Increase of Global CO2 Emissions Alarming

USA Today reported today on a recent study by Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology that during the 1990's, emissions of carbon dioxide rose about 1.3% per year. But the rate of emissions after 2000 increased to 3.3% per year.

The growing global economy is fueling an increase in fossil fuels burned and an increase in the manufacturing of cement, both of which contribute to rising carbon emissions. In 2000, 7 billion metric tons of carbon were released into the atmosphere. By 2006 emissions had increased by 8.4 billion metric tons.

Researchers now believe that the Earth's plants, oceans and land can no longer naturally absorb the excess carbon, causing a build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere and increasing the effect of global warming.

See the Source:
USA Today

global-warming

Pollution Blamed for 40 Percent of Deaths Worldwide

Cornell researcher, David Pimentel, concludes about 40 percent of deaths that occur worldwide are caused by water, air and soil pollution. He surmises environmental degradation coupled with world population growth, are major causes behind the rapid increase in human diseases, recently reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Pollution and an increase in population both contribute to malnourishment and disease susceptibility experienced by 3.7 billion people, he says.

Pimentel and a team of Cornell graduate students examined data from over 120 published papers on the effects of population growth, malnutrition and various kinds of environmental degradation on human diseases. Their report is published in the online version of the journal Human Ecology.

"We have serious environmental resource problems of water, land and energy, and these are now coming to bear on food production, malnutrition and the incidence of diseases," said Pimentel.

57 percent of the current world population of 6.5 billion people is malnourished, compared with 20 percent of a world population of 2.5 billion in 1950. Malnutrition is not only the direct cause of 6 million children's deaths each year but also makes millions of people much more susceptible to such killers as acute respiratory infections, malaria and a host of other life-threatening diseases, according to the research.

The study also concluded that air pollution from smoke and various chemicals kills 3 million people a year. In the United States alone about 3 million tons of toxic chemicals are released into the environment -- contributing to cancer, birth defects, immune system defects and many other serious health problems.

"A growing number of people lack basic needs, like pure water and ample food. They become more susceptible to diseases driven by malnourishment, and air, water and soil pollutants," Pimentel concludes. He and his co-authors call for comprehensive and fair population policies and more conservation of environmental resources that support human life.

See the Source:
NewsWise
Human Ecology

air pollution
environment

EIP Reports 50 Dirtiest U.S. Power Plants

Even as some of America’s dirtiest power plants start to clean up their act in terms of certain toxic emissions, the carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution linked to global warming from large, old, and inefficient electricity-generating facilities continues unchecked and could rise 34 percent by 2030, according to a report from the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP). A searchable database ranking 378 U.S. power plants on carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and mercury pollution is now available online at http://www.dirtykilowatts.org.

The 12 states with the heaviest concentrations of the dirtiest power plants in terms of total tons of carbon dioxide emitted are: Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Wyoming, Florida, Kentucky, and New Mexico.

The "Dirty Kilowatts" report also ranks the worst power plants on the basis of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury, looking at all four pollutants both in terms of total tons of emissions and also emission rate (pounds per megawatt-hour of electricity produced). For example, just 14 percent of the 378 ranked fossil-fuel-burning power plants account for 40 percent of their sulfur dioxide emissions. Taken together, the 378 plants ranked in this report represent about a third of all power plants tracked in EPA’s inventory, but they account for almost 90 percent of the electricity generated by the plants in EPA’s inventory, and approximately half of total U.S. electric generation. Plants in North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, and South Dakota top the
non-CO2 rankings.

The EIP report notes: “Nationwide, the power plants that provide electricity to run our homes, businesses, and factories also account for 40 percent of carbon dioxide, roughly two thirds of sulfur dioxide, 22 percent of nitrogen oxides, and roughly a third of all mercury emissions (in the U.S.)

“Power plants are major contributors to global warming, emitting billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year. In addition, power plants emit millions of tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), pollutants that trigger asthma attacks and contribute to lung and heart disease, and cause smog and haze in cities and national parks. And, power plants emit dangerous toxins like mercury, a neurotoxin especially harmful to children and developing fetuses.”

Ilan Levin, counsel, Environmental Integrity Project, said: “While Congress is poised to seriously consider legislation to limit the greenhouse gases that made 2006 the hottest year on record, the electric power industry is racing to build a new fleet of coal-fired power plants that rely on conventional combustion technologies that would only accelerate global warming. Once utility companies secure their air pollution permits, we can expect them to argue that these new plants should be ‘grandfathered,’ or exempt from any pending limits on greenhouse gases. We’ve been through this before. When the original Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, the electric utility industry persuaded Congress to not impose strict pollution controls on old power plants, because they would soon be replaced by newer state-of-the-art facilities. Yet despite the industry’s promises, many of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest power plants continue to operate today. Americans pay the bill for that delay when they suffer the ill health consequences of breathing needlessly dirty air.”

