Revolving DoorsRevolving DoorsA blog mainly dedicated to the concern of our madly accelerating world, destined to crumble if we don't slow down. A lot abaout global warming. Articles
Water movement
2008-02-24 22:31:00 Oceans cover 3/4 of the Earth's surface. A lot of energy can be harnessed from these great bodies of water.Here is a talk about the Pelamis wave energy converter.A video from Eon about Pelamis. More About: Water
Plastic bags
2008-02-24 09:43:00 Almost one trillion plastic bags are consumed each year, one million a minute. Only 1 % is recycled.Here is a lady crocheting a wide range of things with plastic bags. More About: Bags , Plastic
Words spoken
2008-02-24 00:35:00 Here is a poem by actor Woody Harrelson called "Thoughts From Within". More About: Words , Spoken
Transition to renewables
2008-02-23 17:35:00 Scientists of the University of Kassel in Germany prove that the entire country can be powered by renewables only. They connected biogas, wind and solar power in a distributed way and show it can deliver both baseloads and peakloads. More About: Transition
Civil unrest
2008-02-22 13:37:00 Clashes are bound to follow as the climate change saga continues. Below is an example of the civil unrest that may arise. It is taken from a new report on law enforcement and national security issues related to climate change."A rise in protests aimed at governments over inadequate policy changes or aimed at corporations over environmental damage can probably be expected. While social and environmental movements have a long history of peaceful protest and non-violent direct action, on the fringes of such movements there are always those who will resort toviolence and sabotage. In the extreme, there may even be a rise in groups using terrorist tactics to further their otherwise legitimate agendas.16 In the US, the FBI has observed worrying signs of an escalation in violent rhetoric and tactics amongst a small minority of environmental extremists, and they currently consider ‘eco-terrorism’ to be one of the most serious domestic terrorism threats." Read An Uncertain Future: Law E... More About: Civil
Innovations for a Sustainable Economy
2008-02-22 01:34:00 clipped from www.worldwatch.orgEnvironmental issues were once regarded as irrelevant to economic activity, but today they aredramatically rewriting the rules for business, investors, and consumers. Around the world, innovative responses to climate change and other environmental problems are affecting more than $100 billion in annual capital flows as pioneering entrepreneurs, organizations, and governments take steps to create the Earth’s first “sustainable” global economy. In State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy , researchers with the Worldwatch Institute and other leading experts highlight an array of economic innovations that offer new opportunities for long-term prosperity. Read the first chapter of State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy here."The assumed independence of economic activity from nature, always illusory, is simply no longer credible.""Markets are adept at generating vast quantities of private goods, but some of ...
Bicycle to work
2008-02-21 16:45:00 Here is a cool bicycle to work film from some guy in Brussels. More About: Work , Bicycle
Lester Brown: Just do it!
2008-02-20 22:15:00 Lester Brown , president of Earth Policy Institute and author of Plan B 3.0, reckons states can't sit and wait for a new Kyoto protocol. By the time such a protocol is ratified and done it may all well be too late to do anything. He urges individual nations to start taking major steps NOW, just going for it, not minding if the neighbors are committing or not. Just do it! He mentions New Zealand as a good example of a nation taking real measures. Hear more from Lester in this interesting interview from NPR.Here are some of the optimistic advances which Lester mentioned in the interview above:New Zealand's prime minister Helen Calk talks about their climate change plans.Massive wind power development in Texas.Germany and its renewable energy policies.Geothermal energy in IcelandAlgeria planning to export solar power to Europe.clipped from www.arabianbusiness.comAn Algerian firm is planning to build a power cable to Germany to export electricity generated through solar panels located ... More About: Lester
The London congestion war has begun
2008-02-20 08:31:00 clipped from www.guardian.co.ukThe luxury car maker Porsche is likely to take the mayor of London , Ken Livingstone, to court over plans to charge drivers of the most polluting vehicles 25 each time they enter the capital. The German sports car specialist said yesterday that the proposed rise, which will come into force in October, is "unfair and disproportionate".The mayor, who is running for re-election in May, said he was amazed Porsche had decided to intervene and described the decision by the company's chief executive, Wendelin Wiedeking, as a PR disaster. "The idea that a German businessman who earns 50m a year should interfere in this when Londoners will have their chance to decide on May 1 is quite incredible," he said. Livingstone said: "The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and it will ensure that those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause. This is the ... More About: Congestion
Producing your own electricity - microgeneration
2008-02-19 22:17:00 In Sweden we haven't had any real economical incentives so far for domestic grid-connected solar or wind power. The market for this has therefor been very small. But today I heard about a new company that provides easy and practical grid-connected solutions that you can either rent or buy.Home powerclipped from www.guardian.co.ukEnergy minister Malcolm Wicks said yesterday the government would look at ways of boosting the share of Britain's electricity from microgeneration.The government is planning to launch a consultation early this summer on a new strategy in its drive to meet the European Union's 2020 renewable-energy target. "We will be looking afresh at microgeneration, and any proposals to boost microgeneration, including a feed-in tariff, are ones we are open to consider," Wicks said.Feed-in tariffs offer above-market payments for wind or solar-generated power. Supporters point to the success of their use in Germany in encouraging green energy production. MicropowerM... More About: Electricity , Producing
Zooming out and grasping the big picture
2008-02-18 22:31:00 James Lovelock the founder of the Gaia theory has had a very strong influence on environmental science. I guess the Gaia theory is about seeing the world as a living planet, a matrix of systems that interconnect and respond to each other, a self-regulating web of life which have permitted a rock planet to harbor life for millions of years. Lovelock's systems view of things have made him very pessimistic of what is going on now. Here he gives a sobering talk at The Royal Society. More About: Picture , The Big Picture , Big Picture
Are you rapture ready?
