Global Warming, 9/11, Obama Top Words Of The Decade

Date: 20-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Belinda Goldsmith

A villager walks through a partially dried reservoir in Yingtan, Jiangxi province October 29, 2009.
Photo: Reuters

LOS ANGELES – Concerns over the environment and terrorism have not only affected how people lived in the past decade but also their language, with “global warming” and “9/11″ topping a list of the most used words of the 2000s.

The Global Language Monitor, which uses a math formula to track the frequency of words and phrases in print and electronic media, said “Obama” came third in the list with the surname of U.S. President Barack Obama used as the stem for other words.

“Bailout” was listed fourth after the bank bailout was one of the first acts of the financial crisis, “evacuee” came fifth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina devastating New Orleans, and “derivative” featured fifth.

“Google,” “surge,” “Chinglish” meaning a hybrid of Chinese and English, and “tsunami,” after the 2004 Asian disaster that left 230,000 people dead or missing, followed.

“Looking at the first decade of the 21st century in words is a sober, even somber, event,” said Paul JJ Payack, president of The Global Language Monitor.

“For a decade that began with such joy and hope, the words chosen depict a far more complicated and in many ways, tragic time. Nevertheless, signs of hope and renewal can be found in the overall lists.”

Payack said the top phrase of the decade was “climate change” followed by “financial tsunami” and “Ground Zero.”

Technology’s impact on the past decade was reflected in the list with “Twitter,” the micro-blogging site, one of the most used words while “blog” and “texting” featured on the list.

Hollywood continued to flex its muscle, with “slumdog” from the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire,” referring to child inhabitants of Mumbai slums, making its mark in global languate. U.S. comedian Stephen Colbert’s “truthiness,” defined as truth that comes from the gut not books, came in at No. 25.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

 

FACTBOX: Climate Negotiating Positions Of Top Emitters

Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Reuters

Russia toughened on Wednesday its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, saying it would target a 25 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2020 compared with a 10-15 percent pledge previously.

Following are the negotiating positions of the top greenhouse gas emitters before a U.N. meeting in Copenhagen in December due to agree a new global climate deal.

1) CHINA (annual emissions of greenhouse gases: 6.8 billion tonnes, 5.5 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – President Hu Jintao promised that China would cut its carbon dioxide emissions per dollar of economic output by a “notable margin” by 2020 compared with 2005. The “carbon intensity” goal is the first measurable curb on national emissions in China. Hu reiterated a promise that China would try to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020.

* Demands – China wants developed nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 and to promise far more aid and green technology.

2) UNITED STATES (6.4 billion tonnes, 21.2 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – President Barack Obama wants to cut U.S. emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, a 17 percent cut from 2005 levels, and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

* Obama says he wants an accord in Copenhagen that covers all the issues and that has “immediate operational effect.

Legislation to cut emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels had been approved by a Senate Committee but people few think it can become law before the Copenhagen talks.

* Finance – The United States says a “dramatic increase” is needed in funds to help developing nations.

* Demands – “We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together,” Obama said.

3) EUROPEAN UNION (5.03 billion tonnes, 10.2 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – EU leaders agreed in December 2008 to cut emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 30 percent if other developed nations follow suit.

* Finance – EU leaders have agreed that developing nations will need about 100 billion euros ($147 billion) a year by 2020 to help them curb emissions and adapt to changes such as floods or heatwaves. As an advance payment, they suggest 5-7 billion a year between 2010 and 2012.

* Demands – The EU wants developing nations to curb the rise of their emissions by 15 to 30 percent below a trajectory of “business as usual” by 2020.

4) RUSSIA (1.7 billion tonnes, 11.9 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Cut greenhouse gases by 22-25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. That means a rise from now — emissions were 34 percent below 1990 levels in 2007.

5) INDIA (1.4 billion tonnes, 1.2 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – India is prepared to quantify the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it could cut with domestic actions, but will not accept internationally binding targets, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said. [ID:nDEL381436]. India has said its per capita emissions will never rise to match those of developed nations.

