Spring 2021
Jonathan Ochshorn
America Is the Biggest Problem at the Climate Talks By BEN ADLER Published: Dec. 5, 2015 Mother Jones
This is a critique of global warming based on the moral obligation of rich countries to own up to the damage they have done in the past, as well as their continuing per-capita extravagance in burning fossil fuels: "Take a step back and look at the problem of climate change through the lens of equity and environmental justice. From that perspective, each country's responsibility to cut emissions and invest in renewables at home and abroad is determined by how much climate pollution it has cumulatively emitted, and how much wealth per capita it has now."
The Reign of Recycling By JOHN TIERNEY Published: Oct. 3, 2015 NY Times
Morality: "To many public officials, recycling is a question of morality, not cost-benefit analysis. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York declared that by 2030 the city would no longer send any garbage to landfills. 'This is the way of the future if we're going to save our earth,' he explained while announcing that New York would join San Francisco, Seattle and other cities in moving toward a 'zero waste' policy, which would require an unprecedented level of recycling."
Conflict in sustainable goals: "New York and other cities instruct people to rinse the bottles before putting them in the recycling bin, but the E.P.A.'s life-cycle calculation doesn't take that water into account. That single omission can make a big difference, according to Chris Goodall, the author of 'How to Live a Low-Carbon Life.' Mr. Goodall calculates that if you wash plastic in water that was heated by coal-derived electricity, then the net effect of your recycling could be more carbon in the atmosphere."
Breakdown of U.N. Sustainable Development Goals By THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: September 25, 2015 NY Times
The Sustainable Development Goals just adopted by the United Nations "lay out a sweeping vision for improving the lives of people all over the world over the next 15 years..." and, to the extent that they bear no relationship to reality, appear as an exercise in morality and ideology. The goals (with links to the UN document in the NY Times article itself) are as follows:
See also the UN's webpage describing its sustainable development goals.
House That Wouldn't Budge (or Float Away) Faces a Last Stand By KIRK JOHNSON Published: April 11, 2015 NY Times
"'We want to help them understand that modernism is not always the best thing, that playing with the iPad is not always the best thing — that there are values to think about,' said Ms. Engin. [...] Ms. Macefield, who died in the house in 2008 at age 86, was widely reported to have refused $1 million to vacate. As the project went up anyway, her name and reputation were emblazoned into stiff-necked legend."
This article, even though it has nothing to do with sustainability or LEED, nevertheless illustrates some of the ideological underpinning of the LEED guidelines:
LEED's focus on market-driven decisions made by individual property owners.
LEED's disinterest in any form of regional or national (or international) planning.
LEED's refusal to acknowledge any contradiction between growth (e.g., increased density proposed on this particular parcel and, in general, the requirement for the accumulation — growth — of capital) and sustainability (carrying capacity of a finite planet).
In other words, this type of development, with or without the missing tooth, is typical of the type of project that might become LEED-certified.
A hemmed-in house has become Seattle's shrine to defiance. Credit Ian C. Bates for The New York Times
Beneath California Crops, Groundwater Crisis Grows By JUSTIN GILLIS and MATT RICHTEL Published: April 5, 2015 NY Times
Letting the "market" decide how water resources are managed has contributed to the depletion of the California aquifer during the current drought, making a bad problem even worse. Even so, it is precisely this entrenched ideology of the market (contrasted with the evil "command-and-control route" that is otherwise known as governmental planning and intervention) that is valued: "'We want to be careful in dealing with this drought not to go down the command-and-control route if we can avoid it,' said Daniel Sumner, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. 'It interrupts the flexibility, the creativity and the resilience that people in agriculture have already been using to deal with severe water cutbacks.'"
How Idealism, Expressed in Concrete Steps, Can Fight Climate Change By ROBERT J. SHILLER Published: March 27, 2015 NY Times
"Gernot Wagner of the Environmental Defense Fund and Martin L. Weitzman, a Harvard economist, question that assumption [that when "the problem is an externality, it is, for the most part, futile to ask people to volunteer to fix it"]. In a proposal that they call the Copenhagen Theory of Change, they say that we should be asking people to volunteer to save our climate by taking many small, individual actions." Good luck with that...
Battle for Survival May Yield the Rain Forest's Diversity By CARL ZIMMER Published: January 2, 2013 NY Times
This article debunks the ideological myths of ecological stability and of nature as a model for human society: "It's tempting to look at all those species living so close together as a picture of peaceful coexistence. But Phyllis D. Coley and Thomas A. Kursar, a husband-and-wife team of ecologists at the University of Utah, see them as war zones."
Climate Responses: Primal Easy, Ethical Hard By ANDREW C. REVKIN Published: September 29, 2010 NY Times
Climate change issues are discussed in terms of an alleged human nature (to adapt as climate changes create risks for individuals or countries) along with a reluctance to mitigate human-caused emissions of global-warming gases (which would instead require feelings of "obligation, ethics and responsibility").
Green, but Still Feeling Guilty By JOYCE WADLER Published: September 29, 2010 NY Times
"'A Patagonia jacket you might have worn out and you figure out a way to zipper them together,' Mr. Seo said. 'It makes the chicest, most gorgeous Gore-Tex shower curtain. It will never mold or mildew. If you bought a Gore-Tex shower curtain, it would retail at $600.'" And then, what to do about disposable diapers?
This Emerging Food Source May Get Banned from Organic (and it's not GMOs) By BEVAN SUITS Published: January 23, 2010 theDailyGreen
Is ideology influencing the definition of organic food? The USDA may exclude aquaponic food production: "According to one NOSB Board member, soil-less systems in Europe and Canada are not permitted to show the organic label because some Board members apparently put belief ahead of reason. The biodynamic movement is tilted in this direction, based on aspects of Rudolph Steiner's philosophy."
Carbon-Neutral is Hip, but Is It Green? By ANDREW C. REVKIN Published: April 29, 2007 NY Times
"'The worst of the carbon-offset programs resemble the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences back before the Reformation,' said Denis Hayes... 'Instead of reducing their carbon footprints, people take private jets and stretch limos, and then think they can buy an indulgence to forgive their sins.'"
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Ron Barrett, no caption]
The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability [PDF] Written: 1992
One should wrap buildings in forms of expression that allow them to serve as "a didactic tool to demonstrate that sustainable thinking can be put into practice in the real world."
The Albany Chronicles: How Andrew Cuomo gets his way By JEFFREY TOOBIN Published: February 16, 2015 New Yorker
Competition prevents governmental entities from simply raising taxes to accomplish "worthy" goals. Quoting NYS Governor Cuomo: "Business is more mobile, people are more mobile, and they will leave. And they have left. So that was a cultural shift for us in New York—we're in a competition with all those other states. Our friends say, 'Well, we should use the tax code to address social inequities and raise the taxes on the rich.' If that's going to happen, that has to happen at the federal level, because we here in this state, we are in a competition, we are in a footrace with every other state. And our taxes and our level of taxation and our regulations are going to say whether we come in first, second, third, or fourth in that race."
Cuomo Plan Would Limit Gas Drilling to a Few Counties in New York By DANNY HAKIM Published: June 13, 2012 NY Times
Competition as "stick": James Smith of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York warns New Yorkers about the risks of regulating or otherwise limiting fracking. "'If the regulations are too severe, it will limit New York's competitiveness with other states,' he added. 'Developers won't come here. Landowners won't have the opportunity to mine their resources. Businesses, school districts, tax bases across the state will suffer, too, as a result.'"
China Leading Global Race to Make Clean Energy By KEITH BRADSHER Published: January 30, 2010 NY Times
China's emergence as a "clean energy" leader described as competitive threat.
Text: Obama's State of the Union Address Published: January 27, 2010 NY Times
Competition for emerging markets cited as a reason for investing in clean energy and so on: "You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China is not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. These nations — they're not standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place. They're putting more emphasis on math and science. They're rebuilding their infrastructure. They're making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs. Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America."
EDITORIAL: The Case for a Climate Bill Published: January 23, 2010 NY Times
Competition for emerging markets cited as a reason for passing a climate bill.
Senators Want to Bar E.P.A. Greenhouse Gas Limits By JOHN M. BRODER Published: January 21, 2010 NY Times
Competition could drive away jobs: Yes, the regulations would limit greenhouse gas production, but would "impose significant costs on the economy..." "'Make no mistake,' Ms. Murkowski said in a floor statement, 'if Congress allows this to happen there will be severe consequences.' She said businesses would be forced to close or move overseas, domestic energy production would be curtailed, housing would become more expensive and agricultural costs would rise." (linked also from Economics to delay or promote green things and Governmental intervention)
U.N. Official Says Climate Deal Is at Risk By JOHN M. BRODER and ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: January 20, 2010 NY Times
Competition among the world's global polluters puts "climate deal" at risk [reading between the lines: each worries about how their agreement to cut emissions would affect their global competitive position].
LETTER:
Promoting Clean Energy By JAMES J. FLORIO Published: January 14, 2010 NY Times
"Sophisticated companies have learned that through more efficient use of fossil fuels they are reducing their costs as well as helping the environment. Reducing costs yields higher productivity, which results in greater competitiveness. In the global trade arena, competitiveness is everything..." (linked also from Economics to delay or promote green things)
By Degrees: Emissions Disclosure as a Business Virtue By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: December 28, 2009 NY Times
Voluntary disclosure of CO2 emissions may give competitive advantage: "Some American companies have argued that reporting is cumbersome and could allow competitors to learn too much about their manufacturing processes. But proponents counter that the monitoring could give some of them a competitive advantage as early adopters."
In the Arts, Bigger Buildings May Not Be Better By ROBIN POGREBIN Published: December 11, 2009 NY Times
On museums caught up in competitive frenzy of poor decisions and new building.
Energy Firms Find No Unity on Climate Bill By JOHN BRODER and JAD MOUAWAD Published: October 18, 2009 NY Times
Energy producers, in competition with each other, battle over energy/climate change policies.
A Mojave Solar Project in the Bighorns' Way By THOMAS E. LOVEJOY and EDWARD O. WILSON Published: September 11, 2015 NY Times
Sheep vs. solar power: "The area is home to a resurgent population of bighorn sheep, declining numbers of desert tortoises and other creatures adapted to survive in what seems, on the surface, to be a bleak and unforgiving environment. It is also where the Bechtel Corporation is seeking to build a 264-megawatt photovoltaic facility on about 1,900 acres of federal land along Interstate 15 near Baker, Calif., less than a mile from the Mojave National Preserve."
[Image linked from NYTimes article: No caption; attributed to John Hendrix]
Residents Sue Seattle, Saying New Trash Rules Violate Privacy By KIRK JOHNSON Published: July 17, 2015 NY Times
Apparently, there is a conflict between recycling (which is an element of a "sustainable" lifestyle) and privacy: "If, on inspection, more than 10 percent of a garbage can's contents should have properly been in another kind of bin, the trash collector can pin a bright red tag on the offender's receptacle... This week, a group of Seattle residents — while stressing that they agreed with the city's goals — said the inspections violated their privacy, as protected by the Washington State Constitution."
For Drinking Water in Drought, California Looks Warily to Sea By JUSTIN GILLIS Published: April 11, 2015 NY Times
Using electricity to take the salt out of seawater, and dumping the salt back into the ocean are negative impacts of desalinization: "The plant will use a huge amount of electricity, increasing the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming, which further strains water supplies. And local environmental groups, which fought the plant, fear a substantial impact on sea life."
Sex Education in Europe Turns to Urging More Births By DANNY HAKIM Published: April 8, 2015 NY Times
The relationships (and conflicts) between population growth and sustainability are not always self-evident, but it is clear that any upper limits to a sustainable carrying capacity of the planet — numbers that are neither fixed nor well-understood — are, by definition, in conflict with both the need of capital to continually grow and also with the desire of capitalists to increase the size of the working class so that workers' competition for jobs depresses the prevailing rate of pay. So, while the conventional voices advocating for sustainability tend to complain about a "population explosion," politicians work against slowing birth rates: "It is all part of a not-so-subtle push in Europe to encourage people to have more babies. Denmark, like a number of European countries, is growing increasingly anxious about low birthrates. Those concerns have only been intensified by the region's financial and economic crisis, with high unemployment rates among the young viewed as discouraging potential parents."
The Southwestern Water Wars: How Drought Is Producing Tensions in Texas By RICHARD PARKER Published: March 13, 2015 NY Times
Water conflicts among big cities, smaller communities, and rare species: "San Antonio has begun a controversial and costly initiative to pump water from beneath exurban Burleson County, 142 miles away. Over the objections of rural Texans and the concern of city dwellers facing a nearly 20 percent water-bill hike, this solution will cost $3.4 billion. It is being managed by San Antonio Water Systems, which everyone calls by its acronym, SAWS. As a result of such plans, ranchers, farmers and rural people face the prospect of running dry. Politically and financially weaker, small towns are no match for big cities and corporations. Yet aquifers have many who rely on them; the Trinity stretches from San Antonio to Dallas. Rare species of darters and salamanders live above it, and blind catfish inside its caverns."
California Beach Community to Decide if It's 'an Oil Town' By ADAM NAGOURNEY Published: March 2, 2015 NY Times
Oil revenue vs. quality of life: "Across this community on a hillside rising up from the beach, homes are blistering with signs urging a no vote on Measure O, as the drilling initiative is known: 'Keep oil out of Hermosa.' All five members of the City Council, including the mayor, have urged voters to defeat it, despite the huge penalty — part of an agreement the city signed with the company to end a lawsuit — and the loss of future oil revenue."
Threatened Smelt Touches Off Battles in California's Endless Water Wars By KATE GALBRAITH Published: February 14, 2015 NY Times
Water vs. fish: "But drought and the pumping of water to users as far away as Los Angeles have depleted the smelts and the delicate ecosystem they inhabit, prompting limits on the amount of water sent to farmers and cities — and sparking political warfare among farmers, cities, environmentalists and fishermen."
Can We Reverse-Engineer the Environment? By DONOVAN HOHN Published: February 6, 2015 NY Times
Improve navigation possibilities and stop dumping sewage into the Great Lake; to do this, reverse the flow of the Chicago River and thereby pollute the tributary to the Mississippi River: "The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (shovel day: Sept. 3, 1892) would connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi Valley, but it would also reverse the course of the Chicago River, flushing the city's sewage south."
