1. Home
  2. Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 2371)

Five U.S. Utilities Meet Conservation Group's Carbon Pledge

By J.R. Pegg Author: Environment News Service Provider: SustainableBusiness.com WASHINGTON, DC, February 12, 2004 (ENS) – Conservationists eager to see the federal government tackle global warming were encouraged Wednesday by the decision of five electric power companies to support a mandatory cap on carbon dioxide emissions. The companies combined serve more than seven million power consumers. They are the first to answer the clean energy challenge set forth by the World Wildlife Fund, which warns that large emissions reductions are needed to curb global warming. "The survival of over a million species and many of the world's most biologically rich natural areas may hang in the balance, depending on whether we act responsibly now or continue to ignore global warming," said Ginette Hemley, managing vice president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Most scientists believe that if human emissions of greenhouse gases are left unchecked, there is a 90 percent probability that surface temperatures on Earth will rise between 1.7 to 4.9 degrees Celsius (3 to 8.8 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. This will result in rising sea levels, the melting of the polar icecaps, erratic and severe weather patterns, and a host of other environmental problems that could have far […]

Read More

Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:February 11, 2004

*News and Events Researchers Gain Insight on How Plants Split Water PacifiCorp Seeks 1,100 Megawatts of Renewable Energy Breakthrough May Shed Light on High-Temperature Superconductivity Two Large Solar Power Systems On Order in California Audubon Center Uses Only Solar Energy, Earns Greenest Rating *Energy Connections EIA Updates Summaries of Seven Energy-Intensive Industries ———————————————————————- NEWS AND EVENTS ———————————————————————-Researchers Gain Insight on How Plants Split WaterPhotosynthesisthe process plants use to produce energy-rich carbohydrates using sunlightis the basis for all plant life on Earth, but the process remains poorly understood. At the heart of the photosynthetic process is a simple reaction that could be the key to our energy future: the technique that splits water into its constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen. In a plant, the oxygen is released to the atmosphere and the hydrogen is used to help produce the complex sugars that fuel the cells throughout the plant. But if people can replicate the process, the hydrogen could instead be used to fuel our vehicles and provide heat and power for our buildings.Last week, researchers at Imperial College London announced they had moved a step forward in understanding the water-splitting process, using high-resolution X-ray crystallography to study two protein complexes that […]

Read More