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The Green Grok
blogging toward a more sustainable path with Dr. Bill Chameides
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.
Understanding Oil
October 1, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
With the cost of gas still near record highs and crude oil prices rising and falling like a ride at Six Flags, drilling for oil has been capturing imaginations and grabbing headlines. But caveat emptor: misinformation abounds. In one case a recent graphic by a respected news service painted a rosier picture of our nation’s resources than the facts would indicate.
Carbon Markets and Environmentalism: Is Market-Based the New Dirty Word(s)?
September 30, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
In the 1970s, markets and environmentalists were like oil and water. But by the 1990s market-based solutions had proved effective in combating acid rain. Now financial markets are in a tailspin, begging the question, will today's economic turmoil spell the end of environmental market-based solutions?
Pulse of the Planet: Does Climate Change Go Slow Before Going Fast?
September 29, 2008 | Written by Bill Chameides
One of the greatest worries about the current global warming is that it may trigger a rapid shift in the climate — a move to a radically different one, perhaps even an ice age. How do we know if an abrupt change is approaching? A new study suggests that it will be difficult to tell — climate change may go slow before it goes fast.
