As of 2012, 2.5 million oil and gas wells have been drilled worldwide using the hydraulic fracturing method, and more than 1 million of them are located in the United States. The result of this trend has been devastating to human health and the environment. With natural gas companies pouring millions of dollars into political and PR campaigns, slowing it down has been difficult. But as one tiny town in New York demonstrated, it’s not impossible. Dryden, New York, recently won a court case to prevent the fracking industry from destroying its air and water, an encouraging development for cities and states fighting similar battles.

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Post tags: activism, dryden, fossil fuels, fracking, hydraulic fracturing, natural gas industry, New York., progressive communities, rural communities, rural town, upstate New York

As Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster demonstrated, no nuclear plant is ever completely safe. In January 2012, the San Onofre nuclear generating station (SONGS) in Southern California was closed due to the discovery of a radiation leak and other damaged components. It has now been over a year, and Southern California Edison (SCE), which operates the station, has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for permission to bring the plant back online. Unfortunately for them, a shocking photograph published by local ABC affiliate 10 News has cast doubt over whether SCE’s request should be granted. The image, taken almost a year after the plant’s closure, shows a leaky pipe being held together with masking tape, plastic bags and broom handles.

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Post tags: Electricity, fossil fuels, nuclear industry, nuclear plant, nuclear power, renewable energy, safety, san onofre

For the first time in up to five million years, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is about to reach 400 parts per million (ppm). Former NASA scientist James Hansen warned that levels over 350ppm would destabilize the earth’s climate, but now we have far exceeded that figure with a record-breaking weekly average of 398.5ppm recorded on Monday, The Guardian reports. Researchers at the Earth Systems Research Laboratory in Hawaii expect we will hit the 400ppm milestone in May, 2013.

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Post tags: atmospheric concentration of CO2, carbon dioxide, Earth Systems Research Lab, emissions, environmental destruction, fossil fuels, global warming, globalization, greenhouse gases, hawaii, heat trapping greenhouse gases, james hansen, Mauna Loa Station, Meat, nasa, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, usa

Panasonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary by donating 100,000 solar lanterns to help some of the one billion people without access to electricity in developing countries across Asia and Africa by 2018. The company has already donated 3,000 lanterns to non-profit organizations in Myanmar and 5,000 lanterns to those in India over the last couple of months, and a refugee camp in Kenya is set to receive 2,000 lanterns in the coming weeks.

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Post tags: "clean energy", affordable energy, air pollution, carbon emission reduction, fossil fuels, green tech in developing nations, green technology, humanitarian initiative, kerosene lamps, Panasonic solar lanterns, renewable power in developing nations, solar lamps, solar lanterns, Solar Power

There’s a common belief that even as solar power takes off, utility companies will retain their hold on energy markets as the need for standard electrical grids remain. But a report from the Edison Electrical Institute (EEI), a trade group of US utilities, doesn’t have a particularly optimistic outlook for their own long-established business model. They predict solar-based off-grid power usage to take off, which could cause rates for conventional utilities to skyrocket. Ostensibly, they fear the demise of their industry.

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Post tags: "clean energy", coal power, david crane, duke energy, edison electrical institute, eei, energy cost, fossil fuels, future of fossil fuels, green energy, nrg energy, nuclear power, Solar Power, us utilities

In the global effort to wean ourselves from fossil fuels, scientists have been looking towards algal biofuels as renewable sources of energy. Microalgae is capable of using sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce energy-rich molecules, create bioplastics, and act as a replacement to petroleum. Most current methods of growing the tiny plants are inefficient due to the large amounts of water and energy required, but Dr. Hail Berberoglu and Thomas Murphy from the University of Texas at Austin have developed a system that mimics the structure of trees called the Surface Adhering Bioreactor (SABR). By imitating the way vascular plants transport water and nutrients, they were able to greatly increase the efficiency of the cultivation process.