To Save the Planet, Don't Plant Trees By NADINE UNGER Published: September 19, 2014 NY Times
Turns out that planting trees, in some cases, accelerates global warming: "The assumption is that planting trees and avoiding further deforestation provides a convenient carbon capture and storage facility on the land. That is the conventional wisdom. But the conventional wisdom is wrong."
Meat Makes the Planet Thirsty By JAMES MCWILLIAMS Published: March 7, 2014 NY Times
There is a fundamental conflict between water and meat: more of one means less of the other. "Beef turns out to have an overall water footprint of roughly four million gallons per ton produced."
Its Great Lake Shriveled, Iran Confronts Crisis of Water Supply By THOMAS ERDBRINK Published: January 30, 2014 NY Times
Conflicts have emerged between, on the one hand, cheap electricity and water for agriculture — achieved by building dams — and, on the other hand, the viability of Iran's largest salt-water lake (Lake Urmia): "Half an hour's drive into the mountains above the city of Urmia stands the mighty Chahchai Dam, collecting water that would otherwise have reached the lake... Mr. Ranaghadr, who grew up around the lake, said he spends free time battling poachers in the hills around it. 'You know what the real problem is?' he said. 'Everybody across the world is only thinking of money. We did, too, and now our lake is gone.'"
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Morteza Nikoubazl for The NYTimes, "An abandoned ship rusts in the mud on the south shore of Lake Urmia, where only 5 percent of the water remains, Iranian environmental officials say."]
A Struggle to Balance Wind Energy With Wildlife By DAN FROSCH Published: December 16, 2013 NY Times
Conflicts are emerging between "the wind energy industry and environmental organizations. Tensions between both groups and the administration have risen since a new federal rule was announced this month allowing wind farms to lawfully kill bald and golden eagles under 30-year permits... Since 2009, wind farms have been able to apply for five-year permits, allowing them to 'take' — meaning kill — a certain number of eagles, as long as the farms demonstrate that they have undertaken adequate measures to keep the birds safe. The new rule extends the maximum term of the permits to 30 years. It includes federal reviews every five years to assess whether sufficient measures are being taken to make sure eagles are being conserved."
Justices Hear Case on Cross-State Pollution Rules By ADAM LIPTAK Published: December 10, 2013 NY Times
Conflict between states that burn coal for cheap energy and "down-wind" northeastern states that get hit with the polluted air from coal-burning emmissions. "The appeals court said the agency [EPA] had exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act in the way it apportioned the cleanup work among 28 upwind states. The air in those states, mostly in the Midwest and the South, may meet regulatory standards within their borders even as pollutants from their power plants and refineries drift across state lines, preventing neighboring states from meeting their legal obligations. The affected states are largely in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic." We'll see how the Supreme Court resolves this conflict.
Eastern States Press Midwest to Improve Air By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: December 9, 2013 NY Times
Northeastern states' desire for cleaner air is in conflict with coal-burning states' desire for cheap energy. Northeastern governors "have long criticized the Appalachian and Rust Belt states, including Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan, for their more lenient rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, factories and tailpipes — allowing those economies to profit from cheap energy while their belched soot and smog are carried on the prevailing winds that blow across the United States." Interestingly, virtually the same article appeared in the NY Times more than 25 years ago (E. Kolbert, 6 Northeast States Sue E.P.A. over Lack of Acid Rain Curbs," July 17, 1987).
Wastewater Case Raises the Concept of Underground Trespassing By JIM MALEWITZ Published: December 5, 2013 NY Times
Conflicts between two "rights": the right to drill (for oil and gas) and property rights (in adjacent parcels where wastewater from the drilling operations could be polluting the aquifer). "Among several smaller questions, the court will weigh a broad one: Just how far below the earth's surface do property lines extend?"
Iowa in the Amazon By STEVEN LEE MYERS Published: November 24, 2013 NY Times
"Increasing demand and competition caused by the world's rising population and scarcities created by climate change and poor management threaten to disrupt economies and increase regional tensions..."
If You Think China's Air Is Bad ... By DAMIEN MA and WILLIAM ADAMS Published: November 7, 2013 NY Times
Conflicts between use of water for industrialization and quality of water for drinking: "Policy makers and the Chinese public rightfully blame lax environmental controls and shoddy enforcement. But the more fundamental problem is that the country simply doesn't have enough water. Breakneck and large-scale industrialization has overwhelmed scarce supplies — and drinking water has become one of the most visible casualties."
Overpopulation Is Not the Problem By ERLE C. ELLIS Published: September 13, 2013 NY Times
On the alleged conflict between population and available food (carrying capacity): "The world population is now estimated at 7.2 billion. But with current industrial technologies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated that the more than nine billion people expected by 2050 as the population nears its peak could be supported as long as necessary investments in infrastructure and conducive trade, anti-poverty and food security policies are in place. Who knows what will be possible with the technologies of the future? The important message from these rough numbers should be clear. There really is no such thing as a human carrying capacity. We are nothing at all like bacteria in a petri dish."
U.S. Intelligence Report Warns of Global Water Tensions By STEVEN LEE MYERS Published: March 22, 2012 NY Times
"Increasing demand and competition caused by the world's rising population and scarcities created by climate change and poor management threaten to disrupt economies and increase regional tensions..."
Is Sitting a Lethal Activity? By JAMES VLAHOS Published: April 14, 2011 NY Times
LEED guidelines include advice for improved indoor air quality, daylighting, and views out of windows for office workers, but there appears to be a conflict between sitting at your office desk (however "green" it might be) and being healthy: "Over a lifetime, the unhealthful effects of sitting add up. Alpa Patel, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, tracked the health of 123,000 Americans between 1992 and 2006. The men in the study who spent six hours or more per day of their leisure time sitting had an overall death rate that was about 20 percent higher than the men who sat for three hours or less. The death rate for women who sat for more than six hours a day was about 40 percent higher."
PBS Newshour Connect
Describes conflicts involving negative environmental/political impacts of wind turbines and positives benefits (as renewable sources of electric power). Uploaded March 9, 2011.
When Wrinkle-Free Clothing Also Means Formaldehyde Fumes By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD Published: December 10, 2010 NY Times
Save time and energy by buying clothes that don't "need" ironing; the bad news is that such "wrinkle-free-finish" clothing releases formaldehyde.
Degrees of Separation From Climate Goals By JOHN M. BRODER Published: November 23, 2010 NY Times
Even if all the Copenhagen promises are fulfilled, global warming increases would still exceed the 2 degree F benchmark.
In Global Forecast, China Looms Large as Energy User and Maker of Green Power By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Published: November 9, 2010 NY Times
China's growth will lead to increased use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc.); while simultaneously reducing the cost of renewable, or non-global-warming, technologies (wind, solar, nuclear).
Navajos Hope to Shift From Coal to Wind and Sun By MIREYA NAVARRO Published: October 25, 2010 NY Times
Want money from coal, but don't want the environmental impacts; so torn between existing technology and ideas about the new. "So even as they seek higher royalties and new markets for their vast coal reserves, [Navajo] tribal officials say they are working to draft the tribe's first comprehensive energy policy and are gradually turning to casinos, renewable energy projects and other sources for income."
Lessons Learned on an E-Waste Odyssey By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: October 27, 2010 NY Times
Conflict between the desire to recycle e-waste properly, and the desire to profit from the disposal, or avoid costs of disposal: "But, like many of you, there is a limit to the effort and money I am able to devote to throwing stuff away." "Last year I wrote about an inspection program in Rotterdam designed to intercept shipments of illegal waste on its way to places like Ghana and India." The article also mentions harm to workers and to the environment from improper handling or placement of toxic e-waste.
For Those Near, the Miserable Hum of Clean Energy By TOM ZELLER Jr. Published: October 5, 2010 NY Times
Conflict between clean wind energy and turbine noise: "Lawsuits and complaints about turbine noise, vibrations and subsequent lost property value have cropped up in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, among other states."
In Arabian Desert, a Sustainable City Rises By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF Published: September 25, 2010 NY Times
Oil subsidizes a green city, while illuminating this "contradiction": "the growing division of the world into refined, high-end enclaves and vast formless ghettos where issues like sustainability have little immediate relevance..." (Foster & Partners designs "'the world's first zero-carbon city' on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi...")
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Duncan Chard for the NYTimes, "The terra-cotta-like exterior of a residential building in Masdar, a visionary city being built 20 miles from Abu Dhabi."]
Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes By MIREYA NAVARRO Published: September 18, 2010 NY Times
"From hybrid cars to solar panels, environmentally friendly alternatives can cost more. They can be less convenient, like toting cloth sacks or canteens rather than plastic bags or bottled water. And they can prove less effective, like some of the new cleaning products."
On Clean Energy, China Skirts Rules By KEITH BRADSHER Published: September 8, 2010 NY Times
Clean energy subsidies in conflict with capitalist trade rules: "...much of China's clean energy success lies in aggressive government policies that help this crucial export industry in ways most other governments do not. These measures risk breaking international rules to which China and almost all other nations subscribe..."
Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: January 17, 2010 NY Times
Couples argue about how environmentally sensitive they should be: "Ms. Cobb chides him for running the water too long while he shaves or showers. And she finds it 'depressing,' she tells him, that he continues to buy a steady stream of items online when her aim is for them to lead a less materialistic life."
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Ann Johansson for The New York Times, "Gordon Fleming says his girlfriend, Shelly Cobb, is in a 'high-priestess phase' of environmentalism, which includes raising chickens at their home in Santa Barbara, Calif."]
For Cape Cod Wind Farm, New Hurdle Is Spiritual By ABBY GOODNOUGH Published: January 4, 2010 NY Times
Wind farm in conflict with spiritual values: "The park service decision [to allow Nantucket Sound to be listed on the national Register of Historic Places] came in response to a request from two Massachusetts Indian tribes, who said the 130 proposed wind turbines would thwart their spiritual ritual of greeting the sunrise, which requires unobstructed views across the sound, and disturb ancestral burial grounds." Also, see Jan. 16, 2009 article below.
E.U. Blames Others for 'Great Failure' on Climate By JAMES KANTER Published: December 22, 2009 NY Times
Countries argue about who is to blame for global warming and for their inability to agree on remediation measures.
Desert Vistas vs. Solar Power By TODD WOODY Published: December 21, 2009 NY Times
Desert preservation in conflict with solar development, in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands to profit from his "green" advocacy.
Geothermal Project in California Is Shut Down By JAMES GLANZ Published: December 11, 2009 NY Times
Geothermal project stopped because of risks of triggering seismic activity.
A Howl Over a Man-Bites-Dog Story By ANNIE JIA of ClimateWire Published: November 6, 2009 NY Times
Are pets unsustainable? "...the New Zealand authors calculate that a medium-sized dog has twice the ecological footprint of an SUV. The book then suggests ways to cut down on the impact."
Gore's Dual Role: Advocate and Investor By JOHN M. BRODER Published: November 2, 2009 NY Times
Gore stands to profit from his "green" advocacy.
To Cut Global Warming, Swedes Study Their Plates By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: October 22, 2009 NY Times
Watch what you eat: Sweden puts CO2 emissions data on food labels.
Cleansing the Air at the Expense of Waterways By CHARLES DUHIGG Published: October 12, 2009 NY Times
The good news: Scrubbers are being installed in coal-burning power plants to reduce air pollution. The bad news: Wastewater from mandated air cleaning process is polluting the water.
Debate Follows Bills to Remove Clotheslines Bans By IAN URBINA Published: October 10, 2009 NY Times
Describes conflict between sustainable attitudes towards clothes drying (outside in the air) and regulations prohibiting (or legislation permitting) the practice.
Wind Farm Off Cape Cod Clears Hurdle By ABBY GOODNOUGH Published: January 16, 2009 NY Times
Wind farm in conflict with local interests: "Homeowners and boaters on the cape, including Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, have fought the project for eight years, saying it would hurt wildlife, fishing and tourism and spoil the beauty of Nantucket Sound."
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY: Sick-Building Syndrome; The Growing Problem of Air Pollution in Offices By MARK McCAIN Published: May 8, 1988 NY Times
Describes conflict between energy efficiency (to reduce costs) and indoor air quality (linked also from Economic basis for harming humans).
Obama to Unveil Tougher Environmental Plan With His Legacy in Mind By CORAL DAVENPORT and GARDINER HARRIS Published: August 2, 2015 NY Times
Buried deep in this article is the bad news: "Climate scientists warn that rising greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly moving the planet toward a global atmospheric temperature increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the point past which the world will be locked into a future of rising sea levels, more devastating storms and droughts, and shortages of food and water. Mr. Obama's new rules alone will not be enough to stave off that future." [Emphasis added.]
Obama Plans New Rule to Limit Water Pollution By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: May 22, 2015 NY Times
The proposed rule would make water healthier, but... "But it has attracted fierce opposition from several business interests, including farmers, property developers, fertilizer and pesticide makers, oil and gas producers and a national association of golf course owners. Opponents contend that the rule would stifle economic growth and intrude on property owners' rights."
If We Dig Out All Our Fossil Fuels, Here's How Hot We Can Expect It to Get By MICHAEL GREENSTONE Published: April 8, 2015 NY Times
It's unreal how (some) economists think: there are no solutions to a global warming catastrophe except those based on markets (even if the markets are artificially created through state action): "A middle-of-the-road estimate of the coal that qualifies as resources indicates that its use would lead to an additional increase of 8.6 degrees. Thus, the use of all reserves and resources would lead to a total increase of 16.2 degrees. Today's climate and planet would very likely be unrecognizable. Without pricing carbon to reflect expected climate damages, all of this coal, oil and natural gas is worth many trillions of dollars, so keeping it in the ground would mean passing up economic opportunities that are waiting to be taken and turning our backs on a long history of going to great lengths to recover these energy sources... There are essentially only three long-run solutions to the climate challenge. The first is to price carbon emissions to reflect the damages from climate change... The second way to disrupt the energy market is to have low-carbon energy sources like nuclear, wind and solar become cheaper than their fossil fuel competition.
