1. Home
  2. Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 1974)

Report: Animal Agriculture Significant for Climate Change

According to a report issued today by environmental group EarthSave International, cars and power plants – the traditional targets of environmentalists – will not be a major cause of global warming in our lifetime. Rather, the most significant source of climate change over the next half-century is likely animal agriculture. Because carbon dioxide makes up the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, environmentalists have focused on its main sources: cars and power plants. The report points out that other gases, produced in smaller amounts but far more powerful at trapping heat, actually cause the majority of the earth’s warming. Moreover, because the cars and power plants that emit carbon dioxide also emit climate-cooling aerosols, they are responsible for little to no net warming today. The report’s data analysis, based on the work of leading climate scientists, shows that methane sources – not carbon dioxide sources – are the biggest cause of global warming today, and will continue to be for the next 50 years. The number one human-related source of methane worldwide is livestock, the report says. “This reveals an untapped opportunity to make serious and rapid progress in reducing dangerous global warming trends,” said Noam Mohr, author of the report. […]

Read More

Ballard Shareholders OK Sale of German Subsidiary

The shareholders of Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLD; NASDAQ:BLDP) have approved the sale of the company’s German subsidiary, Ballard Power Systems AG (BPSAG), to DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Company. The transaction received overwhelming support, with 97.65% of shares voted, excluding those of DaimlerChrysler and Ford, in favor of the sale. “The vote in favor of the sale reflects the recognition by Ballard shareholders of the value in this transaction,” said Dennis Campbell, Ballard’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Ballard will now be clearly focused on our core competency – fuel cell development – and on reaching the targets outlined in our Technology ‘Road Map’.” Ballard stands to receive more than $20 million in US cash. The transaction is expected to close on August 31, 2005. “It relieves us of a significant financial burden that we were eager to get rid of,” Ballard CEO Dennis Campbell said in an interview after the shareholder vote. “The biggest benefit to us is the reduction in future cash consumption.” DaimlerChrysler and Ford will return nine million common shares to Ballard in exchange for Ballard’s 50.1% interest in Ballard Power Systems AG, a developer of fuel cell support systems. The sale will reduce Ballard’s annual […]

Read More