Month: May 2012

  • Forest-sourced biofuel is bad for the environment, new study warns

    A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, reports that the volume of greenhouse gas released when a forest is cleared depends on how the trees will be…

  • Expect the Unexpected to happen with Climate Change

    An increasingly common fallback position once climate change “skeptics” accept that the planet is warming and humans are the dominant cause is the myth that climate change won’t be bad. In fact, this particular myth comes in at #3 on our list of most used climate myths. It’s an ideal fallback position because it allows…

  • How Ambient Noise Affects Cognitive Ability

    Just as water pollution is contamination of the water, noise can be considered contamination of the air waves. From a cognitive standpoint, there exists an optimal level of ambient noise. Too far above or below this level will cause focus and creativity to drop off. In this sense, noise is like pollution of the mind.…

  • How Pain Comes and Goes

    Pain is an unpleasant feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli as communicated by a nerve. No one likes it though it does serve as a warning to do something about the pain source. Researchers at the University of Leeds have found a previously unknown mechanism through which pain is signaled by nerve cells.…

  • Bill To End Fossil Fuel Subsidies Introduced Into Congress

    The End Polluter Welfare Act would end fossil fuel subsidies, and save over $10 billion a year and more than $110 billion over 10 years. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Keith Ellison announced they would introduce the bill to Congress during a press conference with 350.org. The bill would specifically end tax breaks for…

  • Navy raises sonar impact on dolphins, whales dramatically

    New Navy estimates showing many more dolphins, whales and other marine mammals could be hurt by sonar off Hawaii and Southern California caused alarm among environmentalists on Friday. The Navy, for its part, emphasized those were worst-case estimates and that the numbers cover a much larger testing area than before.

  • Study links common household chemicals with rising rates of cancer

    Common household chemicals may be a contributing factor behind significant increases in cancers and falling fertility, according to a new study released by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The chemicals which disrupt the hormone system – also known as ‘endocrine disrupting chemicals’ (EDCs) – may also be responsible for the rising rate of diabetes and…

  • Alternative Fuels – Cars That Run on Natural Gas

    Find out how an alternative fuel used all over the world may find its way into American vehicles. Natural gas is abundant, clean and already a part of our everyday lives–and it may be the next big alternative fuel. In the world of alternative fuels, electric, hydrogen and even hybrid vehicles get most of the…

  • Capturing Car Emissions

    Cars do emit air pollutants. One aspect of this occurs during fueling of the vehicle. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that the systems used at gas station pumps to capture harmful gasoline vapors while refueling cars can be phased out. Modern vehicles are equipped to capture those emissions. This final rule is…

  • Highlights of Cleantech in Dubai

    The United Arab Emirates, much like some of the other countries throughout the Middle East, is doing what it can to ensure it becomes much more energy efficient and starts using more renewable sources of energy. Dubai, much like its neighbor Abu Dhabi, is doing what it can to ensure the entire state becomes much…