As news breaks that global carbon dioxide levels are at an all-time high, one scientist is developing “artificial trees“ to help cleanse the air and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Columbia University’s Klaus Lackner has developed a carbon dioxide capturing material that acts as a powerful sponge – and it’s able to soak up CO2 faster than plants!

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Post tags: artificial trees, carbon dioxide sucking plastic resin, carbon emissions, Columbia University Mudd Building, eco design, green design, greenhouse gas, Klaus Lackner, sustainable design

New research suggests that people with right wing views are less likely to buy light bulbs that are labeled as “pro-environment” due to the politicized nature of the carbon debate in the United States. In a study published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dena Gromet of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found that consumers’ purchasing decisions are divided along party lines.

Read the rest of Study Finds Conservatives Less Likely to Buy Light Bulbs Labeled as Good for the Environment

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Post tags: carbon emissions, cfl bulb, Climate Change, conservative, consumer, dena gromet, Environmentally Friendly, green, incandescent, jacquelyn ottman, liberal, light bulb, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, protect the planet, the new rules of green marketing, wharton school of the university of pennsylvania

In order to help reduce carbon emissions by 2020, the UK government recently opened the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in Edinburgh, making it the first bank in the world focused entirely on lending to clean energy developments. Capitalized with over 3 billion pounds, the GIB financed eleven projects over its first five months, the majority of which had to do with generating energy from waste. The bank reported that it was able to utilize 1.7 billion pounds of third-party lending, helping to spark a new, sustainable private sector.

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Post tags: biomass, britain, carbon emissions, edinburgh, gib, green deal, green investment bank, investment, loan, market, private sector, UK, vince cable

Researchers warn that the cold Arctic seas are undergoing a process of rapid acidification as a result of rising carbon emissions. With its protective ice cap diminishing during summer months and greater swaths of surface area exposed to the air, the cold Nordic seas absorb atmospheric carbon at a faster rate than warmer waters. Acidification destabilizes ocean chemistry and endangers the fragile ecosystem. Though scientists from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) warn that rapid change is afoot, they are unable to predict exactly what changes will occur.

Read the rest of Melting Arctic Seas are Turning into Giant Pools of Acid, Researchers Warn

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Post tags: acidification, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), arctic seas, carbon emissions, Climate Change, Environment, global warming, Nature, News, nordic seas, Norwegian Institute for Water Research, ocean chemistry, pH of arctic seas, science

Philips has just unveiled the world’s most energy-efficient LED bulb. The TLED bulb, still in the prototype stage, is based on tube lighting technology and provides a warmer glow than conventional LEDs. Each bulb generates 200lm/W of high quality light—more than twice as much as the company’s current LED bulbs, and according to Philips the bulb is up to twice as efficient as its predecessors.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", carbon emissions, energy efficient lighting, energy-efficient LED lamp, green technology, lighting technology, Phillips LED lamps, Phillips LED lighting, Phillips TLED prototype lamp, prototype lamp

As an extension of China’s $16 billion plan to combat air pollution in its cities, today the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced an ambitious plan to export the nation’s emissions to Mars. China is currently the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases – its annual emissions total 8.9 billion tons. The unprecedented plan would greatly reduce emissions on Earth while warming the climate on Mars, causing the planet’s polar ice caps to melt and eventually creating an atmosphere capable of sustaining life.

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Post tags: air pollution, Beijing air pollution, carbon emissions, china, China air pollution, geoengineering, ghg emissions, green design, greenhouse gas, mars, sustainable design, terraforming

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to push ahead with regulations that will require the production of cleaner gasoline and impose fleet-wide pollution limits on new vehicles by 2017. According to a report in the Washington Post, the rules will mandate that the sulfur content of US gasoline be reduced by two-thirds, from 30 to 10 parts per million—a move which would add less than a cent per gallon to the price of gas, while having an overall environmental impact comparable to taking 33 million cars off the road.

