The Sierra Club reported that 48 environmental activists were arrested on Wednesday after staging a display of civil disobedience at the White House. The group stated that the activists were there to demand that President Barack Obama deny the Keystone XL pipeline and address the climate crisis. Here are the details.
* Included among those arrested were Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club; Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org; Julian Bond, the former president of the NAACP; Danny Kennedy, CEO of Sungetivity; and actress Darryl Hannah.
* The group blocked the main thoroughfare in front of the White House and refused to move when asked by police. They were then arrested and transported to Anacostia for processing by the U.S. Park Police Department, the Sierra Club reported.
* According to a report by UPI, the individuals handcuffed themselves to a White House gate and chanted, 'Hey, Obama, we don't want no climate drama.'
* According to Brune, this is the first time in the Sierra Club's 120-year history that it has engaged in civil disobedience. 'We cannot afford to allow the production, transport, export and burning of the dirtiest oil on Earth via the Keystone XL pipeline,' Brune said. 'President Obama must deny the pipeline and take decisive steps to address climate disruption, the most significant issue of our time.'
* The Sierra Club stated that the carbon emissions associated with Keystone XL that have been estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency are about 13 percent below what new research by Oil Change International estimates.
* 'OCI's research shows that Keystone XL will produce enough petcoke to fuel five U.S. coal plants,' the Sierra Club reported.
* Before the protest, Sierra Club President Allison Chin, who was also arrested, stated , 'We're asking the president to use every resource he has at his disposal -- from the bully pulpit to the executive order -- to take climate action now.'
* The protest comes in advance of the scheduled Forward on Climate rally at the National Mall in Washington. The rally , which has been organized by 135 environmental organizations and is expecting participation from 'tens of thousands of activists' is set for Sunday starting at noon.
* Among the organizations involved in the rally are the Sierra Club, 350.org, Greenpeace, Ben & Jerry's, MoveOn.org, the League of Women Voters, NAACP Youth and College and the Wilderness Society.
* 'From rejecting the toxic Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to limiting carbon pollution from our nation's dirty power plants, moving beyond coal and natural gas, and firing up our clean energy economy,' Obama's legacy as president rests in his leadership in solving the energy crisis, the rally page stated.
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Obama Takes Aim at Climate Change, Cyber Security
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State of the Union: Obama Urges Action on Climate Change
President Barack Obama took a strong stance on fighting climate change, 'for the sake of our children and our future,' he said late Tuesday (Feb. 12) during the State of the Union Address.
'We must do more to combat climate change,' Obama said, pointing to extreme events like droughts and heat waves, and of course the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy, as evidence of a warming planet.
'Now, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires and floods, all are now more frequent and more intense,' the president said.
Climate scientists have said that as the planet warms, extreme weather events will become more frequent.
'As the globe warms, regions of the Earth that have cold winters will still have cold winters, and we will still see the random rolls of the weather dice, like we are seeing this winter,' climate scientist Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University told LiveScience last month. 'But climate change is loading the weather dice, so that 'sixes' are becoming more common, and 'ones' are becoming less common.'
Scientists can't pin individual storms like Hurricane Sandy, which created the largest storm surge in New York City's history in October, to global warming. However, in the case of Sandy, they've said global warming likely made the storm worse, by rising sea levels and creating warmer sea-surface temperatures. [Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted]
'We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence,' Obama said Tuesday. 'Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science, and act before it's too late.'
What did the president promise? He avowed that making progress on stemming global warming was compatible with strong economic growth.
And Obama urged Congress to pursue a bipartisan market-based solution to climate change.
If they don't, he added, 'I will.'
'I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.'
Obama encouraged the production of more solar and wind power, as well as more efficient use of energy. 'I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years,' he said.
Whether or not the president's strong statements will translate to real action on climate change by a polarized Congress remains to be seen.
'I always have hope, but it is sometimes hard to see how real progress, substantial progress, is going to be made with the fact that the Congress is so polarized,' said Travis Franck, a policy analyst for nongovernmental organization Climate Interactive, last month, referring to Obama's second term in office.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
This article is sponsored by technology.
'We must do more to combat climate change,' Obama said, pointing to extreme events like droughts and heat waves, and of course the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy, as evidence of a warming planet.
