
greenhouse gases
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Laughing Gas: The Latest Environmental Threat
Nitrous oxide, more commonly known at your dentist’s office as laughing gas, is now the most prevalent man-made substance damaging the ozone layer. And it’s a greenhouse gas. Sadly, the joke’s apparently on us. In a report published in Science on Friday, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) located in Boulder, Colorado, have calculated […] More
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Inspired Economist: Pick of the Week
This column highlights the top economic stories of the week. While Detroit has benefited from Cash for Clunkers, foreign automakers have gained even more. Some critics of the program warned that because it let consumers buy domestic or foreign cars, Clunkers could end up spending more American tax dollars to help foreign companies than American […] More
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China Bans Scrap Polysilicon
In an effort to curb solid waste pollution, China banned the import of scrap polysilicon at the beginning of August, an effort supported by its current environmental laws according to its Environmental Protection Ministry. Scrap polysilicon is a low-grade form of silicon not pure enough to use in microchips. However, it can be used as […] More
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The American Clean Air And Security Act: What Is It?
It’s no surprise that the United States Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufactures oppose the American Clean Air and Security Act, but so does Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Dow Chemical and Ford Motors support it. More
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Daimler’s First Electric Car
Most odd stories relating to the environment tend to revolve around researchers and scientists and their slightly off the wall discoveries. But not so today. Today, in news of the weird — or at least slightly surreal — I bring you Daimler, the German automaker, who announced last week their very first hybrid car, the […] More
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More Money for the Auto Industry
Three more car companies received sizeable loans from the federal government yesterday, but don’t worry; it’s not another bailout. In fact, the$8 billion is just the start of a larger $25 billion project called the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM for short) that was thought up back in 2007 and funded by Congress […] More
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Growing Plastic: A New Use for Biomass
In the constant push for ever newer and greener technology and energy, we sometimes forget that it is often both simpler and cheaper to revisit old techniques in new ways. And that’s exactly what a group of researchers in California has done. By combining several old and well understood chemical techniques and reactions, they have […] More
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The Canary of the Sea
Scientists have been warning us that global warming may severely threaten the survival of marine populations for several years now. But in a new study, published in Science this past Friday, they may have just found the ocean’s equivalent of the canary in the coal mine when it comes to fluctuating ocean temperatures. There’s just […] More
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Canada’s Clean Coal Concept
Wednesday, Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced his government’s most recent plan for eliminating CO2 emissions. The Canadian government hopes to phase out electrical generation by modern coal technology in favor of carbon capture and storage (CCS) – the much debated and as yet unproven “clean coal” concept – nuclear power, and other, renewable sources of energy. More
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Solar Lanterns Could Save Money, Reduce Greenhouse Gases in Rural India
When we start talking about fossil fuels, most of us immediately think of coal, oil, and natural gas. But in the developing world where many people have little to no access to electricity — or even in places that do but have regular issues with outages — these are all secondary to kerosene. More
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Building on Mother Nature – Artificial Photosynthesis
Green plants, trees and their leaves remove noxious carbon dioxide from the air during a process known as Photosynthesis. This is why we are all so upset about the ruination of the rain forests, which act as natural air cleaners in volume due to the density of vegetation. But planting new trees in a deforested area […] More
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Which Countries Have the Greatest Carbon Footprint?
Which countries have the greatest carbon footprint? As of research conducted by Pitney Bowes, collecting the latest data from around the globe, the country with the greatest carbon footprint per capita — no surprise — is the United States, with 20.1 tons of CO2 per capita. But numbers two, three, and four may surprise you. […] More