80 U.S. CEOs urge President Obama to push climate legislation

In a letter to President Obama and members of Congress, the chief executives of about 80 U.S. companies urged members of the government to pass comprehensive climate change legislation before the U.S. falls further behind the rest of the world in the race to develop clean technologies.

"We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate," the letter said. "It is time for the administration and Congress to embrace this policy as the promising economic opportunity that will empower American workers to compete and American entrepreneurship to lead the way."

The CEOs, which include the chief executives at Ebay and Virgin America, argue in the letter that climate legislation will drive innovation, improve unemployment rates, and increase U.S. companies' competitiveness against foreign competition.

For more information and to read the letter, check out this story from Business Green.

Cap-and-trade, emissions regulation debate continues in Congress

Much debate is going on in the Senate this week over the proposed Boxer-Kerry Climate Bill as well as the EPA's decision to regulate emissions.

Several moderate Democratic senators are trying to get the cap-and-trade language taken out of the climate bill, arguing that it is important for the focus to be on energy reforms that will dramatically reduce U.S. carbon emissions.

Also, a group of Republican senators is trying to get the Senate to vote on whether the EPA has the authority to regular emissions under the Clean Air Act. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is also working on a law suit against the EPA, saying that the agency does not have the authority to regulate emissions.

For more information on the climate change legislation debate, check out this story from The Daily Green.

Five radical (maybe crazy) ways to stop global warming

As politicians continue to debate what role governments should play in fighting global warming, some people are promoting scientific fixes to the problem.

Some of these ideas may be feasible, while others are just plain crazy. But, I guess it is important for us to realize that while the best solution to global warming may lay in changing current behaviors, this may not be enough to reverse some of the damage our past actions have caused. Looking at scientific ways to slow down warming may be helpful as well.

If you're curious (and you should be), check out this story from The Daily Green.

World leaders set to attend Copenhagen talks

With the U.N. Climate Change summit set to begin two weeks from today in Copenhagen, over 60 world leaders have confirmed they will be at the summit, including the heads of state of the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia. President Obama has said he may attend but has not confirmed that he will definitely be attending.

Leaders from over 192 countries have been invited in hopes that their presence will help increase the chances that a politically- and legally-binding agreement is made. In addition to Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have not confirmed that they will be attending the summit.

So, what do organizers of the conference hope to accomplish? The short answer is a legally-binding agreement on emissions reductions. The problem is that each country has its own agenda and own ideas on what should and should not be in such an agreement. This Daily Green story has more details on what the organizers are hoping to accomplish and the politics behind a potential agreement.

Study finds climate bill could add over $100 billion to U.S. economy

A study conducted by researchers from the University of California at Berkley, Yale University, and the University of Illinois has concluded that the proposed climate legislation being debated in the United States Senate could boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the U.S. by as much as $111 billion by 2020.

The study found that the roll out of a cap-and-trade system for emissions would speed up the development and adoption of clean technologies and create between 900 million and 1.9 million jobs. The study even concluded that the average household income in the U.S. could grow by about $500 to $1,000 as a result of the bill over the same time frame.

The report;s findings are in conflict with the arguments from many industry groups as well as many Republican lawmakers, who argue that the legislation will cost the U.S. billions and also cost Americans job.

For more on the study, check out this story from Business Green.

Which countries are the world's biggest polluters?

Some of the answers may surprise you. China has overtaken the United States as far as most total emissions go, as the Asian country has seen its emissions double in the last 10 years.

The biggest surprise, however, may be that Australia has passed the United States as far as highest emissions per capita. It is very surprising to see them higher on the list than countries such as the United States and Canada, which are colder and use much more fossil fuels for heating homes and businesses.

Both the United States and China pledged to address global warming and work on reducing their emissions at a recent U.N. meeting in New York. Both of these countries, as well as many other countries from around the world, will be meeting in Copenhagen next month for the U.N.'s Climate Change Conference. Representatives from countries around the world will work on negotiating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire.

For more information on which countries are the biggest polluters, check out this post from The New Ecologist.

Salem State College receives environmental award

Salem State College was awarded a Leading by Example environmental award for its work to promote the use of renewable energy, water conservation, and recycling.

Some of the green projects the college has undertaken include purchasing 3.5 million kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy to offset carbon emissions, creating a plan to protect nine acres of marshland that the college owns, and planting native beds that conserve water. The college also has a new dormitory under construction that is expected to be LEED certified, according to college officials.

Seven state colleges, municipalities, or agencies received the award. For more info, check out this story from The Globe.