'Now, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires and floods, all are now more frequent and more intense,' the president said.
Climate scientists have said that as the planet warms, extreme weather events will become more frequent.
'As the globe warms, regions of the Earth that have cold winters will still have cold winters, and we will still see the random rolls of the weather dice, like we are seeing this winter,' climate scientist Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University told LiveScience last month. 'But climate change is loading the weather dice, so that 'sixes' are becoming more common, and 'ones' are becoming less common.'
Scientists can't pin individual storms like Hurricane Sandy, which created the largest storm surge in New York City's history in October, to global warming. However, in the case of Sandy, they've said global warming likely made the storm worse, by rising sea levels and creating warmer sea-surface temperatures. [Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted]
'We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence,' Obama said Tuesday. 'Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science, and act before it's too late.'
What did the president promise? He avowed that making progress on stemming global warming was compatible with strong economic growth.
And Obama urged Congress to pursue a bipartisan market-based solution to climate change.
If they don't, he added, 'I will.'
'I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.'
Obama encouraged the production of more solar and wind power, as well as more efficient use of energy. 'I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years,' he said.
Whether or not the president's strong statements will translate to real action on climate change by a polarized Congress remains to be seen.
'I always have hope, but it is sometimes hard to see how real progress, substantial progress, is going to be made with the fact that the Congress is so polarized,' said Travis Franck, a policy analyst for nongovernmental organization Climate Interactive, last month, referring to Obama's second term in office.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- Images of Melt: Earth's Vanishing Ice
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This article is sponsored by technology.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Factbox: Tesla CEO Elon Musk vs. New York Times Car Review
The Great Electric Car Challenge is about to begin, as the New York Times reports that the Tesla-S model it test drove didn't live up to its advertising in cold weather. The conclusion drawn by car expert John Broder didn't sit well with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who claimed the newspaper's auto reviewer had 'faked' the test. The looming question is whether electric cars will work in the cold northeast. Broner planned to drive from Washington to Boston, but claimed he had to stop at a Dunkin' Donuts to warm his hands and be towed to a charging station. Let's look at some of the facts of this budding public brouhaha:
* About.com reports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the wealthy, successful founder of PayPal.
* Justin Hyde of Motoramic reported that Musk sued BBC's 'Top Gear' when it presented a negative review of a previous Tesla model 'losing charge.'
* Broder's test drive of the Tesla S, reported fully on the New York Times site, says that Broder had to turn the car's heater down and drive 54 mph to maximize battery life on the drive. Broder's New York Times review of the Tesla Model S included positive comments in describing the car as 'a technological wonder, with luminous paint on aluminum bodywork, a spacious and ultrahip cabin, a 17-inch touch screen . Google-driven navigation . 416 horsepower motor . half-ton lithium-ion battery pack.' but maybe he should have left out the $101,000 price tag.
* Technology site CNET reports Musk's assertions that Broder did three things that taxed the Tesla Model S battery: He didn't fully charge the battery beforehand; he drove faster than the recommended speed; he took an unplanned detour through Manhattan.
* Prior to Broder's review, Tesla had installed rapid charge stations in Newark, Del., and Milford, Conn., to aid the test drive, according to Bloomberg News.
* The New York Times reports that the 480-volt Supercharger stations deliver enough power for 150 miles of travel in 30 minutes, and a full charge in about an hour for the 85 kilowatt-hour Model S.
* The Environmental Protection Agency estimates a fully charged Tesla Model S 85 kilowatt-hour has a 265-mile range, compared to the Tesla-estimated 300-mile range under ideal driving conditions.
* Bloomberg News also reports that Tesla plans to install a network of fast-charge stations enabling electric car drivers to drive coast-to-coast.
* Tesla share price dropped on the critical review of its Model S which appeared in the New York Times; meanwhile, a press release on Marketwire said the company would post its fourth-quarter and yearly financial results on Feb. 20.
* The Yahoo Finance message board under TSLA carries the remarks of presumed Tesla stockholders who mostly rebuff the criticisms of the Model S made in the New York Times article.
* Just up the road from Tesla's Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters, the San Jose Mercury News acknowledge the stock took a hit Monday but reported Tesla stock 'had risen 17 percent for the year until the troubles last week.'
