Last week, Frontline aired a 2-hour TV program on how we are tackling our greenhouse gas emissions. This update describes how the world's largest corporations and governments are responding to Earth's looming collision with irreversible climate change. Watch it on-line .

[Read More]

Since moving fulltime to NIMONIK, I am now a guest writer here at ÉEM, so my posts may be less frequent. 

Just came across an interesting visualization of CO2, "that displays the daily average of CO2 concentration through a chemical reaction in which chalk particles are formed, which in turn changes the opacity of water encapsulated in plastic tubes. The "Statlab" installation samples air direct from a local area, so that the differences in water clarity creates an analogue graph in which the difference in the amount of chalk particles per tank is a global measure for the fluctuating CO2 concentration within one 1 week."

 

The lab has lot's of other great installations, so be check out their site. 

[Read More]

Here is a new presentation by Al Gore at the annual TED Conference. He makes the case that the climate crisis is worse than our most conservative estimates and then calls for dramatic action not seen since the race to the moon.

The CEOs of GE and Wal-Mart strongly re-iterated their commitment to sustainability at a recent Wall Street Journal Conference. They also expressed their wish for strong Federal regulations on climate change and environmental issues. As both companies have taken pre-emptive action on sustainability; strong federal regulation would give them a competitive advantage over other titans of American industry.

How will your company be positioned when the government comes knocking?

 Full Story Here

 

[Read More]

Of all the sustainability issues our there, I feel housing is at the top of the list. Not just because housing consumes large amounts of energy and materials, but also because it has a compounding effect on our lifestyles.

There is a strong tendancy for people who live in healthy homes to lead healthier lives and demand healthier policies from government. In the near future, I hope our government will incorporate sustainability factors into the building code. William McDonough and Amory Lovins, two great sustainability leaders, have spoken out about the possibilities in the housing sector.

McDonough gives a great (short) talk about his vision of housing

And Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute talks (1.5 hours) here:

[Read More]

The Tar Sands are the largest industrial project in Canadian history. We are seeing increasing demands by Canadians (read: stakeholders) to slow down the expansion and impose more stringant environmental regulations. Most of these demands are coming from Albertans (read: local stakeholders).

Compounding this rising tide; a new federal report by Environmental Defence labels the tar sands as "The Most Destructive Projecty on Earth" was just released. The report outlines how our nation's rivers and skies are being polluted at an ever increasing rate.

For the long-term future of Alberta and Canada, it is imperitive that we place strong environmental restrictions, not just for greenhouse gases, but also for water contaminants, acid rain and local community impacts. 

[Read More]

I just came across an interesting website that claims to offer two sides to the global warming debate. That's right, there is still a debate going on. Website found at http://climatedebatedaily.com/

As an engineer, I think it is very important to constantly question and revisit science to ensure it stands the test of time. Global Warming science is among the most complex (and controversial) scientific studies around and it is still relativly new, so a logical, scientific debate is definitly good. 

[Read More]

Here is a great summary of a recent UN Environment Report which outlines the current state of the world's ecosystems.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7056601.stm

 

 

 

 

[Read More]

A new study to analyze the economic value of biodiversity has been commissioned by the EU. More info here. This is an important step, and has largely been inspired by the Success of the Stern Commission, which analyzed the economic impacts of climate change.

 

While greenhouse gases and climate change have been at the forefront of the sustainability mouvement, it is important to recognize that it is not the only issue. Diversity of plant and animal life on the planet has been in rapid decline since the begining of industrialization (and even before then). We are losing species which may have many tangible benifits such as cures for diseases and many intangible benefits such as the support of local communities, farming and other natural activities upon which we all rely. A recent example is the (largely) inexplicable collapse of bee hives this past year .

 

Hopefully this important study will inspire citizens and corporations to take action against the loss of biodiversity.

[Read More]

A great talk was given at the recent TED Conference with regards to the future of geo-engineering. David Keith: A surprising idea for "solving" climate change . The talk raises important questions of not wether or not we should do geoengineering, but rather makes the argument that we should at least study it.

A particularly convincing argument is the rise of China and the likelyhood that they (or another country) may unilaterally do geoengineering. With such a risk, we must eveluate the benifits and risks that geo-engineering poses.

We must also create a international treaty to bind countries to a series of protocols, not unlike the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Such a treaty will help countries work together and reduce the risk of unilateral action.

[Read More]

The Northwest Passage is ice free since last august. New imagery shows dramatic shrinkage of the Arctic and Greenland ice shelves.

In fact, a large glacier which just broke off is equivalent in volume to the fress water consumption of London - per year.

[Read More]