Climate 411

Drilling for More Oil Is Not the Solution

Sheryl CanterThis post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Gas prices are sky high, as everybody knows, and the main reason is increased demand. But the solution is not to resume offshore drilling in the U.S., as the current administration suggests.

Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp discussed this issue in a PBS interview last week with Charlie Rose, and again in a guest post on Grist. Here’s an excerpt from Grist:

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Posted in Energy / Read 6 Responses

Electric Waves: Power from the Ocean

Miriam HornThis post is by Miriam Horn, a writer at Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Earth: The Sequel. It’s part of a video series on new energy technologies, Unleash the Future.


1. Introduction (YouTube)
2. Solar
3. Biofuels
4. Geothermal
5. Wave


Almost every renewable energy resource begins with the Sun. Wave power is a third conversion of solar energy. The Sun creates the temperature differential that produces wind, and wind, in turn, produces ocean waves. Inventor Alla Weinstein found a way to convert the up-and-down motion of waves into electricity.

Take a look at my short video on wave power to learn more.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/74IVv3ocUGY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

If you have any questions or comments on wave energy, please post them here. I’ll do my best to answer.

Posted in Energy / Read 1 Response

Arctic Heat: Power from the Earth

Miriam HornThis post is by Miriam Horn, a writer at Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Earth: The Sequel. It’s part of a video series on new energy technologies, Unleash the Future.


1. Introduction (YouTube)
2. Solar
3. Biofuels
4. Geothermal
5. Wave


While solar, wind and wave energy all originate with the Sun, the heat locked up in the Earth itself offers another huge potential energy resource. Historically, that “geothermal” power could be converted into electricity only in those rare locations where natural fissures allowed water to flow into deep hot rock and come to the surface at temperatures high enough to generate steam. Now an innovator in Alaska has developed the first low-temperature geothermal power plant, which United Technologies is commercializing for worldwide sale.

Take a look at my short video on geothermal power to learn more.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/R02sy5TI4bs" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

If you have any questions or comments on geothermal energy, please post them here. I’ll do my best to answer.

Posted in Energy / Read 1 Response

Brewing Gasoline with Yeast

Miriam HornThis post is by Miriam Horn, a writer at Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Earth: The Sequel. It’s part of a video series on new energy technologies, Unleash the Future.


1. Introduction (YouTube)
2. Solar
3. Biofuels
4. Geothermal
5. Wave


“Anything you can get out of a barrel of oil, you can get out of a pound of sugar with the right microbe.” So says Jack Newman of Amyris Biotechnologies, who is using genetically-modified yeast to brew gasoline.

Take a look at my short video on biofuels to learn more.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ySnUAAihUjg" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

If you have any questions or comments on biofuels, please post them here. I’ll do my best to answer.

Posted in Energy / Read 4 Responses

Solar Ink on Roofing Material

Miriam HornThis post is by Miriam Horn, a writer at Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Earth: The Sequel. It’s part of a video series on new energy technologies, Unleash the Future.


1. Introduction (YouTube)
2. Solar
3. Biofuels
4. Geothermal
5. Wave


Harnessing solar energy can be pricey, but that soon may change. One company aims to cut the price by a factor of 10 by printing cheap solar ink onto flexible film that could serve as your roofing material.

Take a look at my short video on new solar technologies to learn more.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/nDnPoYSj0LY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

If you have any questions or comments on solar power, please post them here. I’ll do my best to answer.

Posted in Energy / Read 6 Responses

Clean Technologies: The Race Is On!

Tony KreindlerThis post is by Tony Kreindler, media director for the National Climate Campaign at Environmental Defense Fund.

The main reason to pass climate legislation as soon as possible is that the fate of the world is at stake. We’re in a race against time to stop global warming, or face irreversible climate catastrophe.

But there’s also another race – the race to develop the clean energy technologies that will power our future. The world is at the dawn of a technological revolution, and we need the economic incentive of climate legislation to fully participate.

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Posted in Energy / Read 7 Responses