Scientific American online (January 28, 2009) / David Biello http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=nuclear-waste-lethal-trash-or-renewable-energy-source Scientific American takes a long look at nuclear waste and the options for recycling it, which will be a big part of the Energy Department’s to-do list in the next administration. [WSJ Environmental Capital posting]
Posted on January 29, 2009 …
Meat and Poultry Inspection : Background and Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RL32922 [Summary] The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) must inspect most meat, poultry, and processed egg products for safety, wholesomeness, and labeling. Federal inspectors or their state counterparts are present at all times in virtually all slaughter plants and for at least part of each day … Continue reading »
Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Concerns in Agricultural Trade
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RL33472 Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures refer to any of the laws, rules, standards, and procedures that governments employ to protect humans, other animals, and plants from diseases, pests, toxins, and other contaminants. Examples of SPS measures include meat and poultry processing standards to reduce pathogens, residue limits for pesticides in foods, … Continue reading »
Fisheries Economics of the United States 2006
US NOAA Fisheries http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/publication/index.html U.S. commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated more than $185 billion in sales and supported more than two million jobs in 2006, according to a new economic report released by NOAA Fisheries Service. The commercial fishing industry – harvesters, seafood processors and dealers, seafood wholesalers and seafood retailers – generated $103 … Continue reading »
Energy Storage for Low-carbon Electricity
Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University / Chi-Jen Yang and Eric Williams http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/ccpp/ccpp_pdfs/energy.storage.pdf [This paper reviews] potential benefits and limitations of existing energy storage technologies, discuss barriers for implementing them, and propose options policymakers can consider for overcoming those obstacles. Key points include: If the federal government wants to encourage a stable supply … Continue reading »
The Climate Crisis and the Adaptation Myth
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies / by Robert Repetto http://environment.yale.edu/publication-series/climate_change/5790/the-climate-crisis-and-the-adaptation-myth/ The United States is failing to prepare for the impending effects of climate change, leaving the nation vulnerable to disease, storms and other rising risks, according to a report by Yale University. Key government agencies, corporations and cities are moving too slowly, or … Continue reading »
Climate Change : Action by States to Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RL33812 [Summary] In the absence of a federal climate change program, a number of states have taken actions that directly address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. States’ efforts cover a wide range of policies. Although much of the early activity was largely symbolic, the more recent state actions have been more aggressive. Twenty-three … Continue reading »
Southern Ocean Deep-water Carbon Export Enhanced by Natural Iron Fertilization
Nature (January 29 2009, v457, p577-580) / by Raymond T. Pollard, et al.| http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7229/full/nature07716.html Subscription required [Nature news summary] The theory that adding iron to the oceans can help suck up atmospheric carbon dioxide cheaply and efficiently has received a further blow. A study1 published in this week’s issue of Nature (see page 577) finds … Continue reading »
The Radiative Forcing Potential of Different Climate Geoengineering Options
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions (2009, v9 n2559-2608 / by T.N. Lenton and N.E. Vaughn http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/2559/2009/acpd-9-2559-2009.pdf [Yale Environment 360 posting] Some futuristic geo-engineering projects may help slow global warming if they are developed in conjunction with large reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study. The study, led by Tim Lenton at Britain’s … Continue reading »
Irreversible Climate Change Due to Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (published online Jan. 28 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0812721106) / by Susan Solomon, Gian-Kasper Plattnerb, Reto Knuttic and Pierre Friedlingsteind http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/01/28/0812721106.abstract [From abstract] The severity of damaging human-induced climate change depends not only on the magnitude of the change but also on the potential for irreversibility. This paper shows that … Continue reading »