Power plants are responsible for about 40 percent of all man-made CO2 emissions in the nation, and unlike emissions of SO2 and NOx, the electric power industry’s CO2 emissions are projected to steadily rise. Carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming.

Sulfates (from SO2) are major components of the fine particle pollution that plagues many parts of the country, especially communities nearby or directly downwind of coal-fired power plants.

Sulfur dioxide also interacts with NOx to form nitric and sulfuric acids, commonly known as acid rain, which damages forests and acidifies soil and waterways. Harvard School of Public Health studies have shown that SO2 emissions from power plants significantly harm the cardiovascular and respiratory health of people who live near the plants. According to EPA studies, fine particle pollution from power plants results in thousands of premature deaths each year Nitrogen oxide is tied to ground-level ozone, which is especially harmful to children and people with respiratory problems such as asthma. Ground-level ozone is formed when NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in sunlight. NOx also reacts with ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form fine particle pollution, which damages lung tissue and is linked to premature death. Small particles penetrate deeply into sensitive parts of the lungs and can cause or worsen respiratory disease such as emphysema and bronchitis, and aggravate heart disease.

Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury air pollution, accounting for roughly 40 percent of all mercury emissions nationwide. Mercury is a highly toxic metal that, once released into the atmosphere, settles in lakes and rivers, where it moves up the food chain to humans. The Centers for Disease Control has found that roughly 10 percent of American women carry mercury concentrations at levels considered to put a fetus at risk of neurological damage.

See the Source:
Environmental Integrity Project – 50 Dirtiest U.S. Power Plants

Find out:
About reducing NOx emissions from power plants using selective catalytic reduction from CleanAIR Systems.

NOx emissions
air pollution

New Report by EPA Details Cost-Effectiveness of Diesel Retrofits

The EPA has released "Diesel Retrofit Technology: An Analysis of the Cost Effectiveness of Reducing Particulate Matter and Nitrogen Oxides Emissions from Heavy-Duty Nonroad Diesel Engines Through Retrofits." Available online as a 17-page PDF, the report discusses retrofit options, how they can be a cost-effective strategy for off-road diesel vehicles in reducing emissions, and estimates for various retrofit scenarios.

From the report:
Retrofit projects can begin producing emission reductions immediately and can help State and local governments reduce emissions of PM2.5, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the near term. Retrofits include a wide range of emission reduction strategies available for diesel vehicles and equipment, including:

• Retrofitting engines with verified technologies
• Using cleaner fuels
• Replacing older equipment
• Repowering (replacing old engines with new, cleaner engines
• Reducing idling
• Properly maintaining equipment
• Gaining operational efficiencies

Retrofit technologies are advancing at a rapid pace. The use of established technologies, such as diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) and diesel particulate filters (DPFs), continues to grow exponentially, while new, emerging technologies such as Lean NOx (LNC) catalysts, are steadily improving. Retrofit technologies often vary in the type of pollutant reduced. DOCs and DPFs remove PM from the exhaust, but do not reduce NOx. However, DOCs or DPFs can be combined with a NOx reduction strategy – such as a cleaner fuel – to enhance the emission reduction benefits.

See the Source:
EPA Report

Find out:
More on diesel particulate filters for off-road vehicles such as construction and mining equipment.

diesel pollution
diesel retrofit

Air Pollution and Parkinson's

The University of Toronto has released a new study that ties manganese air pollution produced by industries such as steel foundries to a high risk of Parkinson’s. The study was conducted using 110,000 subjects living in Toronto and Hamilton over a three year period and appears in the July issue of Environmental Research.

The researchers compared the effect of manganese exposure through air pollution generated by vehicles and that generated from industrial sources. They found no association between traffic-generated manganese and Parkinson’s. But exposure to ambient manganese from sources such as steel foundries appeared to add to the natural loss of brain neurons, possibly accelerating the aging process and contributing to the advancement of Parkinson’s disease.

See the Source:
University of Toronto

air pollution

Dangerous Increase in Hot Days for the Mediterranean

Researchers at Purdue University researcher projects a 200 percent to 500 percent increase in the number of dangerously hot days in the Mediterranean by the end of the 21st century if the current rate of greenhouse gas emissions continues, with France projected to have the most increase in high-temp extremes.

The study also showed a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could reduce projected dangerous hot days by up to 50 percent.

"Rare events today, like the 2003 heat wave in Europe, will become much more common as greenhouse gas concentrations increase," said Noah Diffenbaugh, the Purdue assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences who led the study. "The frequency at which that scale of event occurs at high greenhouse gas concentrations is staggering. Rare events become the norm, and the extreme events of the future are unprecedented in their severity."

A 2003 heat wave led to 15,000 deaths in France and almost 3,000 in Italy. The researchers found that global warming causes summer temperatures to dramatically exceed the range that was correlated with the increased number of deaths.

