WASHINGTON, DC, March 19, 2009 (ENS) – The U.S. EPA’s most recent data on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the U.S. environment shows an overall decrease of five percent in releases in the year from 2006 to 2007. Releases to air decreased seven percent and releases to water decreased five percent. While the…
SAN FRANCISCO, California, February 7, 2009 (ENS) – Environmental groups and cities won a settlement Friday in a precedent-setting lawsuit that sought to force two U.S. government agencies to address the global warming effects of their overseas financing activities. After more than six years of litigation, the first case of its kind established important legal…
TOKYO, Japan, January 23, 2009 (ENS) – The first satellite dedicated to monitoring greenhouse gas emissions as part of global efforts to combat climate change was launched into space today from Japan. The IBUKI, which means “breath,” will circle the globe every 100 minutes at an altitude of some 670 kilometers (416 miles) and will…
COLUMBUS, Ohio, January 13, 2009 (ENS) – After he takes office on January 20, President Barack Obama has said he will seek congressional approval to invest $150 billion over 10 years on clean energy initiatives. This would fund next-generation biofuels and fuel infrastructure, advance the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, develop renewable energy, invest in low-emissions…
NEW YORK, New York, January 12, 2009 (ENS) – Japan and South Korea each have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in green projects to create jobs and spur economic growth, in what the United Nations says is the latest sign that its Green New Deal is gaining momentum. Japan has announced a…
TROY, New York, December 18, 2008 (ENS) – A new generation of lighting devices based on light-emitting diodes, LEDs, will supplant the common light bulb in coming years, according to a paper published this week by two professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Innovations in photonics and solid state lighting will lead to trillions of dollars…
TOWNSVILLE, Queensland, Australia, December 10, 2008 (ENS) – The world has lost 19 percent of its coral reefs, according to the 2008 global update of the world’s reef status issued today. Climate change is considered the biggest threat to coral reefs. The main climate threats, such as increasing sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification, are…
SARASOTA, Florida, December 3, 2008 (ENS) – A new analysis of economic activity generated by Florida’s coral reefs finds that some 70,000 jobs and more than $5.5 billion in business in the state could disappear if climate change destroys the reefs. “A business-as-usual approach to climate change could mean a lot less business for Florida,”…
UPPSALA, Sweden, November 30, 2008 (ENS) – Faith leaders concluded their two-day Interfaith Summit on Climate Change in Uppsala on Saturday by signing a manifesto demanding quick and extensive reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the wealthy parts of the world. Christian, Buddhist, Daoist, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish and Native American leaders signed the declaration that…
HAYS, Kansas, November 18, 2008 (ENS) – Sunflower Electric Power Corporation today filed a lawsuit in federal court against Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and other state officials over the denial of an air quality permit for the expansion of the cooperative’s coal-fired power plant at Holcomb Station in Finney County. The October 2007 decision to…
WASHINGTON, DC, November 14, 2008 (ENS) – The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices has selected seven states to participate in a Policy Academy designed to help states develop an action plan and implementation strategy to improve energy use in buildings. Buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy and…
WASHINGTON, DC, November 13, 2008 (ENS) – In a case with national implications, the Environmental Appeals Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled today that the EPA had no valid reason for refusing to require that best available control technology be used to limit carbon dioxide emissions from a coal-fired power plant proposed in…
SACRAMENTO, California, September 19, 2008 (ENS) – A first in the country, California’s climate change law, AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, will provide net benefits to the state’s economy and also to public health, according to reports issued Thursday by the state agency charged with implementing the law. The California Air…
WASHINGTON, DC, September 16, 2008 (ENS) – Both presidential candidates say that if they are elected in November, they will fight global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020, using methods that include a cap-and-trade system, but then their positions begin to diverge. Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama of…
ORLANDO, Florida, August 4, 2008 (ENS) – A $2.5 million agreement signed at the Farm to Fuel Summit Thursday in Orlando creates a private-public partnership to help green Orlando’s public transportation. Governor Charlie Crist joined Linda Watson, chief executive officer of LYNX Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, to sign the agreement that awards $2.5 million…
WASHINGTON, DC, August 3, 2008 (ENS) – Formal letters warning of impending lawsuits over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to address greenhouse gas emissions from ocean-going ships and aircraft have been filed by four state attorneys general, three state agencies, New York City and a coalition of conservation groups. The conservation groups’ notice of…
MONTREAL, Canada, June 19, 2008 (ENS) – The United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, has unveiled a carbon calculation tool on its website that allows travelers to estimate the carbon footprint for any flight they take. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of…
ALBANY, New York, April 27, 2008 (ENS) – New York Governor David Paterson marked Earth Day by announcing that his administration will support the creation of New York state’s largest source of solar power by covering the roofs of Long Island malls, public and institutional buildings and parking lots with arrays of solar cells. The…
CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina, April 23, 2008 (ENS) – They’re calling it Operation Change Out. On Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman marked Earth Day by launching a joint campaign with the Defense Department to cut carbon emissions, save energy and save money by changing light bulbs. Those spiral compact fluorescent light bulbs now are…
LANSING, Michigan, April 22, 2008 (ENS) – Governor Jennifer Granholm today announced that Michigan will be joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative to encourage the utilization of more energy efficient computers and servers in state offices and agencies. With some 55,000 desktop computers and laptops and nearly 3,700 servers in state government, the annual estimated…
WASHINGTON, DC, April 15, 2008 (ENS) – Overall, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 1.1 percent lower during 2006 than the previous year, according to the latest annual report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, released today. Emitted by the burning of the fossil fuels coal, oil and gas for power, manufacturing and transportation, greenhouse gases…
WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2008 (ENS) – Mel Martinez says the time to act on climate change is now. The junior U.S. Senator from Florida said Sunday that he will support federal legislation that curbs carbon emissions, but the Orlando Republican says he wants to ensure the costs are fairly distributed. Congress clearly recognizes the…
LONDON, UK, March 27, 2008 (ENS) – Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today said that the UK is making progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but there is still much work to do. Provisional statistics published today for total UK greenhouse gas emissions for 2007 showed a drop of two percent below the previous year, with…
ALBANY, New York, March 24, 2008 (ENS) – Ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states working together to reduce greenhouse gases from power plants will hold the first auction of carbon dioxide emissions allowances in the nation for a mandatory emissions reduction program on September 10, 2008. The 10 states are participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas…
AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2008 (ENS) – When Globalcon 2008 opens its conference and expo Wednesday at the Austin Convention Center, decision-makers from business, industry and government will be checking out the latest in integrated energy solutions that reduce their carbon footprints. Presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, Globalcon 2008 is designed to showcase…