February 20th, 2008 · Comments Off
Michael Specter in The New Yorker, Big Foot. In measuring carbon emissions, it’s easy to confuse morality and science:
“Possessing an excessive carbon footprint is rapidly becoming the modern equivalent of wearing a scarlet letter. Because neither the goals nor acceptable emissions limits are clear, however, morality is often mistaken for science. A recent article in New Scientist suggested that the biggest problem arising from the epidemic of obesity is the additional carbon burden that fat people—who tend to eat a lot of meat and travel mostly in cars—place on the environment. Australia briefly debated imposing a carbon tax on families with more than two children; the environmental benefits of abortion have been discussed widely (and simplistically). Bishops of the Church of England have just launched a “carbon fast,” suggesting that during Lent parishioners, rather than giving up chocolate, forgo carbon. (Britons generate an average of a little less than ten tons of carbon per person each year; in the United States, the number is about twice that.)”
Tags: carbon emissions,co2,environment,food
November 20th, 2007 · Comments Off

Live Science, Proposal: Suck Carbon Dioxide Out of the Air:
“Increasingly, research now suggests devices could literally suck carbon dioxide straight from the atmosphere.
“The technology to do this is going through major advances, moving toward detailed designs,” said environmental engineer Frank Zeman at Columbia University. “It’s becoming more and more efficient—we’ve cut the electricity requirements by well over half.”"
Tags: climate change,co2
November 17th, 2007 · Comments Off

Live Science, Why Autumn Colors Are So Late:
“A gray, grim landscape used to greet residents of the Northeastern United States each November, but autumn’s riot of red, orange and yellow came late this year. Delayed fall foliage also occurred in Chicago and parts of Europe.
Some say droughts and a warm summer played a role, while others wonder more broadly about global warming. In fact, it’s rising levels of carbon dioxide, not the warmer temperatures fueled by the greenhouse gas, that have been delaying the transformation of green leaves, at least in Europe for a few decades, a new study suggests.”
Tags: autumn,climate change,co2
June 24th, 2007 · Comments Off
Breathing Earth, Real time displays of carbon dioxide emission levels and birth and death rates for every country in the world.
Tags: co2,demography,environment,infographic,world
February 10th, 2007 · 1 Comment
Nature: “A multi-million dollar prize is on offer to anyone who can invent a device that will remove significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As one of the largest science prizes on offer, it is likely to attract huge interest globally in a bid to combat climate change.”
Tags: climate change,co2,richard branson