Green Environment

An infographic from the International Displacement Monitoring Centre and Norwegian Refugee Council of populations displaced by climate change and extreme weather disasters. [The Guardian] More than 32 million people fled their homes last year because of disasters such as floods, storms and earthquakes – 98% of displacement related to climate change. Asia and west and central Africa bore the brunt. Some 1.3 million people were displaced in rich countries, with the US particularly affected. Floods in India and Nigeria accounted for 41% of displacement, according to the International Displacement Monitoring Centre and Norwegian Refugee Council. The House plans to vote today on a bill forcing the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, while the Obama Administration issued a firm statement “strongly opposing” the bill. [Washington Post] Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is refusing to approve new disaster aid for the tornadoes that just hit his state without offsetting cuts elsewhere. [HuffPo] China has reportedly committed to a hard cap on its carbon emissions by 2016, which could spur the U.S. and other nations to a serious accord in 2015. [Independent, Renew Economy] New Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz committed to energy efficiency legislation and improved standards, saying, “I have never seen a credible solution to the climate risk mitigation challenge, to reach the kinds of goals we need to reach, without the demand side playing a very, very important part in that.” [The Hill] Moniz will also delay approval of 20 liquefied natural gas export facilities while he studies the effect exports will have on the domestic market. [Washington Post] The Energy Information Agency expects an extension of renewable energy production tax credits to significantly expand clean energy capacity and generation. [Today in Energy] Most Americans think the U.S. should do something about climate change and develop clean energy, according to a new Yale/GMU poll. [LA Times] The Great Barrier Reef has already lost half its coral, and Australia’s contributions to coal consumption — along with other forms of pollution — are threatening to destroy what’s left. [Spiegel] Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says he will likely pay back the loan it received from the Department of Energy not in 2022, but… today. [Bloomberg] The Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge has voluntarily encouraged more than a billion dollars in efficiency investments to cut waste and save millions per year for dozens of companies and more than a hundred partners. [USA Today] The airplane Solar Impulse is in the air again, looking to break another distance record from Arizona to Texas. [CleanTechnica]

Read the rest of Snohetta’s Eggum Tourist Stop Celebrates the Norwegian Landscape with Local Materials Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "sustainable architecture", driftwood, eco design, eggum, eggum tourist stop, gabion, gabion baskets, green architecture, Green Building, green design, local materials, local stone, locally sourced materials, lofoten, national tourist route of norway, norway, norway tourist route, Recycled Materials, snohetta, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, tourist stop, upcycled materials

Complete and utter destruction in some parts of Moore, Okla., in the wake of yesterday's deadly tornado confirms the twister was a rare EF-5 — the top of the tornado rating scale, the National Weather Service announced today (May 21).

Sarah Palin took to Facebook again this weekend, posting about her youngest daughter’s graduation in the Alaskan snow: One last blast of Alaska winter today, hopefully? This is what “Grad Blast” means in Alaska! We’ll move our graduation b-b-q indoors and watch the mini-blizzard from ’round the fireplace. (Global warming my gluteus maximus.) When Palin was running for national office, she advocated capping carbon emissions and said man’s activities contribute to global warming. Over the last half decade, she has swung back to rejecting climate science and embracing carbon emissions: Aug. 2008: Asked about global warming, said “I’m not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.” Sep. 2008: Told Charlie Gibson: “I believe that man’s activities can certainly be contributing to the issue of global warming, climate change.” Oct. 2008: Said during the vice presidential debate that she supported capping carbon emissions. May 2009: Forced to cancel an appearance at White House Correspondents’ dinner because of a flooding disaster caused by an “unusually warm spring thaw in Alaska.” Nov. 2009: Asked Rush Limbaugh, “Are we warming or are we cooling?” Dec. 2009: Attacked climate scientists in a Washington Post op-ed, then said she would not debate Al Gore on climate change because “they don’t want to listen to the facts. They don’t want to listen to some reasonable voices in this.” Feb. 2010: Asserted that climate science is “snake oil” and said “man-made global warming hysteria isn’t based on sound science.” Apr. 2010: Dismissed “this snake oil science stuff that is based on this global warming, Gore-gate stuff Jun. 2010: In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon spill, said “I chant, ‘drill, baby, drill,’ because it will help make the country energy independent.” May 2011: At a motorcycle rally, exclaimed: “I love that smell of the emissions!” Jan. 2012: In the middle of last winter, took to Facebook to ask, “What global warming?”. Apr. 2012: Celebrated Earth Day by calling, yet again, to “drill, baby, drill.” Palin is an entertainer now rather than a public servant and so her opinions alone do not merit much consideration. Yet her joking asides that cold weather means that climate change is not happening are representative of a larger skepticism and confusion about the link between climate and weather. Essentially: climate is a trend, while weather is a data point. Lots of data points make up a trend. The trend thus far has been that of frankly shocking warming. In December, we saw the 333rd month in a row global temperatures exceeded the long-term average. Both the science and the evidence tell us that humans have a lot to do with this. Carbon emissions are rising — and recently hit the highest levels humans have ever seen. But what about the fact that some parts of the U.S. have recently seen cold temperatures? In fact, it is entirely possible that the cold weather is partially driven by climate change. The Arctic has recently been warming twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. Paired with melting sea ice, this can cause extreme weather “such as drought, flooding, cold spells, and heat waves.” Some studies suggest this causes a “blocking” weather pattern arises over somewhere like Greenland, which slows down the jet stream and alters weather patterns. This is what appears to be happening this spring. The blocking pattern slowed down weather patterns and allowed them to tap into more cold air. This brings cold into the continental U.S., allowing the Arctic to warm dramatically. Though some parts of the U.S. have been colder than, for instance, last year’s extremely warm spring, climate change makes itself apparent in unusual ways. In March, the bulk freighter “Federal Hunter” docked in Du

