BEIJING CLOSES FILLING STATIONS

HOSTING THE OLYMPICS: IT’S A GAS GAS GAS

Beijing will close 144 gas stations and 9 oil depots as part an effort to improve air quality in the Chinese capital, just in time for this summer’s Olympics. Air quality is a big worry for organizers of the Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee has warned that some events could be postponed if pollution levels rise too far. Beijing, the host city, is considered one of the most polluted cities on Earth.

All oil depots and gas stations in the city have until the end of May to comply with vapor recovery rules, which are intended to guarantee air quality during the Olympics. Vapor recovery is used during the refueling of gasoline storage tanks to reduce hydrocarbon emissions: a specially designed nozzle is installed on gas pumps to collect vapors from the vehicle's gas tank and return them to the station's underground storage tank. More than 1,000 filling stations will have new nozzles installed at the pumps. The upgrades are expected to cost US$70,000 per station.

In addition to the gas station closures, many cars are expected to be ordered off the road during the games, and Chinese authorities have already started closing down factories. Work on city construction sites will be suspended from May onward, and thousands, maybe millions of Chinese workers will be given vacation time in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. China Daily – article
2. Forbes – article
3. The Toronto Star – article
4. BBC News – article and photo

VIRGIN MAKES VIRGIN BIOFUEL FLIGHT

LONDON TO AMSTERDAM ON COCONUT OIL

This is from Thomas Wagner at The Associated Press:

Virgin Atlantic carried out the world's first flight of a commercial aircraft powered with biofuel on Sunday in an effort to show it can produce less carbon dioxide than normal jet fuels.

Some analysts praised the jumbo jet test flight from London to Amsterdam as a potentially useful experiment. But others criticized it as a publicity stunt and noted scientists are questioning the environmental benefits of biofuels.

"This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected," Sir Richard Branson, the airline's president, said before the Boeing 747 flew from London's Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

He said the flight would provide "crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint," he said.

Sunday's flight was partially fueled with a biofuel mixture of coconut and babassu oil in one of its four main fuel tanks. The jet carried pilots and several technicians, but no passengers.

Virgin Atlantic spokesman Paul Charles predicted this biofuel would produce much less CO2 than regular jet fuel, but said it will take weeks to analyze the data from Sunday's flight.

Read the full article here.

I’m not a big fan of biofuels and I have tried to avoid posting about it, but this story is too hard to ignore. Despite all the potential negative drawbacks of biofuels (and there are plenty – check out this ENN article for a taste), I am breaking my boycott on biofuel posts because this story demonstrates that it may be possible to fly commercial aircraft with low greenhouse gas emissions. At the very least, the data gathered from the flight will help inform the debate over biofuels. Shoutout to Sir Richard Branson for shelling out the Euros for this experiment.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. The Associated Press – article and photo
2. ENN - article

SCOTLAND’S EMISSIONS AMBITIONS

SCOTLAND PROPOSES WHOPPING

80% EMISSIONS CUT BY 2050

The Scottish government has announced plans for an 80% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 to help prevent global warming. If passed, the Scottish Climate Change Bill will be the most ambitious climate change commitment in the world.

With this proposal, the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) has announced it’s intention for Scotland to become a world leader in climate change. All of Scotland's 32 local authorities have formally signed the Climate Change Declaration. A consultation on the proposal will run until April 23, and the government is hoping to introduce a draft bill to the Scottish parliament by autumn.

A strong proposal, but will it get watered down through the political process? Few countries have set emissions targets above 25% - the European Union, for example, has set emissions targets at only 20% by 2020. The Scottish Climate Change Bill has the potential to be an important piece of legislation, a benchmark for developed countries concerned about climate change. As concerned citizens, we can send an e-mail in support of the Scottish Climate Change Bill.

Shoutout to the Scottish government for proposing this bold legislation. Shoutout to all 32 local authorities in Scotland who have signed the declaration. Shoutout to everyone who sends an e-mail endorsing this visionary plan.

¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. BBC News – article
2. The Scottish Government – press release
3. The Scottish Government – press release
4. Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration – website
5. AFP – article
6. WWF – campaign

WELCOME TO GREEN CITY, UAE

"NO CARBON CITY" UNDER CONSTRUCTION

IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Masdar City, United Arab Emirates - a green city in the desert.

