by Jess Zimmerman. Hey, it turns out people don't want to get divorced and die because of long car commutes! Actually, we're just guessing about that (makes sense, though, right?), but what's clear is that constituents won't thank you for nixing rail projects. Gas 2.0 checked in with... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Today is Manhattanhenge, one of the two days a year when the setting sun lines up perfectly with the New York City street grid. Next to Central Park and possibly the High Line, it might be the best demonstration that living in the city doesn't rule out natural beauty … it... 

by Sarah Laskow. Residents of Oregon's Sherman County used to hate on the strong winds endemic to the area. But now they pull in $590 per year , per household, just for tolerating the wind and the many wind turbines marring their viewshed. It’s like the oil payout for living in Alaska, only... 

by Sarah Laskow. Canada reported to the United Nations that the country's greenhouse-gas emissions were dropping, down 6 percent in the last year. But the government left out one teensy little detail in its report. The emissions from the oil-sands industry, which extracts hard-to-reach oil from... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Sarah Palin is still being coy about whether she's going to run for president, but as usual, she's enjoying whatever attention she can get. Her latest stunt: Hopping on the back of a Harley to ride with 400,000 bikers through D.C., like she was Hell's own angel. Palin's... 

by Christopher Mims. If every building made more energy than it uses, would all the world's power plants pack up and go home? Maybe education would be fully funded and the military would be forced to have a bake sale! But really: There is a building in Bellenberg, Germany that produces more energy... 

by Christopher Mims. Climate change has arrived, says Newsweek science correspondent Sharon Begley, and the good ol' U.S. of A. has more or less been caught with its pants down, preparations-wise. Only 15 states have completed or even started a plan to cope with climate change, which will bring... 

by Christopher Mims. Right on the heels of America's spring of extreme weather, scientists at the Columbia Earth Institute have unveiled a package of historical data that shows greater variation in weather when the Earth is warmer. The 1,100 years of data, derived from tree rings, show that the... 

by Jess Zimmerman. Despite a global recession, high oil prices, a growing awareness of the seriousness of carbon emissions, those reusable grocery bags you bought, and constant scolding from Grist et al., the world managed to put out a record amount of greenhouse gases last year. The International Energy... 

by Sarah Laskow. Germany plans to close its nuclear reactors by 2022 . Electricity generation in 2010 created more carbon emissions than ever before . Canada just looooves tar sands. So much that the country sorta kinda forgot to mention to the U.N. that pollution from the oil sands industry increased... 

The U.S. government put the Atlantic bluefin tuna on an environmental watchlist as a “species of concern” on Friday, and will keep checking for any impact on these fish from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. At this time, the species is not threatened or endangered and so will... 

Can the combination of electric vehicles and software services return General Motors to relevance? Two decades after the introduction of the EV1, not to mention the subsequent controversy created by its cancelation – well documented by the film that became an underground sensation Who Killed the Electric... 

Global warming will likely open up coastal areas in the Arctic to development but close vast regions of the northern interior to forestry and mining by mid-century as ice and frozen soil under temporary winter roads melt, researchers said. Higher temperatures have already led to lower summer sea ice... 

A cold snap in Greenland in the 12th century may help explain why Viking settlers vanished from the island, scientists said on Monday. The report, reconstructing temperatures by examining lake sediment cores in west Greenland dating back 5,600 years, also indicated that earlier, pre-historic settlers... 

The latest salvo in the cell phone radiation debate errs on the side of caution; experts recommend texting more than talking to limit exposure. Continue reading here: International Agency: Cell Phones May Pose Cancer Risk  Read More →

by Sarah Laskow. Architect Barbie is building a new Dream House, and she needs help ! Members of the American Institute of Architects can submit plans that fit Barbie's criteria, which include a house that “should reflect the best sustainable design principles.” But Barbie's idea... 

by Sarah Laskow. Your award-winning chili recipe calls for grass-fed beef, organic tomatoes, and locally grown carrots. But what about the cumin? The salt? The chili powder? We greens have been well trained by now to look for fair trade everything, but sustainable spices have received less attention... 

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil has risen six-fold, according to recent satellite images from the National Institute for Space Research. Comparing data from March-April 2010 to the same period this year shows deforestation has increased from 103 square kilometers in 2010 to 593 square... 

Some people like the concept of wind/renewable power. There are some who do not. Nevertheless society needs energy to run its desired lifestyle. So how are we in 2011 so far? The AWEA (American Wind Energy Association) indicated that the first quarter of 2011 saw over 1,100 megawatts (MW) of wind power... 

%excerpt% The rest is here: Markets Drift from Coal to Gas … For Now  Read More →