Climate 411

Greenhouse Gases: How Long Will They Last?

By Lisa Moore / Published: February 26, 2008

This post is by Lisa Moore, Ph.D., a scientist in the Climate and Air program at Environmental Defense.

In a comment on my Global Warming Crib Sheet, johnmashey asked if I could say something about the lifetimes of greenhouse gases – that is, how long different greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere. Great idea! Here’s a whole post on it.

Many people don’t realize that the greenhouse gases we emit can stay in the atmosphere for decades, centuries or even millennia. That’s why it’s so important that we cap emissions as soon as possible.

Here’s a table showing a selection of greenhouse gases, their global warming potential (GWP), and their lifetimes:

Posted in News / Read 7 Responses

Climate Legislation on DailyKos and WSJ

By Sheryl Canter / Published: February 25, 2008

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

In a post on DailyKos on the importance of acting now, TheGreenMiles called out an argument we made for the urgency of passing climate legislation, and expanded on it by discussing how action now could positively impact change at the local level.

The Wall Street Journal blog, posting on cap-and-trade versus carbon tax, called out two of our Climate 411 posts in their discussion of the relative merits of each approach. Their recap was mostly accurate, except for this misstatement:

Environmental Defense says the threat is catastrophic “tipping points” that could melt ice sheets, disrupt ocean currents, and accelerate deforestation. Never mind that those “tipping points” don’t always jibe with work done by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Because Environmental Defense starts from that more-worried point…

All our posts are reviewed by our science team, and do concur with the IPCC work.

Posted in Climate Change Legislation / Read 1 Response

Cool Links: Electricity and Light

By Sheryl Canter / Published: February 22, 2008

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Here are some interesting links I came across this week. Enjoy!

Generating electricity during walking – A group of researchers has developed a biomechanical energy harvester that generates electricity from the movement of people walking – and without a lot of extra work. They envision it will be used to charge portable medical devices like powered prosthetic limbs.

Unscrew America – Want to learn about compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)? Check out this site. Its animated cartoons make learning about CFLs entertaining and painless.

Posted in What Others are Saying / Comments are closed

CBO Report: The Real Story

By Nat Keohane / Published: February 21, 2008

This post is by Nat Keohane, Ph.D., Director of Economic Policy and Analysis at Environmental Defense.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report this month on Policy Options for Reducing CO₂ Emissions [PDF]. It concludes that a carbon tax reduces emissions more efficiently than cap-and-trade.

But a careful reading reveals the report to be a theoretical exercise with no real-world relevance. It highlights the drawbacks of a version of cap-and-trade that no one advocates, and bases its efficiency analysis on a faulty premise.

Posted in Economics / Read 4 Responses

Diesels: Still Not Very Green

By Sheryl Canter / Published: February 20, 2008

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

John DeCicco, Ph.D. is Senior Fellow, Automotive Strategies at Environmental Defense.

The American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) just announced its eleventh annual ratings for the greenest and "meanest" vehicles. Natural gas and hybrid vehicles do best – no surprise there. But the meanest (dirtiest) list is dominated by diesels, despite their higher fuel efficiency, because they spew out high levels of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.

I spoke about this with our resident car expert John DeCicco, who was the original creator of ACEEE’s Green Book when he worked for that organization. "I do have my morbid moments", John said, "but no need to give up hope yet!"

Global Warming Crib Sheet

By Lisa Moore / Published: February 19, 2008

This post is by Lisa Moore, Ph.D., a scientist in the Climate and Air program at Environmental Defense.

The science behind global warming is, well, science, and it can get pretty technical. By how many degrees has the globe already warmed? How much more can it warm before we’re in trouble? How much carbon dioxide is in the air now, and how much more can we afford to emit before risking climate catastrophe? Which are the most important greenhouse gases? And what do all those funny abbreviations mean?

Below you will find a handy crib sheet that gives you all these numbers and more.

Posted in News / Read 9 Responses

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