* Demands – Like China, India wants rich nations to cut emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020. But Ramesh signaled room to compromise: “It’s a negotiation. We’ve given a number of 40 percent but one has to be realistic.

6) JAPAN (1.4 billion tonnes, 11.0 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Cut Japan’s emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 if Copenhagen agrees an ambitious deal.

* Finance – Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the United Nations that Tokyo would also step up aid.

7) SOUTH KOREA (142 million tonnes, 2.9 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Cut emissions by 30 percent below “business as usual” levels by 2020, which is equivalent to a 4 percent cut from 2005 levels.

BRAZIL (111 million tonnes, 0.6 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Will cut its emissions by between 36.1 percent and 38.9 percent from projected 2020 levels, representing a 20 percent cut below 2005 levels.

9) INDONESIA (100 million tonnes, 0.4 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Aims to cut emissions by 26 percent by 2020 below “business as usual” levels.

Taking CO2 from deforestation into account, Indonesia is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

 

quotes to enhance your attitude of gratitude

http://cseaperkins.wordpress.com/achieve/quotes/.

32 pages of quotes.  Find a few that mirror your growth and alternate them on your eMail signatures.  By sharing with others, you put out like energy for them.

 

World Environment News – Brown Pelican No Longer Endangered: U.S. – Planet Ark

World Environment News – Brown Pelican No Longer Endangered: U.S. – Planet Ark.  Only took 36 years.  Only??? We can do better than that people!

 

http://support.edf.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=6881.0

http://support.edf.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=6881.0.

Can you imagine how much has been spent and we have barely scratched the surface of reversing the environmental damage?

 

World Environment News – Multiyear Arctic Ice Is Effectively Gone: Expert – Planet Ark

 

As the world changes because of  ‘growth’.

 

via World Environment News – Multiyear Arctic Ice Is Effectively Gone: Expert – Planet Ark.

 

New Tech, Schmew Tech – US Consumers Can Cut 123 Million Tons of CO2 Per Year Without It

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.27.09

Photo via Robert S Donovan

It doesn’t take inventing a whole lot of new technology to save a whole lot of GHGs. It just take a whole lot of people utilizing the simple, inexpensive technologies we already have rolling out that help cut down on energy consumption. If US consumers used existing technology to its fullest, we’d save a whole France-worth of carbon emissions, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. And to get more people to be savvy about what options are already on the table, scientists say social networking will play a role.

Ars Technica reports, “The authors make a compelling case that behavioral changes [such as getting people to use simple, inexpensive technologies and low-tech solutions to energy efficiency], which can be amplified by social networks, are probably easier to generate and produce quicker results than the actual deployment of high-tech hardware. And they cite a variety of studies to indicate that, in a lot of ways, we probably understand how to produce behavioral changes better than we know how to deploy unproven tech.”

Some of the low tech solutions with the highest adoption rates are home weatherization, with 90% adoption, more energy efficient appliances, with an 80% adoption, and fuel-efficient vehicles, with a 50% adoption. These now-tech solutions, when calculated over a 10-year adoption rate, would cut US carbon emission by about 7.4% of total national emissions – an amount just a touch higher than what France spits out. On top of that, about 60% of the total financial savings of reduced energy use would come within the first five years, making the payoff for behavioral changes readily apparent.

So what will get people to make the behavioral changes? The authors point out programs that offer money for efficiency, such as with the cash for clunkers program, or with rebates for purchasing energy efficient appliances. However, we’ve also seen that making energy usage information available to people will also help reduce energy consumption or improve driving practices. A financial incentive to save more on monthly energy and fuel bills will likely spur more consumers into improvements like weatherization, and better driving (or carpooling) practices.

The idea of social networking factoring in is interesting as well. Several energy dashboard companies mention elements to their products that allow users to compete with people in their area, using that competitive spirit to boost energy efficient behavior. We’ve also seen the idea of World of Warcraft-like games as a way of getting people to put the environment first, and of course there’s the example of Tweet-A-Watt as a way to blast your energy usage data out to followers and having to publicly walk the talk. All of these are behavioral incentives that use existing technology.

