UK MPs call for climate date to be more open, scrutinised (Financial Times, BBC, 31 March 2010) The UK Commons Science and Technology Committee, following an investigation into the University of East Anglia (UEA) “climategate” e-mail scandal, cleared professor Phil Jones and the Climate Research Unit of accusations that data was tampered with, but...
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Transportation
Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency News Roundup
Explosion in U.S. Funded Climate Technology Research
From 1998 to 2009, appropriations for agencies’ work related to climate change totaled about $99 billion; more than a third of that sum was provided in fiscal year 2009. In addition, climate-related tax preferences reduced tax revenues, by a much smaller amount, from what would have been collected in their absence. For most of...
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U.S. Coastal Waters Declared “Emission Control Area”
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) today officially accepted the proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area (ECA) – a move that will result in cleaner air for millions of Americans. Large ships that operate in ECAs must use dramatically cleaner fuel and technology, leading to major air...
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Critical Infrastructure, Critically Exposed
Over the second half of the 20th century, the advent of digital technologies and telecommunications dramatically increased interdependencies among U.S. critical infrastructures. Disruptions in a single infrastructure can generate disturbances within other infrastructures and over long distances, and the pattern of interconnections can extend or amplify the effects of a disruption. The energy infrastructure...
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America Gets Real About U.S. High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Service
Map of U.S. High Speed Interstate Rail Service and Funding Levels from Federal Stimulus
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Reclaiming the Mantle: America’s Energy Strategy 2.0
America’s New Energy R&D Strategy Statement by Dr. Robert Marlay U.S. Department of Energy With the recent administration change and economic downturn, the US priorities in energy, environment, science, and the economy have been altered or strengthened. The current baseline goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Within ten years,...
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Harvard Paper Calculates Potential of Global Bioenergy Market
Biofuels present both opportunity and costs. They offer the opportunity to reduce imported oil dependence and improve the environment. On the other hand, the costs include high food prices, indirect carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. In many tropical developing countries, biofuels represent an opportunity to progress toward industrialization and export-led growth. Policies adopted by...
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EPA Gets Serious About Pollution from Large Ships
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has raised the standard for large U.S.- flagged ships with harmful marine diesel emissions. The new regulation will bring the U.S. into accord with international standards and result in susbtantial air-quality improvements for the nation. “There are enormous health and environmental consequences that come from marine diesel emissions, affecting...
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