"The thresholds of the 2003 event are substantially exceeded in the future in both of our research scenarios," said Diffenbaugh. "This research is about understanding the response to different emissions levels. We find that decreases in greenhouse gas emissions greatly reduce the impact, but we see negative effects even with reduced emissions. Technological and behavioral changes that are made now will have a big influence on what actually happens in the future."

Extremely high temperatures could also affect the region’s economy, including metropolitan areas such as Rome, Paris and Barcelona. The study covered the entire Mediterranean area, which includes 21 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. Major cities covered in the study include: Prague, Zurich, Bucharest, Athens, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Cairo, Algiers and Casablanca.

The researchers found that this warming and reduced precipitation contribute to a preferential warming of the hottest days of the year. "We found that the hottest days of the year, or the 'hot tail,' warm more than the typical summer days warm," Diffenbaugh said.

"One might expect that an average warming of four degrees would equate to each day warming by four degrees, but in fact the hottest days warm quite a bit more."

This is due, in large part, to a surface moisture feedback. The surface gets dryer as it gets hotter and the dry soil leads to less moisture in the area and less evaporative cooling. The locations of intensified warming on hottest days of the year matched the locations where surface drying occurred, Diffenbaugh said.
"The hottest temperatures we are used to experiencing will become the normal temperatures of the summer, and the hot periods will be magnified," Diffenbaugh said. "Take Paris: If we look at the temperatures that occurred there during the heat wave in 2003, when 15,000 people died, those temperatures are exceeded a couple dozen times every year in the future projection. That means that severe heat waves, such as those rare events that have occurred in the past couple of years, are likely to become far more common."

Related Web sites:
Purdue Climate Change Research Center: http://www.purdue.edu/climate
Diffenbaugh Research Group: http://www.purdue.edu/eas/earthsystem/

See the Source:
Newswise

climate change
global-warming

City Air Pollution More Deadly than Living near Chernobyl Radiation

Scientists conducting a study at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Great Britain have calculated and compared the mortality rates between populations living near Chernobyl’s radioactive zone and those living in London.

Researchers found that approximately 16,000 people were killed by radiation after the Chernobyl explosion, with survivors having a 1 percent higher risk of premature death. In comparison, residents of London experience a 2.8 percent increased risk of early death from heart and lung disease related to exposure to air pollution. The UK’s Royal Commissions on Environmental Pollution estimates that 24,000 deaths a year in Britain are caused by air pollution.

The study was published in the “BMC Public Health” journal.

See the Source:
NewsTarget

air pollution

Americans are Environmental “Doers” According to Report

A new report released on April 17 entitled, “The 2007 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey” states that 32% of Americans have a heightened interest in environmental issues compared to findings from last year’s survey. They are also looking for companies to step up to the plate and act, with 93% believing that companies have a responsibility to help the environment.

The study also shows that many Americans consider themselves “doers” by the decision to purchase environmentally-friendly products, donate to an environmental organization, becoming advocates for environmental issues, and making an effort to personally reduce their impact on the environment. This includes:

- 93% Conserving energy
- 89% Recycling
- 86% Conserving water
- 70% Telling family and friends about environmental issues

Americans also want businesses to be more proactive is their handling of packaging and transportation. Action supported include:

- 71% Reducing pollution through office and manufacturing operations
- 69% Designing products/packaging with more environmentally-friendly contents and minimal packaging
- 62% Communicating environmental efforts to consumers and employees so each group can support those efforts
- 59% Donating money to environmental causes
- 57% Lobbying for environmentally-friendly policies

“This is a call-to-action for companies. It’s an opportunity for innovation in product design, packaging, and distribution,” says Julia Hobbs Kivistik, executive vice president of Cause Brandingsm, Cone LLC. “Companies ultimately need to engage consumers and effectively communicate the impact their business practices and products have on the environment. Consumers are listening.”

See the Source:
2007 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey

Find out:
About CleanAIR Systems – Committed to a Cleaner Environment

Be Green, Make Money

Environmental Defense has released a new paper entitled: What Business Can Do: Successful Strategies for Cutting Carbon and Making Money. The report offers real-world ideas to fight climate change, and at the same time make money by saving on energy costs. Presented in eight sections, strategies are detailed as they relate to their industry segments.

The sections are:
- Electric utilities: Tap the power of renewable sources
- Petroleum refiners: Manage energy smarter
- Chemical manufacturers: Reduce fuel use
- Computer and electronics industry: Save water and energy
- Pulp and paper industry: Ramp up efficiencies
- Textile industry: Use energy smarter
- Transportation: Boost fuel economy
- Retail and commercial operations: Smarter energy
- Agriculture and farm businesses: Making carbon work for you
- All industries: Energy Efficiency saves energy and money

The report concludes businesses will see a reward in dollars saved by making wise choices and “tweaking” energy use. The environment also benefits when energy is conserved, with less greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, thereby lowering the factors involved in global warming and climate change.