The Gap Filler Pallet Pavilion in Christchurch, New Zealand, was built as a community space following devastating earthquakes. The recycled shipping pallet pavilion is an incredible facility, but unfortunately it was only ever funded for one year. The organizers have now turned to crowd sourcing to secure funding to keep it open for an additional year. In addition to being a stunning piece of shipping pallet architecture, the pavilion has been a positive beacon amongst the rubble. The people of Christchurch want the facility to stay, but it will take a global fundraising effort to make it happen – check out the crowdfunding campaign here and donate today! + Pallet Pavilion Pledge Me Campaign + Gap Filler Pallet Pavilion Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Christchurch, Gap Filler Pallet Pavilion, green architecture, green design, New Zealand, pallet architecture, pallet pavilion, Recycled Materials, recycled shipping pallet, shipping pallet, sustainable design, Urban design

A judge has ruled that a nun and two other protesters must remain in jail until they are sentenced in September for breaking into a nuclear weapons plant in Tennessee. Sister Megan Rice and protesters Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed  were convicted Wednesday of sabotaging the plant and damaging federal property last year at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. The sabotage charge carries a maximum prison term of up to 20 years. The damaged property charge has a penalty of up to 10 years. Thapar said that the defendants can’t meet the first requirement as federal prosecutors have said they plan to seek prison time. Thapar also noted that the defendants have not shown any “unique circumstances that would weigh against detention.” via Nuclear Protestors, Including Sister Megan Rice, To Remain Jailed In Tennessee For Months.

You may be worried that because you have a small yard or even just a front porch, growing your own food is out of reach. That, however, is not the case. Plenty of options exist for growing food. Greg Peterson, an expert gardener and gardening instructor in Phoenix, advocates keeping it simple, especially when gardening in tight, urban spaces. Here are some tips Peterson offers to help you start growing food in small spaces the simple way. 1. Work with the space you have 2. Try out alternative methods 3. Grow herbs 4. Plant a fruit tree via Tips for Growing Food in a Small Space | Earth911.com.

Scientists have discovered a strangely patterned new insect in the Philippines, dubbing it the pirate ant because of a dark stripe over its eyes that makes it look like it's wearing an eye patch.   The formal name of the newfound creature is Cardiocondyla pirata, and belongs to a group of species that are found from Thailand across the whole Indonesian-Malaysian region.

Yesterday, Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) rejected the notion that Hurricane Sandy’s damage was worsened by climate change. At a ceremonial event to mark the rebuilding of the Jersey Shore boardwalk post-Hurricane Sandy, Christie responded to a question from WNYC/New Jersey Public Radio about how the state could have better prepared for the consequences of climate change: Well, first of all, I don’t agree with the premise of your question because I don’t think there’s been any proof thus far that Sandy was caused by climate change. But I would absolutely expect that that’s exactly what WNYC would say, because you know liberal public radio always has an agenda. And so since I disagree with the premise of your question I don’t feel like I have to answer the rest of it. Of course, this isn’t about whether Sandy was “caused” by climate change. It’s about twwhether climate change and sea level rise are making such storms more frequent and much more destructive (see links below) — and that is something we can plan for. Christie is already one of the few Republican leaders that acknowledge human activity causes climate change. Even so, he still casts it as a second-tier issue. “Maybe in the subsequent months and years, after I get done with rebuilding the state and getting people back in their homes,” he told reporters in February, “I’ll have the opportunity to ponder the esoteric question of the causes of the storm.” He even acknowledged climate change is real in the same speech where he announced that he was pulling New Jersey out of a regional compact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Contrast Chrstie’s words with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), who said, “We have a one-hundred year flood every two years now.” Still, both governors make the case for greater greater resiliency, even though Christie does not directly reference climate change. The different responses also characterize the gulf in NY and NJ preparations for climate change. According to a report from WNYC, New Jersey overlooked climate change warnings before Sandy, which resulted in it losing over one-quarter of its public transit fleet. Meanwhile, New York had consulted scientists on climate change-related incidents, and lost 19 of its 8,000 rail cars. What Christie fails to grasp is the impact climate change is having on his constituents today, including coastal flooding, powerful storms, sea level rise, and drought. Extreme weather has also cost taxpayers $136 billion in the last three years, with Sandy’s toll alone at $60 billion. Related Posts: How Arctic Ice Loss Amplified Superstorm Sandy — Oceanography Journal How Does Climate Change Make Superstorms Like Sandy More Destructive? Yes, Climate Change Contributed To Superstorm Sandy

New York City seems alien enough to many of its visitors, but imagine how strange it would look if whisked away to another planet.