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Archive for the ‘Pollution’ Category

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Fracking’s Water Footprint in West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
Figure 1: Horizontal Marcellus gas well permits in West Virginia and Pennsylvania

DOWNSTREAM STRATEGIES
SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
This report focuses on the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. While conventional gas production has been conducted here for decades, unconventional wells that utilize advances in horizontal drilling have grown considerably more common in the past decade. Nearly nine thousand horizontal Marcellus Shale natural gas wells have been permitted in these two states from 2005 to 2012, and more than eleven thousand such wells will likely be permitted by the end of 2013.

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Time to Change the Game: Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Climate

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013
Figure 1: Fossil fuel subsidies and emissions in the E11

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
By Shelagh Whitley
Fossil fuel subsidies undermine international efforts to avert dangerous climate change and represent a drain on national budgets. They also fail in one of their core objectives: to benefit the poorest. Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies would create a win-win scenario. It would eliminate the perverse incentives that drive up carbon emissions, create price signals for investment in a low-carbon transition and reduce pressure on public finances.

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Posted in Carbon Tax, Clean Air, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Global, Infra Views, Pollution, Sustainability

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Toxic Trash Exposed: Coal Ash in Michigan

Friday, November 8th, 2013
CoalAsh1

CLEAN WATER FUND
Water defines, and is central, to Michigan’s economy. Major tourism, agriculture, and fishing industries depend on the health of rivers, lakes, and streams. The Great Lakes contain over 20% of the world’s usable fresh surface water. Unfortunately unmitigated coal ash pollution is a major threat to the health of the state’s water and economy.

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Posted in Clean Air, Climate Change, Drinking Water, Energy, Environment, Green, Hazardous Waste, Infra Views, Inland Waterways, Local, Pollution, Sustainability

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Cleantech Redefined

Friday, November 1st, 2013
Figure 8: Eight major groupings of clean technologies. Source: Kachan analysis

KACHAN & CO
The global economy is undergoing a fundamental change. Companies are under increasing pressure to produce and consume more efficiently. This pressure is creating innovation and, above all, opportunity in cleantech.

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Posted in Clean Air, Competitiveness, Energy, Environment, Funding, Global, Infra Views, National, Policy, Pollution, Private Investment, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Technology

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Minneapolis: How Powderhorn Lake Got Clean

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

Fifteen years ago, Powderhorn Lake in Minneapolis was in a dismal state—trash floated on the surface, the shoreline was eroding, and fertilizer and animal waste running off from the surrounding neighborhood caused frequent algae blooms…But today, thanks to the efforts of residents, the city, and other groups, Powderhorn Lake is a poster child for what can happen when citizens and government work together to create change.

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The Social Cost of Carbon

Thursday, September 26th, 2013
Table 2 Building new conventional coal and natural gas versus cleaner sources (2007$) (revised WG SCCs)

ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCES
This paper extends the work of Johnson and Hope (2012), who re-estimated the US government’s estimates of climate change damages, called the “social cost of carbon” (SCC), to more fully account for impacts on future generations. To demonstrate the policy implications of their SCC estimates, Johnson and Hope (JH) incorporated the costs of pollution into the cost of electricity generation from coal, natural gas, onshore wind, and solar photovoltaic…Overall, for new generation, we find that all JH and government SCCs justified conventional natural gas, natural gas with CCS, and wind over conventional coal. Most estimates also justified solar and coal with CCS over conventional coal, and wind over natural gas. For existing generation, at all of JH’s SCCs, continuing to operate some of the dirtiest coal plants is more expensive than replacing them with natural gas, natural gas with CCS, or wind; at their two highest estimates, this is also true for new coal with CCS and solar photovoltaic.

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U.S. Domestic Airline Fuel Efficiency Ranking

Wednesday, September 25th, 2013
ICCT Figure ES-1

THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON CLEAN TRANSPORTATION
The analysis presented here rigorously compares the efficiency of all airlines independent of size, network structure, or type of service, with a methodology that improves upon previous efforts in four fundamental ways. First, it uses airline-reported fuel consumption data, rather than modeled estimates, to account fully for all the ways in which airlines can reduce fuel burn…Second, it develops an efficiency metric that recognizes that airlines burn fuel to provide both mobility…and access, allowing an equitable comparison between airlines. Third, the efficiency metric distinguishes productive from nonproductive miles flown by identifying those airlines that operate particularly circuitous routes. Finally, the study attributes the transport service provided by and fuel consumption of affiliate carriers to mainline carriers in order to enable comprehensive comparisons across carriers’ full business operations.

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Car Pollution is Architectural

Monday, September 9th, 2013

Most people disagree with me about change in urban design — so don’t be surprised if you also think i’m an idiot.
-sgcollins on YouTube

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Posted in Land Use, Pollution, Show Us Your Infra, Urban Planning

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Fracking Explained: Opportunity or Danger

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Fracking is a controversial topic. On the one side the gas drilling companies, on the other citizen opposed to this drilling method. Politicians are also divided on the matter. We try to take a neutral look on fracking. It is relevant for all of us, because of high prices for energy and the danger for […]

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Posted in Drinking Water, Energy, Environment, Green, Pollution, Show Us Your Infra, Sustainability, Water Treatment

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Powering Up America: The Revolution Began Yesterday

Tuesday, August 20th, 2013
Where

EMILY HALL TREMAINE FOUNDATION
There’s a revolution underway. It’s not on the news and politicians aren’t talking about it. In fact, the mainstream media has probably given you the exact opposite impression. But right now, and all over America, a new economy is emerging – one built on a foundation of cleaner fuels and increased energy productivity. Our opportunity: Powering Up. This report defines a new, multi-faceted energy transformation taking place throughout America. The phrase, Powering Up, encompasses the way Americans, in ever larger numbers, are:

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