As Quakes Rattle Oklahoma, Fingers Point to Oil and Gas Industry By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and MICHAEL WINES Published: April 3, 2015 NY Times
"'As long as you keep injecting wastewater along that fault zone, according to my calculations, you’re going to continue to have earthquakes,' said Arthur F. McGarr, the chief of the induced seismicity project at the federal Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park, Calif., who has researched the Prague quakes. 'I’d be a little worried if I lived there. In fact, I’d be very worried.'"
A Water Dilemma in Michigan: Cloudy or Costly? By MITCH SMITH Published: March 24, 2015 NY Times
"After Flint changed the source of its drinking water last spring, Ms. Mays said, she noticed a change in the water's color and odor. Then she started having rashes, and clumps of her hair fell out...The problems, almost everyone agrees, started shortly after the city, in an effort to save money, switched from the supply of treated Lake Huron water it had long purchased from Detroit and started drawing water from the Flint River, treating it locally."
Clean Air Act and Dirty Coal at the Supreme Court By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Published: March 23, 2015 NY Times
Reducing the negative consequences of mercury emissions from coal-fired electric generating plants costs money and is therefore contested: "The coal industry, however, argues that costs must be considered at the outset because, it says, they are central to the question of whether to regulate at all. In this case, reducing mercury emissions is expected to cost almost $10 billion, but the industry says it will provide at most $4 million to $6 million in benefits. That is an absurdly low range based on a single statistic: the estimated increase in lifetime earnings for people whose I.Q.s will presumably be higher if their prenatal mercury exposure is lower."
Utility Cited for Violating Pollution Law in North Carolina By TRIP GABRIEL Published: March 3, 2014 NY Times
"Current and former employees of the environmental agency have said that under the administration of Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, and the Republican-controlled legislature, regulators were told to play down enforcement of pollution laws in favor of spurring economic activity and jobs."
Inside City's Water Tanks, Layers of Neglect By RAY RIVERA, FRANK G. RUNYEON and RUSS BUETTNER Published: January 27, 2014 NY Times
"Samplings taken by The New York Times from water towers at 12 buildings in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn found E. coli in five tanks, and coliform in those tanks and three more... In 2009, at the urging of Mr. Kaufman, Daniel Garodnick, a city councilman who lives in Stuyvesant Town, sponsored legislation that would require the health department to track water tank inspections through a database. The health department called the measure unnecessary and too expensive." [also see video linked from article]
Genetic Weapon Against Insects Raises Hope and Fear in Farming By ANDREW POLLACK Published: January 27, 2014 NY Times
"Scientists and biotechnology companies are developing what could become the next powerful weapon in the war on pests—one that harnesses a Nobel Prize-winning discovery to kill insects and pathogens by disabling their genes... [However...] One laboratory study by scientists at the University of Kentucky and the University of Nebraska, for instance, found that a double-stranded RNA intended to silence a rootworm gene also affected a gene in the ladybug, killing that beneficial insect. Concerns about possible human health effects were ignited by a 2011 paper by researchers at Nanjing University in China. They reported that snippets of RNA produced naturally by rice could be detected in the blood of people and mice who consumed the rice and could even affect a gene that regulates cholesterol."
Workers Face Police Gunfire Amid Unrest in Cambodia By GERRY MULLANY Published: January 3, 2014 NY Times
Several workers are killed in Cambodia — they wanted more than $80/month in wages: "The capital has been rattled by labor unrest in recent days, with labor leaders calling a national strike last week because of anger over the government's latest minimum-wage proposal. The garment industry is Cambodia's largest source of export earnings, and the labor movement to increase wages in the sector is closely aligned with the political opposition to Mr. Hun Sen's government...
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Thomas Cristofoletti/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, "A Cambodian protester carried a wounded worker in Phnom Penh."]
Small-Scale Gold Mining Pollutes Indonesian Lands By JOE COCHRANE Published: January 2, 2014 NY Times
"To Ms. Yuyun, the conclusion was obvious: Hundreds of tons of mercury had been smuggled into Indonesia for illegal, small-scale miners in a modern gold rush that analysts and activists say is causing major environmental and health crises. 'It's quick cash,' she said. 'You dig, you get money — and you get poisoned.'"
Democrats Turn to Minimum Wage as 2014 Strategy By JONATHAN MARTIN and MICHAEL D. SHEAR Published: December 29, 2013 NY Times
Politicians calculate the appropriate level of poverty for minimum wage workers: "'It puts Republicans on the wrong side of an important value issue when it comes to fairness,' said Dan Pfeiffer, the president's senior adviser. 'You can make a very strong case that this will be a helpful issue for Democrats in 2014.'" However, on the other side: "Top Republicans assert that a wage increase would dampen the economic recovery..." Note that the question for both Democrats and Republicans is not the abolition of poverty, but it's appropriate management in the interest of economic growth.
India's Efforts to Aid Poor Worry Drug Makers By GARDINER HARRIS Published: December 29, 2013 NY Times
"The Indian government last year threatened to allow production of less costly, generic versions of Herceptin... American trade officials have voiced concerns about India's treatment of drug patents, including its reasons for sometimes overriding them... Executives in the international pharmaceutical industry, increasingly dependent on drug sales in emerging markets like India, China and Brazil, contend that India's efforts to cancel patents threaten the global system for discovering cures while doing little to resolve the health challenges most patients here face."
Temporary Work, Lasting Harm By Michael Grabell, Olga Pierce and Jeff Larson Published: December 18, 2013 Pro Publica
"Since the 2008 recession, companies have increasingly turned to temporary employees to work in factories and warehouses and on construction sites. The temp industry now employs a record 2.8 million workers. The trend carries a human cost. A ProPublica analysis of millions of workers' compensation claims shows that in five states, representing more than a fifth of the U.S. population, temps face a significantly greater risk of getting injured on the job than permanent employees."
Experts Eye Oil and Gas Industry as Quakes Shake Oklahoma By HENRY FOUNTAIN Published: December 12, 2013 NY Times
"Scientists see a link between earthquakes and the disposal of wastewater from oil and gas wells, including those that use the production method known as hydraulic fracturing... Just as unsettling in a state [Oklahoma] where more than 340,000 jobs are tied to the oil and gas industry is what scientists say may be causing many of the quakes: the widespread industry practice of disposing of billions of gallons of wastewater that is produced along with oil and gas, by injecting it under pressure into wells that reach permeable rock formations."
Accused of Harming Bees, Bayer Researches a Different Culprit By DANNY HAKIM Published: December 11, 2013 NY Times
It's not absolutely certain that Bayer's pesticide is killing bees, but the article certainly demonstrates the economic basis for such actions: "Bayer is one of the major producers of a type of pesticide that the European Union has linked to the large-scale die-offs of honey bee populations in North America and Western Europe. They are known as neonicotinoids, a relatively new nicotine-derived class of pesticide. The pesticide was banned this year for use on many flowering crops in Europe that attract honey bees."
There Would Be No Iranian Nuclear Talks If Not for Fracking By MATTHEW PHILIPS Published: November 8, 2013 BloombergBusinessWeek
We are able to successfully harm Iranians through our "sanctions" because of our increased domestic production of oil. But the economic calculations are complicated: "Turning the Iranian oil tap back on will have to coincide with the Saudis ramping back down. That will require coordination. If not managed properly, flooding the market with Iranian crude [assuming that we cut a deal to end sanctions] would push prices lower, which, as Verrastro points out, could carry its own negative consequences by suddenly making fracked oil in the U.S. unprofitable."
New Research Reveals the Safety Hazards of Green Building By KATIE FRASIER Published: January 27, 2012 Engineering News-Record (ENR Mountain States)
Turns out workers are getting hurt at a substantially greater rate building green buildings. A study found that a "nearly 50% increase of injury rate had occurred in LEED-certified projects over traditional construction."
Toxic Metals Tied to Work in Prisons By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: October 26, 2010 NY Times
"Inmates and employees at 10 federal prisons were exposed to toxic metals and other hazardous substances while processing electronic waste for recycling, a four-year investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general found."
Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned By MICHAEL MOSS Published: December 30, 2009 NY Times
E. Coli found in processed beef trimmings used in burgers: "Despite some misgivings, school lunch officials say they use Beef Products because its price is substantially lower than ordinary meat trimmings, saving about $1 million a year."
Suicides Soar Among New York Koreans By KIRK SEMPLE Published: December 30, 2009 NY Times
High rate of suicides among South Koreans in US, often due to financial problems: "Among the Koreans who killed themselves this year in the New York region was Won Jo Lee, 36, a cabdriver whose body was found, shot in the head, on Sept. 6 in his apartment in Bayside, Queens, the Korean Consulate said. The Korea Times reported that Mr. Lee had been suffering financial difficulties, and it quoted his roommate as saying he had recently been laid off."
City Officials Say Drilling in Watershed Has Risks By SINDYAN BHANOO Published: December 23, 2009 NY Times
"New York City environmental officials said Wednesday that months of scientific research had indicated that hydraulic drilling for natural gas upstate could contaminate the watershed serving the city."
That Tap Water Is Legal but May Be Unhealthy By CHARLES DUHIGG Published: December 16, 2009 NY Times
Drinking water is often unhealthy due to unregulated chemicals that cause cancer and other diseases.
As Sewers Fill, Waste Poisons Waterways By CHARLES DUHIGG Published: November 22, 2009 NY Times
"In the last three years alone, more than 9,400 of the nation's 25,000 sewage systems -- including those in major cities -- have reported violating the law by dumping untreated or partly treated human waste, chemicals and other hazardous materials into rivers and lakes and elsewhere."
Lack of Paid Sick Days May Worsen Flu Pandemic By STEVEN GREENHOUSE Published: November 2, 2009 NY Times
Workers are spreading H1N1 (flu) by being forced to work when they are sick.
Thousands of Homeowners Cite Drywall for Ills By LESLIE WAYNE Published: October 7, 2009 NY Times
Describes indoor air quality (IAQ) issues associated with imported Chinese gypsum board (drywall).
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY: Sick-Building Syndrome; The Growing Problem of Air Pollution in Offices By MARK McCAIN Published: May 8, 1988 NY Times
Describes conflict between energy efficiency (to reduce costs) and indoor air quality (linked also from Conflicts and contradictions).
Tasked to Fight Climate Change, a Secretive U.N. Agency Does the Opposite By Matt Apuzzo and Sarah Hurtes Published: June 3, 2021 NY Times
Apparently, there's a conflict between sustainability and economic growth. Who knew? "But I.M.O.'s secretary general at the time, Koji Sekimizu of Japan, openly opposed strict emissions regulation as a hindrance to economic growth."
What Will Happen to Your Next Home if Builders Get Their Way? By Justin Gillis Published: Jan. 21, 2021 NY Times
The sub-heading says it all: "A lobby is trying to block building codes that would help fight climate change." The article presumes that fighting climate change through stricter code provisions is actually a long-term money saver: "The builders' short-term interest is to weaken the codes, which cuts their costs. The interest of home buyers and of society at large is exactly the opposite: Strong building standards, even when they drive up the initial cost of a house, almost always result in lower costs over the long run." What this leaves out is the calculation of costs and benefits, invariably involving a "balancing" of profitability with human and environmental well-being that considers the latter as little more than a dependent variable.
Wall Street Eyes Billions in the Colorado's Water By Ben Ryder Howe Published: Jan. 3, 2021 NY Times
"In the last few years, a new force has emerged: From the Western Slope of the Rockies to Southern California, a proliferation of private investors like Greenstone have descended upon isolated communities, scouring the driest terrain in the United States to buy coveted water rights. … 'I have seen time and again the wisdom of using incentives that attract private sector investment and innovation,' Mr. Eklund said. 'Dealing with the threat of climate change to our water requires all sectors, public and private, working together.'"
Despite Their Promises, Giant Energy Companies Burn Away Vast Amounts of Natural Gas By Hiroko Tabuchi Published: Oct. 16, 2019 NY Times
"Rather than delay drilling, producers will choose to vent or flare. Many smaller oil producers vent 100 percent of the gas their wells produce, the data shows. 'Gas becomes more like a liability,' said Artem Abramov, an industry analyst at Rystad Energy. 'It's just much cheaper for companies to get rid of it.' The shale-oil producer Exco Resources highlights this trend. This year it applied with Texas regulators to flare almost all the gas it produced in South Texas, even though a pipeline already exists to move it away, because it is cheaper to release the gas than pay the fees to pipe it off and sell it." (emphasis added)
An Important Vote for the Climate By Justin Gillis Published: March 20, 2019 NY Times
Building codes (specifically energy codes) can make buildings more efficient, but only if they're adopted by local jurisdictions. Industry groups tend to lobby against such measures, as they raise the price of their product: "And who would be against them? The National Association of Home Builders. This industry group always complains vociferously about requirements like newer window technology or better light fixtures that will drive up builders' costs by 1 or 2 percent."
As Costs Skyrocket, More U.S. Cities Stop Recycling By Michael Corkery Published: March 16, 2019 NY Times
Really, the headline says it all: whether or not to recycle materials depends on an economic calculation only, rather than on evaluating "true" costs and benefits.
How U.S. Tariffs Will Hurt America's Solar Industry By Varun Sivaram Published: January 24, 2018 NY Times
"President Trump's decision to impose sweeping tariffs on imports of solar panels and components is the opening salvo of his America First campaign to protect domestic manufacturers from Chinese competition... Yet these tariffs will do little to make American manufacturers competitive with dominant Chinese ones. Instead, they might actually discourage domestic investments in innovation... On top of this, the tariffs will cause collateral damage by slowing down the installation of solar panels in the United States..."
The Climate Crisis? It's Capitalism, Stupid By Benjamin Y. Fong Published: November 20, 2017 NY Times
"The real culprit of the climate crisis is not any particular form of consumption, production or regulation but rather the very way in which we globally produce, which is for profit rather than for sustainability. So long as this order is in place, the crisis will continue and, given its progressive nature, worsen. This is a hard fact to confront. But averting our eyes from a seemingly intractable problem does not make it any less a problem. It should be stated plainly: It's capitalism that is at fault."
