Tag Archives: climate-change

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Kim Stanley Robinson interviewed

Kim_Stanley_Robinson BLDGBLOG has an excellent in-depth interview with Kim Stanley Robinson, in which he discusses his attempts to redefine utopias, the ideological bankruptcy of primitivism, how rational design in architecture and technology is one of the crucial keys to surmounting the problems presented by our changing environment, and much more.

A brilliant interview with a brilliant thinker … and hosted on a brilliant blog. You may think you’re not really interested in architecture, but I think an exploration of BLDGBLOG‘s archive would prove you wrong. Go read. [Image from Wikipedia]

[tags]Kim Stanley Robinson, climate change, science fiction, interview[/tags]
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UK makes massive step towards wind power

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Britain should see over 7000 offshore wind turbines by 2020The Secretary of State for Business, John Hutton is announcing a huge sea-change in the UK’s approach towards future power plants, with a massive 25Gw of offshore wind proposed to add to an existing 8GW of planned construction. This vast increase in wind power, in addition to the wave and tidal projects being tested in the Orkney islands, could power all of the UK’s homes by 2020.

It’s interesting to see this being portrayed not only as an environment issue but as a security issue, with Hutton saying:

“I do not want in 20 years’ time to find that whether the lights go on in the morning is down to some foreign government or someone else.”

With the North Sea oil and gas fields decreasing rapidly in production, the UK is losing its resource power. By investing in new renewable technology it can continue to be an important world power. Denmark invested in wind over the last decade and now has a £2billion industry. If only more nations would have this level of foresight.

[story and picture via European Tribune]

UPDATE: As requested in the comments, here is a more up to date (and more detailed) analysis of Danish wind power and their plans up to 2030.

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US Congress makes positive step towards sustainability

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The Middelgrunden Wind Turbine Cooperative in Copenhagen, DenmarkThe Bali talks about climate change are progressing reasonably well, with Australia the 37th country to agree to cut emissions. However, the elephant in the room is of course the US and Canada administrations, who have resisted negotiations. Although some US officials don’t want to join the protocol, others are starting to do something about it. This week Congress is discussing a revolutionary new Energy bill that really starts to look at a sustainable future.

It would repeal $21 Billion in oil subsidies to spend on alternative energies, increase minimum mpg for cars, include incentives for efficiency and new technology as well as pledging renewable electricity production to be 15% by 2020. This bill will inevitably be vetoed by President Bush, or filibustered by the Republican minority. All the same, the US Congress deserves recognition and support for thinking constructively about increasing efficiency and promoting solutions to this problem.

UPDATE: Congress has passed the bill 232-181. The bill moves to the Senate for further discussion. President Bush has pledged to veto it.

[image by Morten Mitchell Larod]

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North African Solar project could provide a sixth of Europe’s electricity

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A grid such as this sketch could supply Europe’s power even when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine where you areNow this is very positive. Last week there was talk of a giant ‘supergrid’ connecting much of Europe to wind turbines across the continent, to take advantage of whenever the wind was blowing.

Now the Guardian reports on Desertec, the plans to put hundreds of solar concentrating plants on the North African coasts and in the Middle East. Two thirds of the estimated 100 Billion Watts would stay in the countries producing the energy, with another 30 Billion Watts (around of all of Europe’s use) being pumped via underwater cables to the EU, which would provide a chunk of the funding for the project. With the Bali talks now underway to find a new version of the Kyoto treaty, projects like this could be a major facet of reducing carbon emissions. German energy expert Gregor Czeich reckons with new higher efficiency power lines a 100% renewable powered Europe could be possible in the near future without costing much more than the current fossil fuel system.

[via the guardian, picture by TREC]

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Yellowstone gives aspiring post-apocalyptic writers new hope

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Actually, this is Pulau Ana Krakatau off Indonesia, but it's more dramatic :P I mean, really.  Everyone from Phillip K. Dick to the ‘Fallout’ videogame series used nuclear war as a backdrop for stories set in the American West.  Now, Mother Nature gives us new possibilities, only minus deadly radiation.  Seems Yellowstone National Park is a giant caldera, essentially an old volcano cone that’s collapsed upon itself.  And it’s been rising rather dramatic amounts (geologically-speaking, which is three inches per year).  The largest volcano system in the world doesn’t show any signs of erupting anytime soon, as a geologist studying the caldera pleaded on Science Friday last week from NPR.  For those of you looking for more exciting volcanos, Ana Krakatau, the volcano created after the largest recorded explosion in history, is at it again (pictured).  Beyond the obvious immediate dangers, these volcanoes potentially have effects on the climate, both good and bad.