UKs First Zero Carbon Rated House
by Alan HartenIn Staplehurst, Kent, a house has been built which has been rated as zero carbon. Richard Hawkes, the architect, followed the design of a timbrel vaulted house originally found in Catalonia, Spain in the 14th century. The house, called Crossways, has triple glazing, adapted newspaper insulation and is roofed with plants and soil. Solar panels provide warmth and cooling and it can also get heat from a boiler rated at 11kw and ...
Obama Revokes Bush Power Plant Pollution Freedom
by Alan Harten
A memo issued in the closing days of the Bush administration by Stephen Johnson, then an officer in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was revoked today by Lisa Jackson of the EPA, following a request by the Sierra Club. The memo said that when power stations are authorised, the emission of carbon dioxide, a significant cause of climate change, need not be controlled. President Obama has now held different views twice ...
CO2 And Water Make Natural Gas?
by Alan Harten
Natural gas can be produced from a combination of water vapour and carbon dioxide, recent research indicates. The process involves a group of nanotubes using sunlight as a power source. The possibility of removing carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere, reducing its effect on the planet’s climate, and changing it into certain chemicals or fuel, is now available, said Craig Grimes from the University of Pennsylvania. Research carried out by some different groups ...
Farmers Want To Side Step Wildlife Issues
by Alan Harten
Secretary for the Environment, Hilary Benn, told farmers at the NFU conference in Birmingham, that a land set aside scheme, dropped by the EU two years ago, will be re-introduced in the UK, because the number of birds using farmland has decreased. He will also consult further with farmers, as he believes that increased production and environmental paybacks can be achieved. The NFU, on behalf of its members came out against ...
UK could save £1m every day with energy efficiency
by David Masters
The UK is sharply divided on climate change, with nearly one-quarter of Brits unwilling to adapt to global warming or believing that it does not exist. Meanwhile, one third of people in the UK are deeply committed to tackling global warming. A government initiative announced this week could win over the doubters, as it focuses on the cost-benefits of cutting back energy usage, rather than on whether or not climate change is ...
Obama More Positive Than Bush At Climate Talks
by Alan Harten
Officials from 22 counties including the US, India and China and the EU met, last week, in Tokyo. They were preparing for the Copenhagen meeting in December which will ratify changes to the international treaty on the climate, after Kyoto. The meeting in Copenhagen is intended to fix commitments to reduce carbon emissions during the period after the expiry of the Kyoto Treaty in 2012. A Japanese official present said ...
Could the credit crunch put an end to food waste?
by David Masters
Wasted food is a huge environmental issue. In the EU, millions of tonnes of food is thrown away every year before it even reaches supermarket shelves. Supermarkets then throw away millions of tonnes of food because it is past its 'best before' date - although as all freegans know, this is relatively meaningless. UK households throw away 4.1 million tonnes of food after they have bought it from the supermarket. The credit ...
Olympics 2016 could be 100% green powered
by David Masters
The 2016 Olympics could be powered using only green energy if Tokyo wins the bidding race to host the games. Tokyo's metropolitan government has pledged that all Olympic-related facilities will be powered using electricity from 'green energy' sources if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chooses their city for the 2016 summer games. The green energy promise includes electricity generated using wind power, solar power, waste incineration, and other energy sources that do ...
Should you walk or wait if your bus is late?
by David Masters
There's nothing more annoying than waiting so long for a bus that you could have walked to your destination. Equally frustrating is to start walking because you're fed up waiting, only to be passed by your bus two minutes later. In an effort to minimise these annoyances, three US students have come up with the 'bus-wait formula' to calculate whether you'll be best waiting or walking. The student's formula is featured in the ...
Australia’s Bush Fires Are Huge Carbon Producer
by Alan HartenAustralia’s lethal bush fires loosed carbon into the sky, in millions of tonnes, comparable to greater than a third of the country's emissions for a year, scientists say. In Victoria, 180 have died and over 750 homes burnt down and the effect on climate will be severe because eucalyptus forest was alight, said Sydney University’s Mark Adams. He said millions of acres of eucalyptus burning means substantial amounts of CO2 into ...
