| World's Craziest Geoengineering Scheme [Below is the original script. But a few changes may have been made during the recording of this audio podcast.] A manmade volcano erupting continuously to shade the Earth until greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are brought down. Thousands of mirrors boosted into geosynchronous orbit to block sunlight. Crewless ships wander the oceans spewing saltwater into the air to increase cloud cover. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Searching for Greener Gadgets: How to Size Up Energy Efficiency in Household Appliances Dear EarthTalk: I am considering upgrading some older appliances in my home. Where can I find information on which models are the most energy efficient? --Jonathan Duda, Olivebridge, NY [More] rss.sciam.com |
U.S. Commits to Greenhouse Gas Cuts under Copenhagen Climate Accord The U.S. officially committed in writing yesterday to the greenhouse gas emission cuts proposed by President Obama in Copenhagen --4 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The letter to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commits the nation to combat climate change, but with a caveat: any such commitment must be backed by legislation, which has not passed the U.S. Senate. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Petition filed to protect 404 southeastern U.S. species The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed a massive petition to protect 404 freshwater species in the southeastern U.S. The list includes 48 fish, 92 mussels and snails, 92 crayfish and other crustaceans, 82 plants, 13 reptiles (including five map turtles), four mammals, 15 amphibians, 55 insects, and three birds. The species live in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.Why seek protection for so many species at once? The CBD says they all form a cohesive ecosystem, and they depend upon each other for their survival. According to the CBD's Web site about what it refers to as the southeastern freshwater extinction crisis , "All these species are intricately interconnected: For example, the map turtles' survival depends on the abundance of snails and mussels, which they eat, while mussels depend on fish to host their larvae--and the fish, in turn, depend on the abundance of flies, whose larvae they consume." [More] rss.sciam.com |
Is Spent Nuclear Fuel a Waste or a Resource? On September 15, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission affirmed its expert opinion that spent nuclear fuel could be safely stored on nuclear power plant grounds--whether in pools or dry casks--for "at least 60 years beyond the licensed life of any reactor." That is good news, because there is nowhere else for such waste to go. [More] United States - Nuclear power - Nuclear fuel - Radioactive waste - Nuclear reactor technology rss.sciam.com |