles for the magazine, 'The Problem with G.M.O. Labels' and 'Seeds of Doubt.' Another article, written by David H. Freedman, 'The Truth About Genetically Modified Food,' appeared in Scientific American last year. And perhaps most famously, America’s new darling astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, debunks concerns about GMOs, the result, he claims, of an overall “fear factor' of any new technology. All of these propositions tend to dismiss concerns about GMOs on the basis of what Marion Nestle, author of 'Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety,' calls 'The science-based position: [that] if GMOs are safe (which they demonstrably are), there can be no rational reason to oppose them.'"
Sustainability & Extinction
Not Bárðarbunga: Building An Earth Home in Hvalfjörður, Part II—by
Rei: "Stapagljúfur - "Mesa Canyon". 8,35 hectares in Hvalfjörður ("Whale Fjörd"), a patch of plains and mires, grass, moss and berries, steep canyon slopes and cliffs, ravines and brooks, and the river Miðdalsá flowing from the snowmelt from atop Esja and Sandfell. And all this is the site of where I'm working to build an underground eco-friendly tropical steampunk earth home. I bought my land at the end of January, for a tiny fraction of its assessed value, thanks to the 2008 financial crash that's still affecting the country. [...] I just fell in love with the land ... it's rugged and gorgeous ... So of course I wanted to live there! The thought was of course, let's get well underway, right away! So I sought out and found an architect who took on the project. And while working with him, I worked on the land—buying fencing materials, pricing goods, buying and importing tools, tracking down free materials like wooden shipping pallets for windbreaks, etc. Everything was moving forward... except for the housing plans. The architect never seemed to do anything. The only email of mine ever responded to was where I wrote 'URGENT' at the top of it, which got a short reply. Yet whenever I walked in he was never so busy that he couldn't stop what he was doing to take an hour to talk about the project, which I found very strange. He also never really seemed to 'get' the project. He didn't get that I wanted to do as much of the work myself as possible. He didn't get organic shapes. He didn't get the concept of using natural materials or trying to minimize the environmental footprint. He didn't get the concept of structures that are inherently long-term durable because of a load-distributing shape. He wanted to design a regular boxy house with regular walls and then make it "cavelike" by filling the corners up with polyurethane foam and plastering over them, like some sort of Disneyland ride would do. He was really just a poor fit."
Naomi Klein's Paradox—by CAOgdin: "Naomi Klein's new This Changes Everything, page 21: 'What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity’s use of resources; what our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these set of rules can be changed, and it’s not the laws of nature. What a profound and succinct assessment of our worldwide dilemma!'"
Energy & Conservation
Is Keystone XL Dead?—by godzoriz: "TransCanada's Energy East pipeline, primarily re-purposing an existing natural gas pipeline system that crosses Canada's southern zones, seems poised to make the troubled Keystone XL pipeline a distant memory. At 4600 kilometers, the route would allow tar sands crude from Alberta to reach refineries on Canada's east coast without needing to cross any of the large aquifers which made the Keystone XL project so troubling."
Tar Sands Trade: Kuwait Buys Stake in Alberta As It Opens Own Heavy Oil Spigot—by Steve Horn: "Chevron made waves in the business world when it announced its October 6 sale of 30-percent of its holdings in the Alberta-based Duvernay Shale basin to Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) for $1.5 billion. It marked the first North American purchase for the Kuwaiti state-owned oil company and yields KUFPEC 330,000 acres of Duvernay shale gas. Company CEO and the country’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, called it an “anchor project” that could spawn Kuwait’s expansion into North America at-large. Kuwait’s investment in the Duvernay, at face-value buying into Canada’s hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') revolution, was actually also an all-in bet on Alberta’s tar sands. As explained in an October 7 article in Platts, the Duvernay serves as a key feedstock for condensate, a petroleum product made from gas used to dilute tar sands, allowing the product to move through pipelines. And while Kuwait—the small Gulf state sandwiched between Iraq and Saudi Arabia—has made a wager on Alberta’s shale and tar sands, Big Oil may also soon make a big bet on Kuwait’s homegrown tar sands resources."
Renewables
Georgia Power Solar Deal is a Big Deal—by A Siegel: "Georgia Power announced the results of its 2014 solar solicitation. In April, Georgia Power asked for bids for 495 megawatts of solar capacity ... and just announced that they are contracting for 515. The 'Big Deal', not just to me, in this announcement: the average power price in the four PPAs with projects of less than 20 MW each was "less than 6.5 cents/kWh—2 cents below the cost achieved through the [utility's] 2013 solicitation" for solar power. Revisit the key points ... "the average power price is "less than 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour"! 2 cents—nearly 25 percent—below the 2013 costs. Yet another signpost on the solar revolution. To provide a context, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), Georgia has 138 megawatts of currently installed solar systems—this deal alone will quadruple that number."
