The President's PV
Some specs on the (re)installed solar panels atop the White House
August 29, 2013
Cap Carbon With RGGI Rules
If the federal government wants a way to cap carbon emissions the northeast states' RGGI program is where to start
Fear Free
A former senior regulator in the Obama administration rues the lack of public fear about the impacts of climate change
August 28, 2013
Wind Turbines Are Not Bad Neighbors
California home prices don't drop with wind turbines in the neighborhood
-30-
The final column from Leo Hickman, The Guardian's first climate blogger
Philly: Sharing Bike-Sharing Costs
Getting land-owners to kick in a share of Philadelphia's bike-sharing program is under consideration
Urban Green: Look Local
The greening of northern European urban power supplies might offer lessons for US cities & check out Euro smart grid developments
ICYMI - Climate Talk On The Radio
NPR interviews a leading climate no-action scientist and a leading climate-action scientist, they don't agree but they don't debate
Oceans: Where The Heat Is
Now we know, the oceans are at the leading edge of global warming, according to the leaked IPPC report
UK: Backpedaling On Clean Energy
The Cameron government shows signs of cut backs to its clean energy, carbon-cutting goals
Vermont Nuke Plant Signs Off
Saying it's no longer financially viable, the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will shut it down in 2014, but there's a dispute about the time needed to dismantle it
Science At Work: Grid Alert
Does spacial analysis make the case that the US power grid is inherently unstable?
August 27, 2013
Beyond Natural Gas
Wind, geothermal & solar power in western states could be cost-competitive with natural gas to create and deliver electric to consumers starting in 2025
China: Energy Future Goes Both Ways
In China, with 1,583 gigawatts of new power by 2030 half of it will come from renewables but coal will still dominate
Send Money
To make energy efficient buildings the new normal requires lots of money, so how to get big financial firms engaged?
Oceans: Variable Acidification Impacts
Research finds greater impacts of climate-related ocean acidification on areas already stressed
Tesla Testing
What's the truth behind Tesla's claim to be the safest car on the road?
Climate Chaos - Insurance Industry On The Case
The insurance industry is wrapping its arms around today's weird weather and not just waiting to see what tomorrow may bring
The Poor Pay More
Building benchmarking data discloses low-income Bronx households pay a bigger share of family income for electricity than other NYers
Climate Hawks Ready To Fly
Climate Hawks Vote, a new super-PAC dedicated to making climate protection matter in the 2014 elections launches
August 26, 2013
Al Jazeera America Covers The Climate
Newly-launched news network Al Jazeera America starts out with climate change coverage
Green Bonds Sale A Sell Out
Massachusetts' first $100 million green bond sale had more buyers than bonds, outpacing the rest of the state offering
Advisory Board Gets New Energy
The Department of Energy announces the new members of the Secretary's Advisory Board
That's No Refrigerator In Your Pocket
A take-down of last week's hyped story claiming cell phones use more power than refrigerators
Energy Efficient Applianes Cost Less
Despite regulators' fears that energy efficiency would raise appliances prices, their cost actually dropped
Learning From Urban Climate Leaders
What can Seoul, Houston & Rio teach other cities about preparing for a climate-action leadereship?
Nova Scotia: Tidal Power Opportunity
Will Nova Scotia make the most of its tidal resources and rising global demand for enabling technologies?
India: Support For A Green Code
The energy-conservation building code for the state of Andhra Pradesh gets funded
Things To Do On A Staycation
Visit these tourist-ready NYC subway entrances hiding in plain sight
Transportation By The Numbers
Movement metrics for NYC, starting with a billion subway riders
August 24, 2013
Don't Count On Band-Aids
Patching on fixes to today's building codes won't stormproof homes from tomorrow's Sandys
August 23, 2013
Securing Information And Power Supplies
Upgrading wireless communications & the electric distribution grid are on the recommendations list in the post-Sandy resilience report
US: Banned In China
A glut of waste plastics collected in US recycling programs leads to a Chinese import ban
Really Risky Business
Failure to plan for climate change impacts, which are always probable never certain, is the world's biggest risk management error
Smart Buildings 101
Get educated about the value of smart buildings
London: Fight Floods With Shrubs
A living wall of greenery in central London is designed to soak up storm water & minimize flood damage
Wade Into Tormorow
Coastal cities, wake up, see the waters rising and rethink edges, infrastructure & barriers
Doomed To Obsolescence
Invented in the same era, Edison's light bulb & today's power grid are goners
August 22, 2013
Turning A Profit
Wind turbine makers set to return to profitability this year
Sweden: Really High Performance Buildings
What is Sweden's secret to cutting the carbon footprint of its building stock?