Read the rest of Researchers Design Synthetic Trees to Produce Algal Biofuels and Water

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Post tags: algae, biofilm, biofuel, dr. hail berberoglu, fossil fuels, sabr, surface adhering bioreactor, suspended growth bioreactor, thomas murphy, University of Texas at Austin

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Post tags: Betumi, eco design, fossil fuels, georgia, Giorgi Khmaladze, green roof, green shield, junk food, mcdonalds, petrol station, Rooftop Terrace, sustainable design, Urban design, vegetated roof

Now that the sequester is in full swing, President Obama is proposing new sources of funding to finance his clean energy ambitions. The White House is urging Congress to divert $2 billion from oil and gas leases over the next ten years to pay for research into ‘breakthrough technologies,’ like advanced batteries for electric cars. Following the statements Obama made in last month’s State of the Union address, the goal is to begin to wean the county off of fossil fuels and stimulate the economy by investing in cutting-edge technology.

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Post tags: "clean energy", advanced vehicles, argonne national laboratory, chicago, Climate Change, congress, energy security trust, eric d isaacs, fossil fuels, funding, leases, legislation, oil and gas revenue, president obama, sequester, state of the union address, stimulus package

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)

A new CSIRO study released last week reveals that the Australian landscape soaked up one third of the country’s fossil-fueled carbon emissions over the last two decades. It also revealed that Australia exported 2.5 times as much carbon in fossil fuels than it emitted within its own borders. The landmark study called The Australian Terrestrial Carbon Budget was conducted over a three year period, and the results were published in the journal Biogeosciences. The main aim was to understand how much land carbon is lost or gained through what scientists call plant and soil “breathing,” and how climate variability affects those patterns.

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Post tags: australia, biogeoscieces, Climate Change, climate variability, coal, CSIRO, Drought, floods, fossil fuels, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, outback, Pollution, The Australian Terrestrial Carbon Budget

This week, the United Nations’ Environment Programme released a new report warning that a rush for Arctic resources would threaten an already fragile ecosystem. As Arctic ice melts at a rate never seen before, many are concerned by the unfolding ecological catastrophe—but others are seeing dollar signs. Melting ice is making it easier for humans to extract minerals and fossil fuels from the Arctic—which, ironically, is the very activity that is causing the ice to melt. 

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Post tags: Achim Steiner, arctic ice, arctic sea ice, Climate Change, Denmark, fossil fuels, global warming, greenland, Iceland, melting ice, mining, north pole, russia, UN, United Nations, United Nations Environment Programme, united states

A leaked document obtained by The Guardian newspaper reveals secret plans by Argentine gas giant Pluspetrol to explore for natural gas in Peru’s Manú National Park World Heritage site, one of the most biodiverse areas on the entire planet. The plan also includes areas inhabited by uncontacted tribes in southeast Peru that are extremely vulnerable to contact with outsides.

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Post tags: amazon rainforest, Biodiversity, environmental destruction, Fitzcarrald gas drilling, fossil fuels, fossil fuels Amazon, gas companies Amazon, national parks conservation, nature reserve, Peru Lot 88, peru national parks, Pluspetrol Manu Park, Pluspetrol Peru, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Oil exploration, production and transportation in the United States may suffer from endemic failures in technology, regulation and common sense, but that doesn’t appear to be standing in the way of the nation’s path towards becoming the world’s top producer of the oozy stuff. According to an International Energy Agency report, the US is on track to topple production by the notoriously oil-rich Saudi Arabia within five years, and to become a net oil exporter by 2030. In an trend that bodes incredibly poorly for the nation’s environmental health, many are championing the move away from foreign oil dependence and towards energy self-sufficiency.

Read the rest of US Set to Surpass Saudi Arabia as World’s Top Oil Producer by 2017

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Post tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change, deepwater horizon, energy independence, energy self-sufficiency, fossil fuels, fracking, global warming, green economy, green jobs, IEA, International Energy Agency, natural disaster, natural resources, oil politics, oil production, saudi arabia, world's largest oil producer

The beluga whale, also known as the “Canary of the Sea,” could become as much of a harbinger of danger as its feathered namesake. The pure white whales of Cook Inlet, Alaska are at a great risk of extinction due to fossil fuel extraction. Genetically distinct and physically isolated from other belugas, groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have petitioned to have the animals and their habitats protected under the Endangered Species Act. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the entire population of Cook Inlet beluga whales for 2012 numbered at only 321, a drastic reduction from the 1,300 whales that existed several decades before.

