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Another Inconvenient Truth – Meat is a Global Warming Issue

by Dan Brook, August 17, 2006Al Gore’s movie (and book), An Inconvenient Truth, is playing to rave reviews. His laudable project is an urgent message on the vital issue of global warming. We all must heed the call.If we didn’t realize it already, we now know that we are overheating our planet to alarming levels with potentially catastrophic consequences. 2005 was the hottest year on record. Think of an overheated car; now imagine that on a planetary scale.There are many human activities that contribute to global warming. Among the biggest contributors are electrical generation, the use of passenger and other vehicles, over-consumption, international shipping, deforestation, and militarism. (The U.S. military is the world’s biggest consumer of oil and the world’s biggest polluter.)What many people do not know, however, is that the production of meat also significantly increases global warming. Cow farms produce millions of tons of carbon dioxide and methane a year, the two major greenhouse gases that together account for more than 90% of U.S. greenhouse emissions.According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Unit on Climate Change, “There is a strong link between human diet and methane emissions from livestock.” The 2004 State of the World is more specific […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 15, 2006

News and Events Washington State Voters Mandate Efficiency and Renewable Energy International Energy Agency Points the Way to a Clean Energy Future DOE Research Project Yields New Low-Speed Wind Turbine Blade Geothermal Power Continues to Grow Rapidly in 2006 Waste-to-Energy Projects Gain Momentum in the United States Wal-Mart Approves of LED Lights but Remains Unsure About Wind Power Energy ConnectionsOil Companies Plan to Modify and Expand U.S. Refineries News and EventsWashington State Voters Mandate Efficiency and Renewable EnergyVoters in Washington State have approved Initiative Measure 937, which calls for the state’s investor-owned utilities to draw on new renewable energy sources for 15 percent of their electricity supply by 2020. The measure allows utilities to buy renewable energy credits to help meet the requirement, and gives double credit for smaller, customer-sited systems, so long as the utility buys the renewable energy credits for those systems. The renewable power can be produced from wind, solar, geothermal, or ocean energy, as well as hydropower and certain types of biomass energy. The measure also calls for utilities to pursue all available energy-saving efforts that are cost-effective, reliable, and feasible, allowing credit for customer-owned facilities that generate both heat and power. See the full text […]

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Survey : Sustainable Business & Strategy

A survey released today by The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) examined the penetration of sustainability into overall business strategy. 54 sustainability officers participated in the study. The authors conclude that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a high profile – 72% of respondents say the CEO publicly communicates their company’s commitment to CSR. A majority of respondents indicate that CSR is discussed at the Board of Directors level. Moreover, 79% of respondents believe there is a strong connection between their company’s words and action. The survey also finds that companies are well down the road in implementing specific actions to advance the CSR agenda, including integrating environmental and social considerations into product design and procurement processes, and collaborating with external stakeholders, such as NGOs. 73% said their company has moved beyond the initial stages of addressing CSR (choosing a strategic direction) and were either in the ‘implementation,’ or ‘integration’ stage. Companies that have established a CSR function perceive themselves further along the path. Respondents report companies are actively involved in environmental product design (61%) and procurement (53%). Although non-consumer product companies appear to be further along in implementating CSR processes, consumer product companies have […]

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