Hope From Paris By PAUL KRUGMAN Published: December 14, 2015 NY Times
Economic basis for optimism about addressing global warming: "The reality, however, is that costs of solar and wind power have fallen dramatically, to the point where they are close to competitive with fossil fuels even without special incentives — and progress on energy storage has made their prospects even better. Renewable energy has also become a big employer, much bigger these days than the coal industry."
Climate Deal Is Signal to Industry: The Era of Carbon Reduction Is Here By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and KEITH BRADSHER Published: December 13, 2015 NY Times
Reality therapy: "Globally, renewable energy sources are growing fast but they still account for about only 10 percent of total energy supply, with most of that coming from hydroelectric power, according to a new report from the research firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. Solar and wind account for 1.6 percent of total energy. Some energy experts said that without a multinational carbon tax or other pricing of carbon, which was not specified in the agreement, the hopes of environmentalists for a true sea change that will curb climate change remain challenged." [Emphasis added.]
Nations Approve Landmark Climate Accord in Paris By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: December 12, 2015 NY Times
Admission that this Paris climate agreement puts in place what the various countries would do in any case, based on their own economic (and therefore political) interests: "Thus, all language in the [Paris Climate Change] accord relating to the cutting of carbon emissions is essentially voluntary. The language assigns no concrete targets to any country for emissions reductions. Instead, each government has crafted a plan detailing how they would lower emissions at home, based on what each head of state believes is feasible given the country's domestic political and economic situation." [Emphasis added.]
James Hansen, father of climate change awareness, calls Paris talks 'a fraud' By JUSTIN GILLIS Published: December 12, 2015 The Guardian
"'It's a fraud really, a fake,' he says, rubbing his head. 'It's just bullshit for them to say: "We'll have a 2C warming target and then try to do a little better every five years." It's just worthless words. There is no action, just promises. As long as fossil fuels appear to be the cheapest fuels out there, they will be continued to be burned.'" [Emphasis added]
A Path for Climate Change, Beyond Paris By JUSTIN GILLIS Published: December 1, 2015 NY Times
What stands in the way of reducing global warming gases is not technology per se, but calculations about cost, global competition, and profit: "'We think it's technically and economically feasible,' Dr. Jacobson said. 'It ultimately does come down to political will. If people don't want to do it, it's not going to happen by itself.'...And many experts believe the United States, even if it does not build many new nuclear plants, would be foolish to shut down the ones it has, given that they supply 19 percent of the country's electric power with minimal emissions. Yet some of them have shut down lately, occasionally because of safety fears but mainly because of low power prices prompted by the abundance of natural gas." [Emphasis added]
A Car Dealers Won't Sell: It's Electric By MATT RICHTEL Published: November 24, 2015 NY Times
"So why are only about 330,000 electric vehicles on the road? One answer lies in an unexpected and powerful camp of skeptics: car dealers. They are showing little enthusiasm for putting consumers into electric cars... Industry insiders and those who follow the business closely say that dealers may also be worrying about their bottom lines. They assert that electric vehicles do not offer dealers the same profits as gas-powered cars. They take more time to sell because of the explaining required, which hurts overall sales and commissions. Electric vehicles also may require less maintenance, undermining the biggest source of dealer profits — their service departments."
[Image linked from NY TImes article: "Robert Kast with his 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf SEL in Maplewood, N.J. He says he knew more about the car than the dealers who sold it to him. Credit Bryan Anselm for The New York Times"]
Limited Progress Seen Even as More Nations Step Up on Climate By JUSTIN GILLIS and SOMINI SENGUPTA Published: September 28, 2015 NY Times
The current proposal still will not limit global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, a target that is, itself, only marginally "tolerable." No countries want to put themselves at a competitive disadvantage by taking required measures. "Making any serious pledge has been a political challenge in many countries, including the United States, where President Obama has encountered vociferous opposition in Congress... 'By the time people get 10, 15 years of actually trying to do something, that's going to lead to greater expertise, better technology, more experience,' Dr. Schmidt said. 'People will then say, "Oh, you know what? We can commit to do more."'"
Global Companies Joining Climate Change Efforts By JUSTIN GILLIS and NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR Published: September 23, 2015 NY Times
Sustainable measures seen as a business strategy: "Companies have realized that cutting their energy use can save money. But they are also under pressure from consumers, particularly younger ones, to take action, and many companies have begun to see their environmental efforts as a core part of their business strategy."
King Coal, Long Besieged, Is Deposed by the Market By JAMES B. STEWART Published: August 6, 2015 NY Times
Decision to implement global warming regulations that "hurt" coal becomes possible because of the recent drop in the price of natural gas due to hydrofracking (this is my interpretation, rather than being stated explicitly in the article). Here's what the article says: "Coal advocates like Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky senator and Republican majority leader, have accused the president of an out-and-out 'war on coal.' But it's collapsing prices and heavy debt loads that are driving the industry into bankruptcy."
[Image linked from NY TImes article: "A miner at a coal processing facility near Gilbert, W.Va. This year the number of coal miners in the United States dropped more than 10 percent, to just over 80,000 workers. Credit Robert Galbraith/Reuters]
A Climate Plan Businesses Can Like By JODY FREEMAN and KATE KONSCHNIK Published: August 3, 2015 NY Times
Obama's plan to cut CO2 emissions doesn't actually stave off a global warming disaster, and is entirely consistent with national economic interests. This article doesn't exactly make that argument, but it does suggest that big energy interests fully support, and will profit from, this plan: "In the last several years, utilities also have begun shifting away from coal toward cheaper natural gas. What they want now is a clear and predictable federal plan that will help them profit from these investments, and reward them for making more."
Innovation Sputters in Battle Against Climate Change By EDUARDO PORTER Published: July 21, 2015 NY Times
"In the absence of a carbon tax, investors are subject to the ups and downs of the energy market. 'The price of fossil fuels has had a tremendous impact, because it lowers the base line against which you are benchmarking your technology,' said Jason Blumberg, chief executive at Energy Foundry, a venture capital firm focusing on new energy technologies. 'It doesn’t kill off everything but reduces the number of options.'"
How the West Overcounts Its Water Supplies By ABRAHM LUSTGARTEN Published: July 17, 2015 NY Times
"Doing the water math properly would mean facing the fact that there is even less water available than residents have been led to believe. Acting on that grim jolt of reality would mean changing laws governing traditional water rights or forcing farmers and cities to accept even more dramatic cuts than they already face."
Naomi Oreskes, a Lightning Rod in a Changing Climate By JUSTIN GILLIS Published: June 15, 2015 NY Times
"Dr. Oreskes's approach has been to dig deeply into the history of climate change denial, documenting its links to other episodes in which critics challenged a developing scientific consensus... The central players were serious scientists who had major career triumphs during the Cold War, but in subsequent years apparently came to equate environmentalism with socialism, and government regulation with tyranny."
With Gas Prices Less of a Worry, Buyers Pass Hybrid Cars By By LAWRENCE ULRICH Published: May 14, 2015 NY Times
"With bargain gasoline prices putting more money in the pockets of Americans, owners of hybrids and electric vehicles are defecting to sport utility vehicles and other conventional models powered only by gasoline, according to Edmunds.com, an auto research firm. There are limits, it appears, to how far consumers will go to own a car that became a rolling statement of environmental concern. In 2012, with gas prices soaring, an owner could expect a hybrid to pay back its higher upfront costs in as little as five years. Now, that oft-calculated payback period can extend to 10 years or more."
[Image linked from NY TImes article: "Erik Tufteland and his girlfriend, Theresa Hammond, rode in his recently purchased Subaru Forester to Red Rock Canyon in Nevada." Credit Emily Wilson for The New York Times]
Silicon Valley's Water Conservation Conundrum By JOHN MARKOFF Published: April 20, 2015 NY Times
"The Valley's investors learned a hard lesson — that energy technologies often required larger investments and had longer development cycles than they would have liked. And when the market for solar panels was flooded by low-cost Chinese competitors, the 'change the world' mantra of the venture capital community moved on to focus on social networking, software and other Internet investments."
Solar Power Battle Puts Hawaii at Forefront of Worldwide Changes By DIANE CARDWELL Published: April 18, 2015 NY Times
Solar power is threatened by electric utilities, based on their unwillingness to upgrade old systems and on their desire to maximize their profits. "Other states and countries, including California, Arizona, Japan and Germany, are struggling to adapt to the growing popularity of making electricity at home, which puts new pressures on old infrastructure like circuits and power lines and cuts into electric company revenue. As a result, many utilities are trying desperately to stem the rise of solar, either by reducing incentives, adding steep fees or effectively pushing home solar companies out of the market. In response, those solar companies are fighting back through regulators, lawmakers and the courts." [emphasis added]
Targeting Inequality, This Time on Public Transit By KIRK JOHNSON Published: February 28, 2015 NY Times
The article describes subsidies for low-income people to enable them to use mass transit. Note that the rationale has nothing to do with environmental sustainability, but rather has everything to do with enabling poor people, priced out of housing in the big city (Seattle), to get to work and thereby keep the economy from imploding: "The problem it addresses is that many commuters from places like SeaTac, an outlying suburb, are too poor to live in Seattle, where prices and rents are soaring in a technology-driven boom. If they are pushed out so far that they cannot afford to get to work or give up on doing so, backers of the project said, Seattle's economy could choke... 'I would characterize this as a safety valve,' said Dow Constantine, the King County executive and chairman of Sound Transit, a transportation agency serving multiple counties in the region... 'It's people doing really well, and people making espresso for people who are doing really well,' he said." (emphasis added)
How Long Can the U.S. Oil Boom Last? The long-term problem for oil frackers isn't just low prices. It's low reserves. By DENNIS DIMICK Published: December 19, 2014 National Geographic
"Businessweek reports that the 'dirty secret' of the shale oil boom is that it may not last. Fracked wells are short-lived, with a well's output typically declining from more than 1,000 barrels a day to 100 barrels in just a few years. New wells must be drilled frequently to maintain production. While wells currently pumping can survive low market prices because they have already incurred startup and drilling costs, low oil prices diminish the incentive to invest in new well investments."
A Green Revolution, This Time for Africa By TINA ROSENBERG Published: April 9, 2014 NY Times
"Pesticides and inorganic fertilizers are bad for the environment. But this is not an argument that anyone who eats in America should be making to African subsistence farmers." In other words, the logic of capitalism gives you the choice of either damaging the environment or starving.
Potential Crackdown on Russia Risks Also Punishing Western Oil Companies By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Published: March 27, 2014 NY Times
The decision of US and EU governments to impose economic sanctions on Russian oil interests hinges upon economic calculations, rather than any analysis of environmental consequences of continued exploration for and burning of fossil fuels: "The calculus has to be who will be hurt most, us or them, if sanctions are put in place," according to David L. Goldwyn, the State Department's coordinator for international energy affairs during President Obama's first term.
Indiana Businesses Support Energy Efficiency. So Why is the Legislature Trying to Gut the State's Programs? By Martin Mushler Published: March 12, 2014 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
"What began in the Indiana Senate as an ill-advised but simple industrial opt-out bill took an unexpected, hard turn in the Indiana General Assembly last week, morphing into a bill that completely eliminates Indiana's energy efficiency resource standard (EERS)."
A Huge Solar Plant Opens, Facing Doubts About Its Future By DIANE CARDWELL and MATTHEW L. WALD Published: Feb. 13, 2014 NY Times
Large solar installations may be cancelled because they are no longer economically viable. Writing about the Ivanpah solar power plant: "Since the project began, the price of rival technologies has plummeted, incentives have begun to disappear and the appetite among investors for mammoth solar farms has waned."
Industry Awakens to Threat of Climate Change By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: January 23, 2014 NY Times
"Coke reflects a growing view among American business leaders and mainstream economists who see global warming as a force that contributes to lower gross domestic products, higher food and commodity costs, broken supply chains and increased financial risk. Their position is at striking odds with the longstanding argument, advanced by the coal industry and others, that policies to curb carbon emissions are more economically harmful than the impact of climate change...At the Swiss resort of Davos, corporate leaders and politicians gathered for the annual four-day World Economic Forum will devote all of Friday to panels and talks on the threat of climate change. The emphasis will be less about saving polar bears and more about promoting economic self-interest."
Sluggish Economy Prompts Europe to Reconsider Its Intentions on Climate Change By STANLEY REED, STEPHEN CASTLE and MELISSA EDDY Published: January 16, 2014 NY Times
"The European Union, which for years has sought to lead the world in addressing climate change, is tempering its ambitions and considering turning mandatory targets for renewable energy into just goals. The union's policy-making body is also unlikely to restrict exploration for shale gas using the disputed technique known as hydraulic fracturing. A deep and lasting economic slowdown, persistently high prices for renewable energy sources and years of inconclusive international negotiations are giving European officials second thoughts about how aggressively to remake the Continent's energy-production industries."
Administration Is Seen as Retreating on Environment in Talks on Pacific Trade By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: January 15, 2014 NY Times
"Environmentalists said that the draft appears to signal that the United States will retreat on a variety of environmental protections — including legally binding pollution control requirements and logging regulations and a ban on harvesting sharks' fins — to advance a trade deal that is a top priority for Mr. Obama."
Critics Say Spill Highlights Lax West Virginia Regulations By CORAL DAVENPORT and ASHLEY SOUTHALL Published: January 12, 2014 NY Times
"Last week's major chemical spill into West Virginia's Elk River, which cut off water to more than 300,000 people, came in a state with a long and troubled history of regulating the coal and chemical companies that form the heart of its economy...Critics say the problems are widespread in a state where the coal and chemical industries, which drive much of West Virginia's economy and are powerful forces in the state's politics, have long pushed back against tight federal health, safety and environmental controls."
Slowly, Asia's Factories Begin to Turn Green By MIKE IVES Published: January 7, 2014 NY Times
"Mr. Seng said that 90 percent of his clients were motivated by a desire to reduce energy costs, rather than to polish their corporate images or improve their chances of earning an international certification like LEED."
Applying Creativity to a Byproduct of Oil Drilling By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Published: December 17, 2013 NY Times
"Under current North Dakota law, oil companies can flare gas for the first year of a well's production, which is often the time when the most gas bubbles up. If they can show that it is not economically feasible to connect to a pipeline after the first year, they can get an extension and continue flaring."
