US Congress moves toward tougher stand on pipeline safety--but is it enough?
By Lena Groeger in ProPublica A bill to strengthen pipeline safety regulations passed the House and Senate last week and now awaits President Obama’s signature. But while many applaud Congress’s move toward more oversight, others question whether the impending law goes far enough to prevent oil and natural gas pipeline...
Responses to the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il
North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il, died on December 17, 2011, from a heart attack. North Korean state television has shown North Koreans mourning and sobbing hard at the news. There are looming concerns that the death of Kim Jong-il could destabilize the Korean peninsula; the country's military has reportedly conducted...
Study finds link between air pollution and increase in DNA damage
By ClickGreen staff A study in the Czech Republic has found a link between exposure to certain air pollutants and an increase in DNA damage for people exposed to high levels of the pollution. They found that breathing small quantities of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), called benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), caused an increase in the number […]
USGBC says “green” building retrofits exceed new construction
By Jeanne Roberts According to the U.S. Green Building Council, or USGBC, in December of 2011 the total square feet of existing LEED-certified building space exceeded the square feet of LEED new construction by 15 million square feet. In August, LEED-certified commercial space alone totalled 1.3 billion square feet. The USGBC, a nonprofit dedicated to […]
Melting glaciers reveal future alpine world
By Editor, Science Daily In a hundred years trees may be growing where there are now glaciers. The warm climate of the last few years has caused dramatic melting of glaciers in the Swedish mountains. Remains of trees that have been hidden for thousands of years have been uncovered. They indicate that 13,000 years ago […]
RUSSIA: "Why are Russians protesting now?"
On Saturday December 10, 2011, the world watched the biggest protests Russia has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has been almost exactly 20 years since Christmas Day in 1991 when power passed from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. It is believed that Yeltsin did not...
Power plant emissions under examination
North America’s 3,000 fossil fuel-burning power plants continue to produce two-thirds of the region’s electricity and, at the same time, generate the majority of certain harmful air pollutants and emit more greenhouse gases than any other industrial sector. North American Power Plant Air Emissions, a new report and database released today by the Commission for […]
The state of climate change negotiations at COP 17
By Richard Matthews Although progress seems unlikely at COP 17, failure is not an option. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is warning participants at the deadlocked climate talks about the importance of finding solutions. “It would be difficult to overstate the gravity of this moment,” Ban said “Without exaggeration, we can say: the future of […]
Canuck youth ejected from COP17
Members of the Canadian Youth Delegation were ejected from COP17 today as Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent delivered his opening address at the United Nations climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa. Just as Kent began his speech, six youth stood and turned away from the minister revealing the message “Turn your back on Canada” prominently […]
Turn it up!
For Syrians it’s an exhilarating experience simply to express honest political opinions out loud in a public place. For decades anti-regime gripes have been expressed in private, in whispers. Many were frightened to speak even in the home, lest the children repeat what they’d heard at school.But now people are screaming and...