See the Source:
Environmental Defense

First EPA Report on Environmental Impacts of Energy Use in Leading Manufacturing Sectors

Washington, DC – April 10, 2007 -- The Environmental Protection Agency has released a report on energy use trends in major manufacturing sectors that highlights the environmental implications of energy use. The report concludes with a general overview of the barriers to energy efficiency and use of clean fuel technologies, and offers some possible policy options for government to help address these barriers.

These sectors account for about 85 percent of all U.S. industrial energy use. The report analyzes each sector’s current energy consumption trends and the associated environmental impacts, specifically emissions of air pollutants and carbon dioxide. Under a business-as-usual scenario, energy consumption across many of these sectors will increase by 20 percent from 2004 levels by 2020, and carbon dioxide emissions will increase by 14 percent. The 12 sectors analyzed are aluminum, cement, chemical manufacturing, food manufacturing, forest products, iron and steel, metal casting, metal finishing, motor vehicle manufacturing, motor vehicle parts manufacturing, petroleum refining, and shipbuilding.

The report shows how each sector could improve environmental performance by becoming more energy efficient or by using clean fuel technologies. It also identifies five strategies that could be used to achieve these goals:

- switching to cleaner fuels
- using combined heat and power
- retrofitting or replacing older equipment
- making process improvements
- investing in research and development.

Based on the insights from this report, EPA will now work with the industry partners to explore the best ways to improve energy and environmental outcomes in each sector.

See the Source:
About retrofitting diesel and natural gas engines to reduce emissions

Find out:
About retrofitting diesel and natural gas engines to reduce emissions

Fueling the Biofuel Conversation

A recent study by the United State Department of Agriculture and Colorado State University, entitled “Net Greenhouse Gas Flux of Bioenergy Cropping Systems Using DAYCENT,” has conducted the first complete analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel production. After testing seven different crops used in the manufacturing of biofuels using the DAYCENT biogeochemistry model, the results show a significant variation in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy generated in comparison to greenhouse gases emitted from fossil fuels.

The report reveals that comparing the life cycle of gasoline and diesel to ethanol derived from corn and soybean, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by around 40 percent. These crops are at the low end of the spectrum in comparison to crops of switchgrass and hybrid poplar with a reduction of 115 percent.

Recent controversy has arisen over the actual fuel efficiency of biofuels in comparison to fossil fuels due to the process needed to refine bioenergy crops into liquid fuel, the environmental degradation evolved with growing and transporting crops, and the possible increase in other emissions such as NOx. Some researchers have concluded that taking these facts into consideration, ethanol actually produces a net energy loss rather than a gain.

USDA and NREL researcher, Stephen Del Grosso states, "although fossil fuel inputs are required to produce and process biofuels, hybrid poplar and switchgrass converted to ethanol compensate for these emissions and actually remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere when the benefits of co-products are included. Greenhouse gas savings from biomass gasification for electricity generation are even greater. This research provides the basis for evaluating net biofuel greenhouse gas emissions and highlights the need to improve the technologies used for large scale conversion of biomass to energy and to more fully exploit agricultural co-products.”

"We used extensive observed greenhouse gas flux and crop yield data to verify DAYCENT model predictions of crop yields and net greenhouse gas fluxes from all of the biofuel crop rotations. DAYCENT model results were combined with life cycle analyses of crop production, conversion to biofuel, and fossil fuel displaced to estimate net greenhouse gas emissions," said William Parton, a NREL researcher.

The study was unique in that it offered a complete analysis of different crops, varying in respect to length of plant life cycle, yields, biomass conversion efficiencies, required nutrients, net soil carbon balance, nitrogen losses and other specifics which impact crop management. The net greenhouse gas flux for each crop was calculated by combining the DAYCENT results with estimates of fossil fuels used by agricultural machinery in growing of the crops and the amount of fossil fuels offset from biomass yields.

See the Source:
Colorado State University
USDA – Fact Sheet
Is Ethanol Fuel Really Better for the Environment than Sticking with Gas?

IPCC to Release Second Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will be releasing “Climate Change 2007” Assessment Report from Working Group II on Friday, April 6th, presenting the second of four reports on the latest scientific, environmental and socio-economic analysis on climate change.

The Report offers the following segments:

ASSESSMENT OF OBSERVED CHANGES
-Assessment of Observed Changes and Responses in Natural and Managed Systems

ASSESSMENT OF FUTURE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION: SYSTEMS AND SECTORS
- New Assessment Methodologies and the Characterization of Future Conditions
- Fresh Water Resources and their Management
- Ecosystems, their Properties, Goods and Services
- Food, Fibre and Forest Products
- Coastal Systems and Low-lying Areas
- Industry, Settlement, and Society
- Human Health

ASSESSMENT OF FUTURE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION: REGIONS
-Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Latin America, North America, Polar Regions, Small Island

ASSESSMENT OF RESPONSES TO IMPACTS
- Assessment of Adaptation Practices, Options, Constraints and Capacity
- Inter-relationships between Adaptation and Mitigation
- Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change
- Perspectives on Climate Change and Sustainability

See the Source:
Outline Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

EPA – What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You

“In 2004, U.S. facilities released almost 1.5 billion pounds of suspected respiratory toxicants to the air, with electric utilities accounting for almost half of the pollution. Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Pennsylvania ranked highest for respiratory toxicant releases to air.”