Abu Dhabi has begun construction of the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste car-free city.

Masdar City will cost US$22 billion and be home to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses. It will be powered mostly by solar energy, and residents will travel in emission-free pods running on magnetic tracks. The city will also make use of traditional Gulf architecture to create low-energy buildings, with natural air conditioning from wind towers. Water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant. The city will use a quarter of the power required for a similar-sized city, and 60% less water.

The United Arab Emirates, the world’s fifth largest exporter of oil, currently has one of the world’s highest per capita carbon footprints. Masdar City forms part of Abu Dhabi’s $15 billion five year plan to develop clean energy technologies in an effort to diversify from dwindling oil wealth. As part of the plan, Abu Dhabi will become home to the world's largest hydrogen power plant.

There is also a financial payoff: Masdar City is expected to create 70,000 new jobs and boost the UAE's GDP by 2 per cent. By implementing clean energy technologies, the city will save the equivalent of more than $2 billion in oil over the next 25 years.

Masdar City is expected to be completed by 2016. Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presided over a ground-breaking ceremony on Saturday. Giant shoutout to the UAE, and to the tens of thousands of people who will work hard to build this amazing city of the future.

Sources, resources, discourses:

BBC News – article and photo
Gulfnews.com - article
Times Online - article
news.com.au – article
Khaleej Times Online - article

LIGHTS OUT FOR INCANDESCENT BULBS

IRELAND, PHILIPPINES, AUSTRALIA,
CANADA, U.S.A. TO BAN THE BULB

Ireland has become the first country in Europe to ban the incandescent bulb. Sale of the traditional bulb will end by the beginning of next year, in favor of low-energy alternatives. The switch to energy-efficient bulbs will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700,000 tonnes per year and shave 185 million euros (US$269.3 million) per year off householders' electricity bills. Ireland currently uses more energy for lighting homes than anywhere else in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has become the first country in Asia to ban the bulb, phasing out incandescents by 2010. The ban will reduce the Philippines' annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2.2 million tonnes.

Australia, the first country in the world to announce a ban, will be bulb free by 2009-2010. Canada will ban the bulb by 2012, the United States by 2014.

Industry is also jumping on the bulb bandwagon (or is that banned-wagon?). Philips, the world’s largest lighting manufacturer, says it will stop making incandescent bulbs by 2016.

WHY CHANGE BULBS?

First of all, traditional bulbs are old. The incandescent light bulb is based on a design invented in the 19th century by Thomas Edison. Less than 10 percent of the energy used by an incandescent lightbulb generates visible light; 90 percent is wasted as heat. Most of this energy is generated by fossil fuels, which causes CO2 emissions leading to climate change. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) use 5 times less energy than incandescents, which means far less CO2 pollution. CFLs, therefore, are better for the climate.

CFLs are also more cost-effective than regular bulbs. While CFLs cost more at the hardware store, they last far longer than an incandescent, and therefore save money in the long run. CFLs last between 6 and 15 years, while an incandescent usually lasts only one.

If the entire world banned the incandescent bulb in favor of energy-efficient bulbs, this simple step would permit the closing of more than 270 coal-fired power plants, sharply cutting worldwide carbon emissions. For the United States alone, this bulb switch could shut down 80 coal-fired plants. The European Union could shut down 25 more.

TAKE ACTION:

First, switch to CFLs if you haven’t already. Save yourself some cash while saving the world.

Next, join Greenpeace’s 7-step global energy efficiency campaign.

Shoutout to Australia for lighting the way. Shoutout to Ireland and the Philippines for showing leadership and acting quickly. Shoutout to Canada, the U.S.A. and Philips for getting on board. Shoutout to everyone who has already made the switch.

¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!

