World Resources Institute (WRI) Fact Sheet: How Nutrient Trading Can Help Restore the Chesapeake Bay

World Resources Institute Publication (December 2009) http://pdf.wri.org/factsheets/factsheet_nutrient_trading_chesapeake_bay.pdf [Environmental Valuation and Cost Benefit News] “Congress is considering proposals to revise and strengthen the Clean Water Act for the Chesapeake Bay region and improve the health of the region’s streams, rivers, and wetlands. Senator Cardin’s and Representative Cummings’s proposed legislation, The Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration [...]

An Economic Evaluation of the War on Cancer

National Bureau of Economic Research NBER Working Paper No. 15574 (small fee for non-subscribers) by Eric C. Sun, Anupam B. Jena, Darius N. Lakdawalla, Carolina M. Reyes, Tomas J. Philipson and Dana P. Goldman http://papers.nber.org/papers/w15574 [Abstract from Environmental Valuation and Cost Benefit News]  For decades, the US public and private sectors have committed substantial resources [...]

The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act: Executive Summary

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (environmental activists’ coalition) http://healthreport.saferchemicals.org/ [Environmental Evaluation and Cost-Benefit News]  There is growing agreement across the political spectrum that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 does not adequately protect Americans from toxic chemicals. In the 34 years since TSCA was enacted, the EPA has been able to require testing on [...]

Climate Shocks and Exports

American Economic Association Ben Olken and Ben Jones http://www.aeaweb.org/aea/conference/program/retrieve.php?pdfid=334 [Environmental Economics]  In a paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, Ben Olken of MIT and Ben Jones of Northwestern University make an important discovery: In poor countries, a temperature increase of only one degree Celsius reduces annual export growth by as [...]

Annual Review of Development Effectiveness 2009

World Bank http://tinyurl.com/ycyec72 [UN Pulse Alert]  The World Bank has issued its Annual Review of Development Effectiveness 2009. The review presents the World Bank’s record of performance in achieving outcomes from its projects and country programs and focuses on the Bank’s contributions in supporting environmental sustainability.

Expanding Biofuel Production: Sustainability and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Summary of a Workshop

National Research Council Patricia Koshel and Kathleen McAllister http://tinyurl.com/ye7onft [Description]  While energy prices, energy security, and climate change are front and center in the national media, these issues are often framed to the exclusion of the broader issue of sustainability–ensuring that the production and use of biofuels do not compromise the needs of future generations [...]

The Economics of Adaptation to Extreme Weather Events in Developing Countries

Center for Global Development Working Paper 199 Brian Blankespoor, Susmita Dasgupta, Benoit Laplante, and David Wheeler http://feed.cgdev.org/~r/cgdev/publications/~3/Uw6FYTUHyjg/ [Abstract] Without international assistance, developing countries will adapt to climate change as best they can. Part of the cost will be absorbed by households and part by the public sector. Adaptation costs will themselves be affected by socioeconomic [...]

International Forestry Issues in Climate Change Bills: Comparison of Provisions of S.1733 and H.R. 2454

Open CRS http://opencrs.com/document/R40990/2009-12-22/download/1013/ [From Summary]  Deforestation releases substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, about 17% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Legislation has been proposed for U.S. targets to reduce GHG emissions. The two primary bills, H.R. 2454 and S. 1733, include provisions that would reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; these activities are [...]

Potential for Occupational Exposure to Engineered Carbon-Based Nanomaterials in Environmental Laboratory Studies

David R. Johnson, Mark M. Methner, Alan J. Kennedy, Jeffery A. Steevens NIH, Environmental Health Perspectives http://tinyurl.com/ydw56cc Abstract:  The potential exists for laboratory personnel to be exposed to engineered carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) in studies aimed at producing conditions similar to those found in natural surface waters [e.g., presence of natural organic matter (NOM)].  The goal [...]

DOE Releases Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study

U.S. Department of Energy Press Release date January 20, 2010 http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/47086.pdf [H/T: Environmental Valuation and Cost Benefit News] On January 20, 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory released a major study of the technical, operational, and economic issues facing the integration of large amounts of wind energy into the power system. [...]