Solar Thermal Power—by afox: "What are we to make of this stupefying advance from an Israeli company, Brenmiller Energy? How do they do it? Briefly, their solar generators heat water to steam, use some to drive generators in daylight, and store the rest of the steam underground in a cement-like material, finally use the stored steam to power electric generators during the night. You Tube Description. I am skeptical. Not only does this scheme sound like it comes from a freshman engineering student, but all the engineers who've looked at solar generation have missed the boat, they've missed the forest for the trees. [...] 24-hour solar power would be wonderful. As of today, improbable."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Economies are inextricably linked to the environment—by SkepticalPartisan: "The dictionary defines an economy as ‘the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services’. Wealth and resources covers everything which can be priced and everything that can be purchased with money: houses, buildings, land, personal property, etc. and every service a person can be paid to perform. So the economy is the manufactured environment we live in. Seeing as human activity builds towns, cities, suburbs, roads, farms, fields and provides services and experiences like legal advice or wilderness adventures, there are no places within human boundaries which can be outside of its economy. [...] There are several currencies in the economy of ecosystems including carbon, nitrogen, energy and water. Of these, water is most comprehensively similar to money in that it is fungible (dew water, rain water and snow melt are treated the same by plants just like people don’t distinguish between water from an apple or a steak) and the water cycle is a part of everyone’s day-to-day experience."
Oceans, Water & Drought
It's all about the Water-A march on Rick Scotts beachfront palace.—by Pakalolo: "'It's All About the Water' is designed to bring attention to a broad range of threats to clean water faced by communities throughout Florida. By land and by sea, we will march on the beach and paddle from the Naples Pier to the Governor’s beachfront home. Banners, signs, and flags will spell out concerns. Solidarity fish from the east coast of Florida will make visible the need to send clean water south from Lake Okeechobee. You are invited to bring your own 'troubled waters' samples in containers marked with location and date to vividly show the variety of water problems Florida faces from drilling, fracking, the BP oil spill, Lake Okeechobee water releases, and more. In the Governor’s beachfront backyard we will deliver our troubled waters, enjoy music, participate in a water blessing from the Miccosukee Otter Clan, and listen to speakers. Speakers will map out solutions for water problems such as banning new drilling and fracking, cleaning toxic Lake Okeechobee discharges, sending clean water south to restore the Everglades, curbing agricultural and industrial run-off, denying permits for gas-fired power plants and pipelines, investing in clean, renewable energy to help prevent further sea-level rise and climate change. Closing with a candlelight vigil and wish lanterns, we will invite everyone, from legislators to land barons, to partner with us in saving Florida’s waters and Everglades."
Governor Brown's water bond doesn't enjoy "near-unanimous" support—by Dan Bacher: "Sacramento – Opponents of Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion State Water Bond, today criticized Gov. Brown for falsely claiming in his special-interest funded paid ad campaign that Prop. 1 has 'nearly unanimous' support for public funding for water transfers to enrich huge agribusinesses, and to enable the biggest dam-building program in California history. 'The governor falsely claims near unanimous support, but that just means he doesn’t pay attention to those who disagree with him,' said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla from the Vote NO on Prop. 1 campaign. 'It’s insulting and false to make that claim.' Who opposes Prop. 1? The unions, environmental groups, Indian Tribes, fishing groups and water agencies opposing the tunnels include those on the following list [...] "
Mining
In Walker's America Everyone Wins, except those who care about the Environment—by jamess: "Today, I follow-up on my recent post on Scott Walker's pay-back to the open-pit mining donor. I thought I'd dig a little more into this little-explored turf-battle occurring NOW, over one of Wisconsin's "valuable" natural resources. The Wisconsin Governor may 'know nothing about it,' but that doesn't mean we need to. The initial turf-war appears to be a classic battle between First Nations interests and those of nearby Big Mining interests: Bad River Chippewa could have say in Gogebic iron ore mine Tribe received authority from the federal government to regulate water pollution beyond the reservation. [...] Gogebic, a unit of Florida-based Cline Resource and Development, is proposing to construct a $1.5 billion iron ore mine in Ashland and Iron counties. The mine would operate for 35 years or longer and would run for about four miles atop an iron-rich ridge. Opponents say there is so much water and so many wetlands near the proposed site that a mine would cause extensive environmental problems."