Sources, resources, and discourses:

1. EU Business – article
2. Reuters UK - article
3. Tech Digest – article and photo
4. The Associated Press - article
5. Greenpeace – article
6. Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government – press release
7. Natural Resources Canada – press release
8. Earth Policy Institute – article
9. BBC News – article
10. The Sydney Morning Herald - article
11. Greenpeace – light bulb Q&A

AIR FRANCE CLEANS UP THE SKIES

AIR FRANCE PLEDGES TO SPEND ALMOST

$3 BILLION A YEAR TO REDUCE POLLUTION

Air France plans to spend €2 billion ($2.93 billion) a year until 2020 on modernizing its airplane fleet in an effort to reduce pollution.

Air France has committed to reducing its fuel consumption between 15% and 20% in the next four years. Over the same period, the airline also wants to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by 20% on overseas flights, and by 5% on domestic flights. It also plans to cut noise emissions.

In addition, Air France is investing €5 billion to replace its entire fleet of 18 Boeing 747 jets with Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft, which are quieter and burn less fuel. It is also replacing its early-generation Airbus A320 aircraft with more efficient A320s and A321s.

Shoutout to Air France for making a solid commitment to the environment, and for backing it up with cold, hard cash. That’s money well spent, y’all… Viva la Air France!

Sources, resources, and discourses:

1. The Wall Street Journal
2. The Canadian Press

EARTH HOUR, 8 P.M., MARCH 29, 2008

LIGHTS OUT FOR SYDNEY, CHICAGO, TORONTO, COPENHAGEN, TEL AVIV, MANILA AND MORE

“Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced,

Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour

to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.”

At 8:00 p.m. on March 29, 2008, cities around the world will shut their lights off for one hour to symbolize their commitment to finding solutions for climate change. The objective of this dramatic gesture: nothing short of changing the world.

The initiative, called Earth Hour, started last year in Sydney, Australia. On March 31, 2007, 2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney shut off their lights for one hour. This massive effort reduced Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour. In 2008, the effort has gone global, with such cities as Chicago, Toronto, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Manila and Tel Aviv agreeing to shut off their lights for one hour on March 29.

Even if you don’t live in one of the participating cities, you can still join Earth Hour by visiting the Earth Hour website and joining the 10,000+ other people (including yours truly) who have signed up to participate. It’s remarkably easy to get involved: just turn off your lights for one hour, and spread the word.

Big shoutout to the WWF and the organizers of Earth Hour around the globe for raising awareness and for taking direct action.

March 29, y'all.

Sources and additional information:

http://www.earthhour.org/

http://www.wwf.ca/NewsAndFacts/NewsRoom/default.asp?section=archive&page=display&ID=1567&lang=EN

http://www.thestar.com/earthhour

JAPANESE GARBAGE POWER

BURNING TRASH FOR ELECTRICITY

Plasma turns garbage into gas that powers a turbine at a Japanese facility

This is from Discover Magazine:

What could be better than a power station that eats up dirty landfill and churns out clean electricity? One facility in Utashinai, Japan, has been doing just that since 2003, using plasma to process up to 220 tons of municipal solid waste a day. Now a bigger and better $425 million plant is scheduled for completion by 2009 in Saint Lucie County, Florida. The operator, Atlanta-based Geoplasma, expects it to generate 160 megawatts of electricity—enough to power 36,000 homes—from a daily diet of trash.

At the plant, garbage will be superheated to more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit—about the temperature of the sun’s surface—by a NASA-developed plasma torch. Organic components will be gasifed by the heat; the inorganic remainder will be melted and removed. Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, will be extracted from the gas output and used to drive turbines and generate electricity. Gases from the plant will be processed to remove dangerous compounds like dioxins, and the company pledges that emissions will be well under state and federal environmental limits. Heavy metals from the inorganic dross will be collected and sold as scrap.

The Florida facility will be built right next to a large landfill, which the company will dig into at a daily rate of 1,000 tons—along with 2,000 tons of brand-new trash to be trucked in. Geoplasma is negotiating contracts to sell three-quarters of the electricity generated by the plant to a utility company.

Let’s review: a power station that reduces garbage and creates enough “clean” electricity to power 36,000 homes… why aren’t there one of these facilities next to every landfill?

Shoutout to Geoplasma for helping to pioneer the alchemy of turning garbage into gold.

Click on the links for more information:

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/the-ultimate-garbage-disposal

http://bioconversion.blogspot.com/2006/10/geoplasma-answers-trash-vaporization_14.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071207001203.htm