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News & Views Curation

April 30, 2015

EU: Try Again On Carbon Market Makeover

With opposition ebbing, chances for improving the EU carbon trading scheme grow

5 NY Prize Winners

The five winners in the first round of a funded microgrid competition, NY Prize, are announced

The Carbon Price Is Nice

What British Columbia has done is cut taxes on investment income and employment and raise taxes on pollution, exactly what we should be doing with our tax system

Greening NYC's Affordable Housing

Enterprise Community Partners, a leader in NYC affordable, green housing, urges the Mayor to apply green standards for new inclusionary, multifamily buildings

Sydney: Worries Over Intense Summer Storms

With a pattern of increasingly intense summer rainstorms, Sydney Australia's engineers face a resilient infrastructure challenge

Ban The Styrofoam Ban

Styrofoam makers,customers & even some recycling businesses sue to overturn NYC's ban, claiming the stuff is actually recyclable

Newark Bay Clean-Up - Behind The Headlines

News stories on the NJ's bargain-basement Exxon haz-mat settlement didn't focus on the urban communities around Newark Bay; let's remedy that

China: Money Needed To Make Solar Grow

Will China's PV industry get the investment needed to expand capacity for meeting the country's solar power goals?

April 29, 2015

First 40x30, Then 80x50

To help make sure that California meets its ambitious goal of cutting GHG emissions 80%, by 2050, the Governor orders an interim goal of 40x30

Pope Francis Links Climate/Social Justice

Unlike those who see climate action as an elite pass time, Pope Francis makes the connection between protecting the Earth and advancing social equality

Self-Healing Power Grid

A really smart power grid will be self-healing, able to do quick fixes on service disruptions

Australia: The Carbon Goal Gap

Calling for a 'near zero' carbon emissions goal by 2040, Australia's Green Party highlights its distance from the government goal of a 5% cut by 2020

Money And Oil

New York Assembly member Paul Tonko worries about the diversion of GHG funds in the State budget & the safety of crude oil rail transport

This MOOC's For You

Confused by climate denialists? Help is here & it's FREE

April 28, 2015

No Drama For Obama

A 'modest' energy efficiency bill awaits the President's signature

Science At Work: Solar Fuels

Big wows about the eight solar fuel research projects at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis

The Price Of Dirty Air

Early death & disease linked to air pollution costs Europe $1.6 trillion a year

Germany: Zero Carbon-Footprint Diesel

Audi invents a diesel fuel made from CO2, H2O & renewable energy

Solar Star

Climate Change And Black Outs

Droughts, warm water & rising sea levels all pose big risks to a reliable US electric power supply

Watch Out For Your Wallet

The MTA warns that without a big budget boost from New York State that mass transit fares will rise 15%

Blogging On Euro-Passive House Conference

Thanks to our friends at BEEx, we can learn about the steep challenge of building retrofitting to Euro-Passive House standards

April 27, 2015

Plotting A Citi Bike Comeback

Is there a second act for NYC's ailing bike share program?

Just The Facts Ma'am

Check out the new Energy Fact Checker website

No Doubt About The Heat

Feel hot & sweaty? there's a 75% chance that the cause is our human-disrupted climate. While we're at it, how about extreme snow & rain?

Nuclar Power Unhappy With Climate Proposal

The nuclear power industry seeks more advantages in the EPA Clean Power rule

Berlin: Passive House Vandalized

For some in Berlin, a Passive House looks like unwanted gentrification

Nepal

Cut Energy Costs to Make Housing Affordable

A Bronx housing program aims at making rents more affordable by making buildings more energy efficient

Plan For The Doable

What's the value of the de Blasio OneNYC plan, if meeting its goals is beyond NYC's reach?

April 25, 2015

Stop Being A Subway Sardine

Move NY is a plan that would raise needed billions to modernize the suway system by rationalizing the bridge toll system

Listen Up

Why renewables can't be stopped, the podcast

April 24, 2015

Birdflight And Wind Turbines

By studying a falcon's flight patterns NREL scientists seek to cut risks wind turbines pose to birds

A Better, Wetter Battery

Brooklyn Start-Up Could Be EV's Best Friend

A Brooklyn tech start-up company could open the way for loading zones where electric vehicles recharge & trucks run their refrigeration units off available electric power

Green Electronics Standard Fades To Black

A new Executive Order on standards for government purchase of electronic gear has energy efficiency advocates worried

Germany: Competition Shrinks Solar Costs

Substantial cuts in solar power costs linked to making project developers compete in Germany

