BBC Science --
Human skin cells have been reprogrammed by two groups of scientists to
mimic embryonic stem cells with the potential to become any tissue in
the body. The breakthrough promises a plentiful new source of cells for
use in research into new treatments for many diseases. Crucially, it
could mean [...]
BBC Science --
In January, Japanese Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa visited the city
of Matsue to talk to party members about the falling birth rate.
Arresting the decline would be difficult, he said, because "the number
of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed". "All we can ask for is
for them to [...]
China automaker Geely has signed a 5-year, US$1.5 billion deal with the Rolf Group of Russia for the import and sales of Geely sedans in the Russian market.
The signing ceremony was held in Moscow and was attended by senior officials from both the Chinese and Russian government including Vice [...]
Economic Times. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has signed an agreement with automaker Tata Motors to develop hydrogen fuel cells for cars. A road-ready prototype is due in 2008.
An agreement for the pilot project to see whether hydrogen can be used to fuel automobiles has been signed and [...]
I foolishly started a post with this title a couple of days ago expecting to write it, failed to then it appeared on the site for some time empty - perhaps this some form of ironic commentary on the subject I was going to tackle. I was given renewed inspiration [...]
Some holiday reading: Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years, Updated and Expanded Edition.
Similar to efforts underway in Australia, water managers in California have contingency plans for using water wisely, to include conservation, waste water recycling and better use of groundwater.
Last month, [...]
The line forms on the left as heads of state and other high-ranking government officials announce pledges and ambitious plans aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in the build-up to the United Nations Climate Conference to be held in Bali December [...]
Business Line. India’s Tata Motors, working with a non-Indian collaborator, is targeting an electric version of the sub-compact Indica for the European market, slated to be launched by 2009.
“We are working on converting Indica into an electric platform for the European market,” said Mr V G Gujrathi, Senior [...]
Excerpts from the Greenpeace Mediterranean press release:
The activists exposed themselves seconds before the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, started his speech in the Tel-Aviv University. Greenpeace activists opened three big banners reading "Strip the Middle East of Nuclear Technology" and "A New [...]
I was chatting to an architect last night about the challenges of tackling the existing stock. There are clearly issues with taking on listed buildings and trying to change the fabric to make it more efficient or add on renewables etc. He also mentioned windows and raised an interesting point. [...]
The other day in the Independent, a full page ad drew my attention to the latest book by Vernon Coleman, ‘Oil Apocalypse’ (note this is not a link). Vernon Coleman has previously produced countless books, mostly based on fear-mongering and reactionary politics, and now he [...]
Image: A Somali woman carries sacks of food aid at Jowhar refugee camp, Somalia, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. Tens of thousands of Somalis who fled the violence in their conflict-wracked capital are facing yet another humanitarian crisis, a debilitating food shortage after poor rains. Credit: AP [...]
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Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward: The Six Sins of Greenwashing
Is green marketing just a series of lies?
That’s one conclusion to be drawn from a new study that examines hundreds of environmental labeling claims and found pretty much all [...]
It's' been a long time since I've kicked out the shouts, but it's Thanksgiving and I'm feeling it. The blogosphere is crazy, fast, and smart as all get out. For that, I'm thankful. The blogosphere has an abundance of cool [...]
Grandmother and former nurse Linda Sones sells organic cotton baby and children’s clothing and accessories, and natural, organic baby toiletries online at SonesUK.
I have written a number of posts about the benefits to both the environment and ourselves of buying organic cotton. I feel that [...]
Everything’s Cool, a feature-length documentary film about ‘global warming messengers,’ will screen at the Cinema Village in New York City and at the Laemmle Grande 4-Plex in downtown Los Angeles November 23-29. Climate Science Watch director Rick Piltz and the [...]
Next time one of your major outsourced communications services gets hacked, please don’t:
I agree with Allan. That’s pretty weak.
It is predicted that by 2025 3.5 billion people will face severe shortages of fresh water. As climate change, desertification, and drought take an increasing toll, sources of clean, fresh water will be a rare commodity for many.
Desalination is not a new idea, [...]
By Andrew Dessler
Awhile back, I ran across the web site demanddebate.com (hat tip: Michael Tobis).
The thrust of the website is that everyone should demand debate about climate change instead of gullibly accepting the Gore/alarmist view. Their slogan is, "I'm more worried about the intellectual climate."
[...]Check out Yahoo’s Green Holiday Gift Guide. See Timberland’s innovative environmental “nutrition label” that they are putting on their products and learn how to Green your Gifts.
That could easily have been the shared title of a pair of articles in today's New York Times discussing the science and political implications of two very significant stem cell papers published online yesterday. The biggest offender was Sheryl Stolberg:
It has been [...]
