All Environment
Is Chicago a new cleantech hub?The recently-announced聽Joint Center for Energy Storage Research in suburban Chicago聽arguably leapfrogs the Windy City into the top echelon of cleantech technology research clusters, Stuebi writes.
Gas prices crash? Prices drop 10 cents in three weeksGas prices crash? The average price of gasoline in the US has dropped 10 cents in the past three weeks, and it may be going lower.聽
Nations extend weaker Kyoto ProtocolUN climate conference approves extending Kyoto global-warming agreement through 2020. But new Kyoto phase will cover only 15 percent of greenhouse gases.
Leveraging energy: why China succeeds where the US failsCountries like China and India which leverage their oil use to a greater extent with more coal use are less affected by a rise in oil prices 鈥� Tverberg writes. It's one reason why jobs are moving to China and India, and away from the US.
Stubborn US drought could be costlier than hurricane SandyAs drought conditions persist across the South, hitting farmers and ranchers, parts of the Mississippi River are on the verge of becoming unnavigable. The potential costs are large.聽
India tests ways to help farmers cope with climate changeConcerns about how climate change may be affecting India are bringing fresh urgency 鈥� and funding 鈥� to longstanding challenges in sustainable agriculture.
Heating oil: a last stand in the Northeast?The gap between heating oil and natural gas prices is the largest in at least a decade, causing Northeast homeowners to convert to natural gas.- Cheapest way to heat your home? Four fuels compared. Not all home heating fuels are created equal. Here's what it would cost to heat the average home in the Northeast with oil, natural gas, electricity, and propane, as forecast by the Energy Information Administration (EIA):
Should US export natural gas? Study for DOE fuels fiery debate.According to the study, global market conditions are not yet ripe for US natural gas exports, but when they are, the exports would benefit the economy. A key issue is how that benefit is shared.
Fighting winter with fire? Wood-burning on the rise.The number of US homes relying on burning wood for heat is up 24 percent since 2006. But environmental concerns could quash further growth of wood-burning.
Wildland fires: New yardstick for risk aims to help protect communitiesThe risk index announced Wednesday is a tool for communities in the 'wildland-urban interface,' where development has pushed into areas in which wildfires are part of the ecology.
Freeport-McMoRan to acquire oil, gas assets in $20 billion dealCopper-mining giant Freeport-McMoRan will purchase two oil and gas companies, which could rescue a venture by McMoRan Exploration Co. to drill one of the deepest offshore oil wells on record.
Cleantech on the decline? Predictions for 2013Next year is shaping up to be something of a year of backtracking for the cleantech industry, according to an analysis by Kachan & Co., a cleantech research and consulting firm.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Act 3: global warming crusaderThe Terminator took on global warming as governor of California. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined a Showtime miniseries to try to educate the everyman about climate change.
Solar-powered plane to circumnavigate globe. How will it fly at night?The solar-powered plane, scheduled to fly around the world in 2015, travels only 30 miles per hour and will have to stay aloft 20 days, even at night. The solar-powered plane is the brainchild of Bertrand Piccard, the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon.
New plastic lighting saves energy. Goodbye, fluorescent lights?Scientists have designed an energy-efficient light of plastic packed with nanomaterials that glow.聽The shatterproof FIPEL technology can be molded into almost any shape, but still needs to prove it's commercially viable.聽
Tesla Model S electric zaps the competitionPraise pours in for the Tesla Model S,聽a costly car that uses no gas.
Fuel subsidies get scrutiny at Doha talksNations spend more than $500 billion to keep fossil fuel prices low, which is popular with voters but harms the climate. Removing fossil-fuel subsidies would lower聽carbon emissions by more than 10 percent by 2050, the OECD calculates.聽
Pressure on Obama grows for Keystone XL decisionPresident Barack Obama is facing pressure from all sides concerning the fate of the Keystone XL, a pipeline that would stretch from Canada through the Midwestern US in order to easily transport crude from Alberta鈥檚 oil sands to refineries in Texas.
Global water crisis: Seen from the first Himalayan glacial trickleGlobal water crisis: Reporter William Wheeler talks about water stress from the effects of climate change high in the Himalayas where India and Pakistan's great rivers start to Haiti's fresh-water pollution.