* New Tesla auto technology creates new problems. Popular topics on the Tesla Motors owner's forum is how long the charging cord is, where the charging outlet could be most conveniently located, and other installation problems.
Anthony Ventre is a freelance writer and a Yahoo! contributor in news, commentary, and financial writing.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Huge Climate Change Rally Targets Keystone XL Pipeline
The environmental organizations Sierra Club and 350.org, along with about 120 partner organizations are planning 'the largest climate-related rally in U.S. history' on Sunday in front of the White House. The goal of the rally, according to a post by the Sierra Club, is to demand that President Barack Obama move forward on climate measures including rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, phasing out fossil fuels and promoting energy efficiency and clean-energy sources. Here are the details.
* The groups are planning to have tens of thousands of participants at the rally and have been working to organize carpools, buses and van rides, as well as phonebanks and social media campaigns.
* According to Michael Marx, Sierra Club's Senior Campaign Director of its Beyond Oil Campaign, the first steps that the groups are demanding that Obama take are finalizing strong carbon pollution standards for power plants and rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline.
* On a website for the rally, titled Forward on Climate , organizers report that climate change 'means more severe storms, floods, and droughts, and increased illness -- and death -- from more severe heat waves and pollution.'
* The website states that 40 percent of total U.S. emissions come from power plants and that fossil fuel corporations should be held responsible for their pollution.
* The organizers are calling for a halt in the expansion of fossil fuel exports, including liquefied natural gas export facilities, new coal export terminals and increased oil exports.
* May Boeve of 350.org wrote last week that Superstorm Sandy was a 'tragic sneak preview of climate change' but that climate change has slipped off the political radar.
* 'That's why it's so important that we make this the biggest action we've ever had,' Boeve wrote. 'As a movement, we have the opportunity to move the President from words to action on the greatest challenge of our time, starting with the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.'
* In addition to co-sponsoring the rally, 350.org is also currently sponsoring an open letter to the president asking him to end his 'all of the above' energy policy.
* 'Your support for fracking and drilling, coal mines and pipelines, continues to obliterate the progress you could be making with your administration's gas mileage rule, or your investments in renewable energy,' the letter reads. 'Even if you finally issue a carbon pollution rule that addresses existing sources of pollution, it will mean nothing if you are simultaneously lighting the fuses on carbon bombs by approving the Keystone XL pipeline, Arctic drilling, or fossil fuel export projects.'
* Currently, the letter is nearing its goal of 70,000 signatures, according to the organization's website.
* The groups are planning to have tens of thousands of participants at the rally and have been working to organize carpools, buses and van rides, as well as phonebanks and social media campaigns.
* According to Michael Marx, Sierra Club's Senior Campaign Director of its Beyond Oil Campaign, the first steps that the groups are demanding that Obama take are finalizing strong carbon pollution standards for power plants and rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline.
* On a website for the rally, titled Forward on Climate , organizers report that climate change 'means more severe storms, floods, and droughts, and increased illness -- and death -- from more severe heat waves and pollution.'
* The website states that 40 percent of total U.S. emissions come from power plants and that fossil fuel corporations should be held responsible for their pollution.
* The organizers are calling for a halt in the expansion of fossil fuel exports, including liquefied natural gas export facilities, new coal export terminals and increased oil exports.
* May Boeve of 350.org wrote last week that Superstorm Sandy was a 'tragic sneak preview of climate change' but that climate change has slipped off the political radar.
* 'That's why it's so important that we make this the biggest action we've ever had,' Boeve wrote. 'As a movement, we have the opportunity to move the President from words to action on the greatest challenge of our time, starting with the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.'
* In addition to co-sponsoring the rally, 350.org is also currently sponsoring an open letter to the president asking him to end his 'all of the above' energy policy.
* 'Your support for fracking and drilling, coal mines and pipelines, continues to obliterate the progress you could be making with your administration's gas mileage rule, or your investments in renewable energy,' the letter reads. 'Even if you finally issue a carbon pollution rule that addresses existing sources of pollution, it will mean nothing if you are simultaneously lighting the fuses on carbon bombs by approving the Keystone XL pipeline, Arctic drilling, or fossil fuel export projects.'