European Agency Warns of Risk to Humans in Pesticides Tied to Bee Deaths By DANNY HAKIM Published: December 17, 2013 NY Times
Bayer pesticide that may kill bees may also be dangerous to humans: "European food regulators said on Tuesday that a class of pesticides linked to the deaths of large numbers of honey bees might also harm human health, and they recommended that the European Commission further restrict their use."
The Poor Need Cheap Fossil Fuels By BJORN LOMBORG Published: December 3, 2013 NY Times
Poor people need to keep burning fossil fuels, in spite of the threat of global warming, because green technologies are too expensive (for them): "For many parts of the world, fossil fuels are still vital and will be for the next few decades, because they are the only means to lift people out of the smoke and darkness of energy poverty." All decisions must be made on the basis of profitability: "...wealthy Western nations must step up investments into research and development in green energy technologies to ensure that cleaner energy eventually becomes so cheap that everyone will want it."
A Push Away From Burning Coal as an Energy Source By MICHAEL WINES Published: November 14, 2013 NY Times
The TVA is closing coal-burning plants as gas becomes the more economical choice. Reducing global warming gases and the reality of reduced electric demand (automation, conservation) are also factors in this decision.
E.P.A. Rules on Emissions at Existing Coal Plants Might Give States Leeway By MICHAEL WINES Published: September 23, 2013 NY Times
Under proposed guidelines to regulate carbon, states with economic incentives to delay or prevent enforcement of clean air regulations could do so: "'A recalcitrant state that wanted to throw sand in the gears could do that,' said Manik Roy, vice president for strategic outreach at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions."
Administration Presses Ahead With Limits on Emissions From Power Plants By MICHAEL D. SHEAR Published: September 19, 2013 NY Times
Obama proposes rules to make coal-burning plants slightly less polluting. But the new limits are "a slightly more relaxed standard than the administration proposed in April 2012." And of course there is political and industry opposition: "Scott Segal, the director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, which represents power companies, said the details he had heard about the rules suggested that the administration would drive investment away from a plentiful source of power. 'I'm afraid it's going to be illegal, counterproductive from an environmental perspective and contrary to our long-range interest in creating jobs, holding down costs and producing reliable energy,' Mr. Segal said."
Germany's Effort at Clean Energy Proves Complex By MELISSA EDDY and STANLEY REED Published: September 18, 2013 NY Times
High costs may force delay of Germany's renewable energy quest: "'We are now coming to a critical stage, and all the politicians are aware of this,' said Udo Niehage, Siemens's point person for the transition. 'The costs are becoming high, maybe too high, and you have to look at the consequences for the competitiveness of our industry in Germany.' Rivaling the costs are the logistical challenges of eventually shifting 80 percent of energy consumption to renewable sources, something that has never been tried on such a grand scale."
LEED 2012 Postponed to 2013, Renamed LEED v4 By NADAY MALIN Published: June 4, 2012 BuildingGreen.com
The new LEED version has been delayed; at least two economic motives seem to be at work here, in both cases attempting to slow down or prevent sustainable measures from being adopted: (1) "The proposed changes in the rating system were too much, too fast, especially in a weak real estate market " and (2) "USGBC asserts that language in LEED supporting the highest standards of forest certification and pushing for transparency and avoidance of chemicals of concern will not be watered down during this extended process, despite unprecedented attacks from the chemical industry, which recently joined the mainstream forest products industry in seeking to undermine LEED by pushing Congress to prohibit the federal government from using it."
Frito-Lay Pledges a Major Shift Toward Natural-Gas Trucking By JIM MOTAVALLI Published: April 17, 2012 NY Times
"'The good news is that it's a win-win for us, both in terms of our sustainability strategy and reducing our costs,' Michael O'Connell, senior director of fleet capability at Frito-Lay, said in an interview. 'The payback for the extra cost of the natural gas trucks is a year and a half, so it's a little bit of a no-brainer.'"
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Headed Up Again By JOHN M. BRODER Published: April 16, 2012 NY Times
"After dropping for two years during the recession, emissions of the gases blamed for global warming rose in 2010 as the economy heated up, the Environmental Protection Agency reports."
U.S. Inches Toward Goal of Energy Independence By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and ERIC LIPTON Published: March 22, 2012 NY Times
Energy independence has been driven, not so much by interest in sustainability, but by economic factors: "Taken together, the increasing production and declining consumption have unexpectedly brought the United States markedly closer to a goal that has tantalized presidents since Richard Nixon: independence from foreign energy sources..." And the consequences to the environment have not been good (air and water pollution are cited, as well as global warming).
Cost of Green Power Makes Projects Tougher Sell By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: April 15, 2011 NY Times
"...efforts to make historically large cuts to environmental programs are also in play at the state level as legislatures and governors take aim at conservation and regulations they see as too burdensome to business interests."
Climate change denial's new offensive Published: Feb. 7, 2012 Salon
"Global warming is wreaking devastation, but Big Oil won't give up profits without a planet-destroying fight."
[Image linked from Salon.com article: "A crew member from the Nevada Department of Forestry works to control the Washoe Drive fire in Washoe City, Nev. on January 19, 2012" (Credit: Reuters/James Glover II)]
Muck and brass: Rising oil prices and falling production costs favour the extraction of oil from Alberta's tar sands. But environmental objections are fierce Published: Jan. 20, 2011 The Economist
"After a brief hiatus during the economic downturn, world oil consumption is rising again, pushing the price of a barrel towards $100... Alberta has become something of a petro-state: the oil-and-gas sector accounts for 31% of its GDP... To many critics the broader environmental legacy of the tar sands is reason enough to halt the whole endeavour."
E.P.A. Delays Tougher Rules on Emissions By JOHN M. BRODER and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG Published: December 9, 2010 NY Times
Economic growth is played against environmental protection, and guess who wins: "The Obama administration is retreating on long-delayed environmental regulations—new rules governing smog and toxic emissions from industrial boilers—as it adjusts to a changed political dynamic in Washington with a more muscular Republican opposition."
Cost of Green Power Makes Projects Tougher Sell By MATTHEW L. WALD and TOM ZELLER Jr. Published: November 7, 2010 NY Times
Wind power is becoming harder to sell; in one case "state regulators rejected the deal [involving wind-based electricity producer Invenergy], citing the recession and the lower prices of natural gas and other fossil fuels."
Solar-Panel Maker to Close a Factory and Delay Expansion By TODD WOODY Published: November 3, 2010 NY Times
Solyndra is closing an older solar plant and laying off workers, due to "intense price competition from Chinese manufacturers that use more established photovoltaic technologies." Solyndra "makes advanced thin-film solar modules that are less efficient than conventional photovoltaic modules but had been cheaper to install until prices began to fall sharply last year."
In Kansas, Climate Skeptics Embrace Cleaner Energy By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: October 18, 2010 NY Times
Kansas residents are opposed to "large-scale government intervention," but seem to be motivated to reduce use of fossil fuels based on the economics of "thrift."
Wal-Mart to Buy More Local Produce By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD Published: October 14, 2010 NY Times
Profits drive Wal-Mart interest in sustainability: "Both in the United States and globally, Wal-Mart will invest more than $1 billion to improve its supply chain for perishable food. For example, if trucks, trains and distribution centers could help farmers in Minnesota get crops to Wal-Mart more quickly, the result would be less spoiled food, a longer shelf life and presumably more profit for the farmers and for Wal-Mart."
U.S. Military Orders Less Dependence on Fossil Fuels By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: October 4, 2010 NY Times
The US military is promoting sustainable (renewable) energy so that the military's use of force is not constrained by vulnerable supply lines needed to transport oil over long distances.
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Aaron Favila/Associated Press, "Oil tankers that were set on fire in Pakistan. The convoys that haul fuel to bases have been sitting ducks for enemy fighters."]
The Clean Air Act Turns 40 By JOHN M. BRODER Published: September 14, 2010 NY Times
Costs and benefits: The Clean Air Act, always "attacked by business interests," is again "under siege" as the EPA plans to use it to limit global warming gases: EPA administrator "Jackson said that the agency would use common sense, sound science and rigorous cost-benefit analysis as it tries to reduce the volume of greenhouse gases pouring into the atmosphere."
Bin Laden Blasts US for Climate Change By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: January 29, 2010 NY Times
Osama bin Laden urges economic boycott of U.S. goods and currency to slow climate change.
Senators Want to Bar E.P.A. Greenhouse Gas Limits By JOHN M. BRODER Published: January 21, 2010 NY Times
Yes, the regulations would limit greenhouse gas production, but would "impose significant costs on the economy..." "'Make no mistake,' Ms. Murkowski said in a floor statement, 'if Congress allows this to happen there will be severe consequences.' She said businesses would be forced to close or move overseas, domestic energy production would be curtailed, housing would become more expensive and agricultural costs would rise." (linked also from Competition as carrot and stick and Governmental intervention)
LETTER:
Promoting Clean Energy By JAMES J. FLORIO Published: January 14, 2010 NY Times
"Sophisticated companies have learned that through more efficient use of fossil fuels they are reducing their costs as well as helping the environment. Reducing costs yields higher productivity, which results in greater competitiveness. In the global trade arena, competitiveness is everything..." (linked also from Competition as carrot and stick)
Forget Wind. Pickens Turns Focus to Gas. By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Published: January 13, 2010 NY Times
Oilman T. Boone Pickens pushes natural gas as a national security (anti-foreign-oil) issue. "In the old version of the plan, Mr. Pickens called on the country to build thousands of wind turbines... Now, he is playing down wind because he says it has become almost impossible to finance a wind project, largely because cheap gas has made wind power less competitive."
E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog By JOHN M. BRODER Published: January 7, 2010 NY Times
New smog rules, to be phased in over 20 years, are proposed on the basis of cost-benefit calculations: yes, implementation costs business, but then health-care costs will decline. (linked also from Governmental intervention)
Green Giant By Evan Osnos Published: December 21, 2009 The New Yorker
Decline in energy costs correlates with decline in energy research: "Ronald Reagan, however, campaigned on a pledge to abolish the Department of Energy, and, once in office, he reduced investment in research, beginning a slide that would continue for a quarter century. 'We were working on a whole slate of very innovative and interesting technologies,' [Julio] Friedmann, of the Lawrence Livermore lab, said. 'And, basically, when the price of oil dropped in 1986, we rolled up the carpet and said, "This isn't interesting anymore."'"
Clear-Cutting the Truth About Trees By BERND HEINRICH Published: December 19, 2009 NY Times
Criticism of carbon offsets and the idea that planting trees is the same as saving forests.
Negotiators at Climate Talks Face Deep Set of Fault Lines By TOM ZELLER Jr Published: December 5, 2009 NY Times
Various economic interests battle it out at climate conference
Bloomberg Drops an Effort to Cut Building Energy Use By MIREYA NAVARRO Published: December 4, 2009 NY Times
Sustainable plan for NYC will not be implemented due to cost.
Europe Bypassed on Climate Change By JAMES KANTER Published: December 1, 2009 NY Times
Economic interests prevail; European competitiveness at risk -- its political influence is low at climate conference.
Tree Harvester Offers to Save Indonesian Forest By NORIMITSU ONISHI Published: November 29, 2009 NY Times
A "giant paper and pulp company that, according to its critics, has been one of the driving forces of deforestation in Indonesia... says it wants to create a ring of industrial tree plantations..." and "receive carbon credits for doing so..."
Democrats Push Climate Bill Through Panel Without G.O.P. Debate By JOHN M. BRODER Published: November 5, 2009 NY Times
Barbara Boxer (D., CA): The bill will "move us away from foreign oil imports that cost Americans $1 billion a day, it will protect our children from pollution, create millions of clean energy jobs and stimulate billions of dollars of private investment."
Biggest Obstacle to Global Climate Deal May Be How to Pay for It By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: October 14, 2009 NY Times
Costs threaten climate agreement.
Curbing Emissions by Sealing Gas Leaks By ANDREW C. REVKIN and CLIFFORD KRAUSS Published: October 14, 2009 NY Times
Fixing leaky pipes that worsen global warming can save money.
Farm Bureau Aims to Kill Climate Bill By KATE GALBRAITH Published: October 14, 2009 NY Times
U.S. Farm Bureau efforts opposes climate bill based on self-interest.
[Image linked from NYTimes article: American Farm Bureau, "The American Farm Bureau, a large agricultural lobby, is gearing up a campaign to defeat climate legislation now pending in Congress."]
Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation) By JOHN KERRY and LINDSEY GRAHAM Published: October 10, 2009 NY Times
Op-ed promoting climate-change legislation primarily on economic and military grounds: i.e., to "revitalize our economy, protect current jobs and create new ones, safeguard our national security and reduce pollution."
Greening the White House: Executive Mansion as Symbol of Sustainability By TOD SHELTON Published: May, 2007 Journal of Architectural Education
Reagan dismantles Carter's White house solar panels: "America had turned its attention away from the promise of solar power simply because it could afford to."
Capitalism vs. Democracy By THOMAS B. EDSALL Published: January 28, 2014 NY Times
On inequality: "Thomas Piketty's new book, 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century,' described by one French newspaper as a [sic] 'a political and theoretical bulldozer,' defies left and right orthodoxy by arguing that worsening inequality is an inevitable outcome of free market capitalism."
'Freedom is About Authority': Excerpts From Giuliani Speech on Crime Published: March 20, 1994 NY Times
Rudolph Guiliani, when Mayor of New York, suggests that freedom is about force.
Preamble to U.S. Constitution Written: September 17, 1787
"...to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence [sic], promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."
Don't Burn Trees to Fight Climate Change—Let Them Grow By Bill McKibben Published: August 15, 2019 New Yorker
"…at the moment, the main way in which the world employs trees to fight climate change is by cutting them down and burning them. … While the regrowth of forests, if it happens, can eventually repay the carbon debt created by the burning of wood pellets, that payback time ranges from forty-four years to a hundred and four in forests in the eastern U.S., and, in the meantime, the carbon you've emitted can produce 'potentially irreversible impacts that may arise before the long-run benefits are realized.'"