A new report, "Toxic Pollution and Health," released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, uses information from the federal Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) to analyze toxic pollution linked to serious health problems such as cancer, birth defects or neurological damage. Due to a recent EPA action restricting the public’s right-to-know, this report may provide one of the last complete pictures of toxic pollution.

In one year these facilities released more than 70 million pounds of known carcinogens and 826 million pounds of neurotoxins to the air and water. The report analyzes these dangerous releases by state, country and zip code to provide a detailed toxic pollution picture.

“This report confirms that the health of many communities across the country is routinely put at risk by toxic pollution,” said U.S. PIRG staff attorney Alex Fidis. “Unfortunately, EPA’s attack on the public’s right-to-know means that many communities will be left in the dark about this risk. EPA’s rollbacks take communities from the information age back to the stone age.”

The federal Toxic Release Inventory is a public right-to-know program that requires industrial facilities to publicly disclose their toxic releases. In 2004, EPA reported that the TRI has helped to reduce toxic pollution by 57% nationwide since its inception in 1988. Despite this success, the EPA recently weakened the program by authorizing industrial facilities to withhold previously reported pollution information.

To address the potential health threats from toxic pollution, we need complete information about what toxics are being released, where, and in what amounts,” said Fidis. “These toxics are the worst of the worst and pose tangible threats to public health that must be addressed.”

Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), and Senators Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Boxer (D-CA), recently challenged EPA’s rollbacks by introducing the Toxic Right-to-Know Protection Act (H.R. 1055 and S. 595). This legislation would reverse the rollbacks to restore the lost data and to ensure that communities have the full and complete toxic pollution information they deserve.

From “Dismantling the Public’s Right to Know”

WHAT IS TRI?
The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) tracks the amount and types of toxic chemicals released into the environment, stored at facilities, or transferred in between facilities.

The program’s authority comes from the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), enacted in 1986. Later, in 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act, which added waste management and source reduction activities to TRI reporting. The primary purpose of the TRI is to allow citizens access to information on chemical hazards in their communities. By empowering citizens with this information, the TRI enables them to make choices to protect their families’ health and safety. Facilities must report under the TRI if they are within a specific industry, have over 10 full-time employees, and manufacture or process one or more of 667 chemicals over a certain threshold.

See the Source:
U.S. PIRG
Toxic Pollution and Health
Dismantling the Public’s Right to Know

Science Politicization: Report by GAP Analyzes Government Interference and Distortion of Environmental Information

After a year-long investigation, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) has released a detailed report on the political interference of information presented by scientist about environmental issues. The report, entitled “Redacting the Science of Climate Change,” demonstrates how current governmental policies and practices have restricted the flow of scientific information generated from publicly-funded climate change research.

Findings illustrate objectionable and possible illegal restrictions on the communication of scientific information to the media, including delaying, monitoring, screening and denying interviews. Other questionable actions include the delay, denial and inappropriate editing of press releases issued by media-scientists.

The report also offers examples of government interference with scientists’ communications to Congress and the public.

GAP Staff Attorney, Tarek Maassarani states “The government has failed to provide any justifications for these increasingly restrictive policies and practices, which seem to kick in whenever there is politically-inconvenient science.”

Massarani will be testifying on March 28 to the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee concerning the findings of the report. The hearing is entitled “Shaping the Message, Distorting the Science: Media Strategies to Influence Public Policy.”

The report draws the conclusion that due to restrictive practices in the dissemination of scientific information, the media has been negatively affected in their ability to report objectively on environmental issues, as well as public officials hindered in their capacity to respond with appropriate policies, and the public to fully understand environmental concerns.

See the Source:
GAP Report Details Climate Science Politicization
Redacting the Science of Climate Change

Global Clean Energy Markets Expand to $55 Billion in 2006 and Projected to Exceed $220 Billion by 2016, Reports Clean Edge

U.S. Energy-Tech Investments Grow to $2.4 Billion in 2006, Representing 9.4 Percent of Total VC Activity

PORTLAND, Ore. & OAKLAND, Calif--Global clean-energy markets are poised to quadruple in the next decade, growing from $55.4 billion in revenues in 2006 to more than $226.5 billion by 2016 for four benchmark technologies, according to the sixth annual Clean Energy Trends report. The report was released today by clean-tech research and publishing firm Clean Edge, Inc.

As highlighted in the report, “Clean Energy Trends 2007,” a number of factors are contributing to this extensive growth, including an influx of venture capital (VC); a new level of commitment by politicians at regional, state, and federal levels; and significant corporate investments in clean-energy acquisitions and expansion initiatives. The free report can be downloaded at http://www.cleanedge.com/.