* Currently, the letter is nearing its goal of 70,000 signatures, according to the organization's website.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Roses Raise Environment Concerns
Click here to listen to this podcast
Millions of roses get handed out on Valentine's Day. But growing roses has an environmental impact worse than many other crops.
Start with climate change: most roses in the U.S. and Europe are imported from warmer climes. All that flying and trucking adds thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Then there's all the water needed to, well, water the flowers. And the runoff fouled by copious quantities of pesticides needed to make the roses look perfect.
There's also the wildlife and workers poisoned by all that fumigation. Add to that habitat destruction where floral plantations displace native forest and wetlands.
Finally, there's the refrigeration needed to keep those blooms fresh. The electricity is often produced by burning fossil fuels, and the refrigerant gases also exacerbate climate change.
A more sustainable and, possibly, more romantic approach is to go with flowers certified by outfits like VeriFlora or, even better, whatever flowers are in season locally. Of course, that's not much help for those of us in wintry climes. Maybe try writing a poem. Let's see: Roses are red, violets are blue.
-David Biello
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.
Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
Millions of roses get handed out on Valentine's Day. But growing roses has an environmental impact worse than many other crops.
Start with climate change: most roses in the U.S. and Europe are imported from warmer climes. All that flying and trucking adds thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Then there's all the water needed to, well, water the flowers. And the runoff fouled by copious quantities of pesticides needed to make the roses look perfect.
There's also the wildlife and workers poisoned by all that fumigation. Add to that habitat destruction where floral plantations displace native forest and wetlands.
Finally, there's the refrigeration needed to keep those blooms fresh. The electricity is often produced by burning fossil fuels, and the refrigerant gases also exacerbate climate change.
A more sustainable and, possibly, more romantic approach is to go with flowers certified by outfits like VeriFlora or, even better, whatever flowers are in season locally. Of course, that's not much help for those of us in wintry climes. Maybe try writing a poem. Let's see: Roses are red, violets are blue.
-David Biello
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.
Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
NASA's robotic rover Curiosity drills into Martian rock
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For the first time, NASA's rover Curiosity used its on-board drill to collect a sample of Martian bedrock that might offer evidence of a long-gone wet environment, the U.S. space agency reported on Saturday.
Drilling down 2.5 inches into a patch of sedimentary bedrock, Curiosity collected the rock powder left by the drill and will analyze it using its own laboratory instruments, NASA said in a statement. This is the first time a robot has drilled to collect a Martian sample.
Images of the hole, along with a shallower test hole nearby, can be seen at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-052 .
'The most advanced planetary robot ever designed is now a fully operating analytical laboratory on Mars,' said John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate.
Curiosity drilled into a rock called 'John Klein,' named for a Mars Science Laboratory deputy project manager who died in 2011.
In the next few days, ground controllers will command the rover's arm to process the sample by delivering bits of it to the instruments inside Curiosity.
Before the rock powder is analyzed, some will be used to scour traces of material that may have been deposited onto the hardware while the rover was still on Earth, despite thorough cleaning before launch, NASA said.
The drilling and analysis is part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project, which is using the Curiosity rover to figure out whether an area in Mars' Gale Crater ever offered a hospitable environment for life.
(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Drilling down 2.5 inches into a patch of sedimentary bedrock, Curiosity collected the rock powder left by the drill and will analyze it using its own laboratory instruments, NASA said in a statement. This is the first time a robot has drilled to collect a Martian sample.
Images of the hole, along with a shallower test hole nearby, can be seen at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-052 .
'The most advanced planetary robot ever designed is now a fully operating analytical laboratory on Mars,' said John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate.
Curiosity drilled into a rock called 'John Klein,' named for a Mars Science Laboratory deputy project manager who died in 2011.
In the next few days, ground controllers will command the rover's arm to process the sample by delivering bits of it to the instruments inside Curiosity.
Before the rock powder is analyzed, some will be used to scour traces of material that may have been deposited onto the hardware while the rover was still on Earth, despite thorough cleaning before launch, NASA said.
The drilling and analysis is part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project, which is using the Curiosity rover to figure out whether an area in Mars' Gale Crater ever offered a hospitable environment for life.
(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Vicki Allen)
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