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| Termites of the genus Nasutitermes. |
Termites digest wood with the help of a large and complex community of intestinal microorganisms. A just-completed metagenomic analysis of this bacterial community in the hindgut paunch of a wood-feeding Costa Rican termite shows the presence of a large, diverse set of bacterial [...]
By Joseph Romm
Ballard -- the Canadian fuel-cell company that once hoped to be the "Intel Inside of the hydrogen car revolution -- has sold off its automotive fuel-cell business to Daimler and Ford.
You can listen to a good CBC radio story on it, which includes an interview [...]
By Sarah K. Burkhalter
Plan to watch a little football tomorrow? Like, um, all day long? Well, be sure to tune in to watch the Lions play the Packers in the first carbon-neutral football game evah.
Blame me. It’s my fault the Northwest does not treat bicycling with respect.
How? Bear with me, and I’ll explain.
Cascadia is, as Washington [...]
Join the global call to ANZ Bank, “Don’t fund forest destruction.”
Last weekend was a wake-up call for regional banking giant ANZ. Over 15,000 people took to the streets of Hobart, Tasmania to protest ANZ’s potential financing of a big new pulp mill that threatens remaining stands of [...]
Although military contracting remains frighteningly profitable, other, greener options are emerging. Take Tower Tech of Manitowoc, WI. The self-described "logistical leader in wind tower production" has an interesting past - the facility in which it operates is a former submarine manufacturer which has been re-tooled [...]
By David Roberts
Readers know that I was mightily bothered by Andy Revkin's attempt to classify certain thinkers as part of the "middle" of the climate debate. Some folks have attacked Revkin because they think one "side" -- the "alarmist" side -- is correct. That wasn't quite my point. [...]
By Sarah K. Burkhalter
The following is a guest post from Gina Barteletti, publications and volunteer coordinator at Heart of America Northwest.
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The U.S. Department of Energy is proposing to add more deadly, toxic waste to Washington State's Hanford Nuclear Reservation before existing waste is cleaned up. At the [...]
London based boutique electronics company, Hulger, is searching for a producer for their latest design project, the Plumen low-energy light bulb. They were designed to counter the ugliness of CFLs that are currently available, and are objects d’art in their own right. No need to hide [...]
By Eric de Place
Last time I checked, oil prices were hovering just below $100 per barrel. This reminds me of something I used to obsess about: high oil prices hit some places harder than others.
All else being equal, oil-efficient economies are more insulated from [...]
We're going commercial and trying to take advantage of your blatant consumerism. We're selling original env-econ merchandise (hats, t-shirts, mugs, stickers). Check it out here. My favorite is the Drive Less! trucker hat.
Start your holiday shopping early. All proceeds go to pay our typepad [...]
A wild and fascinating story of the good and bad of business in the same place is unfolding in Northern California as we speak. In the wake of the major fuel spill in San Francisco Bay, the association of local dungeness crab fishermen voluntarily agreed to postpone [...]
By David Roberts
This is part one of a guest essay from Jeremy Carl, a Research Fellow at the Stanford University's Program on Energy and Sustainable Development. A few weeks ago, I wrote a rather heated post keyed off an interview with Carl in Wired. He asked [...]
For those of us south of the 49th parallel, tomorrow marks the one day every year that we set aside just for giving thanks. And we obviously have lots to be thankful for. I, for one, will be thankful not to have to do much writing over the long weekend. [...]
Via CleanBreak, we learn of a new study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.
“TerraChoice surveyed 1,018 consumer products — everything from toothpaste to caulking to printers.” They found green washing was rampant. “How rampant? Of 1,753 green [...]
By Joseph Romm
What a dud NBC's Green Week turned out to be. I thought that:
Not! Indeed, the only good news is that the shows bombed [...]
MIT and Chevron Corporation have announced an energy research program to develop remote, ultra-deepwater exploration and production technologies required to access hydrocarbons in water depths up to and greater than 3,000 meters.
The $5-million program includes the sponsorship of two named fellowships—the Chevron Energy Fellows—and makes Chevron a Sustaining Member [...]
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| Ford Verve concept introduced at Guangzhou. |
At the Auto Guangzhou show in China, Ford revealed more about its vision for a new global small car family with the global introduction of the second Verve Concept—a four-door notchback.
Ford introduced the three-door hatchback Verve Concept at the recent [...]
Swiss engineering firm Kruspan Engineering has modified an electric minicar—the Hotzenblitz, manufactured by Treffpunkt Zukunft—with a battery pack of Lithium Polymer (LiPo) cells from Kokam.
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| The Hotzenblitz. |
The car now has a single-charge range of 350-400km (217-249 miles), compared to the 50-70 km delivered by the [...]