For the second year in a row, the global biofuels market was slightly larger than both solar and wind, reaching $20.5 billion in 2006 and projected to grow to more than $80 billion by 2016. Clean Edge projects solar photovoltaics (modules, system components, and installations) will grow from a $15.6 billion market in 2006 to $69.3 billion by 2016; wind power installations will expand from $17.9 billion in 2006 to $60.8 billion in 2016; and the markets for fuel cells and distributed hydrogen will grow from $1.4 billion in 2006 to $15.6 billion over the next decade.

“At $55 billion, the global market for biofuels, solar, wind, and fuel cells are now considerably larger than the global recorded music industry,” explains Clean Edge co-founder and principal Ron Pernick. “Within a decade we predict these clean-energy markets will exceed $220 billion and that the global annual production of biofuels will increase from around 13 billion gallons last year to 50 billion gallons, solar will jump from 2 GW of production to nearly 20 GW, and wind power will increase from 15 GW to 67 GW.”

Clean Edge, in collaboration with Nth Power, a leading energy-tech VC firm, also released the firms’ annual energy-tech venture data. This year’s findings show that VC investments in energy-tech start-ups rose 262 percent to $2.4 billion in 2006. These investments, primarily in transportation and fuels, distributed energy, energy intelligence, and power reliability, eclipsed the previous high-water mark set in 2000 for energy-tech investing by more than $1 billion. The figures represent 9.4 percent of total US venture capital investments in 2006.

“Energy tech investing in the U.S. now represents nearly ten percent of the total venture activity,” explains Rodrigo Prudencio, partner, Nth Power. “With a growing number of investors actively seeking energy-tech deals, the capital to fund biofuel and solar expansion was readily available. 2007 will clearly be an indicator of whether the aggressive growth in energy-tech investment can be sustained.”

“Clean Energy Trends 2007” also names five key trends that are shaping the clean-energy landscape this year. They include:
- Carbon Finally Has a Price … and a Market
- Biorefineries Begin to Close the Loop
- Advanced Battery Makers Take Charge
- Wal-Mart Becomes a Clean-Energy Market Maker
- Utilities Get Enlightened

About Clean Edge, Inc.
Clean Edge, Inc. is a leading research and publishing firm that helps companies, investors, and policymakers understand and profit from clean-energy technologies. Since 2001, the company has been providing market research and reports, conferences and events, and strategic consulting services to the clean-tech industry. Among its many activities, the company publishes the annual Clean Energy Trends report, produces the annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit (along with IBF), and maintains the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® U.S. Index which tracks U.S.-listed clean-energy companies. Founded by environmental and high-tech business pioneers Ron Pernick and Joel Makower, Clean Edge and its network of partners and affiliates offer unparalleled insight and intelligence for a range of clean-tech stakeholders.

See the Source:
Clean Edge’s “Clean Energy Trends 2007”

Find out:
About diesel particulate filters that also work with biodiesel fuels to further reduce emissions of particulate matter, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons

Science Panel Outlines Roadmap for Reducing Risks from Climate Change

NEW YORK, NY--February 27, 2007--The United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) and Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, released today “Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable, ” the final report of the Scientific Expert Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The report, prepared as input for the upcoming meeting of the UN’s Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), outlines a roadmap for preventing unmanageable climate changes and adapting to the degree of change that can no longer be avoided.

Two years in the making, the report was written by a panel of eminent scientists from around the world. The panel was co-chaired by Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, Dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. The expert team was invited by the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Secretariat to the CSD, to make recommendations on key mitigation and adaptation needs. This year’s 15th Session of the CSD is reviewing national and international efforts on energy and climate change.

“Two starkly different futures diverge from this time forward,” the report cautions. “Society’s current path leads to increasingly serious climate-change impacts… The other path … will reduce dangerous emissions, create economic opportunity, help to reduce global poverty, reduce degradation and carbon emissions from ecosystems, and contribute to sustainability. Humanity must act collectively and urgently to change course through leadership at all levels of society. There is no more time for delay.”

“This report defines the seriousness and urgency that must characterize global efforts to respond to the unfolding and far-reaching challenge of climate change. Confronting Climate Change makes clear that we must start immediately to stabilize and then substantially reverse the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation. “The international community should be grateful that this remarkable panel of scientific all-stars from around the world has provided a roadmap for mitigating and adapting to climate change. And they have told us that there is tremendous economic opportunity in doing so.”

“Our report makes clear that the challenge before us is to reduce the risk of climate change resulting in intolerable global impacts,” said Peter H. Raven, Past President of Sigma Xi, Presidential Medal of Science recipient and preeminent biodiversity expert. “Our recommendations are designed to help the international community get on a path to stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and managing the impacts of climate change. Unlike many reports from scientists, this report gives very clear recommendations for what the international community and nations themselves must do to mitigate and adapt to climate change. These steps will contribute to achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals; failing to do so will make those goals much harder, if not impossible to reach.”

