Friday, December 07, 2007

DAILY GRIST

TOP STORY

Mirror, Mirror, on the Sand
Solar project in African desert could supply clean energy to Europe

A string of gigantic solar generators in the northern African desert could cleanly supply one-sixth of Europe's electricity needs, say backers of a project called Desertec. The project relies on concentrated solar power, in which giant mirrors focus the sun's rays on pillars filled with water, creating steam, which drives turbines, which generate electricity. In the Desertec scheme, about one-third of the power would be transmitted by cables underneath the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, while two-thirds would be used locally. In addition, the stations could be used as desalination plants to provide fresh water to desert countries. The prince of Jordan presented the plan to the European Parliament last week, and is urging the E.U. to front $10 billion for the project. They're reflecting on it. Get it? Reflecting? Har.
source: The Guardian


Seattle, meet the bands and lend a hand!

Help green while you groove with CLIF Bar GreenNotes artists The John Butler Trio and Brett Dennen at a tree planting and special performance at Golden Gardens Park Saturday, December 8. Move to the music in the breeze while you plant native trees! Find out more by clicking here.
TODAY'S NEWS

Without a Hitch
Divorce is bad for the planet, says research

Breaking up is hard to do -- and bad for the planet too, says new research. Divorce rates around the world are rising, with the consequence of multi-person homes dissolving into multiple residences, which use more land, water, and energy. Ecologist Jianguo Liu, publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that in 2005 in the U.S. alone, divorced households used 73 billion more kilowatt-hours annually of electricity and 627 billion gallons more water annually than would have been used if folks had stayed hitched. "People have been talking about how to protect the environment and combat climate change, but divorce is an overlooked factor that needs to be considered," Liu said. Sure, "some people really need to get divorces," he says. But "one way to be more environmentally friendly is to live with other people and that will reduce the impact."


Curses, Oil Again
Bold announcement by climate partnership outed as a hoax

Various news outlets breathlessly reported Monday that the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a consortium of 33 businesses and environmental groups, was calling on the U.S. to slash emissions 90 percent by 2050 and to cease building coal-fired power plants. Ah, if only 'twere true -- but the announcement was an elaborate hoax. Says Matt Leonard of Rising Tide, the loosely knit volunteer-run group that took responsibility for the fakeout: "We wanted to draw attention to the undue influence the biggest polluters, many of which are members of USCAP, have on climate policy. They are focused on their own bottom lines rather than the climate science."


Bringing Down the Grouse
Bush admin ignored best science when considering sage grouse species protections

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must reconsider its decision not to list the greater sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act, a federal judge ruled this week. The judge said that the FWS ignored the best available science on the species when deciding whether to list it in 2005; he also expressed doubts about the efficacy of the agency's entire decision-making process. The sage grouse decision, he said, was also heavily and improperly influenced by Julie MacDonald, a former political appointee who resigned last May. "Her tactics included everything from editing scientific conclusions to intimidating [FWS] staffers," the judge wrote. "Her extensive involvement in the sage grouse listing decision process taints the ... decision and requires a reconsideration without her involvement." The ruling is a victory for species advocates who have said that all kinds of species and habitat decisions should be reconsidered due to MacDonald's role, not just the seven cases the FWS has said are the only ones in need of review. If ultimately listed under the ESA, the bird's status could slow development, impact grazing rules, and curb rampant oil and gas drilling in parts of the U.S. West.


Note to Self: Learn to Swim
Some 150 million people will be at risk from flooding by 2070, says report

Some 150 million people in the world's biggest cities could be at risk from flooding by 2070, and at-risk coastal property could have a value of $35 trillion, says a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. About 40 million people and $3 trillion worth of property are now at risk, but population growth and urban development will make those numbers skyrocket by 2070, the report said. In a list of the 136 port cities most likely to be at risk from catastrophic flooding in 2070, India took the top two, with Calcutta and Mumbai. The rest of the top 10 were cities in Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and -- with Miami coming in at No. 9 -- the U.S. Says the report, "Given the large and growing concentration of people and assets in port city locations, and the importance of global trade, failure to develop effective adaptation strategies would inevitably have not just local but also large national and even wider economic consequences."


Texas State Pastime: Making Up New State Symbols
Texas mayors want CFL to be state light bulb

The state bird of Texas is the mockingbird. The state song is "Texas, Our Texas." The Texas state footwear is the cowboy boot, its tie the bolo tie, and its pepper the jalapeño. Now, five Texas mayors have called for the Lone Star State to have an official state light bulb: the compact fluorescent. Which, while laudable, sheds no light on why Texas is the only state with an official state cooking implement: the Dutch oven. Why not the George Foreman grill?


Read more news ...

GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES

Against Ethanol Odds
Cows fed ethanol byproduct have higher rates of E. coli

Need another reason to be skeptical of corn-based ethanol? Here you go: When a corny byproduct of ethanol is fed to cows, they develop E. coli 0157 at about twice the rate of other cows, according to a new study. Yuck.
new in Gristmill: Feeding ethanol waste to cows


Buzz Kill
On Jell-O shots

Q. Greetings,

A very important discussion among my colleagues this week: is it better to purchase reusable, petroleum-based products (plastic) or to use paper disposables? Specifically, we're talking about Jell-O shot cups. A recent (and brilliant) invention is this little plastic shot cup with a twistable ring inside. Ostensibly, a flick of the wrist will free even the most stubborn Jell-O shot and allow hours of fun. Some of my friends have argued that the traditional sucking method is more green (and more fun) because the paper Dixie cups are renewable, unlike plastic. But the plastic ones can be reused time and time again for birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs, even Sunday brunch. Assuming you don't mind a little horse hoof with your vodka, which shooting method is more green?

Andrew
Santa Barbara, Calif.

Editor's Note: Oh, how Umbra would love to answer this question -- but she's been kidnapped! Please donate to Grist by 11:59 p.m. Pacific on Dec. 11, 2007, to secure her safety. The sooner we see 2,000 gifts of any size (yes, even $1!), the sooner you'll get the great green advice you've come to know and love.


Coming Thursday: Meet the new pesticide, worse than the old pesticide.

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