Blocking Climate Disruptions Means Blocking Global Disruptions

We know from history that climate disruptions have dire domestic and international consequences, making clear what's at stake in the Paris climate negotiations, writes the French foreign minister

Climate Change Is A Fundamental Threat

The World Bank issues a climate action wake-up call to governments, calling for action now to avoid devastation

New Ways To Pay For What Every NYer Needs

Ideas for getting the money needed to maintain NYC's water and vulnerable sewage system without constantly raising rates

Science At Work: Atmospheric Aerosols

What can happen when climate science research gets put through a denialist spin cycle

April 23, 2015

Go For Green Bonds Now

Comptroller Scott Stringer makes the case for creating a NYC green bond program

More City Benchmarking

Atlanta, GA & Portland, OR are the latest cities to join the building energy benchmarking and disclosure movement

Boston: Mass Transit And Weird Weather

Deep failures in the face of record winter snows drive systemic change for Boston's mass transit

A Number That Counts

In case it's slipped your mind, here's why global heating of 2 degrees Celsius is a very big deal

Say So-Long To Grandma's Grid

The US Energy Department sees need for big changes to the nation's power infrastructure

50 States, 50 Paths

State-by-state CO2 emissions rate targets for power plants under the proposed EPA Clean Power Plan & the 4 'building blocks' for meeting them

NY Puts Coal $ To Good Use

$1.8 million of a court settlment against coal-burning power plants will be spent on combating climate change in NY

Tesla Brings It Home

On April 30, Tesla will launch a line of energy storage batteries for use in homes & at large utilities

Going Green - Not For The Faint-Hearted

The saga of one committed & affluent Londoner who's cutting his personal carbon footprint

China: Pollution Reduction Pricetag

$320 billion a year for five years is China's calculation of the investment needed to meet its pollution reduction goals

April 22, 2015

Australia: Yes and Yes

Australia can deeply cut it GHG emissions & grow its economy at the same time

Why We Need A Carbon Tax

Find out why on YouTube

True On Earth Day, True Every Day

"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences." Robert Green Ingersoll

The Fashion Page

Maybe, just maybe sustainable fashion is a trend that will be around after Earth Day

Plant Paradise

Urban vertical farming as a scalable business is about to come of age

Kansas City: Benchmarking Bootsters

Making the case for a building energy benchmarking law in Kansas City

China: Don't Inhale Yet

Hundreds of Chinese cities fail to meet air quality standards but in Beijing, one dirty air measure improves

Con Ed Solar Gets REV Boost

REV, the emerging re-creation of electric power industry rules for New York, propels Con Ed's solar programs

Earth Day NYC

The de Blasio sustainability report being released on Earth Day, will be a significant departure from the Bloomberg PlaNYC. Here it is

April 21, 2015

Atlanta Rethinks Energy Policy

Promises To Keep

International climate negotiators raise concerns about future US ability to deliver on the promise of Obama's GHG emissions rules

Utility Bill Of Tomorrow

The targeted information on energy bills of the future could transform consumption habits

Twitter's Top Eco-Influencers

Which climate tweeters have the most clout on Twitter?

As NYC Subway Ridership Hits New Highs...

...Capital investment in the system should keep pace

Big Biz Supports Climate Tax

1,200 global firms coalescing on a climate action agenda & support for a carbon tax

Silicon Valley Comes Up Dry

The deep reservoir of Silicon Valley innovation lacks ideas for responding to California's drought

Earth Day Anxiety In NYC

Some NYC eco-advocates worry about the direction Mayor de Blasio's green blueprint will take when it's released on Earth Day

April 20, 2015

The Next New $100 Billion Thing

Putting yieldco money to work on cutting clean power costs

Wrong Trending

US GHG emissions rise for a second straight year, but there are some positive signs on energy intensity in the Department of Energy report

Bloomberg Bets On Urban Data Mining

Ex-NYC Mayor Bloomberg keeps the faith with cities & making them better by using good data

Nececessity/Mother Of Smart Water Meters

Drought-stricken California starts to install smart water meters, with San Francisco in the lead

Australia: Climate Action In Retrograde

Australia catches multinational flack for its Direct Action climate stance

Dog Bites Man

Presidential candidate Marco Rubio says the climate is always changing, but can't say how that's related to human impacts

City Council Votes For Better Bus Service

Adding momentum to the bus rapid transit campaign, the NYC Council approves legislation requiring joint City/State work on a citywide plan with bi-annual updates