“It is still possible to avoid an unmanageable degree of climate change, but the time for action is now,” said John Holdren, the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy, Harvard University, Director of the Woods Hole Research Center, and Chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “The global-average surface temperature has already risen about 0.8°C above pre-industrial levels and is projected to rise another 2-4°C by 2100 if CO2 emissions and concentrations grow according to mid-range projections. Prudence dictates limiting the average temperature increase to no more than 2-2.5°C above the pre-industrial level, and our report offers clear recommendations for achieving that goal.”

“The world is experiencing climate disruption now and the increases in droughts, floods, and sea level rise that will occur in the coming decades will cause enormous human suffering and economic losses. The poorest are likely the most vulnerable. We imperil our children’s and grandchildren’s future if we fail to improve society’s capacity to adapt to a changing climate,” said Rosina Bierbaum, former Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “We can manage water better, bolster disaster preparedness, increase surveillance for emerging diseases, make cities more resilient, move vulnerable populations and prepare for environmental refugees, design more drought-tolerant crops, use natural resources more sustainably, and enhance local capacity to cope with a suite of expected changes.”

The report covers an overview of the science of climate change; the importance of avoiding the risk of major impacts of climate change; options for mitigation; and steps that can be taken to prepare to adapt to anticipated climate change.Among the report’s key findings are:

• Exceeding global average temperature increases above 2-2.5°C above the 1750 pre-industrial level would entail “sharply increasing risk of intolerable impacts.”

To avoid exceeding the 2-2.5° C limit will require stabilizing atmospheric concentrations at the equivalent of no more than 450-500 ppm of CO2 (compared to about 380 ppm CO2-equivalent today). That in turn requires that global CO2 emissions peak no later than 2015 to 2020 at not much above their current level and decline by 2100 to about a third of that value.

A two-pronged strategy is needed: avoid the unmanageable (mitigation) and manage the unavoidable (adaptation).

• The technology exists to seize significant opportunities around the globe to reduce emissions and provide other economic, environmental and social benefits, including meeting the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. To do so, policy makers must immediately act by:
• Improving efficiency in the transportation sector through measures such as vehicle efficiency standards, fuel taxes, and registration fees/rebates that favor purchase of efficient and alternative fuel vehicles.
• Improving design and efficiency of commercial and residential buildings through building codes, standards for equipment and appliances, incentives for property developers and landlords to build and manage properties efficiently, and financing for energy-efficiency investments.
• Expanding the use of biofuels through energy portfolio standards and incentives to growers and consumers.
• Beginning immediately, designing and deploying only coal power-plant types that can be affordably retrofitted to capture and sequester CO2.
• Climate change and impacts from it are already being experienced, and there will be more even if mitigation efforts are successful. Societies must do more to adapt to ongoing and unavoidable changes in the Earth’s climate system by:
• Improving preparedness/response strategies and management of natural resources to cope with future climatic conditions that will be fundamentally different than those experienced for the last 100 years.
• Addressing the adaptation needs of the poorest and most vulnerable nations, which will bear the brunt of climate change impacts.
• Planning and building climate resilient cities.
• Strengthening international, national, and regional institutions to cope with weather-related disasters and an increasing number of climate change refugees.
• The international community, through the UN and related multilateral institutions, can play a crucial role in advancing action to manage the unavoidable and avoid the unmanageable by:
• Helping developing countries and countries with economies in transition to finance and deploy energy efficient and new energy technologies.
• Accelerating negotiations to develop a new international framework for addressing climate change and sustainable development.
• Educating all about the opportunities to adopt mitigation and adaptation measures.

About Sigma XiSigma Xi
The Scientific Research Society is an international honor society for research scientists and engineers, with more than 500 chapters and 60,000 members in North America and around the world. The society sponsors a number of programs that promote science and engineering and also publishes American Scientist magazine. Sigma Xi’s administrative offices are in Research Triangle Park, N.C. http://www.sigmaxi.org/

About the UN Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. http://www.unfoundation.org/

See the Source:
Confronting Climate Change:
Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable

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Citizen Scientists Rise to Climate Change Challenge

Earthwatch offers worldwide response to IPCC report on global warming threat

Earthwatch Institute, Maynard, MA, 5 February 2007—On February 2, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest report, leaving little doubt that human activities are driving climate change. While the report offers no solutions yet, Earthwatch Institute provides many alternatives for people who want to help understand and mitigate the impact of global warming on ecosystems and communities around the world.

"If people are indeed part of the problem, they can also be part of the solution," said Ed Wilson, President and CEO of Earthwatch. The international environmental volunteer organization supports scientific field research on the world's most pressing issues including global warming. "Climate change is one of Earthwatch's key research priorities, providing volunteers with many opportunities to take action and make a difference through their participation."