Germany: Solar Hits New High
A new record is set for the amount of solar power generated in Germany, 5.1 terawatt hours (TWh) in July
What Global Warming Means For NY...
Al Gore: Positive Signs
Al Gore sees reasons for optimism in the struggle against climate change
Sweet On Brooklyn
Rooftop beekeeping with a gazillion dollar view
Scientists At Work: Higher, Warmer, Faster
New research predicts high elevation regions will heat up more in winter than lower altitude areas
Waterfront Planning After Sandy
The East River Blueway Plan strives to provide access to the water and protection from it
Sandy's Wake Up Call For All Mayors
For Mike Bloomberg, Superstorm Sandy is the alert to mayors everywhere that cities must take the lead in defensive climate action
August 21, 2013
UK: Dumps Green Build Rules
The UK cuts the green parts out of its home building codes
Where The Floods Are
Welcome to the world's 20 cities most vulnerable to the cost of sea-level rise flooding by 2050
Energy Watchdog Growls
Timely rule-making & enforcement of US appliance energy efficiency standards is needed to make them matter
Do The Math
By some calculations, nuclear power is our cheapest non-fossil fuel option
China: Top Price For Carbon
At $7/metric ton China's pilot carbon emissions market price is above the European Union trading scheme
Fossil Fuels Power Exports
The value of US fossil fuel exports tops the charts in the Obama Administration
The Power Of Pricing
Time-of-day pricing is key to integrating solar power into smart grid systems
Become An Educated Renter
Now renters in Philadelphia can learn how much energy a building uses before making a leasing decisions
Building Market Transformation
Is the market for energy efficient building moving forward or marking time?
August 20, 2013
Big Insurer Mulls Carbon Credits
Europe's largest insurance company sees opportunity in the carbon emissions credit business
Seattle: Mayor v Coal Industry
A report commissioned by the Mayor of Seattle to examine the economic impact of expanding the city's coal export facilities sparks dispute with a pro-coal group
Climate Policy Polling
Gather some data on public opinion poll results about climate and energy policies
Climate Messaging Questioned
Is here-and-now messaging to mobilize climate action paying off?
Australia: Renewables At Election Risk
$4 billion in renewable power investment is at risk if the Conservatives win the September election and end the carbon tax
Wireless Resilience
The federal Sandy rebuilding report calls for making US wireless communications technologies & data centers more extreme weather-proof
Japan: Radioative Workers
Two workers at the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant were contamined with radioactive particles
Sandy Recovery Report
Federal guidance for post-Sandy protective rebuilding, with implications for the remaining $40 billion is disaster relief
August 19, 2013
$11 Million For Energy Efficiency
The Department of Energy announces $11 million in awards for 12 energy efficiency technology and equipment projects
Sydney Monorail: RIP
The inner city monorail of Sydney, Australia is gone, but was it ever a good idea?
NY and CA Solar Access Stars
Learn from the states in the lead on cutting both red tape and costs for installing solar power
Working With Energy Efficiency
Promoting energy efficiency is a successful route to growing manufacturing jobs & boosting global competitiveness
3 Feet x 2100
Climate scientists find it is 'extremely likely' for global sea levels to rise three feet by 2100
NYC Needs Another Green Mayor
The New York Times wants the next Mayor to have an energetic, pro-environment agenda and weighs in on the candidates
Tweeting For Urban Resilience
Q&A with climate insurance aces, @DavidBresch and @AndreasSpiegel1, at a live Twitter event August 20, 2–3 pm EDT to discuss what urban resilience means @ClimateGroup using the hashtag #CWNYC
August 18, 2013
Rating The Bloomberg Era
"Taking measures against carbon emissions while traveling on a private jet" is one way to sum up the contradictions of Mayor Bloomberg's 12 years in office
August 16, 2013
New Zealand: 5x20
Is the government announcement that New Zealand will cut its carbon emission 5% by 2020 a joke?