2008-02-17 13:43:00 I recently started reading George Monbiot's latest book Bring on the Apocalypse. It is a collection of essays on various topics and I think most of them can be read on his blog. The first chapter covers American evangelical Christianity. I guess global warming fits in great in the evangelical prophecy scenarios. When chaos peaks it will be time to leave the planet and go for a naked ride to heaven. Lift-off towards eternal life for the rapture-ready and eternal death for the unready ones. If this is what George W Bush and his crew is into, it may explain partly why he has been so uncommitted to deal with climate change. Here is bizarre tour of right-wing Pastor John Hagee's annual Washington-Israel Summit. clipped from news.bbc.co.ukJohn Hagee is the pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, and a long-time fervent supporter of Israel.In common with many American evangelicals, he believes that God gave the land to the Jewish people and that Christi... More About: Rapture , Ready
Eco-cred with cracks
2008-02-15 22:27:00 Our local Ica store has recently been eco-certified. They sell a bit more organic stuff, the freezers are covered at night and they sort their garbage. They have even started selling biodegradable shopping bags as an option to the ordinary plastic ones. This may give them some eco-cred, but it feels a bit hollow considering that they don't hesitate to sell trips to sunny paradise islands. More About: Cracks
State of the oceans revealed
2008-02-15 22:22:00 clipped from www.guardian.co.ukFishing, climate change and pollution have left an indelible mark on virtually all of the world's oceans, according to a huge study that has mapped the total human impact on the seas for the first time. Scientists found that almost no areas have been left pristine and more than 40% of the world's oceans have been heavily affected."This project allows us to finally start to see the big picture of how humans are affecting the oceans," said Ben Halpern, assistant research scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who led the research. "Our results show that when these and other individual impacts are summed up the big picture looks much worse than I imagine most people expected. It was certainly a surprise to me." More About: State , The oceans , Oceans
Unscrupulous ICA
2008-02-14 21:15:00 We got this glossy travel brochure from ICA in the mail today and I could hardly believe my eyes. How can a major food store chain come out with this kind insanity in a time when companies are trying to outgreen each other? Long fucking distance flights to Thailand, Baha de Saman, Kambodja, Maldives, Mauritius, Kap Verde, Fort Lauderdale and Isla de Margarita are offered for very affordable prices and the planes used are extra spacious, equipped with special comfort seats that have extra roomy leg space. Disgusting and unscrupulous. I think I will quit my membership at ICA.
Meat and climate change
2008-02-13 23:14:00 Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends, talks about meat eating and its impact on climate change. FAO report Livestock's Long Shadow More About: Meat , Climate Change , Climate , Change
Insects
2008-02-13 06:57:00 clipped from www.independent.co.ukResearchers found that the numbers of leaf-eating insects are likely to surge as a result of rising levels of CO2, at a time when crop production will have to be boosted to feed an extra three billion people living at the end of 21st century.Scientists found that, during one of the last great episodes of global warming 55.8 million years ago, there was a significant increase in both the amount of damage caused by leaf-eating insects and the variety of injuries they inflicted on plants. More About: Insects
Telemarketing
2008-02-12 21:10:00 This evening my bedtime story reading with my little 4-year-old was interrupted by a telemarketing phone call for Citibank. I was sort of happy that it was Citibank because then I could crisply snap off the salesperson's attempt to win me over as a customer with a "Citibank finances coal, I therefore don't want anything to with Citibank. Thank you and good bye!"Update:The information I delivered was not up-to-date. The campaigning by RAN as in the video above must have had an impact.clipped from us.oneworld.netNEW YORK, Feb 7 (OneWorld) - Environmental campaigners scored a major victory this week as some of the nation's top banks agreed to link energy sector investment with initiatives to combat climate change. Officials at Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley pledged Monday that they would give priority to investment in clean energy businesses and put coal-fired electricity generation to "a rigorous review" process for financing. More About: Telemarketing
Slap-up on SUVs
2008-02-12 19:42:00 Finally some bold political action:clipped from www.guardian.co.ukDrivers of high-powered sports cars and 4x4s will be hit by a new 25 charge every time they enter central London under plans to reduce congestion and cut pollution across the capital. Politicians like Ken Livingstone deserves a lot of votes..
