1950s Vs. 2000s: The Drive to Supersize
by Bill ChameidesOct 15, 2009
filed under: Statistically Speaking, energy, low impact, electricity, energy efficiency, Energy Star, population, no impact, pollution
A lot has changed in the past 50 years, much for the better. Energy efficiency measures, for example, have meant less pollution and savings in electricity costs. But there is a but....
EPA’s Latest Coal Waste Installment: More Ponds. Less Worry?
by Bill ChameidesSep 11, 2009
filed under: Statistically Speaking, Kingston Fossil Power Plant, coal, coal ash, Environmental Protection Agency, waste, hazardous waste, Tennessee Valley Authority
It seems the more the Environmental Protection Agency digs, the more coal ash waste ponds are found, but a coal group exec assures us that all is quiet. Ah, well, no worries then.
Views on Anthropogenic Climate Change Vary. Why?
by Bill ChameidesJul 24, 2009
filed under: Statistically Speaking, climate change, global warming, research, science, politics
Statistics provide numbers. We decide what they mean. Case in point: how different groups view the causes of global warming.
Obama Steers American Cars Into the 21st Century
by Bill ChameidesMay 19, 2009
filed under: fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), Statistically Speaking, automobile, automakers, cars, transportation, carbon dioxide emissions
When it comes to fuel economy standards, it’s a rare sight to see the automobile industry and the environmental community together on the same platform. But that’s the view we got today when the president announced new fuel economy standards for America’s fleets.
Statistically Speaking: Diversity in Our Diet
by Bill ChameidesMay 13, 2009
filed under: food, plants, statistically speaking, agriculture
Because we’re rarely more than a short drive away from a drive-thru, Americans might not even be aware of the increasing trend toward monoculture in our managed ecosystems. (See related video.) It's a worrisome trend. Now here’s something else to nibble on: the loss of diversity in the plants we eat.
Statistically Speaking: Toxic Releases: How Much Do We Really Know?
by Bill ChameidesMar 26, 2009
filed under: TRI, air pollution, Statistically Speaking, REACH, TSCA, Environmental Protection Agency, waste, European Union, pollution
Last week the U.S. EPA issued the Toxic Release Inventory for 2007 – a compilation of the toxic chemicals and compounds that industries released to our land, water, and air during 2007. Great. But does the TRI tell the whole toxic release story?
Statistically Speaking: How Much Exxon Valdez Oil Remains?
by Bill ChameidesMar 20, 2009
filed under: crude oil, wildlife, oil, Statistically Speaking, fish, oceans, Exxon Valdez, oil spill, birds
Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill continues to threaten wildlife and fish in the Prince William Sound ecosystem (see our post from Wednesday). But how much oil is left?
Statistically Speaking: Pigs by the Numbers
by Bill Chameides, Wendy Graber, and Erica RowellMar 13, 2009
filed under: animals, Statistically Speaking, Nicholas Kristof, hogs, antibiotics, pigs, New York Times, waste
New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof has a great series on the link between our food, pigs in this case, and our health. What’s the connection and why?
Statistically Speaking - Coal Waste: What's It Good For?
by Bill ChameidesJan 30, 2009
filed under: Statistically Speaking, Kingston Fossil Power Plant, statistically speaking, coal, coal ash, Environmental Protection Agency, waste, Tennessee Valley Authority
As we’ve seen from recent catastrophic spills at coal plants in Harriman, Tennessee, and Widows Creek, Alabama, it’s past time to take a closer look at how we dispose of coal waste.
Statistically Speaking: What Do Scientists Think About Climate Change?
by Bill ChameidesJan 23, 2009
filed under: statistically speaking, science, global warming, research, climate change
Ah, delving into the mind of a scientist. There's a heady task. The media talk of both consensus and scientific debate when it comes to climate change. So what do actual scientists really think? A new survey of 3,146 scientists attempts to answer this question and more.
