2nd Green Revolution

High Speed Rail

• Last Thursday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of another $4 billion for high-speed rail projects, on top of the $8 billion that was part of the stimulus package.

• The Government Accountability Office’s summary of building costs in Europe range from $37 million to $53 million a mile. The Japanese lines cost from $82 million to $143 million a mile. (Higher costs in Japan reflect difficult earthquake-prone terrain and expensive land.)

• Cost estimates in the United States range from $22 million a mile, for a Victorville, Calif., to Las Vegas route, to $132 million a mile for connecting Baltimore and Washington. (New York Times)

NASCAR (from Saint Petersburg Times)

• One car NASCAR car owner’s travels were chronicled from Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ for a single race. According to the above article, the owner flew 1537 nautical miles and his team’s trucks consumed “more than 8,000″ miles (or 2000 gallons of fuel at 4 miles per gallon).

• National daily gasoline consumption in the U.S. is estimated to be about 380-million gallons. (Note: the article is from 2006).

- 2nd Green Revolution

At the U.S. – China Strategic and Economic Dialogue here in Washington DC this week, the newsworthy event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to increase cooperation between the two countries on energy and climate change. Areas of cooperation have been divided into 10 main categories:

1. Energy conservation and energy efficiency
2. Renewable energy
3. Cleaner uses of coal, and carbon capture and storage
4. Sustainable transportation, including electric vehicles
5. Modernization of the electrical grid
6. Joint research and development of clean energy technologies
7. Clean air
8. Clean water
9. Natural resource conservation, e.g. protection of wetlands and nature reserves
10. Combating climate change and promoting low-carbon economic growth

Below is a part of the Fact Sheet that was released the other day. A PDF of the original signed agreement can be found here in English and Chinese. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Pollan has written extensively on food and food systems. In 2005 he published The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which looked at the industrial food chain and alternative routes to food production. As an instructor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, Pollan brings a readable style and thorough research to his latest book, In Defense of Food. Published last year by Penguin Books, Pollan’s work lays out a framework for people to use when considering their food choices. Subtitled “An Eater’s Manifesto”, In Defense of Food argues that people need to “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.” While this pithy, seven word statement sums up the thrust of Pollan’s book, he spends a significant portion of time discussing and refuting nutritionism. He defines nutritionism as an ideology based on consuming individual nutrients, not entire foods from which they came (i.e. fruits and vegetables). This ideological position derived from a reductionist approach to food, one that values the nutrient (i.e. antioxidants) over the foods that contain them, such as blueberries.

Under each of his three concise statements that open the first chapter (“Eat Food”, “Not too Much”, and “Mostly Plants”) Pollan has developed a further set of rules for eating. Read the rest of this entry »

In a clear example of how difficult and contentious it is to implement recycling regulations, New York City has been sued over a law that is to take effect at the end of this month that “mandates free, door-to-door electronics collection, paid for by manufacturers.” According to Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) president Gary Shapiro:

“CEA filed suit along with the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) to challenge the law. Manufacturers recognize that they have a key role in providing recycling opportunities for consumers, and have recycled billions of pounds of electronics through voluntary programs. However, they do not have the only role. The responsibilities and costs for electronics recycling should be shared among all stakeholders, including city and state governments, retailers, recyclers and consumers.”

Who should bear the cost of recycling programs? Read the rest of this entry »