NY Fracking Decision
Toronto: Extreme Cost Of Extreme Weather
This summer's storm-caused floods in Toronto will cost insurers a record-breaking $850 million
Nuclear 'Just-So' Story
This year's pro-nuclear documentary film, Pandora's Promise, is still a lightening rod
Energy Rx For NJ Hospitals
A New Jersey program to improve hospitals' energy efficiency gets a boost from power utility involvement at 22 facilities, with 10 more in the works
NYer's Like Mike's Bikes
While New Yorkers approve of the bike lanes & bike-sharing programs established by Mayor Bloomberg by wide margins, the rest of his legacy is controversial
This Cloud Slurps Energy
Using 10% of the world's electricity and facing demands for 24/7 reliability, can the world’s Information-Communications-Technologies (ICT) system, be made climate-friendly?
Baselining NY Building Energy Use
Measuring the energy performance of New York public buildings today is the first step to improving their energy performance tomorrow
August 15, 2013
Electric Companies - Mall Or Be Mauled
What's an energy mall and why is it more sustainable business model than today's electric power utilities?
Germany: Renewables Revolution Is Real
Amory Lovins tackles three claims about why Germany's turn to a renewable energy path won't work
The Green Roof Test
What's the best kind of green roof for abating sewage treatment system overflows?
Not Talking The Talk
Environmental protection is just one of the urban issues NYC's Mayoral hopefuls are ignoring
The Hills Of Governors Island
Coming in 2015, construction debris will be the foundation for parkland hills on Governor's Island
A House Without A Furnace Is Like...
In the US, passive houses have it all, except market share
End Climate Denialism
What will it take to make climate denialism toxic for politicians?
Platinum Court House
Construction begins on a federal courthouse in Los Angeles going for a LEED Platinum rating
August 14, 2013
Media Misses The Message
News outlets like the New York Times take heat for inadequate coverage of major climate science stories
Energy Infrastructure Barely Passes
The electric power grid and fossil fuel systems get a D on an engineering report card for the nation's infrastructure
Footie: The Carbon Bootprint
How big is the carbon footprint for viewing a recent Manchester United v Wigan football (a/k/a soccer) match?
UK: Energy Efficiency Squads
Going door-to-door, UK energy efficiency teams seek homeowners to sign up for services
Unicorns For Climate Deniers
An Obama climate-action support group tweets its legislators' climate denier award
Nuclear Renaissance — Not
Don't hold your breath for the revitalization of the nuclear power industry, former NRC Commissioner cautions
East Asia: Solar Upswing
An upturn in global markets for solar panels boosts Chinese & Taiwanese production
Connected By Carbon
The way we live now — with smart phones, wi-fi & cloud storage — is creating a mega carbon footprint
Coal Plant Die-Off
Owners of 13 coal-burning power plants i Illinois could be facing financial ruin
August 13, 2013
Affordable Energy Efficiency
Will tougher Energy Star standards for windows and other energy efficiency improvements make them too expensive for many home-owners?
A New Corporate Culture
'Don't go it alone' is the message for today's sustainability-oriented businesses
The Next Blackout
While the power grid's a lot stronger now than before the last big blackout, it's vulnerable to extreme weather and few changes in grid operations
Citibike Timeline
A brief history of the Citibike program
Hyperlooping
Meet the hyperloop, Elon Musk's vision of solar-powered mass transit at 800 mph, but could it be a political manifesto?
Greenlighting Rules For Greener Gear
The Department of Energy will start on overdue rules to upgrade appliances' energy efficiency
Back To The Eemian
The Eemian Epoch had temperatures we might be seeing soon -- and sea levels jumped to 30 feet higher than now
August 12, 2013
Here's Lookng At Mars
I know there are no cities on Mars, but still, don't miss these satellite ice cap photos
California Carbon Offsets
What happens in California won't stay in California, but is that good?
