Biofuels and the Environment: First Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft)

US EPA http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=500457 [From Report Background] The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA Section 204) directs EPA to conduct a study of the environmental impact associated with current and future biofuel production and use. The mandate asks for consideration of environmental issues including air quality, water quality and soil quality. The mandate also asks for [...]

Advancing Carbon Capture and Sequestration in China: A Global Learning Laboratory

China Environment Series, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars / by Hengwei Liu and Craig A. Hart http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/CES%2011%20pp.%2099-130.pdf [Abstract] China’s dependency on coal fuels the country’s phenomenal economic growth but at a major cost to the country’s air and water quality, ultimately threatening human health and the country’s continued economic growth. The Chinese government’s efforts [...]

Integrated Management of Carbon Sequestration and Biomass Utilization Opportunities in a Changing Climate: Proceedings of the 2009 National Silviculture Workshop; 2009 June 15-18; Boise, ID

Forest Service, USDA / Theresa B. Jain, Russell T. Graham and Jonathan Sandquist, tech. eds. http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p061.html Forests are important for carbon sequestration and how they are manipulated either through natural or human induced disturbances can have an effect on CO2 emissions and carbon sequestration. The 2009 National Silviculture Workshop presented scientific information and management strategies [...]

Parallel Paths: Canada-U.S. Climate Policy Choices

National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (Canada) http://tinyurl.com/4g22k6u Uncertainty about American climate policy colours and shapes Canada’s own policy choices and direction. By necessity, our integrated economies require serious consideration of harmonizing Canadian climate policy with that of the United States. But different energy economies and greenhouse gas emission profiles in the [...]

Alternative Fuels for Military Applications

Rand Corp. / by James T. Bartis, and Lawrence Van Bibber http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG969.html The U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force have all established programs geared toward reducing dependence on the use of fossil fuels in tactical weapon systems such as aircraft, combat ships and vehicles, and supporting equipment. From a technical standpoint, a number [...]

Missing the Mark in the Chesapeake Bay: A Report Card for the Phase I Watershed Implementation Plans

Center for Progressive Reform / by William Andreen, Robert Glicksman, and Rena Steinzor, Shana Jones and Yee Huang http://www.progressivereform.org/articles/ChesBay_WIPs_1102.pdf [CPRblog]  In August, CPR sent the Chesapeake Bay watershed jurisdictions (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia) metrics by which our panel of water quality experts would judge the strength [...]

Cities and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Moving Forward

Environment and Urbanization (online first article first published on January 10, 2011  | doi:10.1177/0956247810392270 ) / by Daniel Hoornweg, Lorraine Sugar and Claudia Lorena Trejos Gomez first published on January 10, 2011 as doi:10.1177/0956247810392270 http://eau.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/01/08/0956247810392270.full.pdf+html Cities are blamed for the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. So too are more affluent, highly urbanized countries. If [...]

Quantifying Carbon and Distributional Benefits of Solar Home System Programs in Bangladesh

World Bank / by Limin Wang, Sushenjit Bandyopadhyay Mac Cosgrove-Davies, and Hussain Samad http://tinyurl.com/4lfr7nf Scaling-up adoption of renewable energy technology, such as solar home systems, to expand electricity access in developing countries can accelerate the transition to low-carbon economic development. Using a purposely collected national household survey, this study quantifies the carbon and distributional benefits [...]

Toward a Sustainable Global Energy Supply Infrastructure: Net Energy Balance and Density Considerations

World Bank Research Paper / by by Ioannis N. Kessides and David C. Wade http://tinyurl.com/4rmlhqr This paper complements previous work on the economics of different energy resources by examining the growth potential of alternative electricity supply infrastructures as constrained by innate physical limits. Coal-fired generation meets the criteria of longevity (abundance of energy source) and [...]

Infrastructure Investments under Uncertainty with the Possibility of Retrofit: Theory and Simulations

World Bank Research Paper / by Jon Strand, Sebastian Miller, and Sauleh Siddiqui http://tinyurl.com/4v3r3tf Investments in large, long-lived, energy-intensive infrastructure investments using fossil fuels increase longer-term energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, unless the plant is shut down early or undergoes costly retrofit later. These investments will depend on expectations of retrofit costs and future [...]