Backed by more than $47 million in stimulus funds, the Department of Energy announced funding for eight projects in seven states to “help accelerate the development and implementation of a modernized and secure electrical grid, a critical piece in delivering renewable energy to American consumers and ensuring an effective, reliable and efficient electricity system across the country.” The money will go to projects that are already underway in order to help test and verify demonstration-scale smart grid technologies that can then be duplicated in other locations around the country. The eight projects and related funding are listed below the jump. More detailed descriptions of the projects can be found at the link mentioned above. Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S-China “Strategic and Economic Dialogue” that began in 2006 under then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson- mainly to address currency issues- begins its first Obama era discussions today. While the economy and financial crisis will lead the agenda, high on the list of main issues is climate change and all its related themes. Climate change is becoming more and more intertwined with the financial and economic future of countries as the energy revolution is being described as a way to combat climate change, bring countries together, kick start the world economy, provide jobs, and promote “leapfrogging” economic development in poorer countries. There is a lot of work to do before such benefits come to pass but with nations generally agreeing on the importance of the second green revolution, the possibility that these ideals will be realized becomes greater. The Financial Times sets the stage nicely in their article today about how climate may play into the meetings:

Climate: As the world’s two top carbon emitters, the US and China acknowledge they will be at the heart of any deal at this year’s Copenhagen conference. But the US dismisses any idea of the two countries forming a “G2″ group to thrash out deals other countries would sign up to subsequently. China has resisted calls for a specific cap on emissions and for the scrapping of tariffs on clean energy technology.

It is also listed as the second most important priority by Secretary of State Clinton and Treasury Secretary Geithner in a co-authored Wall Street Journal Article:  Read the rest of this entry »

In order to get a better idea of what the public thinks on certain issues, we are holding our first (and very unscientific) poll. Select an answer from the options below in regards to where you think America should focus its clean energy efforts. If there are any topics or questions you’d like to see us ask, please let us know (info@2ndgreenrevolution.com or leave a message in comments).

- Justin Manger

Over the past decade, the number of Farmer’s Markets have nearly doubled in number across the country. According to Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, “farmer’s markets have blossomed in recent years, their numbers increasing from 1,755 a decade ago to 3,137 at last count.” Food scares, an increased interest in locally grown food (locavores), consumer desires to decrease their “food miles”, and overall health concerns have all played a role in this increase. In addition to farmer’s markets, CSAs (community supported agriculture) has also put consumers directly in touch with the people that grow their food. CSAs enable consumers to receive their produce directly from farmers. Each week participants in the program get a box of in season fruits and vegetables.

To find a farmer’s market near you, check out Local Harvest. The site also includes information on connecting with CSAs and local farmers. In addition, a number of restaurants have developed menus that reflect seasonal changes in available produce. Founding Farmers’ Restaurant, mentioned on 2nd Green Revolution earlier this year, represents the ultimate combination of restaurants and farmers working together on food choices. Read the rest of this entry »

• Transportation delays result in 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline wasted and about $9 billion (US) in lost productivity annually. (source: B-cycle)
• In 2004, China used some 6.5 million barrels of oil per day and overtook Japan as the world’s 2nd largest user of petroleum products. The largest, the United States, consumes more than 20 million barrels per day. (Chinese oil facts from the CSIS Freeman Report June-July Issue 2009)
• Between 1980 and 2002, China’s oil demand grew by less than 6% per year on average. In 2003 and 2004, demand spiked by 9% and 17%, respectively.
• China’s dependence on imported oil grew from 30% in 2002 to about 50% by 2006.
• While China accounted for under 1/10 of global petroleum demand, it accounted for slightly more than 1/3 of incremental world oil consumption over 2002-2004.

- Justin Manger

Exhibiting a quick wit and sharp sense of humor, Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu joined John Stewart on The Daily Show earlier this week. In the monologue leading up to the interview, Stewart reviewed the Waxman-Markey bill (officially known as H.R. 2454: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009) passed by the House of Representatives last month. Many of the compromises weakened several of the initial measures that were in the bill. Among those that Stewart pointed out were the change from a 20% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2020 to 17% and a renewable energy mandate that was reduced from 25% by 2025 to 15% by 2020, which according to Stewart’s acerbic commentary could be lowered by individual states. In addition, Stewart pointed out the concessions that led to reduced regulatory oversight from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

When Chu came on the show, he displayed his sense of humor by presenting Stewart with an honorary membership to NAS Read the rest of this entry »