Luxembourg (AFP) Oct 20, 2009 - European finance ministers failed on Tuesday to agree who will pay what to help developing countries fight global warming, in the biggest of three deals to come unstuck at their meeting.

London (UPI) Oct 19, 2009 - World leaders have 50 days to save the Earth from irreversible global warming, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday.

Copenhagen (AFP) Oct 19, 2009 - Danish Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen presented a series of measures Monday aimed at cracking down on any violent protesters at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December.

London (AFP) Oct 19, 2009 - The United States and Britain insisted Monday they had not given up on securing a deal to tackle climate change at a crunch summit in December after a meeting of major polluting countries in London.

London (AFP) Oct 18, 2009 - Representatives of the world's biggest carbon polluters began two days of informal talks in London on Sunday to map out common ground 50 days before a key UN climate conference in Copenhagen.

Loboro, Kenya (AFP) Oct 16, 2009 - The camel, its legs attached with branches, brays desperately, blood spurting from the cut artery; nomads in Turkana in Kenya's extreme north have been reduced to sacrificing their animals to survive a bruising drought.

London (AFP) Oct 17, 2009 - The crucial Copenhagen climate change summit could end without a deal, the US special envoy for climate change warned Saturday, while urging big developing economies to boost their efforts.

Dhaka (AFP) Oct 18, 2009 - When a cyclone destroyed her home two years ago, Shahana Begum joined the swelling ranks of Bangladeshi "climate refugees" who, experts say, could one day overwhelm the capital Dhaka.

Taipei (AFP) Oct 13, 2009 - Global warming will cause the amount of heavy rain dumped on Taiwan to triple over the next 20 years, facing the government with the urgent need to beef up flood defences, a scientist warned Tuesday.

London (AFP) Oct 12, 2009 - House of Commons authorities ordered an "urgent" probe Monday after dozens of climate change protestors scaled the roof of the British parliament as lawmakers returned from their summer break.

The UK population is expected to increase to 71.6m by 2033, the fastest rate in a century, says the Office for National Statistics.

Obama to Give Climate Bill a Boost with MIT Speech (ClimateWire)

President Obama will try to push the Senate climate bill forward Friday with an energy-themed speech at MIT, just days before the start of a marathon of hearings.

India, China Sign 5-Year Pact on Climate Change (Dow Jones)

India and China today signed an initial five-year pact on climate change, agreeing to set up a working group that would exchange views on issues concerning international negotiations on climate change.

3 South American Countries Agree to Halt Deforestation (AP)

Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay announced a joint plan that would establish protected zones in the Atlantic Forest under an effort to stop deforestation in the region by 2020.

Leaps Forward in Satellite Forest Monitoring (Carbon Positive)

Efforts to tackle deforestation received a double boost this week with two initiatives aimed at enhancing the monitoring of forests from space.

Poland Blocks EU Climate Funding Decision (EurActiv)

EU finance ministers failed to agree on funding climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, due to Poland and Eastern European countries' concerns that they would end up having to pay more than they can afford.

EU Ministers Set to Agree On Aviation Emissions Cuts (Guardian)

The 27 European Union countries are expected to agree on a 10% cut for aviation by 2020, relative to 2005, as part of its negotiating position at the upcoming UN summit in Copenhagen.

CDM Reform May Get Lost at Copenhagen (Reuters)

Reform of the UN-run carbon offset scheme CDM is in danger of being overshadowed by other issues at international climate talks later this year, the International Emissions Trading Association warns.

Embattled Chamber of Commerce Spent $34.7M on Lobbying (AP)

The Chamber of Commerce, losing key members and up against political challenges, spent a record $34.7 million on lobbying in the third quarter to fight energy, finance and health care policies.

Rift Between Obama, Chamber of Commerce Widens (Washington Post)

The White House is moving aggressively to remove the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from its traditional Washington role as the chief representative for big business

UK Science Academy Says World Must Use GM Crops (Reuters)

The world needs genetically modified crops to increase food yields and minimize the environmental impact of farming, Britain's top science academy says in a report today.

Solar Panel Cost Drops, But Tax Breaks Dip Too (Los Angeles Times)

The average cost of solar photovoltaic power systems in the U.S. plunged more than 30% from 1998 to 2008, but a simultaneous drop in after-tax incentives resulted in a slight rise in net installed cost last year, a study finds.