Better Bus Service For Queens

Designs for a Select Bus Service corridorin Woodhaven, Queens advances the goal of better, faster mass transit

Portland Contemplates Benchmarking

On Earth Day, the Portland. Oregon City Council will vote on an energy benchmarking requirement for its large commercial buildings

April 17, 2015

NY Chief Financial Officers For Climate Risk Disclosure

The NYS & NYC Comptrollers urge the SEC to compel fossil fuel firms to disclose the material risks climate change poses to their business and what they're doing to abate them

More Biking In NYC

Check out these up numbers on NYC bike riding, but more bike-friendly lanes needed to hit critical mass

LA: Tiny Parks Trending

Los Angeles thinks small with its 50 Parks Initiative

The Great Chinese Awakening

Will lung-friendly vacations remain the only option for Chinese urban families worried about the impact of pollution on their kids?

Boston Does Deep Green

Affordable, super-energy efficient housing achieves LEED-Platinum in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston

Science At Work: The Pacific Blob

Explaining the ocean dynamics linked to Pacific hot blobs & the significance for a heating planet

Laughter Is The Cure

How to treat climate change denial disorder

Brazil: Big Climate Action Plan

Preparing for the Paris climate talks, Brazil issues a climate action plan that targets zero net deforestation & pushes for low-carbon agriculture

April 16, 2015

True Or False

Batteries are getting so cheap that they will transform the electric power system soon

Where L.E.S.S. Is More

Ready to step outside your climate politics comfort zone? Consider 'Less Energy, Stuff, & Stimulation'

The Solar Power of Data Visualization

California OK's A Green Grid Plan

The new California strategy for integrating 50% renewable energy into the electric power grid

Florida's Climate Risk - Act Now

Climate Change: Moved By The Movie

The right narrative can make international bankers understand the impacts of climate change

Leaving Climate Change Out In The Cold

At this week's G-7 meeting, climate change unlikely to be on the agenda for international leaders

Go Circular - Save The Planet

What is a circular economy and how could it send carbon emissions plunging?

Coal's New Selfie

The coal industry promotes itself as leading the fight against global energy poverty

Congress Is The Opposite Of Green

In 2015, Congress has cast more roll call votes on energy & environmental issues than on any other issue; none have been signed into law

April 15, 2015

Strong Support For A Carbon Tax

A new poll finds 2/3 of Americans would support a carbon tax on corporations as long as government recycled revenues back to households

Rubio's Climate Gap

56% of Floridians do not share Marco Rubio's climate denialist position [although climate is not a top agenda item for voters]

Solar White Knight Charges In

The battle for cheap rooftop solar power in Hawaii gets help from California's biggest PV installer

Welcome Home

The energy performance choices you make about your home have planetary Implications

Holland: Citizens' Climate Suit

In a first of its kind case, Dutch citizens sue the government for failing to meet its own goals for cutting carbon emissions

First Thoughts On pLAn

The Los Angeles sustainable growth plan is much more than a photo-op & should be taken seriously

Making Solar Power Constitutional In Florida

Voters in Florida might get to weigh in on a possible Constitutional amendment crucial to solar power in the state

California Drought Is Everyone's Problem

Why California's drought woes won't stay in California

Earth Day 2015 - Make Noise

Stand up, speak up, stop pollution

Electric Power System Coming Clean

April 14, 2015

China: Coal Imports Pllummet

Why are Chinese coal imports down 42% compared to the first quarter of 2014?

Florida: 500x25

Duke Energy to add 500 MW of solar power in Florida by 2025

Vermont: Fashion-Forward Renewables

Wind power is so last year in the Green Mountain State

Mind The Gap In Adaption Planning

The communications gapseparating climate scientists from urban planners slows development of sound adaption blueprints

Good News - Cement Re-Invented

Now, cement can be a carbon 'sponge' instead of a major climate culprit

Germany: Grid Reliability Champ

The reliability record of the German power grid shows it knows how to handle renewable energy

UK: If Elected...

...The Labour Party pledges to decarbonize the electric supply by 2030

Earthling's Guide To Taxing Carbon

Everything you need to know in a 6 minute video

Ready For Warren

An environmental activist coalition readies a draft Elizabeth Warren for President 2016 push

April 13, 2015

Energy Sources Amercans Like - Or Don't

While solar power gets a big thumbs up, American pubic opinion on nuclear power hits new lows

The Pacific Warm Blob

It's not science fiction and it's even scarier

Ontario: Cap And Trader

The Canadian province of Ontario to join the Western Climate Initiative when it kicks off a GHG cap & trade system

Bike-Sharing Riddle

Make or break financing for urban bike sharing could rest on whether programs are deemed recreation or transportation

Climate Worry At The County-Scale

Solar Finance 101

Explaining the yieldco

The Bloom Boom

What are Bloom fuel cells & why are Fortune 500 firms buying them?

