2nd Green Revolution - Part 18

Rising Insurance Rates and Climate Change

by Eric Wilson on October 29th, 2011

A recent post examined the proportion of climate scientists that support the anthropogenic causes of climate change. One topic brought up was the potential impact on the insurance industry. Potential shifts in rainfall, more severe storms, and prolonged droughts – like those witnessed this summer in Texas – cause damage to assets such as crops, homes, and property. As was seen throughout the previous decade, hurricane insurance in Florida led to a major undertaking for the state as it attempted to reconcile intense storms with fiscal well-being of its residents. Will relatively cheap insurance quotes still be available in a world affected by climate change?

Shifts in the climate have also led to the rise of Re-insurance. As noted last year in a post by Matt de la Houssaye

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Five Friday Facts: Solar Power, China, and Trade

by Eric Wilson on October 28th, 2011

The following facts come from a New York Times article – which served as the basis for this post – on potential trade violations among Chinese solar panel manufacturers.

  • The American solar power market is worth about $6 billion a year.
  • China already accounts for three-fifths of the world’s solar panel production.
  • China exports 95 percent of its production, much of it to the United States, which has helped push wholesale solar panel prices down from $3.30 a watt of capacity in 2008 to $1.80 by last January and now to $1.20. A typical solar panel might have a capacity of 230 watts.
  • Solar power generates only about one-tenth of 1 percent of the United States’ electricity.
  • An Energy Department report in July said that federal subsidies for solar power totaled $1.134 billion in the 2010 fiscal year, up from $179 million in 2009.

Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Do Scientists Know for Certain that Humans are Causing Climate Change?

by Chris DeArmond on October 27th, 2011

It’s no secret that global warming has become a highly politicized talking point in the U.S. If you’ve been paying attention to the GOP presidential debates or even just public sentiment, you probably have noticed that some people believe the science pointing to humans as a cause for global warming has been corrupted by political ideology. Without getting too much into politics, it should be pointed out that such a view is “unfalsifiable.” That is, if scientific studies support their position (i.e. we are not contributing to climate change), then the studies are perceived as being accurate; but, if other studies support human-caused climate change, they are seen as biased or flawed. The point is, no matter the results of a study, some people’s position cannot be proved false.

The same argument could be made for those holding the opposite view (that humans significantly contribute to climate change). The big difference, as pointed out in the 2010 study, Expert Credibility in Climate Change, is that the vast majority of climate experts support one position — that we are a significant source of climate change. In their study, unconvinced scientists comprised only 2 percent of the top 50 climate researchers

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Introducing Nest: The Learning Thermostat

by Justin Manger on October 26th, 2011

Simplicity. Apple knew it could sell electronics if they got the interface correct and made them easy to use. Now some former Apple employees are taking that mentality to a device most of us don’t give a thought about: the lowly thermostat. The inventors, Matt Rogers and Tony Fadell, did think much about them either until they found out they control 50% of the monthly energy bill. And so Nest was born. From the screen shot below, you can see there are several smart features such as a self-programming ability that learns from the temperature changes you make and adjusts accordingly. If you get up a 5:30 and crank up the heat, Nest will remember and eventually do it for you. It also senses when nobody is home and adjusts the temperature with Auto-Away mode. You can also program and adjust the temperature through your smartphone or on the computer. The video below shows how simple, intuitive, and chic this standard device can be. 

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U.S. Solar Companies File Trade Suit Against China

by Eric Wilson on October 25th, 2011

News is coming out that confirms what many have suspected for some time now, namely that Chinese producers of solar panels may have an unfair advantage over competitors. Given the centralized decision making in Beijing, government support of various technologies may present challenges for companies without the support of a strong central government.

The New York Times reports that last week seven U.S. based manufacturers of solar panels filed a joint suit with the Commerce Department against China, “accusing it of using billions of dollars in government subsidies to help gain sales in the American market.” The lawsuit also charges “China of dumping solar panels in the United States for less than it costs to manufacture and ship them.” The article goes on to say that the “equivalent of billions of dollars in subsidies in the form of deeply discounted loans, land, electricity, water and raw materials, as well as cash grants and tax breaks” were granted by the Chinese government.

According to the article, Oregon-based SolarWorld Industries America, which is the largest producer of conventional solar panels in the U.S., serves as the lead plaintiff on the case.

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New Writers Join 2nd Green Revolution

by Justin Manger on October 24th, 2011

We have recently brought two writers on board as independent contractors. Megan Stilley began writing last week and has already covered GMOs and written about Freedom Gardens. She is currently an Environmental Science graduate student at the University of Colorado-Denver. Her main interests are in food systems and agricultural sustainability and is researching food deserts in Denver County for her thesis. Keep an eye out for more of her posts in the weeks and months to come.

Chris DeArmond has been writing for us for about a year now (happy one year anniversary) and is also now writing for the site as an independent contractor. He has had numerous well-written and informative posts including reviews of cars like the 2011 VW Golf TDI and a site visit to a resomation company. Chris is interested in what the private sector is doing – through innovative practices and products – to reduce its own and its customers’ ecological footprints.

We may be bringing on one or two more writers in the near future, but for now we are happy to be working with Chris and Megan. Please welcome them and spread the word about their posts.

 

- Justin and Eric 

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The Need for Sustainable and Easily Accessible Alternative Energy

by Guest Author on October 24th, 2011

With the increasing costs of energy and the pertinent issues of global warming, people are posing questions whether it’s feasible to have alternative energy systems. Alternate energy comprises energy being developed by any other source ranging from nuclear to harnessing energies from any garbage. The term renewable is different from alternative power. It speaks about something specific, for instance, using solar power or wind energy for power generation. In other words, it can be called as energy being harnessed by common occurring natural processes like the wind and water. And the alternative source of energy can be anything.

The route to alternative energy:

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Carrying Capacity: The Missing Link in Sustainability

by Eric Wilson on October 23rd, 2011

A few of our previous op-ed pieces have touched on keys to sustainability (including resilience and durability) and where sustainability is today. Often sustainability is conflated with the “green” movement. However, rarely does anyone discuss weak vs. strong sustainability. The former is largely where we are today, substituting human capital for natural. One could argue that the latter (strong sustainability) is the direction we need to take. Unfortunately, there appears to be a missing component to this discussion: carrying capacity.

There are two types of carrying capacity: cultural carrying capacity and ecological carrying capacity. Professor Garrett Hardin states that cultural carrying capacity “is inversely related to the (material) quality of life presumed.” In other words

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