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The Green Grok
blogging toward a more sustainable path with Dr. Bill Chameides
Climate Change: Bad News on the Health Front
October 15, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
When it comes to environmental pollution, people tend to care most about health effects. Three new studies on how global warming is affecting health will not be welcome news to these folks.
The Look of Offshore Wind
October 14, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
Wind energy is a growth industry in the United States, with electrical generation capacity growing at about 30 percent annually. In 2007, we added a record-setting 5,200 megawatts (MW) of new wind capacity, and in the first six months of 2008 another 2,700 MW. As of September, some 20,000 MW of our electricity came from wind. But that's just a piddling 1.5 percent of our annual electricity supply. What gives?
Unintended Consequences: Green Sometimes Not So Green
October 13, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
Sometimes going green is counterproductive. Think corn ethanol. Or the new super-high mileage, low-cost car in India by Tata Motors. It may lead to more pollution by making it possible for millions of people to afford a car. Even more surprising is a recent study that concludes: people who identify strongest with the environment may imperil it the most — by where they choose to live.
The House Has Got Climate on Its Mind
October 10, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
Amid all the furor and worry over the economy, did anyone notice the passage of a major milestone in addressing climate change? This week, U.S. Representatives John Dingell and Rick Boucher released a "discussion draft" of a bill to place a cap on greenhouse pollution in the United States.
City Parks: Great Places to Visit and Good for the Environment
October 9, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides and Erica Rowell
Summer's over, but city parks are still great places to visit. Plus, they provide environmental benefits, such as cutting pollution.
Natural Gas: The Way to Break Our Oil Addiction?
October 8, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
We’ve been told that we are addicted to foreign oil. Many Americans agree that this is an addiction we must break – not only to stop the flow of dollars overseas to countries that are often hostile to America, but also to lower our emissions of greenhouse gas pollution. The question is how? Some suggest that compressed natural gas (CNG) is the answer.
The $700 Billion Bailout Bill Goes Green?
October 7, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
Remember that $700 billion bailout bill? You may have heard that it had lots of add-ons; so-called sweeteners to convince recalcitrant congressmen and women to vote yes. Two of the more memorable descriptions I heard last week include: “decorated like a Christmas tree;” and “larded up with pork.” One of the so-called sweeteners--to the tune of about 18 billion additional dollars--was the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008. Was it a green sweetener? Let’s take a look.
Pulse of the Planet: An Unexpected Impact of Global Warming
October 6, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
Global warming is going to make the ocean noisier. So says Peter Hester and colleagues from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Is that possible? And should we care? Yes to the first, and yes to the second – at least if you are a fish or marine mammal.
Statistically Speaking: Natural Gas - Future Green Fuel?
October 3, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
Seen those natural gas commercials on TV? They tout natural gas as the low-carbon, low-pollution, homegrown, near-term solution to break our addiction to oil. Sounds great, but is it true?
Setting Those Turtles Free
October 2, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
On a recent trip to Duke’s Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, I got a rare, up-close experience of the miracle of life -– I helped launch a clutch of baby loggerhead sea turtles on their trip to the Gulf Stream and points north.