Less Green For Clean

In the first quarter of 2015, global clean energy investments sink 15%

Welcome Climate Feedback

Get familiar with Climate Feedback, an online resource to improve the scientific accuracy of climate change coverage, by presenting feedback from accredited scientists directly alongside original online texts.

Marco Rubio: Ex-Climate Science Believer

Way back in 2007, Marco Rubio publicly demanded action on climate change & renewable energy

April 11, 2015

Applied Hope

For Amory Lovins, a fossil-fuel free future is doable and the choice is ours

April 10, 2015

De Blasio's First 15 Months

Green group NRDC gives tempered praise to the first leg of the Mayor's term in office & spells out 6 challenges that lie ahead

Mannheim: One Smart City

Tomorrow's energy smart city is here today in Mannheim, Germany

Home Of The Boston Red Sox Goes Locavore

France: Solar Throws Shade On Nuke Prospects

Rooftop solar power is France's newest carbon-free fuel of choice

Vancouver: 100x35

Vancouver, Canada commits to running on 100% renewable energy by no later than 2035

CO2: See It Here

Obstacles To Energy Smart Office Towers

What are the common roadblocks that slow office building adoption of energy demand response tactics & technologies?

The Next Wave: Biomimic Buildings

Will buildings that capture carbon emissions & rainwater by making use of biomimicry become a major trend?

Housing Authority Upgrades To Save Energy

Under an agreement with the federal housing agency,NYCHA will pay private contractors for boiler and lighting upgrades in 89 housing projects. Any resulting energy savings would pay for the loans it takes out "to finance the work and for more investment in the program" {Note: Project funding is not a direct federal grant]

April 09, 2015

Japan: 20x30

Prior to the Paris climate conference, Japan will pledge to cut its GHG emissions 20% by 2030, but skeptics raise questions

India: Nuclear Key To Clean Energy

India's Prime Minister shops overseas for 3,300 MW worth in new nuclear reactors and fuel to operate them as the first phase of his clean energy plan

Do The Math

NYC Parks: Love Is Not Enough

Marking NYC Park Commissioner Silver's first year in office, a look at policy & budget trends

Higher Ed Shuns Coal

Michigan State University will stop burning coal on campus in 2016

Update: Climate Science Deniers

While denying the scientific reality of climate change is waning, attacks on climate policy are fierce as ever

Meet Brian Deese

President Obama's senior climate policy advisor, will make the economics case for action

Los Angeles: Green Buildings Blueprint

Targets, strategies & priorities for making L.A. a city of high energy performing buildings

Uproar Over Green Group's Methane Study

The EDF research study on methane leaks resulting from fracking attracts fans & pans

April 08, 2015

Sign Of The Tmes In Germany

Best Headline Of The Week

Clean energy revolution is ahead of schedule

Time-Variant Pricing 101

What is time-variant pricing and why is it important for New Yorkers?

Enviro Money Sucked Into NY Budget

Is the $41 million taken from NY's RGGI energy efficiency program and put into the state's general fund SOP or something else?

World's Biggest Fossisl Fuel Producer

Westchester: Solar Epicenter

Westchester, NY is one of 5 US localities ready for a rooftop solar power revolution now

Green Cities Success Tour

Energy efficiency policies & projects in 67 global cities

Green Building Market Brief

Oodles of data about 67 cities, for NYC see pp 19-20

A-List Climate Blogger Relocates

April 07, 2015

Ireland: The Flywheel 2.0

While it's not a new technology, a new hybrid flywheel project in Ireland will help create a smarter electric power grid

India: Won't Commit On Climate

The PM of the world's 3rd largest carbon emitter won't commit India to any international climate scheme

Obama/Google/Microsoft Climate Allies

To tackle climate change health risks, President Obama partners with Google and Microsoft

Follow The Sandy Money

The City Council want to find out what NYCHA's plan is for spending $3 billion in federal Sandy repair funds

A Snapshost of Sustainable Atlanta

Launched in 2010, today's picture of Atlanta's sustainability efforts is a work in progress

