Electric Cars – There’s more good coverage on the promising trend to ZEV surface transportation. See Any colour as long as it is green* from the “FT” yesterday. Mitsubishi is getting out in front of GM and Renault-Nissan on electric cars. The car is small but it’s got range and it’s ten times cheaper to run than a gasoline-powered car. See also the website here for the “i MiEV” – Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle.
*If the allusion escapes you, it’s a paraphrase of Henry Ford’s famous quote about his Model T: “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.”
IT – The computer folks know that computers are energy hogs as are the vast array of server farms and all the other very high tech that supports the industry. They’re on a mission to get things much more efficient, saving power, money and GHG emissions. (I mentioned this here a while back.) McKinsey has come out with a new report further identifying the incredible bang for the buck in creating efficiencies in the communications and information technology sphere. See this article. (Registration is required, but it’s free, quick and easy.)
There’s an excellent resource too in “GreenerComputing” which ” focuses on the environmental concerns of information technology professionals, covering such topics as energy efficiency, hazardous materials reduction, and disposal and end-of-life issues.”
Jobs, Baby, Jobs – In Colorado, Governor Bill Ritter says that his administration’s renewable energy initiatives have created 90,000 green jobs. See this from the “Rocky Mountain News.” Ritter was addressing the state’s “New Energy Economy” conference. See also the Governor’s Energy Office.
Species Loss – The bad news is that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued its “Red List” for 2008 and there are many species endangered and threatened. That there are environmental threats to thousands of species is not news, certainly, but global warming is exacerbating the problem. This in itself is also not news, unfortunately, but the IUCN is documenting the dangers. In this article from ENN, we note: “Thirty-five percent of the world’s birds, 52 percent of amphibians and 71 percent of warm-water reef-building corals are likely to be particularly susceptible to climate change”
See also this article from “Time” – How Climate Change Will Impact Animals. This article quotes the president of Conservation International, Russell Mittermeier: “Global warming is something that all conservationists are worried about.” You can also get audio of an interview with Mittermeier.
Bali Action Plan – For the wonks amongst us, you can find a new report from UNDP, “The Bali Action Plan: Key Issues In The Climate Negotiations – Summary For Policy Makers” here.
