on-green-policy

Transport in Switzerland – Beyond Cars

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:20:07 +0000

Switzerland just released a major study on transport habits of its people. Often considered latecomers, Swiss may be frontrunners in the field of transport. Cars may still be the most used means of transportation but that may be changing. Nowadays only 58% of the 18 to 25 years old have a valid driving license, 20% less than 15 years ago. Instead 20% of the same cohort have a card allowing them to take any train and bus in the whole country. In just five years time, the very dense train system transported 25% more people. Another interesting fact is ...

Fish Catches – Polynesians were smarter than today US Hawaiians

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:49:35 +0000

Polynesians were smarter than today US Hawaiians. What looks like a bold statement and is of course too generalised has some truth in it as far as fishing is concerned. In ancient times, fish catch dictated how many people the islands could sustain and was therefore highly regulated. A very sophisticated quota and hatching system guaranteed that no fish species would be overexploited and maximised the yields. A system so efficient that it provided 3-4 times the amount of fish that is thought to be sustainable today. ON-green-policy. So what is the link of that inspiring news to policy? Well, ...

Green Economy – Developed in the US, Manufactured in China

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:22:32 +0000

Investments in green energy overtook investment in fossil energy in 2010. The US took in $48 billion in public and private financing, making it the gobal leader of renewable energy development. So far, good news for the USA. On the downside, much of this investment was triggered by expiring federal tax incentives and will not happen again next year. Also, China is now adding much more green jobs because it not only develops green technology but it is also actually building green energy facilities. By 2020, 150 million more Chinese homes will be powered by renewables! ON-green-energy! If the already ...

Good-Bye Coal

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:14:55 +0000

In a surprisingly bold move, US President Obama set ambitious emission targets (1,000lbs of carbon dioxide for each megawatt hour) for new power plants, which will basically prevent the construction of new coal power plants. The only fossil energy source that will be able to comply with the new regulation is natural gas, which is booming thanks to the fracking technology. ON-green-policy! Mr. Obama is basically heading into the right direction, acting against greenhouse gas emissions without favouring a particular energy source. Still, this approach has a few shortcomings. Natural gas production receives a preferential treatment and it will be very ...

Uranium Mining – Protecting the Grand Canyon

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:55:42 +0000

US President Obama does not allow uranium mining in the Gran Canyon. Withstanding pressure from the industry and Republicans, he protected 1m square acres in the natural treasure from mining operations. On-green-policy. It sounds like a no-brainer. The Grand Canyon is one of the beautiful sites in the United States and still will be in thousands of years. The uranium that could be mined there could only fuel the US nuclear power plants for a short period of time and its operation and its waste would seriously pollutes the environment over a very long period of time. I argue that ...

Electricity in Rural Areas – Forget About Diesel Generators

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:11:51 +0000

The constant fall in solar panel prices claims a prominent victim in rural areas of developing countries. Electricity produced by solar panels is now about half the price compared electricity produced by a Diesel generator. Consider noise and pollution reduction and you can easily see a whole new and potentially huge market for solar panels. Only in India there are a quarter of a billion people without access to the grid, which delivers electricity for about half the price of a solar panel – if it delivers at all. Given the frequent power cuts, solar power may soon even ...

Global Warming – Invalidating Sceptics

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:09:36 +0000

The German newspaper “Die Zeit” helps to invalidate some of the more common misbeliefs of climate warming deniers: 1. Global warming has stopped since 1998: That’s only true if you look at the last 10-15 years because of an exceptionally warm 1998. But this period is just too short to make out a trend. If you look at the more relevant last 30 years, the trend has not stopped at all. 2. The sun causes global warming (so there’s nothing we can do or need to change) If anything the sun gets weaker and according to a broad consensus of scientists it contributes ...

Tar Sands – European Sales Temporarily Saved by the Netherlands and UK

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:45:13 +0000

Tar sand oil has a bad reputation. Its production destroys large expanses of land and requiring huge amounts of energy (emanating from fossil fuel) input, heavily pollutes the atmosphere adding to global warming. Transporting the oil to refineries and consumers threatens even more land and people. In short, tar oil is about the dirtiest and most harmful source of energy you can think of. Now, Europe is on the brink to introduce a labeling system for energy sources according to their greenhouse gas footprint. Tar sand oil, will get the little attractive label of producing 22% more emissions than ...

Cost Efficiency – Lifecycle and Cost Analysis to the Rescue

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:21:25 +0000

Traditionally buying and building decision are taken with accounting mainly for purchasing costs. While the upfront paying for building a new house or buying a new car may seem the most relevant factor and intuitively comprehensible, it is only one – and actually quiet incomplete – part of the real costs over the lifetime of an item. According to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Applying “life cycle and cost analysis” (LCCA) is an efficient way to learn about the real costs of design and buying decisions and more and more engineers and customers are using it. Some interesting insights ...

Biofuels – Equalling Libya’s Oil Output

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:26:40 +0000

Some interesting figures that are worth being noted. Biofuel production now consumes 40% of the US corn harvest. In terms of produced quantity, biofuels account for more fuel than the oil production of Libya. Biofuels become price competitive if oil costs more than 70 US$ / barrel – it has frequently topped 100 US$ in the last couple of years. ON-green-policy. Biofuels are questionable in terms of carbon saving efficiency and also in terms of competing with food production. While the US, where 50% of the world’s biofuels are produced don’t go hungry, the recent boom in Biofuels still influences ...