North Sea Carbon Storage Planned
by Alan Harten
A plan to store carbon dioxide emission, emanating from Britain’s power stations, in rock formations under the North Sea, is being drawn up by National Grid. The Humber estuary will be the new home to the storage network and carbon transport depot, costing £2 billion. The concept, called National Grid Carbon, will enhance National Grid’s long range growth by servicing British power stations using carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment. National Grid’s spokesman, ...
Cow farts taxed in Denmark
by David Masters
Farmers in Denmark could end up being taxed for the greenhouse gas emissions produced by their cows and pigs following new proposals from the country's tax authorities. The Denmark Tax Commission estimates that each cow produces around 4 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year - 1.3 tonnes more than the average passenger car. Cows release methane from their stomach gases via burps and flatulence - a gas that is over 20 times ...
Hamster power creates renewable energy
by David Masters
Scientists have solved the age-old puzzle of whether hamster wheels can be used to generate energy. The answer is affirmative. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that nanotechnology can turn hamster movements - including running on the wheel and foraging for food - into electricity. The hamster has to wear a tiny nanogenerator jacket to harvest the energy from its movements. Four hamsters wearing the jackets at the same time can ...
Worldwide 20,000 tweeting for water justice
by David MastersPeople in over 175 cities around the world were Tweeting for charity yesterday, in a Twestival to raise awareness of the need for clean drinking water in majority world nations. The Twestival was expected to raise $1 million for the 1.1 billion people around the world who can't access clean drinking water. Money raised from the Twestival will go to charity:water - a nonprofit organisation bringing clean water to people in ...
Tropical Fish Swimming North
by Alan Harten
An examination of over 1,000 sea creatures forecasts that fish shoals will move closer to the poles by over 125 miles, 200 km, by the middle of the century, in a displacement of marine species caused by the warming of the planet. Greenland, Alaska and Nordic countries would be some of the countries to gain from additional fish but countries in the Tropics will endure most deprivation, as marketable fish supplies ...
North American Carbon Emissions Plan
by Alan Harten
A call for a plan to apply to the whole of North America for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions came from Steven Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. The Prime Minister said he wanted to see, in the future, a policy for the whole continent and to work with the new administration in the USA, aiming for the same results in reducing emissions of greenhouse gas, using a policy of ...
Government Determined To Lower Home Carbon Emissions
by Alan HartenThe government intends to bring down energy bills and carbon emissions by 2030. Carbon emissions may be reduced by one third as soon as 2020 as a result of this plan and the government is aiming for an 80% drop in emissions by 2050. At present 27% of the country’s carbon emissions are caused by power and heating for homes. The aim is for 7 million homes to be improved by ...
Zumbox to bring snail mail online
by David Masters
An American website has given every postal address in the US a virtual online mailbox, potentially eliminating the need for traditional paper mail. Zumbox - the world's first all-digital alternative to snail mail - is completely secure, and every postal address in the US has automatically been signed up. The technology will allow businesses, charities, government departments and other organisations to send correspondence direct to anyone's digital mailbox - potentially saving millions ...
Prince Charles dedicates 2009 to rainforests
by David Masters
Prince Charles plans to spend this year focused on his project to save the world's rainforests. The heir to the throne said he is dedicating 2009 to what he describes as "one of the biggest crises facing the planet," global warming caused by deforestation. Sixty year old Charles may also appear in adverts with Hollywood star Harrison Ford to raise awareness of rainforest destruction. Next month Charles is visiting the Amazon rainforest, where ...
Jumbo Jet recycled as hostel
by David Masters
A retired Boeing 747-200 Jumbo has been transformed into a 74-bed hostel at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden. General manager Oscar Dios hopes the hostel will attract aviation enthusiasts, budget travellers, charter tourists and even day visitors. Each of the Jumbo's 25 rooms features a flat screen TV, and wireless internet. Bathrooms are shared, apart from in the en suite luxury room. An onboard restaurant - formerly the lounge bar - boasts garish orange ...