With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...
By Desi Doyen on 4/30/2013, 3:20pm PT  


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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Obama smacks down attempts to politicize science research; EPA smacks down Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine; Europe smacks down bee-killing pesticides; PLUS: Dr. James Hansen smacks back at Canada's "Neanderthal" government ... All those smack downs and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Portable solar cell sticks to your window; Shocking new numbers on bottled water; French town has too much money, thanks to wind turbines; Tests show pervasive chemicals in Chicago's air; Al Jazeera special report: Fueling geopolitics - the oil saga; China becoming global climate change leader; TN lawmaker says animal-rights activists are like 'rapists'; The 'dark side' of energy independence; Haiti's RE-forestation plan; Obama nominates Charlotte, NC mayor for Transportation; Massive Sacramento Delta water project moves forward; Why do US-born kids have more allergies, asthma?...PLUS: Conservative shoppers like eco-friendly lightbulbs - just don't say it's 'eco-friendly' ... and much, MUCH more! ...

STORIES DISCUSSED IN TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...

'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...

  • Just stick this portable outlet to your window to start using solar power: It’s a portable socket that gets its power from the sun rather than the grid. You plug into a window instead of into the wall. It’s easy. (Grist)
  • VIDEO: Fuelling geopolitics: The oil saga (Al Jazeera English):
    As the global competition for energy heats up, we examine how new players are rewriting the rules of the great oil game.
  • Chemicals on federal radar pervasive in Chicago air (Environmental Health News):
    On the brink of federal regulatory review, chemicals in deodorants, lotions and conditioners are showing up in Chicago’s air at levels that scientists call alarming. The airborne compounds – cyclic siloxanes – are traveling to places as far as the Arctic, and can be toxic to aquatic life. “These chemicals are just everywhere,” said Keri Hornbuckle, an engineering professor at the University of Iowa.
  • China becoming global climate change leader: study (AFP) [emphasis added]:
    China is rapidly assuming a global leadership role on climate change alongside the United States, a new study said Monday, but it warned greenhouse gas emissions worldwide continue to rise strongly. The report by the independent Australian-based Climate Commission, "The Critical Decade: International Action on Climate Change" presents an overview of action in the last nine months.
  • French Town Has Too Much Money To Spend Thanks To Wind Turbines, Mayor Says (Huffington Post Green) [emphasis added]:
    According to Couzinié, the town's budget has increased more than fivefold in the past three years --- from 400,000 euros (about $523,000) to 2.3 million euros (more than $3 million) --- as a result of the 11 wind turbines that were installed in 2009. For a town with a population of less than 200 people, the available funds are much more than Arfons needs to thrive."It's as if a rain of gold fell on the village," Couzinié told TV station France 3.
  • Slaughterhouse-Profiteering State Lawmaker Suggests Animal Rights Activists Are Like Rapists (Think Progress) [emphasis added]:
    The representative in question, Andy Holt (R-Dresden), owns and operates a facility that raises pigs, cows, and goats for slaughter.... Humane Society Public Policy Coordinator Kayci McCloud.. asked Holt to reconsider his support for Tennessee’s recently passed “ag-gag” law. Ag-gag laws contain a variety of provisions (varying from law to law) designed to make it impossible for undercover investigators to document animal cruelty or unsafe farming conditions on farms like Holt’s.
  • Bottled Water Sales: The Shocking Reality (Significant Figures by Peter Gleick:
    Thirty-six years ago, this industry didn’t exist.
    ...
    Despite having one of the best municipal tap water systems in the world, American consumers are flocking to commercial bottled water, which costs thousands of times more per gallon. Why?
  • The Dark Side of Energy Independence (NY Times) [emphasis added]:
    [E]nergy independence will not spell the end of American engagement in that region. On the contrary, lower energy prices will undermine the stability of the Persian Gulf monarchies, whose hefty oil revenues have allowed them to win their populations’ loyalties through patronage and a lack of taxation. These countries do not always share American values or help advance American interests, but anything that destabilizes them would create problems that Washington could not afford to ignore.
  • Haiti aiming to plant 1.2 million trees in a single day: The big dig is planned for May 1. It's part of an ambitious government effort to reforest the country after suffering from landslides and desertification. (CS Monitor)
  • Wild Weather Swings May Be a Sign of Climate Change (Climate Central)
  • Obama touts Mayor Foxx’s transit leadership for Transportation Secretary:
    Smooth confirmation expected (Charlotte Observer) [emphasis added]:

    "[I]f you ask Anthony how that happened, he’ll tell you that one of the reasons is that Charlotte made one of the largest investments in transportation in the city’s history.” Obama touted Foxx’s leadership on a new streetcar project, expanding the city’s international airport and extending Charlotte’s light rail system. The president said Foxx had demonstrated how investments in infrastructure could create jobs and spur economic growth during tough times.
  • The consensus seems to be: Let somebody else fix the Delta (LA Times):
    When it comes to fixing the hub of California’s water system, most parties would prefer it if someone else made the sacrifices.
  • BP Posts $4.2 Billion In Q1 Profits As Its Chemical Dispersants Continue To Harm The Gulf (Climate Progress)
  • The limits of climate adaptation are social, not physical or economic (David Roberts, Grist):
    Lots of people are averse to large-scale suffering. But lots of people are also averse to substantial mitigation measures. This leaves them placing a great deal of faith in adaptation.
    ...
    Now, on the merits, this is crazy. Our best understanding is that preventing (mitigating) a degree of global temperature rise is much, much cheaper than adapting to it. Compared to adaptation, mitigation is a huge bargain, whether you’re measuring by money, time, disruption, ecosystem integrity, whatever.
  • George Will, Anti-Climate-Science Loon, Strikes Again (New York Magazine):
    Any remotely honest person would look at that data and recognize that the trend has been rising.
  • U.S.-born kids have more allergies, asthma (Reuters):
    Kids and teens who are born abroad and immigrate to the United States are about half as likely to have asthma and allergies as those who are born in the U.S., according to a new study.
  • What If We Never Run Out of Oil? (The Atlantic): New technology and a little-known energy source suggest that fossil fuels may not be finite. This would be a miracle --- and a nightmare.
  • None of the world's top industries would be profitable if they paid for the natural capital they use (Grist)
  • How Far Can Climate Change Go?: (Scientific American) [emphasis added]:
    How far can we push the planet?


  • New Research: World on Track for Climate Disaster:
  • Essential Climate Science Background:
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