All Environment
India Mars mission: How much fuel do you need to get to Mars?India launched its first spacecraft to Mars Tuesday at a price tag of $72 million. It takes less fuel to propel India's Mars orbiter 485 million miles to the Red Planet than you think.
Your thermostat is about to get 'smart'A new generation of 'smart' thermostats leverage cheap sensors, data analytics, and other bells and whistles of the IT world to take the guesswork out of programming your thermostat. It's an emerging field that is expected to grow as users demand more from their everyday devices.聽
In Britain, to frack, or not to frack?With the British shale story in its infancy, a new report downplays the risk of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, leading to groundwater contamination. Will Britain follow in the US footsteps towards a shale gas boom?
Good news on global warming? Emissions going up, but more slowly.A new study suggests that carbon-dioxide emissions last year 鈥� while still a record high 鈥� grew more slowly than over the past 10 years on average. That could signal an important change.
Coloradans weigh fracking bans. A litmus test for oil and gas?Residents of four Colorado towns will vote on fracking bans Tuesday. Oil and gas production is growing in the western states, and what happens in Colorado is being closely watched in other shale-rich states.- Alligator at O'Hare airport. Really.Alligator at O'Hare airport: A two-foot long alligator was discovered under an escalator at Terminal 3 of O'Hare International Airport.
Tropical Storm Sonia gains strength, takes aim at MexicoTropical Storm Sonia is expected to make landfall early Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The Mexican states of Sinaloa and Durango are expecting heavy rainfall and high winds.
Five myths about Al Gore's 'carbon bubble'The carbon bubble idea is an interesting hypothesis, Styles writes, but there are some flaws in the arguments Al Gore makes in its support. Carbon bubble or no, there's nothing wrong with investors wanting to track their carbon exposure, consider shadow carbon prices, or ensure they are properly diversified.
Daylight saving time ends: How to light up the fall (and save money)Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, meaning peak heating and lighting season really ramps up. Daylight saving time is itself a means to save energy, but there are plenty of other ways to save money and energy this fall and winter.
Tesla Motors Model S fires: Another setback for electric cars?Two fires in damaged Tesla Motors Model S cars have raised some concerns over the safety of lithium ion batteries. But the concern should be more about the response from Tesla Motors, Finley writes, than the fires themselves.
Gas prices hit new low for 2013. Who's paying under $3?Gas prices are continuing their downward slide, hitting the lowest average price since last December Friday. Gas聽prices are expected to continue to fall this year, and in many places, drivers are already paying less than $3 a gallon to fill up their gas tank.
After Fukushima, Japan divided over future of nuclear energyAs Japan moves forward with its energy future after the Fukushima disaster, it tries to balance stable electricity with public safety. Will Japan return to nuclear energy?
How much of your tax money goes to oil and gas?The US will begin publishing annual reports on how much the government spends on fossil fuel subsidies. It's part of the White House's broader push to be more transparent in mineral wealth extraction, but there's debate over exactly what subsidies are and how important they are to US energy.
US military warms to electric carsDefense Department plans to buy 92,000 hybrid and electric vehicles over the next seven years to trim its fuel bill. They could be especially cost-effective in war zones.
Who's watching North Dakota's oil pipelines?Recent pipeline spills in North Dakota have drawn attention to the nation's extensive oil and gas pipeline network. Pipeline capacity is short of what's needed to keep pace with oil production in the United States, Graeber writes, and the regulatory agencies to monitor safety aren't up to snuff.
Happy Halloween! But ... what's powering your pumpkin?Happy Halloween: Trick or treat? Solar or oil?聽Even Halloween jack-o'-lanterns have joined the energy debate. When the Department of Energy promoted clean energy and efficiency as pumpkin-carving suggestions, the US oil and gas lobby served up its own Halloween ideas.聽
Obama Boston speech interrupted by Keystone XL protestersKeystone XL protesters聽used President Obama's Wednesday speech on health care to put the Canada-Texas pipeline back in the spotlight. Attention has shifted away from Keystone XL in recent months as fiscal debates and health care have overshadowed climate change in Washington.
Walmart: the next clean energy giant?The retail giant Walmart currently has 89 megawatts of solar power at 215 locations and in 2012, Walmart reached a goal of a 20 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions.
How 'smart parking' could save a million barrels of oil every daySmart parking uses聽low-cost sensors, real-time data collection, and mobile-phone-enabled automated payment systems that help drivers quickly find a parking spot, Rucks and Guevara-Stone write. The system reduces car emissions in urban centers by reducing the need for people to needlessly circle city blocks searching for parking.
US extends crackdown on coal overseasThe US will end financial support for new coal projects overseas, except in narrowly defined circumstances, to address rising greenhouse-gas emissions. Can clean energy alone alleviate energy poverty?
