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Don't Believe the Hype: In spite of common opinion, nuclear energy is not the most dangerous source of power. Not even close. Using these stats, author/thinker Seth Godin offers up a simple graphic showing that coal is by far the deadliest energy source per terawatt-hour of power produced. "For every person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 die due to coal." Whoa. (via GOOD) Good Green......read more
To the surprise of many (or us, at least), clean energy was a primary focus of President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday. The President spent the first third of the speech on the issue, and laid out an ambitious goal by saying that 80 percent of electricity should come from clean energy sources by 2035. "[T]he nation that leads the clean energy economy will lead the global......read more
This year's World Water Day brings fresh concerns about seafood safety in the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and radiation leaks in Japan. Fishermen, fish buyers, and consumers on both sides of the Pacific are dealing with the ripple effects of the crisis. Addressing U.S. consumer safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration said it was taking steps to measure radiation contamination in......read more
Nothing ever works out as planned. Just ask President Obama, who came into office equipped with an ambitious energy plan that addressed climate change and American dependence on foreign (read: Mideast) oil. Within two short years, a massive financial meltdown, an unprecedented offshore oil spill, and a GOP-controlled Congress has demolished that strategy, sending the administration back to the......read more
Well, renewable power is not in last place anymore. According to the Monthly Energy Review published by the Energy Information Administration, renewable energy production has passed nuclear energy and is continuing to grow rapidly. By the agency's definition, renewable energy includes biofuels, geothermal, solar, hydroelectric, and wind power. Together, these sources currently......read more
As stated in The Energy Manifesto, energy accounts for more than its fair share of greenhouse gas emissions, so it's of paramount importance in the grand scheme of tackling climate change. The answer of course is a massive shift to renewable energy, but I'm fairly certain when I wake up tomorrow morning we will be nowhere near to meeting our energy demands from renewable sources. If, for now,......read more
The Swiss Cabinet has called for the decommissioning of the five nuclear power reactors in the country. The move comes after thousands of Swiss took to the streets to protest nuclear power — the biggest such demonstration in 25 years. The five reactors, which supply two-fifths of the nation's power, have come under increasing scrutiny especially since the nuclear disaster in Japan. If......read more
This week, the Obama administration approved financial support for two new nuclear reactors in Georgia—the first plants built in the United States since the 1970s. Do nuclear power’s virtues (zero greenhouse emissions) outweigh its vices (cost and waste disposal)? That's the question posed to a group of academics and policy wonks on The New York Times' Room For Debate blog this......read more
In September 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act, which created a national system of protected natural areas. As environmental legislation goes, it is uncompromising. The definition of wilderness provided by the act is "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” But today, in the face of climate......read more
Here is the trailer for Last Call at the Oasis, the highly anticipated new documentary from Academy Award-winning director Jessica Yu. Inspired by Alex Prud'homme's book The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Fresh Water in the 21st Century, the film is a thorough examination ofthe global water crisis, with a focus on industrial and agricultural pollution in America and the drying of the Southwest. Last......read more