UK Court Blocks Legal Action Against RBS Investments (Business Green)

Environmental campaigners vowed to appeal after a British judge blocked their attempt to sue the Treasury and RBS over the taxpayer-controlled bank's investment in carbon intensive businesses.

Canada Threatens Tar Sands Activists with Anti-Terror Laws (IPS)

The government in Alberta is threatening to unleash its counter-terrorism plan if activists continue using civil disobedience to protest the tar sands, Canada's fastest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

GM Exec: Volt Not Yet Cost Competitive (CNet)

General Motors needs to wring thousands of dollars in cost from its high-profile Chevy Volt electric car before it can compete long term on price, a company executive says.

Electric Cars Take on Hybrids at Tokyo Motor Show (AFP)

Futuristic concept cars, plug-in hybrids, zero-emission electric vehicles and even a hydrogen-powered scooter jostled for the limelight as the Tokyo Motor Show opened.

Columbia Suspends Environmental Journalism Program (Treehugger)

Emissions aren't the only thing being cut by the recession. On the same day the Times axed 100 newsroom staff, Columbia University announced it was suspending its environmental journalism masters program amid a media-wide financial crisis.

Thought Experiments on Birth and Death (Dot Earth)

Rush Limbaugh reacts to a population report by proposing that an environmental reporter kill himself to save the planet, and the onslaught of hate mail begins — sent to the reporter, not to Limbaugh.

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A £6m government ad warning about climate change is to be investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Suburban turtles in Australia outperform their counterparts living in nature reserves, surprising scientists.

A public inquiry re-opens into plans for nine wind turbines in west Devon, four years after they were first proposed.

by Umbra Fisk

Send your question to Umbra!

Q. Dear Umbra,

As a frequent cyclist, I’ve inevitably been in my share of collisions and accidents.  Most bike experts recommend replacing your helmet after any crash, even if the damage isn’t visible.  Obviously the two most important qualities of a bike helmet are lightweight-ness and strength.  That is best achieved by petroleum-based, non-biodegradable substances.  Can you recommend how to avoid hurting the environment with these disposable Styrofoam helmets (other than being a more careful cyclist)?

Julia A.
Washington, D.C.

A. Dearest Julia,

Small eco-price to pay for an intact head.Please continue to wear your helmet and replace it after each crash. Cut the straps of your old helmet and write “crashed” on it with a permanent marker, then throw it in the garbage. Biking safely is an ecologically correct practice, even if it occasionally results in a small amount of waste. Two, three, four helmets a year is a small ecological price to pay when we consider the benefits of cycling (though for your body’s sake I hope you don’t go through this many).

Let us remember that biking is emissions-free transportation. Whether you are commuting by bike or simply taking a brief trip to the store every week, you are ecologically ahead of almost every form of transport save walking. If your bike is simply an exercise device, you are keeping yourself fit and providing inspiration for other would-be cyclists.

Secondly, a lightweight helmet made out of plastic is a fairly innocuous object on the environmental scale. As we have learned over the years, plastic is evil due to the raw materials (petroleum) from which it is made and the eons that will pass ere it degrades. On the bright side, helmets are light, and hence do not require overly much fuel on their trip to the bike store or the landfill—which would be a concern were they made of gold. Some companies are tinkering with eco-friendly helmets, but I think you should not lose your head over this issue. You could always save your used helmets for some kind of trash sculpture.

Julia, a hospital visit has the potential for much more ecological impact than does your discarded helmet. Your fitness level keeps you (hopefully) from general ill health, and hence reduces the need for greenhouse-gas emitting trips to the doctor. More important, of course, the helmet protects you from serious head injury and/or death, both of which are far more environmentally costly than a piddling nine-ounce helmet. Let’s say you were not wearing a helmet and bonked your head in a crash. First the ambulance or a friend’s car has to transport you to (and from) the hospital, emitting Earth-damaging gases en route. Then perhaps you have to get a CAT scan or MRI, neither of which would be solar powered. What if you have a bleeding abrasion that requires multiple washings and several sets of bloody sheets and piles of gauze? Maybe they bring you a hospital meal which certainly includes terrible not-shade-grown coffee and some kind of mystery meat from a confined animal feeding operation. In a worst-case scenario, you could scrape off your nose and require years of plastic surgery—certainly not ecologically OK, and sadly a real-life example.

Wear a bike helmet without worrying too much about the environmental consequences. Umbra, also known as Safety Pup, has spoken.

Cautionarily,
Umbra

 

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