America versus Canada might conjure up images of hockey. However, the Brookings Institution put out a new study that looks not at hockey but perceptions of climate change. The findings show that there are some key similarities and differences between the two countries’ citizens.
As part of its latest program to reduce carbon emissions, the Ethiopian government announced last week that it plans to reforest fifteen million hectares of land by 2025. This reforestation effort, combined with a switch to clean energy sources like geothermal and hydropower, will allow the country to become carbon neutral within fourteen years. Officials
Economists at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) said that a small tax on international airline tickets could raise $10bn a year. The money could be used to help people adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The idea is laid out in a paper written by Tom Birch and Muyeye Chambwera which
Lately, Republicans in the House of Representatives have been derided for their attitudes for climate change here. This is not because of any political ill will but because of their ignorance that is absolutely appalling. It brings me no pleasure to write about people who earn $174,000 a year to be informed decision makers being anything but. But in the interest of shedding light on
US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar likes to tout his department’s support for clean energy development on federal lands. But a decision last week to open 7,400 acres in Wyoming to increased coal mining calls into question how strong the Interior Department’s commitment to clean energy really is. If we’re serious about transforming the US economy to run on
Australian Paul Gilding straddles the NGO and the corporate worlds. A former international head of Greenpeace, he subsequently moved into consultancy with global corporations and others on the transition to sustainability. Transition can sound a comfortingly gradual process, but that’s far from the case with the transition
American journalist Mark Hertsgaard understands what lies ahead for humanity as climate change unfolds, some of it already unavoidable though hopefully manageable, but with outright chaos lurking if we fail to rein in emissions. He harbors no illusions. The fact that his little daughter will be part of the generation living through the coming turmoil gives an extra edge to his writing in his new
Scotland is introducing a new recycling program targeting materials that cause the most environmental damage — including food waste, plastics, and textiles — rather than simply focusing on weight.
Beginning in 2013, local communities and households will be asked to increase recycling of waste materials that have “high
In response to the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan, Germany has announced plans to go nuclear-free without increasing its reliance on fossil fuels. By ramping up investments in renewables, the German government plans to fight climate change while simultaneously avoiding the risks inherent in nuclear energy. If the plan is
The number of U.S. adults concerned about global warming has reached a near-historic low, according to Gallup’s latest environmental poll.
Just 51 percent of respondents said they worry a “great deal” or a “fair amount” about climate change, down from 66 percent in 2008, a year after Al Gore and
Tougher targets and measures to cut carbon emissions will not be adopted by the European Commission, even though it will be more cost efficient in the long term.
The European Commission is expected to release its plans in a road map on climate change and energy policy. The European Union is currently expected to meet two of
According to a new NASA-funded study, Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing mass at a much faster rate than previous model forecasts have predicted. The study, the longest of its kind—almost 20 years—used satellites to measure changes in polar ice sheet mass. Results suggest that the ice sheets, found only in Antarctica and Greenland, are melting
A number of the cleantech efforts between the United States and China reflect the need for cooperation on issues surrounding climate change and clean energy as it is a major factor in the relations of these two countries. Although there are still issues to resolve in many of the collaborations, it is believed that if the United States and China can continue in their cleantech
A warming world will pose major challenges to the U.S. Navy in the coming century, including the need to secure shipping lanes opened by the melting Arctic Ocean and a threat to $100 billion in Navy installations imperiled by rising seas, according to a report commissioned by the Navy itself.
The 15-month study by the National