UK national weather services releases climate change map

The Met Office, the UK's national weather service, released an interactive map today that details the catastrophic impact of a four-degree rise (in Centigrade) in global temperatures.

The map is based on a report that the office released last month, where researchers concluded that the world could see a four-degree rise (equivalent to seven degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature over pre-industrial averages by 2060. Temperatures would likely rise more closer to the poles and less in areas around the equator.

The map details scientists' conclusions on the impact of rising temperatures on water supply, forest fires, agriculture, and sea levels. Scientists have also concluded that increased health risks associated with malaria and other airborne diseases would likely occur.

"Climate change is a truly global problem that needs a global solution and it is a solution we have within our grasp," UK's Foreign Minister David Miliband said. "But to tackle the problem of climate change, all of us – foreign ministries, environment ministries, treasuries, departments of defense and all parts of government and societies – must work together to keep global temperatures to two degrees. It is only by doing this that we can minimize the huge security risks presented by a future four-degree world."

For more information and to see the map, check out this story from Business Green.

Environmental groups praise Kerry-Boxer Climate Bill

Environmental groups were unanimous in their praise for the Kerry-Boxer Climate Bill that was introduced in the Senate yesterday, but, as expected, the groups stressed that the bill was just a first step of many towards making the environment safer with climate legislation.

According to The Daily Green, environmental groups praised the bill for many reasons, including:

• Creating new "green jobs" via the Green Construction Careers Demonstration Project and funding for the Green Jobs Act
• Setting a short-term target for greenhouse gas reductions of 20% from major sources by 2020
• Preserving existing Clean Air Act regulations that will allow the Environmental Protection Agency to curb greenhouse gas pollution from power plants and other major sources.

While the praise was unanimous, the criticism of what the groups consider a emissions reduction requirement that is too lenient was also close to unanimous. For more on the bill, check out this story.

Global warming talks heat up

With the landmark Copenhagen climate conference just a little more than two months away, news surrounding a potential successor to the Kyoto Protocol is heating up. Last week, representatives of the so-called G20—finance ministers and central bank governors of 20 major national economies—met in Pittsburgh to discuss global warming, among other things.

As the pivotal conference approaches, scientific reports are coming out that are raising the stakes. The U.N. released a report this week that states that the world is on course for a 6.3 degree temperature increases even if all the proposed actions are implemented by every government worldwide. Part of the report is particularly scary as it states that the worst-case scenarios for global climate disasters are actually worse—and not as far in the future—as previously thought.

For a good summary of all the recent news in the global warming debate, check out this story from The Daily Green that contains links to six items that are making news.

11 ways to reuse packing peanuts

We all get them when we have something mailed to us by a family or friend or when we order something online: Those annoying packaging peanuts that inevitably make a mess all over the room you open the package in. If you are anything like us, the first thing that comes to mind when they spill all over the floor is to get them into the trash can as quickly as possibly. However, the material the peanuts are made of, polystyrene, takes hundreds of years to decompose in nature, meaning it's not the best idea to throw them into a landfill.

So, what is one to do with these annoying little things? You can reuse and recycle them to save money and keep the environment cleaner. The Daily Green has put together a list of 11 ways to do so. Check it out here.

Five food tips to keep the environment (and you) healthy

Much of the food we consume has detrimental effects on the environment caused by packaging, pesticides, and the release of greenhouse gases. However, The Daily Green has five tips today that can help you keep these hazardous items out of the environment while making your own body healthier by consuming nutritious food.

From buying local products to purchasing organic goods in a smart manner, these tips are sure to help you on your way to living a greener lifestyle. Check out the full list when you get a chance.

Ozone hole not closing as expected

Scientists are telling us that the ozone hole is not closing as they hoped it would after 100 countries signed the historic Montreal Protocol in 1987 that regulated the release of ozone-depleting chemicals worldwide. The hole allows UV radiation to penetrate the atmosphere, leading to an increase in cancer risk and other health and environmental problems.

The good news is that the expansion of the hole has stopped, and scientists still believe that the hole will gradually get smaller as time goes by. As part of the protocol, the release of almost all ozone-depleting chemicals is not only regulated but flat-out banned by the end of next year.

There's a lesson to be learned here. While it's easy for man to cause environmental problems by releasing excess chemicals and carbon into the air, it takes decades, if not centuries, for us to reverse or stop these effects. For more info on the ozone hole, check out this story from The Daily Green.

Study claims switch to renewable energy will create jobs

One of the common arguments against switching to renewable forms of energy is that jobs will be lost in the fossil fuel industry. While it's certainly true that jobs would be lost in that industry, a new study by the European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace claims that more jobs will be created in new fields than those that are lost.