Corn: food, fuel and plastic
2008-02-10 22:59:00 Demand for biofuels like corn-based ethanol is leading to soaring food prices and political instability.The United States, in a misguided effort to reduce its oil insecurity by converting grain into fuel for cars, is generating global food insecurity on a scale never seen before.Lester Brown (mp3).Biofuel Backlash (video).Corn plastics.There are even computers made from corn. More About: Food , Fuel , Plastic
Linking Renewable Energy Resources Around the World
2008-02-09 22:37:00 If we have a world wide web why don't we also have a world wide electric grid? Today, research shows the efficient distance of ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission to be 7000 kilometers for direct current, and 4000 kilometers for alternating current. This would allow for power interchange between North and South hemispheres, as well as East and West. Interconnectedness would be perfect for tapping and distributing renewable energy sources. More About: Resources , World , Energy , Around the world , Renewable Energy
Managing human activities
2008-02-08 22:17:00 Charles Kolstad, Professor of environmental economics and Oran Young, Professor of environmental science and management discusses climate change economics and policies. More About: Human , Activities
Jamais Cascio
2008-02-07 23:33:00 Co-founder of WorldChanging and futurist Jamais Cascio gives a talk. The big picture an interesting piece on the wider forces crafting our future.
Rickie Lee Jones - Up From The Skies
2008-02-07 22:39:00 A jazzy Jimi Hendrix cover by Rickie Lee Jones .The second half of the song is quite relevant to the current situation."I have lived here before, the days of ice,And of course this is why I'm so concerned,And I come back to find the stars misplaced and the smell of a world that has burned. The smell of a world that has burned. Well, maybee, maybe it's just a change ofclimate. I can dig it, I can dig it baby, I just want to see.So where do I purchase my ticket,I would just like to have a ringside seat,I want to know about the new Mother Earth,I want to hear and see everything,I want to hear and see everything,I want to hear and see everything.Aw, shucks, If my daddy could see me now."
Buying a rock
2008-02-07 21:24:00 Today I bought a piece of rock decorated with a ladybug button and some dry leaves. The school children that sold it to me wanted 3 Swedish crowns for it (about 0,3 Euro). I didn't have the change so I bought it for a hundred. Why? Because the money collected from the their commerce was to be used for buying trees in Africa.The selling was in conjunction with a one hour show about nature and environment performed by the children of my son's school class. It is remarkable how much a bunch of 8-year-olds can learn in a short period of time. I hope the parents watching were touched by the performance and that they embraced the childrens' message that walking and cycling is much better than taking the car. More About: Buying , Rock
Biofuels worse than fossil fuels
2008-02-07 21:06:00 I feel sorry for all people that have invested in "green" cars powered by biofuels. Biofuels are not a part of the solution, they are a big part of the problem. Just imagine all the carbon, resources and time wasted in the production of these cars.clipped from environment.newscientist.comBiofuels, once seen as a useful way of combating climate change, could actually increase greenhouse gas emissions, say two major new studies.The new studies examine a different part of biofuel equation, and both suggest that the emissions associated with the crops may be even worse than that.One analysis looks at land that is switched to biofuel crop production. Carbon will be released when forests are felled or bush cleared, and longer-term emissions created by dead roots decaying.This creates what Joseph Fargione of The Nature Conservancy and colleagues call a "carbon debt". Emissions savings generated by the biofuels will help pay back this debt, but in some cases this can take centuries, suggest... More About: Fossil , Fuels
Plastic monster patches
2008-02-06 20:19:00 clipped from www.dailymail.co.uk clipped from www.independent.co.ukA "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.The vast expanse of debris ? in effect the world's largest rubbish dump ? is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. clipped from www.independent.co.ukCharles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" or "trash vortex", believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: "The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk ... More About: Patches , Monster , Plastic , Mons
Feel your feet on the ground
More articles from this author:2008-02-05 22:59:00 I had a short conversation with a 94-year old woman today. I asked her how she thought society had changed during her lifetime. She said that things had become so hectic compared to when she was young.A way to slow down and get back to our senses is walking meditation. More About: Ground , Feet , Feel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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