Methane Leaks May Greatly Exceed Estimates, Report Says By JOHN SCHWARTZ Published: August 4, 2015 NY Times
Measuring becomes a political act, making hydrofracked gas look better (in terms of global warming potential) than it may actually be: "A device commonly used to measure the methane that leaks from industrial sources may greatly underestimate those emissions, said an inventor of the technology that the device relies on."
Amazon Forest Becoming Less of a Climate Change Safety Net By JUSTIN GILLIS Published: March 23, 2015 NY Times
"The ability of the Amazon forest to soak up excess carbon dioxide is weakening over time, researchers reported last week. That finding suggests that limiting climate change could be more difficult than expected."
A brief history of climate change By RICHARD BLACK Published: updated periodically BBC News
"BBC News environment correspondent Richard Black traces key milestones, scientific discoveries, technical innovations and political action."
Climate Change Doubt Is Tea Party Article of Faith By JOHN M. BRODER Published: October 20, 2010 NY Times
Speaking of climate change: "'It's a flat-out lie,' Mr. Dennison said in an interview after the debate, adding that he had based his view on the preaching of Rush Limbaugh and the teaching of Scripture. 'I read my Bible,' Mr. Dennison said. 'He made this earth for us to utilize.'"
Less Water Vapor May Slow Warming Trends By SINDYAN N. BHANOO Published: January 28, 2010 NY Times
"A decrease in water vapor concentrations in parts of the middle atmosphere has contributed to a slowing of Earth's warming, researchers are reporting."
Past Decade Warmest on Record, NASA Data Shows By JOHN M. BRODER Published: January 21, 2010 NY Times
"The decade ending in 2009 was the warmest on record..."
Global Warming By ANDREW C. REVKIN Published: frequently updated "topics" item NY Times
Overview of global warming including links to other articles.
C.I.A. Is Sharing Data With Climate Scientists By WILLIAM J. BROAD Published: January 4, 2010 NY Times
"The nation's top scientists and spies are collaborating on an effort to use the federal government's intelligence assets - including spy satellites and other classified sensors - to assess the hidden complexities of environmental change."
Hacked E-Mail Is New Fodder for Climate Dispute By ANDREW C. REVKIN Published: November 20, 2009 NY Times
Global warming science challenged as confidential emails are published.
Professor denies global warming theory By RAYMOND BRUSCA Published: Monday, January 12th, 2009 Daily Princetonian
Physics prof claims that global warming "probably has little to do with carbon dioxide, just like past warmings had little to do with carbon dioxide."
Recycling in America Is a Mess. A New Bill Could Clean It Up. By Michael Kimmelman Published: January 27, 2021 NY Times
Expanded producer responsibility, if enforced by governmental intervention, could reduce waste by encouraging recycling or—even better—encouraging less packaging or less non-recyclable packaging: "The bill is designed to get money flowing back into New York's recycling programs, with the prospect of upgrading trash-sorting technology and creating green jobs. It also provides incentives for consumer brand owners to use more recyclable materials and reduce their packaging overall."
Businesses Aim to Pull Greenhouse Gases From the Air. It's a Gamble. By Brad Plumer and Christopher Flavelle Published: January 18, 2021 NY Times
Because it may not be profitable, competing corporate entities will not pull carbon out of the air unless forced to: "Ultimately, experts say, policymakers may have to step in. In December, Congress authorized $447 million to research and demonstrate large-scale carbon removal. But many companies are unlikely to use it without legal requirements to slash emissions."
Time to Panic By David Wallace-Wells Published: February 16, 2019 NY Times
Yes, it's time to panic, since current interventions to reduce CO2 levels are not working. Instead of advocating individual action based on guilt or morality, governmental intervention is required: "But conscious consumption is a cop-out, a neoliberal diversion from collective action, which is what is necessary. People should try to live by their own values, about climate as with everything else, but the effects of individual lifestyle choices are ultimately trivial compared with what politics can achieve. Buying an electric car is a drop in the bucket compared with raising fuel-efficiency standards sharply. Conscientiously flying less is a lot easier if there's more high-speed rail around. And if I eat fewer hamburgers a year, so what? But if cattle farmers were required to feed their cattle seaweed, which might reduce methane emissions by nearly 60 percent according to one study, that would make an enormous difference."
Liberal Democrats Formally Call for a 'Green New Deal,' Giving Substance to a Rallying Cry By Lisa Friedman and Glenn Thrush Published: February 7, 2019 NY Times
"Liberal Democrats put flesh on their 'Green New Deal' slogan on Thursday with a sweeping resolution intended to redefine the national debate on climate change by calling for the United States to eliminate additional emissions of carbon by 2030." In other words, the problem of climate change will only be solved, if at all, through massive governmental intervention, given the catchy name of a "Green New Deal." Also see this op-ed from Feb. 14, 2019.
U.S. Carbon Emissions Surged in 2018 Even as Coal Plants Closed By Brad Plumer Published: January 8, 2019 NY Times
Governmental intervention is required to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. According to "Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University ... 'Markets alone will not deliver anywhere close to the pace of decarbonization needed without much stronger climate policy efforts that are unfortunately stalled if not reversed under the Trump administration.'"
Fixing the Climate Requires More Than Technology By Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway Published: October 16, 2018 NY Times
Responding to climate change will require governmental intervention, myths of the "efficiency" of the market notwithstanding. The history of introducing new technologies shows that governmental intervention is typically needed: "Right now, government is widely seen as inefficient and ineffective, and our needs are thought to be best addressed by the private sector, through entrepreneurship, venture capital and Silicon Valley-style 'disruption.' But unless we acknowledge the need for a substantial government role, we are going to be stuck, because change driven solely by the marketplace is unlikely to suffice."
Major Climate Report Describes a Strong Risk of Crisis as Early as 2040 By Coral Davenport Published: October 7, 2018 NY Times
Averting catastrophe from climate change is possible, but will require massive governmental intervention that is "politically unlikely" to occur. "A landmark report from the United Nations' scientific panel on climate change paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding the damage requires transforming the world economy at a speed and scale that has 'no documented historic precedent.' ... The report details the economic damage expected should governments fail to enact policies to reduce emissions."
California Will Be First State to Mandate Net Zero New Homes in 2020 By PIERRE DELFORGE Published: February 23, 2018 Code Watcher
California will require solar panels and net-zero electric use for residential buildings: "Under this proposed code, new buildings will be efficient enough that their electricity use can be offset by a modest number of solar panels. Consequently, for the first time, building energy standards will take on another role: in 2020 they will require that rooftop solar panels be installed on new single-family homes and low-rise multi-family buildings to offset the home's expected annual electricity use and achieve 'zero-net electricity' status."
A Landmark California Climate Program Is in Jeopardy By JUSTIN GILLIS and CHRIS BUSCH Published: December 12, 2017 NY Times
California is encountering problems with its "cap and trade" program: "So in the 2020s, when California's emissions limits are scheduled to get much tighter, the stockpile effectively means that many businesses will be able to stay within the more stringent caps by using their old permits, which will allow them to spew more greenhouse gases into the air than the policy intended."
The Conservative Case for Solar Subsidies By BEN HO Published: January 5, 2016 NY Times
Even conservative economists find reasons to support governmental intervention to subsidize (incentivize) solar power: "New developments often face two market gaps that can potentially delay or even kill them: the 'technological valley of death,' in which promising advances hit a technical brick wall, and the 'commercialization valley of death,' in which an effective technology can't get to market. Government research labs and subsidies have supported a number of forms of energy — from nuclear energy, to hydraulic fracturing, to photovoltaic solar — through these troughs."
To Achieve Paris Climate Goals, U.S. Will Need New Laws By DAVID GELLES Published: December 19, 2015 NY Times
The global warming agreement in Paris won't work without substantial governmental intervention: "But the accord's lofty goals won't be achieved without large corporations making big changes. And while many companies have welcomed the deal and voluntarily pledged to cut emissions, the sweeping reforms required to avert a sharp rise in global temperatures will almost certainly require substantial new government regulations." [Emphasis added.]
In California, Stingy Water Users Are Fined in Drought, While the Rich Soak By IAN LOVETT Published: November 21, 2015 NY Times
In California, some poor people are fined for using too much water, while some rich people are allowed to use incredible amounts of water, in particular to maintain their swimming pools. "This wide disparity in enforcement is testimony to California's vast and chaotic system for moving water from reservoirs and underground systems to homes. There are 411 separate water districts — some public, some private — and each of these local utilities has been charged with devising its own rules for saving water during the drought." Note that the delegation of enforcement to local communities is not accidental: such policies are designed to allow people in rich communities to live in the style to which they have become accustomed.
The Tough Realities of the Paris Climate Talks By STEVEN E. KOONIN Published: November 4, 2015 NY Times
The upcoming Paris talks on climate change won't avert a disastrous increase in global temperatures, so that adaptation is the only viable strategy at this point. In other words, governments are not prepared to implement more dramatic measures to curtail global warming gases.
Paying for Solar Power By DAVID ROTMAN Published: August 17, 2015 MIT Technology Review
"Fears about what will happen when the tax breaks decrease are fueled by an unfortunate reality: in most locations and under most conditions, unsubsidized solar power is still far too expensive to compete with other sources of electricity. And rooftop solar is especially expensive. Subsidies and other government incentives are the reason the solar market is booming. If technologies were chosen purely on the basis of what it costs to produce power, 'there isn't a market for residential solar,' says Severin Borenstein, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on electricity economics. Without government incentives for clean energy like solar, he says, 'natural gas wipes everything else away.'"
Obama's Strategy on Climate Change, Part of Global Deal, Is Revealed By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: March 31, 2015 NY Times
"At the heart of the plan are ambitious but politically contentious Environmental Protection Agency regulations meant to drastically cut planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's cars and coal-fired power plants."
McConnell Urges States to Help Thwart Obama's 'War on Coal'
By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: March 19, 2015 NY Times
"Using its existing authority, the E.P.A. will require each state to submit an individual plan for cutting emissions from power plants. Ultimately, the success or failure of the plan will depend on how — and if — states comply with the rules. It will also depend on the courts. Coal-dependent states and coal mining companies are already planning legal challenges to the regulations."
Farmers Put Down the Plow for More Productive Soil By ERICA GOODE Published: March 9, 2015 NY Times
"The Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay under the Clean Water Act in 2010, Mr. Buffett said, should also be 'a wake-up call that the E.P.A. is coming soon' and if farmers do not address fertilizer runoff, the government will do it for them."
Is the Environment a Moral Cause? By ROBB WILLER Published: Feb. 27, 2015 NY Times
This is a rather bizarre op-ed suggesting that political change (e.g., governmental intervention to combat global warming) comes about because of people's moral views, and that those views can be altered by the "coded" words comprising moral arguments: "The next wave of moral arguments for environmental reform will need to look very different from the last, if they are to be maximally effective."
Good Riddance to the Foam Take-Out Carton By MARK BITTMAN Published: January 28, 2015 NY Times
Polystyrene packaging is increasingly being outlawed by governmental intervention (legislation) and is "already banned, or will be, in over 100 jurisdictions in the United States, including the District of Columbia; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Minneapolis and San Francisco, and some 90 other municipalities in California. But the New York City move may signal the death knell for the stuff most of us call by its common (and technically misapplied) name, Styrofoam."
Corporate-wide Settlement with Lowe's Protects Public from Lead Pollution During Home Renovations Published: April 17, 2014 EPA
"Lowe's Home Centers, one of the nation's largest home improvement retailers, has agreed to implement a comprehensive, corporate-wide compliance program at its over 1,700 stores nationwide to ensure that the contractors it hires to perform work minimize lead dust from home renovation activities, as required by the federal Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule..."
As Obama Vows to Act on Climate Change, Justices Weigh His Approach By ADAM LIPTAK Published: Feb. 19, 2014 NY Times
Can the executive branch use the Clean Air Act to regulate global warming gases? Only the Supreme Court knows for sure. Is this tactic "one of the most brazen power grabs ever attempted by an administrative agency," or not? Stay tuned...
China Panel Makers Turn Solar Farmers to Counter Glut By BLOOMBERG NEWS Published: January 30, 2014 Bloomberg
"State planners in Beijing are pushing the expansion [of solar panels] with the China Development Bank Corp. extending 7.57 billion yuan ($1.25 billion) in new loans since December, the same system the nation used to wrest control of solar panel manufacturing away from German, U.S. and Japanese companies in the last decade."
Eminent Domain: A Long Shot Against Blight By SHAILA DEWAN Published: January 11, 2014 NY Times
Liberal governmental intervention up against economic "blackmail" as banks resist a proposal that could assist urban neighborhoods: "Ms. McLaughlin has a plan to help the many Richmond residents who owe more money on their houses than their houses are worth... But the financial institutions have warned that mortgage lending would halt in any city that tried eminent domain — and they have lobbied Congress to ensure that the threat is not an empty one."
Solar Power Craze on Wall St. Propels Start-Up By DIANE CARDWELL and JULIE CRESWELL Published: January 3, 2014 NY Times
"Utilities are furiously working to undo the incentives that have fueled the solar industry's growth. A generous federal tax credit is set to shrink in a few years. It has attracted the attention of regulators, who have questioned the way it values the rooftop systems" (emphasis added).
Defense Authorization Act Lifts Ban on LEED Gold and Platinum By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: December 31, 2013 NY Times
"Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and other instruments of the Department of Defense own and operate 299,000 buildings and 211,000 additional structures, making it the largest owner of buildings in North America, but it is also the owner of more green buildings and more LEED certified buildings than anyone else. In the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal 2012, section 2830(b)(1) provided, 'No funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2012 may be obligated or expended for achieving any LEED gold or platinum certification.' But this restriction was repealed in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2014: "...the real winners are all those participating in the environmental industrial complex."
Wyoming May Act to Plug Abandoned Wells as Natural Gas Boom Ends By DAN FROSCH Published: December 24, 2013 NY Times
"The state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission already budgets $1 million a year to plug abandoned wells. And under the governor's proposal, the commission would appropriate another $3 million over the next four years in an effort to restore property value and reduce the risk of contamination. The money would come from a conservation tax that oil and gas companies pay."
