Homestead security equals free-range chickens, a good dog, and Jerusalem artichokes
People routinely insure themselves against the unlikely, but most have given neither thought nor preparation to the biggest problem facing most of the world: famine.
Solutions & sustainability – July 25
Eco-party celebrates art of simple living /
The Un-Coal /
Go green, Miliband tells UK supermarket bosses /
Green Wonders of the World (building) /
Is buying local always best? /
Principled eaters gather at grill
Global warming — signed, sealed and delivered
An Op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal a month ago claimed that a published study affirming the existence of a scientific consensus on the reality of global warming had been refuted. This charge was repeated again last week, in a hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. I am the author of that study, which appeared two years ago in the journal Science, and I’m here to tell you that the consensus stands.
Transport – July 25
NZ: Overlander rail decision may be reversed by peak oil /
Students hop on planes to save the planet /
Flying on holiday ‘a sin’, says bishop / Lutz: GM building hybrids for good press / EPA report charts the rise and fall of U.S. fuel economy
Cooling the mall, heating the planet
For 99 percent of recorded history, humanity managed to stay cool by finding some shade, getting some air moving, and slowing down when it gets too hot. Starting this summer, let’s show the world that a mere few decades of air conditioning have not turned Americans into wimps. Turn the thermostat to OFF, throw the windows open, and head for the park instead of the mall.
Peak Moment Television: 16 more episodes
Peak Moment is a television series emphasizing positive responses to energy decline and climate change through local community action. How can we thrive, build stronger communities, and help one another in this time of transition? (16 more episodes are now online.)
Helen Caldicott: Fuel plan beset by fossilised thinking
Australia is perfectly placed to be the real energy superpower: the instigator and global leader in renewable electricity production. A country bathed in sun and ferociously windy in many locations, Australia could, with political will and vision, usher in a safe, carbon-free and nuclear-free future.
Climate – July 25
Pine plantations may be one culprit in increasing CO2 levels /
Researchers link wildfires, climate change / Global Warming, not just heat wave / Some scientists think global warming is behind heat wave /
NASA’s goals delete mention of home planet
Vinod Khosla debunked: ethanol is NOT the answer
When an influential person begins to affect energy policy decisions – decisions that will have a huge impact on all of our lives – we better take a critical look at the claims that person is pushing. You can’t discuss ethanol for long with an ethanol proponent without having them mention the endorsement of Vinod Khosla.
Peak oil – July 25
Harper’s Magazine covers peak oil movement /
Peak Oil and Michigan’s Energy Future /
Why It’s Hard to Debate a Cornucopian /
Jay Hanson and DieOff.org /
Power for the people: what sort of energy? /
How Cuba survived its oil shock /
Canada: People may have to pick eating over heating
Oceans and climate – July 25
Institute of Science in Society ocean series:
Oceans in Distress /
Oceans and Global Warming /
Oceans: Carbon Sink or Source? /
Acid Oceans /
Abrupt Plankton Shifts /
Global Warming and Plankton /
Plus: Undersea gas could speed global warming – study /
Warmer waters disrupt Pacific food chain
Explosive Oil Consumption Growth in the Top Oil Exporting States
The top 14 oil exporting states experienced high economic growth in 2005 and the first half of 2006, leading to high domestic consumption of oil. The rates of increase in oil consumption are in the high single digits or low double digits in all top exporting countries except Norway.
