Pew Trust Environmental Group prepared by John M. Gates http://paceeenvironmentalnotes.blogspot.com/2009/07/investing-in-our-future-economic-case.html [Summary] This report provides a new analysis of the potential economic benefits of rebuilding depleted fish populations in the Mid-Atlantic. The study estimates direct economic benefits by comparing status quo management scenarios with scenarios where populations would have been rebuilt by 2007. For both commercial … Continue reading »
Posted on July 31, 2009 …
U.S.-China Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Cooperation on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment
US Dept. of State http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/126802.pdf This Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and China provides for both countries to pursue areas of cooperation where joint expertise, resources, research capacity and combined market size can accelerate progress towards mutual goals. These include, but are not limited to: 1) Energy conservation and energy efficiency 2) Renewable energy … Continue reading »
Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future
Pacific Institute / by Heather Cooley, Juliet Christian-Smith and Peter Gleick http://www.pacinst.org/reports/california_agriculture/final.pdf [Summary] This report… argues that California’s future is increasingly uncertain. Competition over limited water resources continues and climate change is increasing climate variability. With existing technologies, management practices, and educational and institutional resources, we can reduce agriculture’s vulnerability to water supply constraints and … Continue reading »
Eutrophication : Sources and Drivers of Nutrient Pollution
World Resources Institute / by Mindy Selman and Suzie Greenhalgh http://www.wri.org/publication/eutrophication-sources-and-drivers [Summary] This report…argues that nutrient over-enrichment of freshwater and coastal ecosystems, or eutrophication, is a rapidly growing environmental crisis. Worldwide, the number of coastal areas impacted by eutrophication stands at over 500. In coastal areas, occurrences of dead zones, which are caused by eutrophic … Continue reading »
The Dynamics of Climate Agreements
Belfer Center, Kennedy School, Harvard Univ. / by Bard Harstad http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/19489/dynamics_of_climate_agreements.html [Abstract] I provide a novel dynamic model with private provision of public bads and investments in technologies. The analysis is tractable and the MPE unique. By adding incomplete contracts, I derive implications of and for international climate treaties. While the non-cooperative equilibrium is bad, … Continue reading »
Aviation and Climate Change : Aircraft Emissions Expected to Grow, but Technological and Operational Improvements and Government Policies Can Help Control Emissions
General Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09554.pdf [Summary] Aircraft emit greenhouse gases and other emissions, contributing to increasing concentrations of such gases in the atmosphere. Many scientists and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—a United Nations organization that assesses scientific, technical, and economic information on climate change—believe these gases may negatively affect the earth’s climate. Given forecasts … Continue reading »
Federal Energy and Fleet Management : Plug-in Vehicles Offer Potential Benefits, but High Costs and Limited Information Could Hinder Integration into the Federal Fleet
General Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09493.pdf [Summary] The U.S. transportation sector relies almost exclusively on oil; as a result, it causes about a third of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Advanced technology vehicles powered by alternative fuels, such as electricity and ethanol, are one way to reduce oil consumption. The federal government set a goal for federal … Continue reading »
Climate Change Trade Measures : Considerations for U.S. Policy Makers
General Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09724r.pdf [Summary] Global climate change is one of the most significant long-term policy challenges facing the United States, and policies to mitigate climate change will have important economic, social, and environmental implications. Members of Congress have introduced several bills to address the problem of climate change, many of which establish domestic emissions … Continue reading »
Energy and Water : Preliminary Observations on the Links between Water and Biofuels and Electricity Production
Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09862t.pdf [Summary] Water and energy are inexorably linked — energy is needed to pump, treat, and transport water and large quantities of water are needed to support the development of energy. However, both water and energy may face serious constraints as demand for these vital resources continues to rise. Two examples that … Continue reading »
Clean Air Act : Preliminary Observations on the Effectiveness and Costs of Mercury Control Technologies at Coal-Fired Power Plants
Government Accountability Office / Statement of John B. Stephenson, Director Natural Resources and Environment http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09860t.pdf [Summary] The 491 U.S. coal-fired power plants are the largest unregulated industrial source of mercury emissions nationwide, annually emitting about 48 tons of mercury—a toxic element that poses health threats, including neurological disorders in children. In 2000, the Environmental Protection … Continue reading »
