The story went up on the home page a couple of days ago, but wanted to put it on the blog as well. I wrote about my tour of the first phase of Masdar City, the low-carbon settlement being built on the edge of Abu Dhabi. It’s a long way from being truly sustainable, but the city should prove a valuable testing ground for green …
Politics: The State of the Union Is All About Energy—Not Climate
Tonight’s State of the Union may be remembered as the moment when the White House stopped working on climate—and started working on energy.
Of course, it’s not quite that simple. Whatever initiatives President Obama chooses to launch with his annual speech, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will likely keep working on …
Energy: Should the Military Be Going Green? RAND Isn’t So Sure
While American society has bickered on climate and energy, the White House has dithered and Congress has been deadlocked, the U.S. military has been busy going green. The Pentagon has spent some $300 million in economic stimulus financing and research money to improve the military’s energy efficiency and develop alternative fuels. The …
Politics: Will the Departure of White House Climate Czar Carol Browner Make a Difference?
As Politico first reported last night, Carol Browner will be stepping down from her post as White House climate and energy czar. Browner, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator in the Clinton Administration, was a key member of the “Green Dream Team” of cabinet appointees and White House aides who accompanied …
Industrial Tourism in Japan: Your Health Hazard, My Holiday
The Wall Street Journal has run a fascinating article about a newish travel trend in Japan called kojo moe – roughly translated as “factory love” or “factory infatuation.” Kojo moe enthusiasts fetishize the otherworldly beauty of elaborate industrial spaces: the steam punk drawbridge, the soft billows of a polluting smokestack …
Nature: A Major Company Puts a Value on the Environment
How much is nature worth? On one hand, the question seems absurd. Is it possible to put a price on the value of an endangered species? Or figure out the dollar worth of a clean river, or uncontaminated air. Environmentalism—at least its more romantic strain—has largely defined itself in opposition to the naked market, where …
Politics: Should We Stop Freaking Out About China and Clean Tech?
As I wrote earlier this week, energy and climate were going to on the agenda when Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Obama met in Washington. The countries are the number one and two carbon emitters in the world, major energy consumers and global leaders in clean tech manufacturing. If the world is going to come to grips with …
You Can Believe Your Eyes: Low Visibility Can Mean Higher Death Rates
Does it look like a bad day to go out for a run? Maybe a little too hazy out there? Here’s a tip: It is. Don’t do it.
A study released today by Hong Kong University and published in the journal Environmental Research has found that lower visibility due to pollution has a direct correlation with increased rates of mortality in Hong …
Energy: The Danish Wind Company Vestas Gets an Environment Lifetime Achievement Award
Whoever said environmentalism doesn’t pay has never been to Abu Dhabi. The desert emirate, which possesses 8% of global oil reserves, has allocated serious money over the past several years on the Masdar Initiative, a multi-pronged effort to advance the cause of sustainability and clean tech. The best-known example is the low-carbon …
Brits Ponder Fuel Rationing
The last time the British government instituted a substantial rationing program was 1940—the Nazis had spread out across Europe and the continent was mobilizing for all-out war. The rationing program, which lasted until 1954, had a profound effect on the collective consciousness of the British public, and is largely remembered not …