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Post tags: airgun, alaska, apache alaska corporation, beluga whale, canary of the sea, cook inlet, endangered species act, fossil fuels, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Natural Resources Defense Council, NOAA, nrdc, pebble mine, petition

Do you feel a twinge of guilt every time you fill your tank with dirty gasoline? What if you could power your car with a carbon neutral fossil fuel substitute? Introducing Audi’s new e-fuel, an energy source that powers a standard engine like gas or diesel, but uses CO2 instead of dead dinosaurs and petrified algae. Seeing as most electric cars have a somewhat limited range, long charging time, and small nationwide re-fueling infrastructure, most believe that a majority of drivers will be riding around with an internal combustion engine for the next couple decades. The e-fuel has the benefit of already being able to take advantage of gas stations as well as the landfills and non-potable water sources it needs to create the compound. Here is how it works:

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Post tags: a3 tcng, AUDI, car, carbon-neutral, CO2, e-diesel, e-ethanol, e-fuel, e-gas, emissions, fossil fuels, gasoline, germany, global climate change, greenhouse gas, hydrogen, internal combustion engine, joule, methane, microbes, New Mexico, oil

In east Texas, there is an awe-inspiring network of treehouses perched eight stories above the ground. It’s not an eco-resort or some dreamer’s getaway – the treetop settlement was built by David Daniel to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is slated to rip through his property. Daniel was concerned over losing the forest he loved, the repercussions a pipe leak would have on his land, and the overall environmental impact of tapping dirty tar sands in Canada. With no money to fight the oil giant TransCanada, he did what was within his means. A former circus performer and rigger, Daniel had experience setting up a high wire – that he would ride across on a motorcycle while lit on fire. The carpenter and daredevil constructed seven houses high in the branches of his old oaks.

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Post tags: activists, Alberta, canada, david daniel, east texas, fossil fuels, gulf of mexico, Keystone XL Pipeline, oil, protest, tar sands, transcanada, Treehouses

Just days after the UN climate change conference closed in Qatar, Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Davey has given government approval to fracking for natural gas in the UK. A ban prohibiting the company Caudrilla from pursuing its fracking explorations following two minor earthquakes in Lancashire last year has been lifted with the promise that a suite of new mechanisms are in place to keep the process safe. Shale gas is thought to be the least polluting of all fossil fuels and the government hopes its exploration plans will free the UK from foreign imports. Environmentalists are of course opposed to the plan.

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Post tags: Climate Change, CO2 emissions, Cuadrilla, earthquakes and fracking, environmental news, fossil fuels, fracking, global warming, Lanchashire, natural gas, Renewable Energy, renewable energy, shale, UK

At the beginning of the year, climate change was declared a threat to national security by fifteen leaders of the US Armed Forces. Now, their warnings have been heeded by the US National Intelligence Council who have stated that climate change has the potential to “stoke regional instabilities and fuel international tensions”.

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Post tags: alternative energies, Climate Change, fossil fuels, global warming, international tensions, military, natural resources, us military, US National Intelligence Council, world war III

A new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology states that electric cars that receive energy from coal-fired power plants could potentially have a higher carbon footprint than some of their petrol or diesel-powered counterparts. However If electric cars derive their electricity from renewable, emission-free sources such as solar and wind power, then they remain among the greenest vehicles on the road.

Read the rest of Study Finds Electric Cars Powered by Coal Plants Have a Heavy Carbon Footrpint

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Post tags: diesel cars, electric car market, electric cars, fossil fuels, green cars, lithium-ion batteries, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, petrol powered cars, Pollution, toxic materials

Feeling the pinch of high gas prices every time you fill up your car? Be thankful you’re not the U.S. Military. Tired of wasting so much of its budget on fossil fuels, the US Navy has led the quest for greener alternatives – and scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have developed a process that can transform abundant seawater into fuel for Navy jets. If the technology is rolled out their efforts could have a huge impact; in 2010 alone the Department of Defense shelled out approximately $11 billion on “operational energy,” the energy used by military forces in the execution of their field missions. That’s the equivalent of the entire budget of the state of Tennessee. And that doesn’t even include all the energy needed to power vehicles and military bases here at home.

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Post tags: alternative energy, alternative fuels, biofuels, department of defense, fossil fuels, fuel consumption, fuel efficiency, jet fuel, Naval Research Laboratory, seawater, US Navy