Candidates' Post-Sandy Agendas
Tweeting about a radio interview with NYC Mayoral candidates' ideas for post-Sandy recovery & rebuilding
Climate Contrast For Coastal States
Compare and contrast the climate-change impact preparedness of Connecticut and North Carolina
Adapt Oakland
Oakland's a leader for putting natural systems to work to clean up urban pollution
China: Wind Power Update
Will China upgrade its electric power grid for making good use of wind energy?
Higher Ed Going For Gold
Explore the design of the New School's soon-to-open multi-function building that's going for LEED Gold
Australia: Blame The Carbon Tax
Conservative candidate for Australia's top political job faults the carbon tax for slumping coal & iron mining, while it's cited as most at-risk developed nation on Earth
Germany: Utility Slump
Markets give the thumbs down to German power utilities
Highline Graffiti
Something old, something new it's all metropolitan
August 11, 2013
Aleppo, Benghazi, Salina
How the fossil fuel monocultures of the Mideast support the farming monoculture of the Midwest and we are all harmed
August 09, 2013
Why Love Paris
What can happen when an old Paris railway is abandoned
China: Another First
China is on track to become the word's biggest net oil importer this year
Detroit: Farming Futures
Can retail agriculture create a sustainable future for Detroit?
Washington DC: Energy Data Maps
Data lovers, get up-to-the-minute energy use info in a portfolio of Washington DC buildings
Engineering Climate Action
A geo-engineering proponent explains his approach to chilling out a hotter planet
TGIF: Listen Up
Enjoy this essay on how sound and silence add to place-making
London: Tube Map App
Now there's an app for the London Underground that shows where all trains are in real time
Another Century Of Fossil Fuels
Think the 21st Century will see the dawn of the post-carbon era? Think again
Green Group Makes An Endorsement
The NY League of Conservation Voters gives the thumbs-up to Julie Menin for Manhattan Borough President
The Great LEED Debate
A full frontal attack on LEEDs ability to lead to energy efficient buildings and the debate it stirred up. Here's more
Don't Count On Wasted Energy
Exergy, a measure of energy actually used, is a better way to think about policy and economic productivity
August 08, 2013
The Value Of Sunlight
By some calculations, the dollar value of solar power is now higher in Connecticut & New York than in California
Clean Energy Success Story
How one well-connected lobbying group tried to roll back renewable energy portfolio standards and failed
Blue-Green Uneasy Alliance
Strategic alliances between US labor and environmentalists are a sometime thing
Food Scraps: The Final Recycling Frontier
NYC can save $85 million a year as it shifts from landfilling food waste to composting it, other cities do the same
EU: Solar Skeptics
Are troubles in the EU solar power equipment-making sector signs of policy failure or just market shakeout?
Sick Sea Lions And More
Sick sick lion pups are just one sign of climate change impacting the California coastline
UK: Anatomy Of A Fracking Protest
What do anti-fracking protest signal at an English site where oil - not gas - drilling gets underway?
Climate Change Is A Material Risk
Asset owners and managers consider climate change effects as a material risk across their investment portfolios
August 07, 2013
Copenhagen: Bike-Riding Capital
36% of Copenhageners ride bikes to work or school, compared to US' most bike-riding city, Portland, Oregon, with a 6% score
No Train To The Plane
Getting Around Now
Mayoral candidates should gear up about the new transit choices of young voters
Rockaway Renaissance
Finalists are announced in Phase 1 of the competition for redeveloping a resilient Rockaway
Climate Change Is Us
Human activities are the motor of climate change, so we'd better change our ways
Change The Channel
Conservative media like Fox News erodes its audience's trust in the science of climate change, according to research published in Public Understanding of Science
Japan: Battery-Operated Grid
Japan tests the integration of battery storage into its electric grid to handle large power surpluses and jump-start a global market
Georgia: Beyond Coal
Georgia regulators OK the shutdown of the state's oldest coal-fired power plants and order the addition 525 MW of solar power
Methane Measurement Maze
Think measuring methane leaks is straightforward? Think again
Leave It In The Ground Here
True or False? More renewable & next generation nuclear power cannot cut total carbon emissions as long as the US rate of extracting fossil fuels rises
August 06, 2013
2012: One Of Ten Warmest On Record
The American Meteorological Society reports on notable things about world weather in 2012
China: Tallest CHP building
When it opens in 2014, the tallest building in China will have an on-site combined heat and power systems
Global Energy Infographic
Map the world in terms of what fuels its power plants
Australia: Conservatives Target Carbon Tax
If elected, Australian Conservatives vow to abolish the nation's carbon tax
US: Energy Innovator Also-Ran
Arnold Schwarzenegger fears that the US economy is losing the global energy innovation race
Don't Waste Waste Sites
Closed landfills or other contaminated sites in NY and other states could be repurposed for solar power and other types of renewable power
Details Details
Check out the design of a super energy efficient home in Utah and ask, "What's in a label?"