The IPCC report stated that there is 90 percent certainty that the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are responsible for observed changes in climate. The report specified that rises in global temperatures could be as high as 6.4 degrees Centigrade by 2100, with the most likely range being between between 1.8 degrees and 4.0 degrees. The warming will result in rising sea levels, as much as 59 centimeters, and an increase in the intensity of hurricanes.

Parts 2 and 3 of the IPCC report, due to be released in March and April, will deal more directly with the impacts of climate change and how humans might mitigate these impacts. In the mean time, many global citizens are actively volunteering with Earthwatch scientists to understand glacial melt in Iceland and Alaska or the impact temperature increase has on rainforests.

In the next five years, Earthwatch will support $40 million in climate change research, education, and engagement programs involving 100,000 volunteers. These programs promote practical and integrated solutions to climate change impacts, from restoring ecosystems to supporting regional economic development.

"Earthwatch provides a vital opportunity for scientists from many disciplines to work towards an understanding of how global climate change impacts upon our environment and its delicate ecosystems," said Dr. James Crabbe of the University of Bedfordshire. Crabbe, principal investigator of Earthwatch-supported research on coral reefs in Jamaica and Belize, was awarded the Aviva/Earthwatch Award for Climate Change Research last October.

Already, Earthwatch volunteers are assisting in research on climate change impacts in the Canadian Arctic, Australian rainforest, the western Atlantic Ocean, and the forests of Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the United States. Teams in Samburu, Kenya are mapping water resources subject to variability from global warming, and teams in Madagascar are identifying how rare lemurs are vulnerable to changing climates.

"It is through the hard work of Earthwatch volunteers that we are beginning to fit together the pieces of this ecological jigsaw puzzle," said Dr. Rob Thomas (Cardiff University), principal investigator of Earthwatch's Storm Petrels over Portugal project. "By providing hard facts and thorough case studies that illustrate the biological effects of climate change, our hope is that environmental policy makers will be better able to develop appropriate responses to promote the survival of marine biodiversity in the face of climate change."

See Earthwatch's Climate Change Statement.
Learn about the impacts of climate change in our local lecture series.
Read what four Earthwatch-supported scientists say about how humans can mitigate the impact of global warming on ecosystems: Feeling the Heat.

Find out what Dr. Suzanne Jenkins, Earthwatch North Queensland field director, is doing about climate change after participating in a training with Al Gore: Earthwatch Australia Meets Al Gore.

Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.

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Earthwatch Institute

Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution Hardens Arteries

Study in Environmental Health Perspectives Finds women most vulnerable to atherosclerosis

Long-term exposure to air pollution may lead to the development of atherosclerosis, a form of cardiovascular disease in which fatty deposits cause artery walls to thicken and harden, according to a study published today in the February issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. The study adds to the growing body of literature linking air pollution with cardiovascular disease and provides the first epidemiologic evidence linking atherosclerosis with exposure to fine particulate matter.

Researchers evaluated 798 healthy Los Angeles-area men and women over the age of 40 who showed some signs of increased risk of cardiovascular disease. They used data from 23 monitoring stations to estimate annual average concentrations of particulate matter in residential zip codes throughout the Los Angeles area. Beginning with data from 2000, researchers found concentrations of particulate matter ranging from 5.2 to 26.9 micrograms per cubic meter.

Overall, the more polluted the air to which subjects were exposed, the thicker the inner layers of their carotid artery, which transports blood to the head and neck. The most-exposed study participants experienced about 8% more artery thickening than the least-exposed participants, after accounting for such factors as diet, use of vitamin supplements and hormone-replacement drugs, physical activity, blood pressure, education, and income.

Women over the age of 60 experienced artery thickening at a rate almost four times higher than the overall population. In general, women were much more vulnerable than men, and nonsmokers and people taking drugs to reduce cholesterol also proved to be more vulnerable than average.

"From a biologic perspective, our results support the hypothesis that long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter contributes to systemic inflammatory pathways, which are a relevant aspect of atherogenesis," the study authors write. "The findings indicate a biologically plausible link between the observed acute effects of ambient air pollution on systemic inflammation and the long-term consequences of sustained vascular inflammation leading to increased atherosclerosis and, ultimately, cardiovascular death."

"We've known for some time that air pollution leads to lung damage, but this study also emphasizes the role air pollution plays on the arteries. Heart disease is a primary cause of death in the western world, so more research, perhaps focusing on those at highest risk, is important," says Dr. Jim Burkhart, science editor for EHP.

The lead author of the study was Nino Künzli of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Other authors included M. Jerrett, W.J. Mack, B. Beckerman, L. LaBree, F. Gilliland, D. Thomas, J. Peters, and H.N. Hodis. The article is available free of charge at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2004/7523/7523.html.

The study was supported in part by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Wright Foundation, the Hastings Foundation, and the Health Effects Institute.

EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. EHP is an Open Access journal.

See the Source:
Environmental Health Perpectives

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