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Tim Kupsick/Casper Star-Tribune, "A well site in Campbell County, Wyo., in 2009. More than 1,200 drilling operations have been abandoned in the state, with more casualties expected."]
Efforts to improve the efficiency of natural gas furnaces have chilled By STEVE EVERLY Published: December 23, 2013 Kansas City Star
"Energy efficiency is determined by how much energy stored in a fuel is used. Under the current standard for natural gas furnaces, the appliances must turn into heat at least 78 percent of the energy in each unit of natural gas. The proposed standard would raise that to 90 percent for new furnaces installed in northern states, including Missouri and Kansas. The standard for southern states would remain essentially unchanged at 80 percent... But the American Public Gas Association did file a lawsuit. The group said the waiver was unworkable in part because of the training that would be required for furnace installers. The lawsuit was the last straw for the Department of Energy, which in a settlement earlier this year announced it would drop the proposed standard and start over."
Tax meat to cut methane emissions, say scientists By Adam Vaughan Published: December 20, 2013 The Guardian
"Meat should be taxed to encourage people to eat less of it, so reducing the production of global warming gases from sheep, cattle and goats, according to a group of scientists. Several high-profile figures, from the chief of the UN's climate science panel to the economist Lord Stern, have previously advocated eating less meat to tackle global warming."
Large Companies Prepared to Pay Price on Carbon By CORAL DAVENPORT Published: December 5, 2013 NY Times
Big oil and other corporations anticipate governmental intervention to reduce the impacts of global warming (or to create a more competitive energy mix for the future) — perhaps in the form of a carbon tax — and are factoring such action into their longterm financial calculations.
USDA, EPA Partnership Supports Water Quality Trading To Benefit Environment, Economy Release date: December 3, 2013 United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]
The US government is intervening to create a "market" so that water polluters can calculate whether it pays to reduce their pollution or simply buy "credits" from others: "Water quality trading provides a cost-effective approach for regulated entities to comply with EPA Clean Water Act requirements, including water quality-based effluent limits in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. Trading would allow regulated entities to purchase and use pollutant reduction credits generated by other sources in a watershed. Cost savings and other economic incentives are key motivators for parties engaged in trading. Water quality trading can also provide additional environmental and economic benefits, such as air quality improvements, enhanced wildlife habitat, carbon capture and storage, and new income and employment opportunities for rural America."
U.S. Revives Aid Program for Clean Energy By DIANE CARDWELL Published: September 19, 2013 NY Times
"The Obama administration has decided to revive a controversial loan guarantee program at the Energy Department, administration officials said on Thursday, even as the program remains under Congressional scrutiny after losing hundreds of millions in taxpayer money on investments in failed green energy start-ups like the solar module maker Solyndra."
Wall St. Exploits Ethanol Credits, and Prices Spike By GRETCHEN MORGENSON and ROBERT GEBELOFF Published: September 13, 2013 NY Times
Governmental intervention exploited for profit: "It was supposed to help clean the air, reduce dependence on foreign oil and bolster agriculture. But a little known market in ethanol credits has also become a hot new game on Wall Street...Traders for big banks and other financial institutions, these people say, amassed millions of the credits just as refiners were looking to buy more of them to meet an expanding federal requirement."
Standard 189.1 Deemed Compliance Option For IGCC; ICC Announces Availability Of New Green Code By "PUBLIC RELATIONS" Published: March 28, 2012 ASHRAE
The ASHRAE-developed green building code is still not widely adopted by states or municipalities, but the option to use it, where available, will be given to owner/developers rather than to the Code enforcement agencies: "Standard 189.1 [Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings] now serves as a compliance option with the newly published IgCC, developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and endorsed by cooperating sponsors ASTM International and the American Institute of Architects. The change allows permit applicants -- rather than the authorities having jurisdiction -- the option to use Standard 189.1 as the path of compliance. In earlier versions of the IgCC, Standard 189.1 was deemed a 'jurisdictional compliance option,' meaning code jurisdictions had to choose between the provisions of Standard 189.1 and the IgCC in determining which compliance path to take."
Taming Unruly Wind Power By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: November 4, 2011 NY Times
Intervention at a regional level, rather than reliance on market-driven individual action, is described as "Big Brother control." Here, ideology runs into reality: "...with the rise of wind energy, utilities in the Pacific Northwest are sometimes dealing with the opposite: moments when there is too much electricity for the grid to soak up... So in a novel pilot project, they have recruited consumers to draw in excess electricity when that happens, storing it in a basement water heater or a space heater outfitted by the utility."
Chemicals in Farm Runoff Rattle States on the Mississippi By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: June 2, 2011 NY Times
Agricultural chemical run-off is causing a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups have pressed for governmental intervention, but nothing has happened. Voluntary action has been shown to be ineffective: "...'We have tried solely voluntary mechanisms to reduce this pollution for a decade and have only seen the dead zone get bigger.'"
A Solar Installation Spree as the Deadline for Federal Grants Approaches By ALISON GREGOR Published: November 30, 2010 NY Times
"Owners of commercial buildings are rushing in such numbers to meet an end-of-the-year deadline for a federal Treasury grant program for solar energy installations that inventories of some equipment have dried up, solar energy experts said."
A Novel Tactic in Climate Fight Gains Some Traction By JOHN M. BRODER Published: November 8, 2010 NY Times
The US supported the Montreal Protocol to eliminate ozone-depleting gases, but did not support the Kyoto Protocol on global warming (climate change). Now, there are proposals to use the structure of the Montreal Protocol to deal with some climate change issues by eliminating HFCs. "HFCs replaced even more dangerous ozone-depleting chemicals known as HCFCs, themselves a substitute for the chlorofluorocarbons that were the first big target of the Montreal [Protocol] process" adopted in 1987.
Solar Power Projects Face Potential Hurdles By TODD WOODY Published: October 28, 2010 NY Times
Solar plants rely on various governmental subsidies (grants, loan guarantees). However: "Without continued government incentives that vastly reduce the risks to investors, solar companies planning another dozen or so plants say they may not be able to raise enough capital to proceed."
New Tactic in California for Paying Pollution Bill By FELICITY BARRINGER Published: October 17, 2010 NY Times
"Faced with a fine of at least $29 million for exceeding federal ozone limits, the San Joaquin Valley's air quality regulators are proposing an annual surcharge of $10 to $24 on registration fees for the region's 2.7 million cars and trucks beginning next year."
Obama's Haste On Resumed Offshore Drilling By ANDREW REVKIN Published: October 12, 2010 NY Times
"...Obama is clearly weighing a broad range of costs and benefits, both political and environmental, in every move... My frustration is with his persistent unwillingness to firmly cast his moves on oil -- including today's announcement -- in the broader context of the sustained energy quest that will be needed, here and around the world, to avoid hard knocks in coming decades as human numbers, appetites and environmental impacts crest."
A Climate Proposal Beyond Cap and Trade By DAVID LEONHARDT Published: October 12, 2010 NY Times
Discussing the apparent death of cap and trade legislation: "These proposals reflect the political reality that raising the cost of dirty energy is unpopular, especially when the economy is so weak. Finding the money to make clean energy cheaper, even when government budgets are tight, will probably be an easier sell."
In Big Oil Texas, Democrat Looks to Sun And Wind By REUTERS Published: October 11, 2010 NY Times
"In a state whose heavy refining and petroleum-extraction industries are firmly in the cross-hairs of carbon-reduction legislation being pursued by some Democrats in Congress, both White and Perry [Texas politicians] have opposed "cap-and-trade" schemes that would set limits on heat-trapping carbon emissions." Even so, politicians use state incentives to encourage wind and solar.
Solar Power Plants to Rise on U.S. Land By FELICITY BARRINGER Published: October 5, 2010 NY Times
"California utilities are currently required to meet a state mandate that they generate 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020... Federal stimulus grants and federal loan guarantees could underwrite as much as hundreds of millions of dollars or more of the $2.1 billion Imperial Valley plant... The decision also follows a long series of setbacks for climate and energy legislation in Congress. After passage of a House bill last year, efforts to advance a major emissions-reducing bill through the Senate collapsed over the summer for lack of votes linked to fears of a voter backlash."
New Role Proposed for U.N. in Combating Global Warming By JAMES KANTER Published: October 1, 2010 NY Times
Given that governmental intervention to reduce global warming (climate change) "seems out of reach," perhaps the U.N. can serve a useful purpose by writing a "rule book" for monitoring policy implementation.
In Portland, Growing Vertical By WILLIAM YARDLEY Published: January 30, 2010 NY Times
Government intervention to promote "sustainable" building? "In December, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, both Republicans, criticized the cost of the project and ranked it second on a list of what they called the 100 worst stimulus-financed projects."
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Scott Baumberger/SERA Architects, "An architectural rendering of the trellises designed to shade the western facade of the main federal building in Portland, Ore."]
Affordable, energy-efficient duplex showcased in Ithaca By KRISY GASHLER Published: January 28, 2010 NY Times
Describes energy-efficient housing for low-income residents in Ithaca, NY, funded in part by stimulus money. (linked also from Technologies)
Courts as Battlefields in Climate Fights By JOHN SCHWARTZ Published: January 26, 2010 NY Times
Discusses growing success of litigation as tool to implement climate policy
EDITORIAL:
The Case for a Climate Bill Published: January 23, 2010 NY Times
Governmental intervention, in the form of a carbon tax of some kind, is required to "unlock the investments required to transform the way the country produces and delivers energy..."
Senators Want to Bar E.P.A. Greenhouse Gas Limits By JOHN M. BRODER Published: January 21, 2010 NY Times
Competition could drive away jobs: Yes, the regulations would limit greenhouse gas production, but would "impose significant costs on the economy..." "'Make no mistake,' Ms. Murkowski said in a floor statement, 'if Congress allows this to happen there will be severe consequences.' She said businesses would be forced to close or move overseas, domestic energy production would be curtailed, housing would become more expensive and agricultural costs would rise." (linked also from Economics to delay or promote green things and Competition as carrot and stick)
E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog By JOHN M. BRODER Published: January 7, 2010 NY Times
New smog rules, to be phased in over 20 years, are proposed on the basis of cost-benefit calculations: yes, implementation costs business, but then health-care costs will decline. (linked also from Economics to delay or promote green things)
Green and Greener in Suburban Towns By MIREYA NAVARRO Published: October 9, 2009 NY Times
Towns are promoting green building through various programs and incentives.
The "Whale Oil Myth" By PAUL SOLMAN Posted: August 20, 2008 PBS NewsHour
A discussion of whether governmental policy (subsidies) encouraged the development of the oil industry; with some interesting facts about the use and disuse of whale oil. Quotes Prof. Bill Kovarik: "As arcane as it may seem, the whale oil myth is a good illustration of the ongoing debate over energy policy. It matters because the implication that conservative economists draw from the 'whale oil myth' is that the invisible hand of the marketplace is appropriately the main (if not only) driving force behind change in energy use. Liberals see a stronger role for government." Also refers to this NY Times article by Peter Applebome: They Used to Say Whale Oil Was Indispensable, Too
Germany Debates Subsidies for Solar Industry By MARK LANDLER Published: May 16, 2008 NY Times
"Solar-energy entrepreneurs warn that reducing incentives will deprive Germany of its pole position in an industry of the future. As proof, they point to the United States and Japan, which were once solar stars but have faded as their government subsidies became less enticing."
Business Lobby Presses Agenda Before'08 Vote By ROBERT PEAR Published: December 2, 2007 NY Times
The idea that business interests and their moral counterparts develop different arguments about governmental intervention is hardly controversial.
Household 'green' products pose health hazards: study NO BYLINE Published: March 8, 2015 Business Standard (Melbourne)
"Findings show that emissions of carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants from 'green' fragranced products were not significantly different from regular fragranced products."
Oxymoronic Award Winner: "Sustainable Shale" By CHIP NORTHRUP Published: April 14, 2014 No Fracking Way
Meanwhile, here at Cornell: "The head fracking shill of the 'Sustainable Shale' PR front — funded by the frackers for the benefit of the frackers — is going to try to explain himself — and how scraping the bottom of the hydrocarbon barrel is 'sustainable' in any shape form, fashion or tortured syntax whatsoever. Classic Orwellian Doublespeak — Evidently they didn't teach '1984' at engineering school. Should be a hoot. Tex sez check it out." And for a more mainstream reaction, see Bloomberg Business Week from January 22, 2014: "But not everyone is on board. Environmental groups like the Sierra Club have criticized the center's efforts, saying it isn't meaningful and that a voluntary program is no substitute for tough state or federal rules." A letter criticizing the Environmental Defense Fund (pdf) for joining the so-called Center for Sustainable Shale Development was signed by numerous green groups, accusing the EDF of participating in a greenwashing scheme.
Nations That Debate Coal Use Export It to Feed China's Need By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: November 17, 2009 NY Times
A form of greenwashing, to the extent that an alleged switch to "clean" energy sources masks a "hidden" reality: "At ports in Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Colombia and South Africa, ships are lining up to load coal for furnaces in China, which has evolved virtually overnight from a coal exporter to one of the world's leading purchasers."
Paying More for Flights Eases Guilt, Not Emissions By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: November 17, 2009 NY Times
Offsets don't help and and may hurt: "It's seductive to the consumer who says, 'It's $4 and I'm carbon-neutral, so I can fly all I want.'"
Energy Star Appliances May Not All Be Efficient, Audit Finds By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: October 18, 2009 NY Times
Not all Energy Star products save energy.
Buying Into the Green Movement By ALEX WILLIAMS Published: July 1, 2007 NY Times
"It's as though the millions of people whom environmentalists have successfully prodded to be concerned about climate change are experiencing a SnackWell's moment: confronted with a box of fat-free devil's food chocolate cookies, which seem deliciously guilt-free, they consume the entire box, avoiding any fats but loading up on calories."
Think You're Making a Difference? Think Again Accessed: December 22, 2009 ARCHITECTURE2030
"Wal-Mart is investing a half billion dollars to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of their existing buildings by 20% over the next seven years. If every Wal-Mart Supercenter met this target...
The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just one month of operation each year, would negate this entire effort."
