We’ve been hearing lots about Brazil’s growing use of sugar cane to produce ethanol–and the latest figures suggest it’s got a bumper crop ahead. Sugar cane production is likely to be up 15% to a total of 547 million tons. (Greenbang is trying to visualise what
Carbon dioxide emissions are hard to imagine, although we know we’re giving them off all the time. This great ad from the alliance for climate protection helps us see what we’re busy making all the time.
CHINA WATCH China’s controversial one-child-policy seems ridiculous and inhumane to some people due to its extreme methods (eg, forced abortions and other human rights abuses), but it’s also believed to be good for the economy–and climate change, according to Beijing. “Birth planning” was first introduced in 1979
CHINA WATCH China’s grain harvest is likely to fall by 5-10% because of global warming–meaning it will need an additional 10 million hectares of arable land to feed its increasing number of people by 2030, according to a top climate official in Chinadaily. Climate change will cause both
In Germany, that is. But we figure the Germans know a thing or two about cars, so it’s probably no mean feat. AutoblogGreen reports that the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) has pronounced it so, after testing about 350 cars. Runner up was Toyota’s Prius. Honda’s Civic Hybrid site
Rory Stear is founder, chairman and CEO of Freeplay Energy, makers of the famous wind-up radio. The company’s technology uses human, solar, and rechargeable energy to power gadgets such as radios, lanterns and mobile phone chargers (check ’em out here). While watching a programme, QED, from his home in
TreeHugger has a detailed guide to the compact fluorescent light bulb, telling you everything you’d ever wanted to know about them. * Energy use: 60-80% less than incandescents * Lifespan: 6,000-15,000 hours (6-15x longer) * Cost savings: up to $30 over its lifespan And much, much more, all here: One
Non-hydrogen fuel cell makers are picking up attention from investors as their prospects start to look cheerier than their hydrogen-based siblings. Non-hydrogen approaches, which are powered by natural gas or other fuels like ethanol tend to focus on power generation, rather than aiming to power tomorrow’s green cars–a
It’s great to see so many different organisations preaching the eco message. The latest voice to join in is taking that preaching in a very literal way: Pope Benedict held a youth rally over the weekend designed in an entirely eco-friendly way. The two-day rally in Italy, organised by
There’s been a spurt of new websites lately, helping people calculate their carbon footprints or compare cars and other goods. The latest, in Australia, lets people compare consumption trends across the country and map it against greenhouse pollution, energy use and other indicators. It’s also a clever way
Ethical Investment Research Services (EIRIS) is looking for a research analyst to join its social research team. The job involves assessing companies across several sectors on a range of social and governance criteria. It all sounds reasonably good: You will have some understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues and
Some clever chaps in the US have come up with a system that could eliminate the need for using jet engines on planes to trundle around between the airport and landing strip. Borrowing on a similar approach to hybrid cars, the system works by capturing energy from the wheels as
