By Tom Giesen | (Informed Comment) On July 6th, 2013, at about one AM, an unattended 74-car oil train loaded with fracking-derived Bakken crude oil came free on a railroad grade above the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, careened into town, derailed, exploded and burned. Forty-seven persons died. The town center was demolished. So far, that […]
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Environment
Spain at 70% non-Carbon Electricity: Will it be 1st Net Carbon Zero G-20 State?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – CleanTechnica reports that Spain got nearly 70% of its electricity from plants that did not generate carbon dioxide in March. The two biggest non-carbon energy sources were nuclear and wind. In recent years, the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy cut some government subsidies and other help to the […]
The War in Yemen is Political, Ecological: Forget Sunnis and Shiites
By Solaiman M. Fazel | (Informed Comment) As the Saudi led coalition closes its second week of bombardment in Yemen, the dominant narrative in the mainstream media depicts this conflict as another episode of the Shi’a-Sunni sectarianism that has now spread into the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula. Representing the warfare in terms of […]
Scotland: Outer Hebrides Island co-op buys Wind Turbine, sells Energy
Triodos Bank, UK | — “As the southernmost inhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland Barra and Vatersay bear the brunt of whatever weather the Atlantic throws at them. Not that the locals mind with a community owned turbine harnessing the gales to generate electricity; the income generated from the sale of the electricity […]
How Climate Change is already affecting Human Well-Being
EPA | – “This video provides an introduction to the issue of climate change. The narration discusses the causes of modern-day climate change, signs that the climate is already changing, and how climate change affects the environment and human well-being. It concludes with information about how individuals and society at large can take steps to […]
Obama to Train 75,000 Solar Workers in 5 Yrs, Including Veterans
Barack Obama | (Whitehouse.gov) – “President Obama traveled to the Hill Air Force Base in Salt Lake City, Utah to discuss his initiative to connect veterans with jobs in the burgeoning solar energy industry. April 3, 2015.” The White House: “President Obama Speaks on Jobs in America’s Solar Energy”
Elon Musk: Solar Energy, Electric Cars will avert Wars for Oil
Elon Musk | (Elon Musk Videos) – “Elon Musk is a South African-born, Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer, inventor and investor. He is the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors, and chairman of SolarCity. He is the founder of SpaceX and a cofounder of Paypal, Inc.,Tesla Motors, and Zip2. He […]
Half of all new Energy world-wide last year was Green
By Sean Buchanan | – ROME, Mar 31 2015 (IPS) – Driven by solar and wind, world investments in renewable energy reversed a two-year dip last year, brushing aside the challenge from sharply lower oil prices and registering a 17 percent leap over the previous year to stand at 270 billion dollars. These investments helped […]
Climate War on Planet Protested at U of Michigan 50 Yrs after 1st anti-Vietnam War Teach-in
Science for the People | – “This event marks the 50th anniversary of the nation’s first teach-in on the war in Vietnam, held at the University of Michigan on March 24-25, 1965. Our new teach-in is focused on one of the most pressing issues of our time: the escalating war against the planet represented by […]