Salt Lake City's No NYC

When comes to tailpipe emissions low density cities like Salt Lake have rising vehicle pollution, counteracting lower carbon levels in high-dense, mass transit-oriented cities like NY

Climate Action Movement Federation

Taking the long political road to climate mitigation might start with local, visceral passions that can 'federate'

Green Glamour In Gotham

April 06, 2015

Nuclear 2.0

A start-up company POV about next generation small modular nuclear reactors

Think Like An Expert

Turn the page on ideology, self-interest & cognitive biases and benefit from expert judgements

Multi-Scale Climate Polling

Get the public's opinion on climate change at the national, state, congressional district & county scales

Stardardizing Solar Loans

To get more solar power projects financed make them more like auto loans

Utility Wants To Quadruple Solar Fee

An Arizona electric applies to raise the price for residential solar hookups from $5 to $21 a month

Brazil: Sun Floats In Water

Brazil plans for 350 MW of solar power by floating PV-equipped barges in hydropower dam reservoirs

The Shortest Street Of All

Three streets vie for the title of shortest in NYC

Retail Climate Politics

Washington's Governor wants to put a price on carbon emissions and spend the proceeds on education

India: Killer Construction Dust

Building construction practices around Indian cities create lethal levels of inhalable dust & climate damaging levels of CO2

April 04, 2015

Be Mindful Of The 5 D's....

...The psychological barriers to climate action and how nimble communicators can outflank them

Consider the e-Bike

Ever think about cities filled with e-bikes? car makers don't

April 03, 2015

Spain: Doing More With Less Carbon

In March, Spain got 69% of its electric power from renewable and nuclear sources

Sustainable City Fractals

The search for patterns ('fractals') in urban systems that could provide a systematic model for many cities begins

Paris: More Pedal Room

Paris will double its bike lanes by 2020, creating 1,400 km of safe riding routes

Celebrate Life In Our Galaxy

MIT Reboots Urban Lab

Why MIT changed the name of its Smart Cities Lab & what's high on today's research agenda

California: Canary In The Coal Mine

Concerned over climate's risks to business? Bloomberg, Paulson & Steyer say take a look at California

ARPA-E : 21st Century New Deal

If the Hoover Dam was the New Deal's energy legacy, will ARPA-E be the same for 21st? century clean energy?

Help Wanted: BEEx

The New York Building Energy Exchange is looking for energy efficiency research and communications & multimedia interns

Chuck Schumer's Eco-Record

While Senator Schumer is a reliable voter on environmental bills, his lack of leadership could impact green prospects if he becomes the Democratic chief

April 02, 2015

Milton Keynes: Driverless EV Choice

The driverless mini EV is chosen over a monorail for transit by UK 'new city' Milton Keynes

More Ways To Get Washed Away

Renewable Energy Rules Endangered

State-by-state renewable energy portfolio (RPS) programs are under attack

UK: Guardian Sheds Fossil Invesments

The corporate parent of the Guardian newspaper to sell all its fossil fuel assets

Save Energy At Work

A field experiment in 5 London office buildings highlights the impact and limits of changing behavioral norms to enhance energy efficiency

Follow Tom's Money

Tom Steyer, billionaire climate-activist shutters his non-profit's climate and energy program & is predicted to shift funds to the group’s political arm prior to the presidential elections.

Second-Hand Smog

Pollution from Chinese coal-burning power plants threatens public health in California

Greenlighting Urban Carbon Cuts

Better traffic light programming can cut both urban transportation GHG emissions & traffic delays,

For The Birds

Climate expert sticks talons into New Yorker piece by famous writer

April 01, 2015

Australia: Retrograde Climate Politics

A hostile political climate is crushing clean energy investment in Australia & coal-burning power plants are getting fired up

Not An April Fool's Headline

"Ted Cruz and the GOP have a big climate problem", the Guardian

China: Peak Oil Sooner

Predicting when China's oil demand would be at its highest is being recalculated

Germany: Bending The Carbon Curve

The German Energiewende is starting to show results

Congress And The Planet: The Long March

Why the retirement of Congressional environmental activists won't be a setback

Antarctica: Hot Trends

Better Behavior

Applying the lessons of behavioral economics could improve building energy performance

Get The Big Picture

Climate Change And US Christianity

Up to the minute survey findings regarding climate change views of U.S. Catholics, Evangelical & non-Evangelical Protestants

Don't Throw Shade

NYC Councilmember Mark Levine wants to protect Central Park sunshine from new sky-scraping towers