Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil
It’s been a week of press coverage - perhaps a run up to April Fools Day - for Earth Energy Resources, the Calgary-based company that promises a green technology for extracting oil from tar sands (they actually call them tar...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
The huge Congressional climate bill has been formally introduced, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454). Over a month of discussion and heavy dealmaking has finally come to an end, recalling the famous Otto Von Bismarck quote "Laws are...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown
George Woodwell, a long-time scientist on NRDC’s board, has battled for action on global warming for years. Recently, I asked him how he stays so cheerful. Not missing a beat, he said “there is no substitute for optimism. If you...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
In a forceful speech tonight, President Barack Obama asked America to join him in bringing about a revolution in how we produce and use energy. Already in his young presidency, he has signaled his desire to regulate greenhouse gases from...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
The tar sands issue will never be the same after the President's visit to Canada this week. It has been catapulted to the top tier issues between the U.S. and Canada. Now the spotlight will be on what can be...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
As the President heads to Canada this week, the Canadian government is expected to table a proposal to "protect" their carbon-heavy tar sands operations in Northern Alberta from future global warming regulation. The Canadians are confident, apparently, that the U.S....
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
The tar sands as a major source of oil for North America looks most favorable when oil prices are high and oil companies have cash to invest. That has meant a resurgence of interest in tar sands development over the...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
In a taped statement yesterday, President-elect Obama addressed an international meeting on climate change hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger in and co-hosted by an all-star, bi-partisan group of governors active on global warming issues (see Canada's reaction here). My colleague, Peter Miller, who was...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Will Steger is the first person to have made his way across the Antarctic on foot, a daunting terrain of ice waves and howling winds. There were no dogs, no company at all. Just endless white, a man and his wooden...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Yesterday, two important reports were released and their conclusions are startling. First was the Munk Centre's report cataloguing a "pollution delivery system" from Alberta, Canada, to the Great Lakes. It warned that the air and water pollution from increased tar...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Today, key players in the aviation industry, led by Boeing and Virgin Atlantic Airways, have joined forces with academics and environmental groups to launch a push for low carbon fuel. This new coalition, Sustainable Aviation Fuels Users' Group, is being advised by NRDC and the...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Canada has sent its fourth delegation in so many months to Washington D.C. to convince Americans that there is no need to worry about the tar sands oil extraction in northern Alberta. This barrage of visits reminds me of when a colleague...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
There has been a great deal of discussion about whether the trend towards greener energy will hold or fade away. As the price of oil goes up and stays up, greener energy – such as renewable, wind and solar energies...
Posted by Liz Barratt-Brown in Curbing Pollution , Green Enterprise , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming
Today we are sending letters to 15 U.S. and Canadian airlines asking that they participate in a new campaign we are launching called “Cool Fuels.” We’re asking participants in “Cool Fuels,” to adopt their own corporate “Low Carbon Fuel Standard” and...