Statistically Speaking – Inaugurals and the Environment
by Bill ChameidesJan 20, 2009
filed under: Richard Nixon, Statistically Speaking, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, statistically speaking, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, politics, Jimmy Carter
Today President Barack Obama declared, "We will harness the sun and the winds and the soils to fuel our cars and run our factories.” Later, he spoke of "roll[ing] back the spectre of a warming planet.” To mark today's historic inauguration, we peek back at history to see whose inaugurals invoked the environment. It turns out, the environment is a bipartisan issue.
Statistically Speaking: Governor Palin’s Whales
by Bill ChameidesJan 16, 2009
filed under: beluga whale, animals, Statistically Speaking, Sarah Palin, whales, statistically speaking, endangered species
Guess who's back in the news? Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. This time, the reports do not center on her wardrobe, looks, or speeches, but rather on whales and the lawsuit she has slapped on the U.S. government.
Statistically Speaking: 2008’s Place in Warmest Years Sweepstakes
by Bill ChameidesDec 22, 2008
filed under: Statistically Speaking, climate change, Hadley Centre, global warming, statistically speaking, temperatures, World Meteorological Organization
With a little over a week to go in 2008, the World Meteorological Organization has released an estimate of the year’s average temperature. Now 2008 is officially …
Statistically Speaking: Real vs. Fake Christmas Trees
by Bill ChameidesDec 18, 2008
filed under: toxins, Christmas trees, statistically speaking, Statistically Speaking, health, green living
In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt nixed a Christmas tree for the White House. "It's not good to cut down trees for mere decoration," he claimed. "We must set a good example for the people of America." Was President Roosevelt right? Should today's conservationists take a page out of his book and forgo the tree?!
Statistically Speaking: Detroit Does It Better in Europe
by Bill ChameidesDec 05, 2008
filed under: fuel economy, transportation, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), air pollution, Statistically Speaking, automobile, statistically speaking, alternative fuel, diesel, Detroit, particulate matter, gasoline, carbon dioxide emissions, ultra low sulfur diesel, nitrogen oxides
So the Big Three automakers are in trouble and want some of our money to stay afloat. Before handing over any cash, we might want to look at how Detroit does when it has to.
Statistically Speaking: Lessons from an Electricity Crisis
by Bill Chameides, Wendy Graber, and Erica RowellNov 07, 2008
filed under: Statistically Speaking, statistically speaking, economics, electricity, economy
Do people change the amount of energy they use when prices rise? In May 2008 Americans drove 10 billion fewer miles than in May 2007 -- a trend, sustained between November 2007 and August 2008, suggesting that drivers do drive less [pdf] when faced with higher gas prices. But what about electricity use? California's 2000-2001 electricity crisis provides some insight.
Statistically Speaking: The Evolution of the Silicon Solar Cell
by Bill ChameidesOct 31, 2008
filed under: solar, Statistically Speaking, climate change, alternative fuel, global warming, solutions, energy efficiency, renewable energy, renewables, science
How expensive will avoiding dangerous climate change be? The answer is intimately tied to the pace at which renewable energy technologies advance. And speaking of advancements, a major milestone was just passed in silicon solar cells.
Statistically Speaking: Hurricanes, Oil, Infrastructure
by Bill ChameidesOct 24, 2008
filed under: oil, Statistically Speaking, statistically speaking, oil drilling, hurricanes
When a hurricane strikes, it’s big news. Neighborhoods and homes are destroyed; people and pets are stranded; then the aftermath -- people returning to pick up the pieces. But there's another important story told less often: the damage hurricanes do to the oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico.
Statistically Speaking: Natural Gas - Future Green Fuel?
by Bill ChameidesOct 03, 2008
filed under: aerosols, air quality, air pollution, Statistically Speaking, statistically speaking, natural gas, gasoline, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide emissions, nitrogen oxides
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?
Statistical Grok on Oil: A 'Crude' Awakening?
by Bill ChameidesSep 19, 2008
filed under: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Statistically Speaking, statistically speaking, oil drilling, oil, fossil fuels
Let's say you could choose where to get additional oil from. And let's say your choice was between three sources. Which would you choose? The option that got you more or less?