In addition, the study suggested that a global switch to renewable energy would prevent 10 billion tons of carbon emissions by 2030. If this switch were to happen, employment in the renewable energy industry would increase from about 1.9 million to about 6.9 million, according to the study. The study went on to discuss how job creation in the renewable energy field could be used to combat rising unemployment rates because of the current economic recession.

For more info, check out this story from Business Green.

Livestock diet adjustment could curb global warming

Methane emissions from cattle and other livestock, which are far more potent than CO2 emissions, may be able to be mitigated by additives in the food livestock are fed.

Emissions from livestock make up between 5 and 18 percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, depending on who you ask. Methane warms the Earth at about a 20 times faster rate than CO2.

As the Earth's population continues to grow, more livestock will need to be raised to feed the growing population. Previously, the only option seemed to be to give up meat altogether, a stance that environmentalists have long championed. But, experts say that dietary additives could not only reduce methane emissions from livestock but also provide better nutrition for the animals and higher yields to farmers.

For more information on the potential of reducing methane emissions from cattle, check out this story from cnn.com.

Eco films and series set to debut

You may have heard that Ken Burns new series called "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" is set to debut on PBS on September 27. PBS' website says that while the show was filmed over six years at some of the most breathtaking locales in the country, it is essential a story about people from all walks of life who are interested in preserving the natural wonders of the world. You can check out a sneak peak of the series here, and hopefully this makes you want to watch the rest because it looks like it will be really good.

Also in the link above, you will find clips and descriptions from three films debuting soon, including No Impact Man, The Age of Stupid, and Crude. These films depict various environmental injustices going on in the world.

Long-term Arctic temperature trends reverse

After cooling for nearly 2,000 years, the cooling trend has reversed in the Arctic regions of the Earth, according to a study released last week in Science magazine.

Northern Arizona University researchers used samples of lake soil as well as data from weather stations in the Arctic to create a decade-by-decade history for the average temperatures of the region. From the year 1 AD until 1900, the researchers estimated that the region cooled by .2 degrees Celsius per 100 years. However, by 1950, the temperatures in the region were .7 degrees warmer than would be expected at the rate of change demonstrated during the previous 1,900 years had continued.

It is important to note that this data supports the data of other studies which has suggested that temperature patterns in the Arctic regions of the Earth have changed during recent years. For more information on the study, check out this story from Business Green.

Grocers with New England presence chill for the environment

EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership announced its 2009 partner awards this week, and the awardees included Whole Foods, Hill Phoenix and Supervalu, the parent company of Shaw’s Supermarkets and Star Market. All three companies have a significant presence in New England states.

An EPA cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry, the GreenChill Partnership works with supermarkets to reduce their emissions of ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas refrigerants.

Whole Foods, a nationwide chain of supermarkets and a GreenChill Founding Partner, received the award for Most Improved Emissions Rate. Another food retailer with many outlets in New England and nationwide, Supervalu, was recognized for achieving its emissions target in 2008/09. Supervalu’s stores in New England are Shaw’s Supermarkets and Star Market.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

The truth about cap-and-trade regulations

There's a multitude of negative information going around about cap-and-trade regulation. Some of the items are legitimate concerns, but most are misinformation being spread by the opponents of climate change legislation.

You may have heard some of them. One of the worst offenders is the notion that cap-and-trade laws will cost jobs. New jobs will be created in renewable energy fields that will more than offset the job losses in other fields. Another one of my favorites is that cap-and-trade will make the U.S. less competitive than the rest of the world. This is amusing because the U.S. is behind almost all of Europe and some of Asia in enacting climate change regulation.

For more misinformation that is being spread about the proposed cap-and-trade regulation, check out these seven myths from The Daily Green.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls for "Scopes Trial" on climate change

The nation's largest business lobbying group—the Chamber of Commerce—announced yesterday that it is seeking a full-blown trial on the facts surrounding whether or not climate change is a man-made phenomenon.

"It would be evolution versus creationism," said William Kovacs, the Chamber's senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs, drawing parallels with the Scopes trial. "It would be the science of climate change on trial."

The Chamber has been lobbying for a public hearing on the facts surrounding climate change since the EPA's recent announcement that global warming represents a threat to human healthy. The Chamber is likely to file a case in federal court should the EPA refuse to agree to a public hearing.

While this is likely just a PR ploy, a modern day Scopes Trial over climate change would definitely be interesting and, quite possibly, beneficial for many people who are unfamiliar with some of the facts surrounding climate change. For more info, check out this story from Business Green.