Archive for May, 2008

Will Peak Water Replace Peak Oil?

peak waterThe scarcity of fresh water may drive up prices and fines around the world. Already in Barcelona, Spain, you can be fined €9,000 ($13,000) for watering your flowers. According to Truthout, just like oil:

Developed nations have taken cheap, abundant fresh water largely for granted. Now global population growth, pollution, and climate change are shaping a new view of water as “blue gold.”

Dan Nees, a water-trading analyst with the World Resources Institute warns, “Water scarcity may be one of the most underappreciated global political and environmental challenges of our time.”  Even Dow Chemical Chairman Andrew Liveris called water “the oil of this century.”

Obesity Contributes to Climate Change

obese-woman.jpgThose extra pounds Americans are carrying around are causing climate change. Considering eating more food requires more agriculture production and transportation costs, obese people are contributing to food shortages and higher energy prices, according to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.  “We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility,” said Phil Edwards. “Obesity is a key part of the big picture.”  20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are produced by agriculture.

Image:   colros on Flickr under a  Creative Commons license

Shade of Green: George Bush… Ready for Pruning

Shades of Green comic strip on blogging about President Bush

That’s right… blogging can be a bit like that “Telephone” game we all played as kids. Thanks as always to Brad and Peter!

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Green Porno on the Sundance Channel

Green PornoGet your minds out of the gutter: Green Porno is not about rainforest condoms or green brothels!  This Sundance Channel show by Isabella Rossellini features short films about bizarre sexual mating habits of insects, bugs, and other creatures.

The Best “Clean Coal” Ad Ever

A new project from DeSmogBlog, Rainforest Action Network, and Greenpeace USA, called Coal is Dirty aims to address the spread of disinformation about the facts surrounding global warming, so governments and industry are held accountable for their actions. The site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning the facts about climate change. This short animation takes a humorous look at the emergence of “clean coal”[animation by Mark Fiore].

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World’s Largest Treehouse McMansion

Largest treehouse

Watch out Swiss Family Robinson, this treehouse in Northumberland County, UK is 6000 square feet! Who knew that McMansions would appear in the trees?

Via: Fun Shotgun

Global Cumulative CO2 Emissions (1850-2000)

Yikes!
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Check Out how Carrot Mob is Getting Businesses to Go Green!

I had the pleasure of attending Carrot Mob’s first event in San Francisco a few months ago. They’ve got a unique approach to incentivizing local businesses to go green. Watch their video and check out Paul Smith’s post about Carrot Mob on Triple Pundit.

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Shades of Green: Global Warm-Ups

“Shades of Green” comic strip about Al Gore and “Global Warm-Ups”

Hey, we should all laugh at ourselves once in a while, right? Thanks, as always, to Brad and Peter

Your Carbon Use - In Black Balloons [video]

The accumulation of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere can be a difficult concept to visualize (maybe something to do with the fact that CO2 is invisible). So if you’re a visual learner like me, you’ll want to watch this short from the Energy Saving Campaign [45 seconds].
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