The School With The Solar Skin
PS 62 on Staten Island will be home to the northeast's first net-zero energy school, clad in solar panels
$24 Million For Energy Efficiency
NYSERDA will issue $24 million in bonds to provide low-cost loans for energy efficiency upgrades in 1-4 family homes
August 05, 2013
'Help My House'
On-bill financing is key to a South Carolina program to upgrade energy efficiency in affordable homes and save occupants $300 a year
Marine Life: Feeling The Heat
Marine life reacts faster to a heating climate than land-based plants and animals
Palo Alto: All Renewable
Palo Alto, California now requires 100% of its energy to come from renewable sources
Subway Riders Save Money
Reuse of NYC Metrocards soars with $1 fee for buying new ones
China: Better Air For People And Planet
Making China's air safe to breathe goes in hand in hand with cutting GHGs
Teamsters Hall Built By PACE
The energy efficient Teamsters Union Hall is the first PACE-financed project in Los Angeles county
Reinvent Or Go Extinct
Europe's electric utility industry confronts the need to fundamentally change or else
Eco-Consumer Surveys 2.0
What can be done to upgrade consumer surveys on energy efficiency and renewable power?
For Your Consideration
Five ideas for a more sustainable (in every sense) NYC
August 02, 2013
London: Stocking Up On Renewables
Stock market IPO's for renewable energy firms are on the upswing in London
Former EPA Chiefs Cheer Carbon Tax
Four previous EPA leaders confirm that climate change is real and needs to be tackled head on with a carbon tax
Global Climate Report - Coming Soon
Meet climate scientists engaged in the latest report of the International Panel on Climate Change due out this fall
German Green Glow Dims
Great hopes for German leadership on how to end our fossil fuel addiction are fading
Killer Ladybugs
140,000 ladybugs turned loose in Central Park to combat pests without using toxic chemical
Just The Facts Ma'am
Washington DC gets its first real-time, energy use monitoring system for public buildings
Hot Rocks
Could fracking create enhanced geothermal systems to amp up the world's zero-carbon energy supply?
August 01, 2013
Words Fail Me
Scientists' picture of Earth temperatures today and the blistering speed of change by 2100
Helsinki: Density Does It
Residents in a new, densely developed Helsinki neighborhood choose to to trade more space for urban amenities
New Zealand: Adapt We Must
New Zealand must take steps to adapt to climate change but critics note the nation has yet to put a price on carbon
Blackouts
Installing and linking 1,000 high-tech monitors on the US electric power grid could eliminate future blackouts
Germany: Nixes Smart Meters
Calling EU standards for installing smart meters in 80% of homes by 2020 too costly for consumers, Germany won't adopt them
Boston's Bragging Rights
Boston has the software to back up its energy and water conservation claims
Hooray For Hollywood
Film and TV productions can slash their energy consumption 50% with plasma lighting
First Look At 2nd Avenue Subway
Come on down and see the birth of NYC's newest subway line
Microgrids: Get What You Need
$16 million for nine new microgrid systems in Connecticut is nothing to sneeze at, but the power supply will be more local, more resilient and weather-resistant, and produce much less CO2