The rush to 'go electric' comes with a hidden cost: destructive lithium mining By Thea Riofrancos Published: June 146, 2021 The Guardian
Mining for lithium, a necessary ingredient in the production of batteries for things like electric vehicles, has negative environmental impacts: "The entire process uses enormous quantities of water in an already parched environment. As a result, freshwater is less accessible to the 18 indigenous Atacameño communities that live on the flat's perimeter, and the habitats of species such as Andean flamingoes have been disrupted. This situation is exacerbated by climate breakdown-induced drought and the effects of extracting and processing copper, of which Chile is the world's top producer. Compounding these environmental harms, the Chilean state has not always enforced indigenous people's right to prior consent."
The 'Green Energy' That Might Be Ruining the Planet By Michael Grunwald Published: March 26, 2021 Politico.com
Is biomass really green? "If a tree falls in a forest—and then it's driven to a mill, where it's chopped and chipped and compressed into wood pellets, which are then driven to a port and shipped across the ocean to be burned for electricity in European power plants—does it warm the planet?"
The Enormous Risk of Atmospheric Hacking By Bill McKibben Published: Feb. 18, 2021 New Yorker
With respect to geoengineering: "It seems clear that the thing we need to test first is not aerosol-spewing balloons but our ability as a species to rein ourselves in, and it also seems clear that the next decade is the time for that test. If we fail, then perhaps we deserve to stare pathetically at a white sky."
This Building Doesn't Need A/C: The Building Itself Is An Air Conditioner By BEN SCHILLER Published: October 29, 2015 Fast Company
"So developers and architects should be pretty happy with Ben Bronsema's idea for a building that has no electric air conditioning at all... The system is based on the principle of a climate cascade. At the top, wind turbines bring air into a chute that runs right down through the building. As it enters, it's sprayed by streams of water. At the foot of the cascade, the building distributes cooled air to the rooms. Then on the other side is a solar chimney, which, as it's warmed by the sun, lifts heated air up and out of the building again."
Natural refrigeration gains ground, but obstacles remain By Andrew Gaved Published: March 31, 2015 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Magazine
"Supermarket end-users reported a key development, with the first successful year's operation of transcritical carbon dioxide refrigeration systems in warmer climates. Ambient temperatures above 20 deg C, previously considered unfeasible for transcritical CO2, now appear to be not only achievable but cost-effective, thanks to recently developed parallel compression and ejector technology."
The Passive House in New York By ALISON GREGOR Published: March 27, 2015 NY Times
"Passive buildings maintain a comfortable interior climate without active heating and cooling systems — that means no more radiators or air-conditioning units for people who live in environments more temperate than New York's. This is done using, among other things, an airtight building envelope and a system that exchanges interior and exterior air, usually an energy recovery ventilator. In New York, small heating and cooling systems are generally included in passive homes."
EPA Proposes Approval of New Climate-Friendly Refrigerants / Proposal supports president's Climate Action Plan by curbing emissions of potent greenhouse gases By JENNIFER COLAIZZI [contact] Published: June 27, 2014 United States Environmental Protection Agency
New refrigerants are being developed (and being accepted by the EPA) that reduce global warming potential while still having low ozone depletion potential: "After receiving input from industry, environmental groups, and others, EPA is proposing to list additional low GWP hydrocarbon refrigerants in six refrigeration and air conditioning applications."
This origami-like lightbulb may be the world's most energy efficient By TERRENCE LEE Published: April 18, 2014 TechInAsia
A new LED light bulb design: "Nanoleaf's LED bulb is a geeky origami project — its body is made of folded silicon instead of glass. According to the company, this design makes it extremely energy efficient... With every component designed from scratch, the bulb brings 87 percent energy savings compared to the existing LED variety. It produces 133 lumens-per-watts, almost double the efficiency of Philips' 22-watt bulb."
The Navy's Plan to Beam Down Energy From Orbiting Solar Panels By Allen McDuffee Published: March 17, 2014 Wired
The Pentagon — the world's largest oil user — is developing space-based PV collectors to capture solar energy in orbiting satellites, hoping to send the energy back to earth in the form of radio waves. Some of the projected assemblies will be huge — as long as a kilometer.
[Image linked from Wired.com article: image from US Navy, no caption]
Water-Cleaning Technology Could Help Farmers By TODD WOODY Published: Feb. 16, 2014 NY Times
"The giant solar receiver installed on a wheat field here in California's agricultural heartland slowly rotates to track the sun and capture its energy. The 377-foot array, however, does not generate electricity but instead creates heat used to desalinate water." And the Times published an Op-Ed by SETH M. SIEGEL on the same day, dealing with the same issue (desalinization), but examined from a political standpoint in the context of Israeli technical innovations and Mideast conflicts: Israeli Water, Mideast Peace? Perhaps unsurprisingly, neither article referred to any of the "innovations" mentioned in the other article.
Start-Up Uses Plant Seeds for a Biofuel By TODD WOODY Published: December 24, 2012 NY Times
"SGB is growing hybrid strains of the plant [jatropha] that produce biofuel in quantities that it says are competitive with petroleum priced at $99 a barrel. Oil is around $100 a barrel."
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times, "Robert Schmidt, left, SGB's chief scientist; Eric Mathur, chief technologist; and Kirk Haney, chief executive, with a jatropha bush."]
Energy Department to Give $226 Million to Support Nuclear Reactor Design By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: December 12, 2013 NY Times
"The Energy Department will give a small company in Corvallis, Ore., up to $226 million to advance the design of tiny nuclear reactors that would be installed under water, making meltdown far less likely and opening the door to markets around the world where the reactors now on the market are too big for local power grids."
Liquid Fuel, From the Sun By ANNALEE NEWITZ Published: September 19, 2013 The New Yorker
"The red stick was a piece of what could one day be the heart of a solar fuel generator that converts water, light, and atmospheric carbon into liquid fuel, with oxygen as its only byproduct. Built out of nano-thin layers of semiconductors that can rip water molecules into their constituent parts — hydrogen and oxygen — it rearranges their electrons into hydrogen atoms before spitting out the free oxygen that's left over... Inventing a machine that behaves the way plants have for billions of years, but more efficiently, required creating a new kind of laboratory: the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), in Berkeley... JCAP's work is so promising that it is one of five labs in the country anointed by the Department of Energy as an 'Energy Innovation Hub,' for which it received a five-year, hundred-and-twenty-two-million-dollar grant."
SolarCity to back up solar with Tesla batteries By JONATHAN FAHEY Published: December 5, 2013 BloombergBusinessWeek
"The number of large-scale projects to capture and bury carbon dioxide has fallen to 65 from 75 over the last year, a worldwide survey has found, despite a consensus among scientists and engineers that such projects are essential to meet international goals for slowing the buildup of climate-changing gases... Carbon capture, though, has attracted opposition from people who oppose coal mining, itself environmentally damaging, and others who worry about injecting carbon dioxide deep below the earth's surface. Among the problems, the report said, is a lack of support for projects that demonstrate new technologies."
Despite Climate Concern, Global Study Finds Fewer Carbon Capture Projects By ALEX WILLIAMS Published: October 10, 2013 NY Times
"It's as though the millions of people whom environmentalists have successfully prodded to be concerned about climate change are experiencing a SnackWell's moment: confronted with a box of fat-free devil's food chocolate cookies, which seem deliciously guilt-free, they consume the entire box, avoiding any fats but loading up on calories."
One Building, One City: World's tallest prefab, Sky City, is breaking ground in June By LLOYD ALTER Published: May 14, 2013 Treehugger.com
"By going up, hundreds of acres of land are saved from being turned into roads and parking lots. By using elevators instead of cars to get to schools, businesses and recreational facilities, thousands of cars are taken off the roads and thousands of hours of commuting time are saved. It makes sense; vertical distances between people are a whole lot shorter than the horizontal, and elevators are about the most energy efficient moving devices made. A resident of Sky City is using 1/100th the average land per person."
How Green Are Electric Cars? Depends on Where You Plug In By PAUL STENQUIST Published: April 13, 2012 NY Times
"The U.C.S. [Union of Concerned Scientists] report, which takes into account the full cycle of energy production, often called a well-to-wheels analysis, demonstrates that in areas where the electric utility relies on natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric or renewable sources to power its generators, the potential for electric cars and plug-in hybrids to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is great. But where generators are powered by burning a high percentage of coal, electric cars may not be even as good as the latest gasoline models -- and far short of the thriftiest hybrids."
[Image linked from NYTimes article: Nissan North America, "The Nissan Leaf was one of the models used to compare the greenhouse gases produced to charge electric vehicles in different parts of the country."]
As 'Yuck Factor' Subsides, Treated Wastewater Flows From Taps By FELICITY BARRINGER Published: February 9, 2012 NY Times
"First, wastewater is filtered through string-like microfibers with holes smaller than bacteria and protozoa. Then it goes through reverse osmosis, an energy-intensive process forcing the water through plastic membranes that remove most molecules that are not water. Finally, it is dosed with hydrogen peroxide and exposed to ultraviolet light, a double-disinfectant process... Some people are still put off. Virginia Soderberg, 91, president of the Convair Garden Club in San Diego, called reclaimed water 'the end of the world. I wouldn't even want my cat to drink it.'"
Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Backing By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: October 12, 2010 NY Times Brazil Eyes Microchips In Trees For Forest Management By REUTERS Published: October 11, 2010 NY Times Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic By JOHN MARKOFF Published: October 9, 2010 NY Times Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green? By TOM ZELLER Jr. Published: September 25, 2010 NY Times [Image linked from NYTimes article: Herb Swanson for The NY Times, "Barbara and Steven Landau, with their sons, Nathan and Zack, are building an energy-efficient home to the passive-house standard, which relies on insulation, sunlight and an airtight exterior."] Recharging Your Cellphone, Mother Nature's Way By ANNE EISENBERG Published: January 30, 2010 NY Times Obama Acts to Ease Way to Construct Reactors By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: January 29, 2010 NY Times Affordable, energy-efficient duplex showcased in Ithaca By KRISY GASHLER Published: January 28, 2010 NY Times Turning Trash Piles Into a Bird-Watcher's Paradise By JAMES BARRON Published: January 25, 2010 NY Times China Tries a New Tack to Go Solar By KEITH BRADSHER Published: January 8, 2010 NY Times Refitted to Bury Emissions, Plant Draws Attention By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: September 21, 2009 NY Times Many Faces, and Phases, of Steel in Cars By HENRY FOUNTAIN Published: September 14, 2009 NY Times No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in 'Passive Houses' By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL Published: December 26, 2008 NY Times The Dirty Water Underground By GREGORY DICUM Published: May 31, 2007 NY Times From Lake Depths, a Blast of Cool for Consumers By CHANTAL MARTINEAU Published: August 29, 2005 The Washington Post EPA Announces New Initiative To Conserve Whatever's Left Published: April 2, 2014 the Onion Environmental Ad Campaign Encourages Turning Shower Off After Showering Published: Nov. 19, 2012 the Onion [Image linked from the Onion article: no caption] And just to demonstrate that truth is stranger than fiction (or satire), here is Cornell's version of a sustainability campaign for it's showerers: Showering advice at Helen Newman Hall, Cornell University (photo by J. Ochshorn. Jan. 2010) Report: Global Warming May Be Irreversible By 2006 Published: Dec. 5, 2011 the Onion Report: Global Warming Issue From 2 Or 3 Years Ago May Still Be Problem Published: Nov. 10. 2010 the Onion New Eco-Friendly Cigarettes Kill Destructive Human Beings Over Time Published: June 1, 2010 the Onion [Image from the Onion article: no caption] Copyright
"Google and a New York financial firm have each agreed to invest heavily in a proposed $5 billion transmission backbone for future offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Seaboard that could ultimately transform the region's electrical map."
Certification: "The chips [attached to trees] allow land owners using sustainable forestry practices to distinguish their wood from that acquired through illegal logging that each year destroys swathes of the forest... The project is part of a growing trend toward lumber certification that gives buyers a guarantee the wood was produced without damaging the forest it came from."
"There is their potential to reduce fuel consumption by eliminating heavy-footed stop-and-go drivers and, given the reduced possibility of accidents, to ultimately build more lightweight vehicles... Because the robot cars would eventually be less likely to crash, they could be built lighter, reducing fuel consumption." Also, cars could be spaced closer together, so less highway lanes would be needed.
Passive homes (highly insulated, little air leakage, heat exchangers for fresh air), common in Germany, seem difficult to build in the US.
A new "technology uses a photosensitive dye to start its energy production, much the way leaves use chlorophyll to begin photosynthesis."
Nuclear power officially back on the agenda.
Describes energy-efficient housing for low-income residents in Ithaca, NY, funded in part by stimulus money. (linked also from Governmental intervention)
Describes how the world's largest landfill site is being converted to a park.
"China is taking tentative steps to master another alternative energy industry: using mirrors to capture sunlight, produce steam and generate electricity."
Describes an experiment to capture and bury carbon dioxide otherwise emitted from coal-fired power plant.
Describes the advanced science/engineering and the combinations of different grades of steel in U.S. cars to meet crash and fuel efficiency standards.
Describes German passive houses with tight envelopes and sophisticated heat exchangers.
Describes the Greywater Guerrillas, "a team focused on promoting and installing clandestine plumbing systems that recycle gray water."
Describes Lake Source Cooling, including Cornell's system.Satire
"In an effort to forestall the nation's decline in biodiversity and ecological resources, representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an expansive new initiative Wednesday aimed at the conservation of whatever's left."
"The Environmental Protection Agency launched a major new ad campaign Monday encouraging people to conserve resources by turning off their showers when they're not showering."
"A new report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned Monday [2011] that global warming is likely to become completely irreversible if no successful effort is made to slow down the trend before 2006."
"According to a report released this week by the Center for Global Development, climate change, the popular mid-2000s issue that raised awareness of the fact that the earth's continuous rise in temperature will have catastrophic ecological effects, has apparently not been resolved, and may still be a problem."
"Executives at Philip Morris USA this week unveiled Marlboro Earth, a new eco-friendly cigarette that gradually eliminates the causes of global warming and environmental destruction at their source [i.e., by killing humans]."