While cutting carbon emissions by 7.4% won’t get us nearly to our goal – we need to cut our emissions by 80%, like, now – it is a big chunk that helps us get to the goal, and it’s all changes based on tools we already have at our disposal.

Will we actually make the changes that would cut a whole country’s worth of GHGs from our output? Well, let’s hope so. With 350.org’s Day of Action just passed and COP15 rapidly approaching, carbon emissions are at the top of people’s minds, and ways to reduce them have never seemed so important. The fact that we don’t need to wait on futuristic technologies to make some big changes is encouraging.

More on Cutting Carbon Emissions
Contraception Five Times Less Expensive Than Low-Carbon Technology in Combating Climate Change
7 Overrated Technologies and Their Underrated Low-Tech Alternatives
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Half in Three Steps

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.27.09

 

Earth Saving News

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Together Everyone Achieves More… CSea Perkins

Are Americans cooling on global warming?

What do a rural farmer in New Zealand, students in Boston, and a group of architects have in common? They’re all affected by climate change.

People from every background showed their support for global climate change action and leadership on October 24, the International Day of Climate Action. Coordinated by 350.org, the event brought participants together to raise global awareness of climate change prior to the United Nations climate change meetings in December. More than 5,000 demonstrations were held around the globe! You can check out www.350.org to see international images of people taking unique action in support of our planet’s health and future.

This effort comes on the heels of a recently published poll indicating that some Americans’ opinions on climate change may be changing in the face of the other pressing crises affecting the nation. Although more than half of the 1,500 adults surveyed still believe global warming is occurring, this represents about a 20% decrease since 2006.

What do you think? Talk to us in the comments section at the bottom of this page, or email us! You can also learn more about the pending Climate Bill and participate in the discussion with Environmental Defense Fund’s Twitter guide.
Holy cow! Meat and dairy = major greenhouse gases.

You may not think the food you eat can affect the air you breathe or the water you drink, but it does. According to Worldwatch Institute, more than 50% of greenhouse gases are generated by the meat and dairy industries!

What can you do? Consider reducing the amount of meat in your diet. Meatless Monday is a growing sensation advocating skipping meat just one day a week to reduce your environmental impact.

You might also end up introducing some delicious new fruits and veggies into your diet — check out an excellent curried eggplant recipe! Worried that kids won’t go for it? More than 80,000 Baltimore students now go meatless every Monday, and Baltimore County Public Schools plan on building community gardens at each of their public schools.

If you don’t want to or can’t give up meat one day a week, you have other options. Buy meat from your local butcher or at a nearby farmer’s market. The meat goes through less processing, doesn’t require Styrofoam packaging, and barely travels to get to you.

Our friends at the Center for a New American Dream also have excellent online resources that help you “cater to the Earth” by making smart decisions when buying food. They work to help Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice. Taking care of the planet can be delicious!

Take our Green Quiz Challenge!

Baby, it’s cold outside! As your family migrates indoors for the winter, you want to keep them happy and warm. But not everyone properly prepares their home for the coldest season, often forgetting to use weather-stripping, remove air conditioning window-units, or neglect to put draft guards down.

So how much of your home’s heat can escape through gaps in windows and doors? If you know the answer, take our quiz and you could win an eco-friendly prize!

 

Obama Announces $3.4 Billion In Grants For Smart Grid

Date: 28-Oct-09
Country: US
Author: Steve Holland

President Obama takes a tour of DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Florida, October 27, 2009.
Photo: Jim Young

ARCADIA, Florida – President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced $3.4 billion in grants to help build a “smart” electric grid meant to trim utility bills, reduce blackouts and carry power generated by solar and wind energy.

It was the largest award made in a single day from the $787 billion stimulus package approved by Congress. The White House said the award will create tens of thousands of jobs while upgrading the U.S. electric grid.

Republicans have heavily criticized the stimulus as wasteful spending that has done little to reduce America’s 9.8 percent jobless rate.

The grants, which range from $400,000 to $200 million, will go to 100 companies, utilities, manufacturers, cities and other partners in 49 states — every state except Alaska.