Read the rest of Obama Administration to Move Forward with Regulations Requiring Cleaner-Burning Gasoline by 2017

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Post tags: barack obama, california car, california pollution, car exhaust, car pollution, carbon emissions, environment regulation, environmental protection agency, epa emissions, epa regulation, gasoline sulfur, obama environment, tailpipe emissions

China’s record-breaking air pollution levels have forced the nation’s government to impose tougher fuel economy standards on the auto industry. The most recent measure in the country’s battle for clean air will limit fuel consumption of passenger cars to 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers by 2015 and 5 liters by 2020. This will also affect foreign car makers, as they will be forced to adjust to the new regulations if they plan to launch models in the world’s largest car market.

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Post tags: air pollution, car industry, car market regulations, car toxic emissions, carbon emissions, carbon emissions china, China air pollution, china smog, chinese fuel-efficiency standard, environmental destruction, fuel efficient automobiles, fuel efficient cars, Hybrid Technologies

Scientists at the University of Georgia just announced that they have found a way to capture and transform carbon dioxide into useful industrial products. Although the technology is in its infancy, it could allow scientists to produce biofuels from carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere. The technology could help combat global warming while providing a new source of energy.

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Post tags: air pollution, Bioenergy Systems Research Institute, carbon emissions, eco design, green design, Pyrococcus furiosus, sustainable design, University of Georgia

It may be a non-binding amendment, but a Senate vote last Friday that passed 62-37 in favor of the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is more than a little concerning. The proposed pipeline would transport tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf States—and while the southern portion of the line is reportedly halfway finished, many continue to speak out, protest and even attempt to blockade further construction of a pipeline that would serve minimal economic benefit while inflicting irreparable harm on the environment. The bipartisan vote, which occurred as an amendment to a budget resolution, demonstrates the support the pipeline has within government, while highlighting just how much sway oil industry money continues to have on politicians across party lines.

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Post tags: barack obama, bipartisan amendment, carbon emissions, environmental activism, environmental destruction, keystone, keystone pipeline, keystone xl, lberta canada, oil pipeline, pipeline blockade, president obama, senate vote, tar sands

A recent Greenpeace report found that Up to 120,000 premature deaths every year result from India’s failure to properly control emissions from a growing number of coal plants throughout the country. Meanwhile, a World Bank report reveals that the rising number of pollution-related health cases costs up to $4.6 bn. Unless significant changes occur, the problem could worsen as officials race to meet burgeoning demand by building a slew of new coal plants throughout the country.

Read the rest of Coal Plants Kill Thousands of People in India Each Year, Says Greenpeace

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Post tags: asthma, carbon emissions, coal, coal plants, death, dirty energy, Environment, Greenpeace, India, News, Pollution, sulphur, world bank

Is it getting hot in here? Absolutely. Don’t let the recent snowfall fool you: 2012 was the hottest year on record for the U.S. and the future isn’t looking much cooler. Recently published research suggests that planet Earth is about to experience a heat wave of monumental proportions. According to the authors of a study in the journal Science, global temperatures are poised to surpass an 11,000-year peak, meaning that by the end of the century, the planet is set to get hotter than at any time since the last Ice Age.

Read the rest of Average Global Temperatures Poised to Soar Past 11,000-Year High

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Post tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change, extreme weather, global temperatures, global warming, heat wave, Ice Age, industrial revolution

Read the rest of SolSource Air: One Earth Designs Taps Google Glass Creator to Launch Portable, Affordable Solar Stove

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Post tags: carbon emissions, cooking, developing nations, Electricity, fuel, off-grid, One Earth Designs, Solar oven, solar stove, SolSource, Solsource Air, SolSource Pro, women

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning jumped dramatically over the past year, making it unlikely that global warming can be limited to 2 degrees by 2020, which was an international goal set by the Copenhagen Accord in 2009. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recorded a CO2 jump by 2.67 parts per million since 2011 which is the second highest greenhouse emissions rise since 1959, when the agency started measuring carbon levels.

