By Juliet Eilperin 12 April 2013 (Washington Post) – You might have been wondering whether the Obama administration was going to impose the first-ever greenhouse gas limits on new power plants, since the deadline is April 13. We reported nearly a month ago that the Environmental Protection Agency was likely to delay the rule to […]
12 April 2013 (NOAA) – For scientists studying summer sea ice in the Arctic, it’s not a question of “if” there will be nearly ice-free summers, but “when.” And two scientists say that “when” is sooner than many thought — before 2050 and possibly within the next decade or two. James Overland of NOAA’s Pacific […]
THE HAGUE, 12 April 2013 (AFP) – Australia is to fire the opening salvoes in a legal battle before the United Nations’ highest court in June aimed at stopping Japan’s whaling research programme in Antarctica. “The International Court of Justice … will hold public hearings in the case concerning whaling in the Antarctic, Australia versus […]
By Felix Salmon3 April 2013 (Medium) – A few days ago, the value of all the bitcoins in the world blew past $1 billion for the first time ever. That’s an impressive achievement, for a purely virtual currency backed by no central bank or other authority. It’s also temporary: we’re in the middle of a […]
By Ben Geman 10 April 2013 (The Hill) – A corporate coalition that includes big clothing and food companies says in a new joint statement that confronting global warming is “one of America’s greatest economic opportunities of the 21st century.” They’re also offering a warning to climate skeptics. “We cannot risk our kids’ futures on […]
PATILLAS, Puerto Rico, 10 April 2013 (Associated Press) – A curtain of sound envelops the two researchers as they make their way along the side of a mountain in darkness, occasionally hacking their way with a machete to reach the mouth of a small cave. Peeps, tweets and staccato whistles fill the air, a pulsing […]
[Des visited Arcosanti as a child and still has a couple of ceramic “windbells” hanging in the living room window.] PHOENIX, 9 April 2013 (Sante Fe New Mexican) – Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri, who designed what for years was Santa Fe’s most popular music venue before moving on to Arizona to build a futuristic community […]
TORONTO, ONTARIO (IFAW) – Canada’s commercial seal hunt opens off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador today, despite a lack of demand for seal products and restrictions on seal products in 34 countries. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) questions why the Canadian government insists on wasting millions of tax dollars supporting an industry […]
Caption by Michon Scott9 April 2013 (NASA) – In early April 2013, severe flooding claimed more than 50 lives, and forced thousands from their homes in the Buenos Aires region, news sources said. Many of the casualties occurred in La Plata, situated about 60 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Buenos Aires. Roughly 40 centimeters (16 […]
By Brad Plumer 9 April 2013 (Washington Post) – At his confirmation hearing this morning, Energy Secretary nominee Ernest Moniz told the Senate that the United States spends far too little on energy R&D. “We are underinvesting by a factor of three,” he said. Is that accurate? Many energy experts have, indeed, argued over the […]
