June 2nd, 2009
Air New Zealand’s Biofuel Flight Cuts Emissions By 65%
Stumble it!
By Jerry James Stone, courtesy of Gas2.o
At the Eco-Aviation Conference in Washington, Air New Zealand’s Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan announced the company’s findings on a test flight from last December. Powered by a combination of biofuel and jet fuel, the test resulted in a fuel savings of 1.2%. It also cut CO2 emissions by over 60%!
While a 1.2% fuel savings doesn’t seem like much, that is over 1 ton of fuel!
The test was conducted using a commercial 747-400 fitted with Rolls Royce engines. Rolls Royce had certified the fuel — a 50:50 blend of standard Jet A1 fuel and synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from jatropha oil.
“We’ve proven the technical capability of biofuel as a drop-in replacement,” said Bill Glover, Managing Director of Environmental Strategy for Boeing. “It meets all jet fuel requirements and then some.”
The biofuel was produced from Jatropha seeds grown on “environmentally sustainable farms.” A second generation biofuel, jatropha is grown on land that doesn’t compete with food. It requires almost no care and very little water. Another major benefit of jatropha is that, due to its ability to take hold in harsh wastelands, it can be used to help stop erosion in these areas and reclaim them for agricultural production.
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May 28th, 2009
Water from Melting Greenland Ice Sheath May Impact Northeast US Coast
From the Environmental News Network (ENN.com)
New research by the National Center for Atmospheric Research points to the possibility that water from the melting Greenland Ice Sheath could change oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic, in a way that would raise sea levels off the Northeast by about eight inches more than the average global sea level rise that is expected with global warming.
Results of the study are being published this week in Geophysical Research Letters. They suggest that moderate to high rates of ice melt from Greenland may shift ocean circulation by about 2100, causing sea levels off the northeast coast of North America to rise by about 30 to 51 centimeters (12 to 20 inches) more than other coastal areas.
The research builds on recent reports that have found that sea level rise could adversely affect North America, and its findings suggest that the situation is even more urgent than previously believed.
“If the Greenland melt continues to accelerate, we could see significant impacts this century on the northeast U.S. coast from the resulting sea level rise,” says scientist Aixue Hu, the paper’s lead author. Hu is at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. “Major northeastern cities are directly in the path of the greatest rise.”
To assess the impact of Greenland ice melt on ocean circulation, Hu and his coauthors used the Community Climate System Model, an NCAR-based computer model that simulates global climate.
They considered three scenarios: the melt rate continuing to increase by 7 percent a year, as has been the case in recent years, or the melt rate slowing down to an increase of either 1 or 3 percent a year.
Read the rest of the article here.
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May 27th, 2009
Household Energy Use to Triple by 2030, Due to Power-Hungry Electronics
Courtesy of CleanTechnica.com
Experts call energy efficiency the low-hanging fruit, because it’s cheaper to cut power use than create new energy from fossil fuels like coal.
But our creature comforts — like iPods, cell phones, PCs and plasma TVs — are sucking the life out of advances in energy efficiency around the world, the International Energy Agency says.
In other words, too much fruit is rotting on the vine.
The IEA says in a new “Gigawatts and Gadgets” report that electricity consumption from power-hungry electronics could cause household energy use to triple by 2030. That means increased greenhouse gases from electric generation, and increased electric bills for creating that power.
The agency is urging consumers to choose more power-sipping devices when they go shopping. Technology allows trendy gadgets to be up to 40 percent more energy efficient, but standards are lacking.
It used to be that refrigerators and other appliances used the most electricity in our homes. If you go to buy a new fridge, you’ll see tags that show “estimated energy use per year.”
Our digital gadgets have now surpassed the electric use of “white goods” like refrigerators, Reuters reports.
What to do? Before you go shopping, check out some online guides to greener gadgets:
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May 19th, 2009
Goooobama! President Sets Strong Emissions Rules
It is a great deal for the environment– and a terrible day for global warming. President Obama announced today tough new national rules for auto emissions and mileage standards. His administration has embraced standards that California sought to enact for years over the objections of the auto industry and the Bush administration.
The new rules, which will go into effect in 2012, will create a single new national standard that will yield a car and light truck fleet in the United States that is 40 percent more fuel-efficient by 2016 than it is today. The mandated national average for automobiles and light trucks will be 35.5 miles per gallon. The current national standard is slightly more than 25 miles per gallon.
Read more on the story from the New York Times here.
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May 14th, 2009
Obama’s 2010 Budget to Increase EPA Funding by 34 Percent
Written by Amanda Wills, courtesy of Earth911
The Obama administration announced its proposed budget for the fiscal year 2010 which includes a significant boost in funding for the EPA. The $10.5 billion funding will be a 34 percent increase from 2009’s $7.8 billion in funding.
“It takes significant strides to ensure that our air, land, and water are safe and clean,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in her May 7 speech. “And it significantly improves accountability and transparency, ensuring fiscal responsibility at a time when every dollar counts.”
So what’s the EPA’s plan for the extra money? According to Jackson, $3.9 billion will go toward improving the nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure. Jackson says the funding represents a Obama’s dedication to improving the environment.
“EPA’s new budget reflects the President’s commitment to growing a clean energy economy while protecting human health and the environment,” Jackson said.
EPA’s other plans include $475 million for the Great Lakes Initiative, $17 million for creating a greenhouse gas registry and $1.3 billion to clean up eligible hazardous waste sites, which is part of the Superfund site initiative.
Beginning in 2011, the government will reinstate the Superfund tax on businesses, generating $1 billion a year in revenue.
The new budget will also create jobs. The EPA plans to have enough money to hire 30 additional enforcement staff members in its Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program.
“We see remarkable opportunities to create green jobs,” Jackson said. “We see new growth in communities that are cleaner, healthier places to live, work and invest. And we see new innovations that will protect our planet for the generations to come. EPA has been given extraordinary support, and a revitalized mission. We’re ready to get to work.”
This article was reproduced with the kind permission of Earth 911. For more news and information visit http://earth911.com/.
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