Read the rest of Scientists Report Dramatic Jump in Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2012, Predict Faster Warming

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Post tags: carbon dioxide levels, carbon emissions, carbon study, Climate Change, climate change research, coal, environmental destruction, fossil fuels, global greenhouse emissions, global temperature rise, global warming, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

In a bid to raise funds for a $10 billion transportation bill in Washington State, legislators want to impose a $25 tax on all bicycles that cost more than $500. When local business owners and Seattle Bike Blog contacted Washington Rep. Ed Orcutt (R), a member of the State Transportation Committee, to question the tax, Orcutt claimed that cyclists are contributing nothing to use the roads and because of their high heart and respiration rate, they produce greater carbon emissions than motorists.

Read the rest of Washington State Official Says Cyclists Emit More CO2 Than Motorists and Must be Taxed

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Post tags: bicycle tax, business, carbon emissions, Carbon Tax, cars, CO2 emissions, cycling, global warming, green transportation, law, politics, public transportation, Rep. Ed Orcutt (R), small business, transportation tax, Washingon State

A new report shows that global greenhouse emissions could be reduced by 9 billion tons – almost a fifth – over the coming decade thanks to the widespread adoption of a massive machine-to-machine network dubbed the “Internet of Things”. The report by nonprofit companies Carbon War Room and AT&T predicts an annual growth of machine-to-machine technologies of 23 percent over the next seven years, which could result in huge carbon savings due to increased efficiency.

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Post tags: agricultural sensors, AT&T report, carbon emissions, Carbon War Room report, gadgets carbon offset, global greenhouse emissions, green technology, internet of things, Internet of things carbon emissions, machine-to-machine technology, smart energy grids, smart technologies, Smart transportation

The world’s largest solar thermal plant, Ivanpah, reached a major milestone this month as it achieved its first “flux”. Over 1000 heliostats (plane mirrors that reflect sunlight towards a predetermined target) focused on to the plant’s solar receiver and heated water inside a boiler to below the point of steam generation, proving the plant is ready to enter commercial operation. Located in Ivanpah Dry Lake, California, the solar thermal power plant is expected to offset millions of tons of carbon emission.

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Post tags: Bechtel Corporation, Brightsource Energy, california clean energy, California solar plants, carbon emissions, concentrated solar technology, green technology, heliostats, Ivanpah Solar Thermal Plant, nrg energy, solar steam turbines, solar technology, solar thermal plants, us solar energy

Coral bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and kill algae that are the source of color and food for most corals around the globe – and a new study shows that there could be mass bleaching by 2056 if current greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Researchers used data from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to demonstrate that unless significant measures are taken to reduce emissions, annual mass bleaching could occur in 74 percent of coral by 2045. The results of the NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies report were published in the journal Nature Climate Change this week.

Read the rest of New Study Shows Global Coral Bleaching Could Occur by 2056

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Post tags: algae, carbon emissions, climate models, CO2, coral bleaching, coral reef, Environment, environmental destruction, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, IPCC, mass bleaching events, nature climate change, News, NOAA, science

Researchers led by experts from Oxford University warn that a 1.5C temperature rise would melt Siberia’s permafrost, which would in turn release hundreds of gigatonnes of stored carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Covering nearly a quarter of the northern hemisphere, this ticking carbon bomb would speed up global warming and cause widespread climate change. However, The Guardian reports, it would likely take a few decades for the permafrost to melt and therefore greenhouse gas emissions would initially trickle into the atmosphere.

Read the rest of A 1.5C Temperature Rise Would Set Off Siberia’s Permafrost Carbon Bomb, Scientists Warn

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Post tags: carbon bomb, carbon emissions, Climate Change, CO2, Environment, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, methane, News, oxford university, permafrost, research, science, siberia

Not long after reports of China’s unearthly pollution dominated headline news, the Ministry of Finance has published plans to tax carbon emissions. The idea of a carbon tax is not new in China, but the secretary of tax administration Jia Chen has now drawn up a comprehensive document that promises, among other things, to promote sweeping environmental tax reform and include carbon dioxide emissions within its scope.

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Post tags: cap and trade, carbon capture, carbon emissions, Carbon Tax, china, Climate Change, emissions trading, Environment, environmental protection tax, global warming, ministry of finance, News, Pollution, smog, tax reform