Obama made the announcement after taking a tour of an array of 90,000 solar panels that line a grassy plain of cow pastures deep in the muggy heart of Florida, apparently more panels than there are people in Arcadia.

Obama, doffing his suit coat against the heat and humidity, told a crowd the program was an important investment in the types of clean energy he would like to foster in the United States to wean the country off carbon fuels.

He said the grants would go to private companies, utilities and cities and were aimed at creating a “smarter, stronger and more secure electric grid.”

“At this moment, there’s something big happening in America when it comes to creating a clean energy economy,” Obama said.

Carol Browner, Obama’s top adviser on climate change and energy issues, told reporters that the current grid system was outdated and dilapidated.

“Not only do we need to make the current system bigger and add more watts, but we need to make it function better,” she said.

“MORE THAN A FACE-LIFT”

The grants will not be used to build new power lines, but improve the capabilities of the electrical system. “I would say it’s more than a face-lift,” Browner said.

The money will pay for about 18 million smart meters that will help consumers manage energy use in their homes, 700 automated substations to make it faster for utilities to restore power knocked out by storms and 200,000 smart transformers that allow power companies to replace units before they fail, thus avoiding outages.

The winning companies have secured an additional $4.7 billion in private money to match their government grants, creating $8.1 billion in total investment in the smart grid.

One of the winning companies is Constellation Energy’s Baltimore Gas and Electric Co, which will receive $200 million in grants to add to $250 million in private funds to deploy a smart meter network for all of its 1.1 million residential customers.

Constellation Energy chairman Mayo Shattuck said the new technology would put the country on the brink of the “greatest transformations of the electric grid ever.”

“This technology allows consumers to have the opportunity to reduce their bills and it allows utilities to increase their efficiency,” Shattuck said.

The White House will act fast to get the money into the economy, with the funds expected to be in the accounts of the winning companies within 60 days. The projects themselves will last 12 to 36 months.

BGE customers can use the meters to view their electricity use in real-time, allowing them to run appliances when there is less demand on the grid and power prices are cheaper.

Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas and Electric Co subsidiary will get $28.1 million on top of the $32 million it plans to spend to connect 1.4 million smart meters.

(Editing by David Storey)

 

The Earth’s Got the Blues: Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal Taking Votes on Causes to Support

The choices include sustainable energy and environmental protection.

By Jeff Kart
Bay City, MI, USA | Fri Oct 23 13:00:00 GMT 2009

Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC NewsWire via AP Images

READ MORE ABOUT:
Environmental Charity | Music

Halloween is the deadline for fans to vote on how money raised by a “BonTaj” tour should be spent.

The BonTaj stands for Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, two longtime blues artists who were on the road in August and September, raising funds for charity through a portion of ticket sales and money from their own pockets. They also sold VIP packages to raise additional dollars, and did meet-and-greets with fans at every show.

Until Oct. 31, the artists are taking votes on how more than $175,000 raised through the effort should be split up. The choices are: Safe and Sustainable Energy, Environmental Protection, Social Justice and Human Rights, and Blues/Music Education.

You can vote online.

The BonTaj effort is a campaign of the ARIA Foundation, which stands for Artist Resources in Action.

Green Highway, an nonprofit education group founded by Raitt, invited local and national groups with a cause to set up tables on the BonTaj tour, which covered 34 stops across the United States.

“Bonnie’s been raising funds and inviting nonprofit organizations to do education and outreach at her concerts for many years, so we have lots of great community and national organizations we work with from coast-to-coast,” said Kathy Kane, Raitt’s manager.

The tour was well-attended, too.

“We completely sold out more than one-third of the tour and found the ticket sales were strong in most markets, which we feel very fortunate about given the economy,” Kane said.

Bonnie Background

Since the 1970s, Raitt has been involved with green outings including concerts for forest, oil, mining and water protection. She was a founding member of MUSE, which stands for Musicians United for Safe Energy, and was even arrested twice in support of a change in forest policy.

This year marked the first time Taj Mahal has toured with Raitt, even though they’ve known each other since the 1970s, when she opened for him at a concert at Skidmore College in New York.

Planet Green Video:
Green Deets with Ben Harper

 

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