Posted on May 29, 2008 by Dennis Pfaff
- The nation's first comprehensive ocean planning law, which among other things will regulate the placement of renewable energy projects such as wind farms, has been signed by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, reports the Boston Globe.
- Representatives of the five countries bordering the Arctic Ocean have adopted a declaration intended to reduce tensions over the likelihood that global warming will open northern waters to shipping, energy extraction and other activities, reports The New York Times.
- Honolulu, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, were among the cities with the lowest carbon footprint in the United States, according to a new report cited by the San Francisco Chronicle (whose city came in in eighth place on the list).
- Latin American and European officials discuss shared efforts to combat climate change, reports Latinamerica Press.
- Global demand for natural gas may be upsetting previous predictions that plenty would be available to supply the United States market, according to this look at the situation appearing in The New York Times.
- Unprecedented changes in the Arctic due to global warming are creating unprecedented challenges to the survival of marine mammals, conclude scientists in a report cited by Environmental Science and Technology.
- Exxon Mobil has turned back a revolt by descendants of company founder John D. Rockefeller Sr., defeating shareholder resolutions that included a demand the company draw up a plan to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and turn its attention to cleaner energy, says the Washington Post.
- Dealing with the needs of old people might be as big a challenge for society as climate change, warns Britain's health minister, according to the Telegraph of the United Kingdom.
Posted on April 28, 2008 by Dennis Pfaff
- Descendants of John D. Rockefeller will call for a shakeup at the top of ExxonMobil, the successor to the Standard Oil giant Rockefeller founded, amid concerns the company has been slow to acknowledge climate change, The Times of London reported.
- Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle wants an agreement between his state and the United Kingdom to work together on climate change issues, according to a story in The Capital Times.
- Forest Day in Africa was marked by discussions of how to reduce the impact of climate change, says a story in The Post, an English-language paper in Cameroon.
- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to dump high-profile members of a California commission overseeing state parks may have been related to efforts to build a transmission line serving a Southern California solar project, the San Francisco Chronicle reported over the weekend.
- Entrepeneurs are turning to such ventures as financing solar technologies, according to C/Net's Green Tech Blog.
- A Canadian panel sees climate-related threats to the polar bear, writes the Globe and Mail, but that doesn't go far enough to satisfy an American environmental group pushing for stronger action to protect the animal (see Center for Biological Diversity press statement here).
- Lawmakers in Washington are working toward a new deal on a farm bill that could cut ethanol tax subsidies, reports Radio Iowa. On the other hand, the measure would also boosts support for such renewables as cellulosic biofuels, according to the Delta Farm Press. However, by no means are all critics mollified, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal wrote over the weekend.
- The presence of electromagnetic fields generated by hybrid vehicles has led some to question whether they are safe for drivers, the New York Times wrote this weekend.
