It's Getting Hot in Herre (15 Apr - Part 2)

The Latest News in Climate Change/Global Warming, Peak Oil, and Sustainability

OK, after that previous monster post, here's something a bit more breezy...

• WCCO TV, from my ol' hometown of Minneapolis, is getting on the Peak Oil bandwagon, kicking off a new series of stories dubbed Project Energy--now that's something you don't often see on local news!
  

  The world is now using more oil, globally, than we are finding.
  
  "Exxon is saying the last year when we found more oil than we burned was 1987. So, the handwriting is on the wall that we are not finding it," said Kenneth Deffeyes. He is the emeritus professor of geosciences at Princeton, a former Shell oil geologist, and author of two books in a growing list on the subject of peak oil.
  [...]
  "I come out with the strong conclusion that the oil fields we have already found contain 94 percent of all the oil we are ever going to find," Deffeyes said.
  
  According to a report commissioned by the Department of Energy, the peaking of conventional oil "… will cause protracted economic hardships in the United States and the world. It is a problem unlike any yet faced by a modern industrial society."

  The text and video from the first segment are up at WCCO (although it's a lil' ironic that the ad in front of the video is from a local car dealership)
  
  
• From Wired's Autotopia blog: J.D. Power & Associates projects that the market for diesel cars and light trucks will double in the next ten years, growing from 3.2% last year to more than 10% by 2015. Biodiesel, biodiesel, biodiesel...
  
  
• Treehugger notes that Vespa is developing two models of hybrid scooters, which will feature an "electric-only" mode for low-speeds and plug-in capability (though, on the downside, it sounds like these might only be for the European market).
  
  
• From a WorldChanging post comes a few encouraging news tidbits about clean, sustainable energy, including this article from the NYTimes on solar power becoming the next tech boom and the success of wind power in the UK from the Scotsman:
  

  The [British] onshore wind industry will be generating 50 per cent more electricity than previously predicted by 2010, according to a report out yesterday.
  
  The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) said 6,000 megawatts of wind power capacity will have been installed, generating almost 5 per cent of UK electricity supply.
  
  This will avoid up to 13 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and deliver nearly half the government's 2010 renewable energy target.

• Here's something from a few weeks ago that I forgot to note: Washington state has passed one of the nation's most "far reaching" electronics recycling program. From the Seattle P-I:
  

  Under the new law, manufacturers will have to establish a program to collect, transport and dispose of old electronic products. Household consumers, schools, charities, small governments and small businesses will be able to drop off their e-waste without charge once the program is fully implemented, by Jan. 1, 2009.

  From the NYTimes (abstract only; full article available if you're a Time Select subscriber - sorry I didn't get to this sooner):
  

  Washington becomes the fourth state to enact legislation requiring the establishment of a statewide program for recycling electronic waste. California's law requires that customers pay a recycling fee when they buy a computer or television.
  
  Maine and Maryland's laws are similar to Washington's in placing responsibility on electronics providers, but neither go as far in establishing a system of collecting, transporting and processing electronic waste. Another 19 states are considering some form of legislation on electronic waste.
  [...]
  Discarded TV's and PC's can contain as much as eight pounds of lead, as well as mercury, cadmium and other substances that are harmless when part of a piece of equipment but a health risk when they reach a landfill.
  
  According to the new law, no manufacturer can sell an electronic product in the state unless the manufacturer is participating in an approved electronic waste recycling plan. The Washington law received support from several large electronics providers, including Hewlett-Packard and Amazon.com.

• Germany said in mid-March it would invest 500 million euros ($600 million) over the next decade in developing vehicles powered by hydrogen. Experts from German automaker BMW predict that the cost of hydrogen technology could be reduced to levels affordable for individual consumers by 2015. Even then, basic hydrogen-powered cars would cost up to 3,000 euros (3,600 dollars) more than gasoline models at today's prices. [Deutsche Welle]
  
  
• The biggest-ever scheme to bury greenhouse gases below the seabed is being planned by energy groups Shell and Statoil. The plan will allow Norwegian gas to be developed for Britain with less environmental damage. Up to 2.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide annually - the same as would be produced by 1m cars - is to be captured and stored in offshore oil fields, Draugen and Heidrun, at a cost of up to $1.5bn (£867m).
  
  Carbon capture and storage is seen as a potentially vital tool for cutting CO2 emissions and helping to reduce global warming but the technique is still in its infancy. The Norwegian project will not reduce existing CO2 levels but will lead to cleaner power being produced to run the Ormen Lange field, which will eventually provide up to 20% of the UK's entire gas needs. [Guardian]
  
  
• Looks like Al Gore isn't the only one bringing climate change to a popular venue: HBO will be televising a special entitled Too Hot Not To Handle on Earth Day, with its premiere on Earth Day (April 22). Here's a preview from Jordan over at JoeTrippi.com:
  

  The film is divided into two parts. In the first section, it uses scientific data and visual representations of climate change to conclusively prove that global warming is real and that it is happening. There were audible gasps from the audience when photographic comparisons of glaciers from 100 years ago and today were shown on the screen - in at least one place, an ice buildup that used to be 18 feet thick is now simply gone.
  [...]
  And that’s why I really liked the second part of the film - because it showed us things that people have done and that we can do to stop this problem from becoming a huge global catastrophe. Much of the solutions focused on cars - driving hybrids, using cleaner fuel, etc… There was also a great demonstration about what cities like Portland, Oregon have done to encourage businesses to adopt more environmentally efficient practices. And one of the key themes throughout these “solutions” was not just that we have to do this to save the environment, but that it makes economic sense as well - businesses and individuals are saving money by using fewer resources - and as Robert Kennedy Jr. pointed out in his speech to the screening audience introducing the film, if people can save $300-400 a year on gas by driving cars with higher fuel efficiency, that has the same economic impact as Bush’s tax cut.

  Interesting note: both this film and Al Gore's upcoming An Inconvenient Truth are both produced by Laurie David of StopGlobalWarming.org (where I'm marcher 487187). Be sure to check out the trailer to An Inconvenient Truth over at Apple.