Economy & Jobs | Shared Resources. Why real estate needs Tesla-style buildings, used 'Uber-style' While the financial industry is still reeling from recent stock market gyrations, it is tempting to forget about long-term issues, such as extreme weather events, the rising sea levels and demographic change.
Gates, Zuckerberg and Other Tech Titans Team Up to Push Clean Energy. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and several other of the world's wealthiest tech and business titans are banding together to fight climate change by investing billions in clean-energy research and technologies.
The Breakthrough Energy Coalition was announced ahead of the opening day Monday of the U.N. -organized climate talks outside Paris. More than 150 heads of state and government were gathering at the summit to try to find common ground on how to slow the rise in global temperatures. The coalition has pledged to invest in innovative ways to produce "clean" energy, especially in the developing world, and thereby cut down on climate-warming greenhouse gases. The group of investors will pour money into companies working on clean-energy ideas. A Carbon Tax for Steak May Be the Best Way to Get People to Eat Less Meat. From renewable energy to carbon sequestration to cap and trade, a lot of different ideas for arresting the change under way in the climate are going to be discussed at the upcoming international climate talks in Paris.
There is, however, one carbon-producing issue that the international group would appear to deem somewhat marginal—only 21 out of 120 national plans included it in their reduction goals—but that could lead to significant cuts in emissions: meat consumption. The problem is, achieving those reductions would require a huge upending of deep-seated habits and cultural norms the world over. The meat industry accounts for 15 percent of emissions globally—equal to the amount of greenhouse gases generated by the world’s cars. A new report published last week by Chatham House, a policy think tank in London, puts forward an expansive, sometimes aggressive road map for how countries could curb emissions by both encouraging and discouraging people from eating meat. Soft drink tax war to bubble up in cities across the U.S. There’s something even more polarizing than whether to call soft drinks pop, soda, or coke: the debate over taxing them.
Depending on the results of next year’s elections, your city government might turn your soft drink sugar rush into a source of tax income. How to read the jargon at the Paris climate change talks. Maybe climate change tends to take a back seat because the talks themselves are a jargon-filled monstrosity of diplomatic protocol, which means no one — not even the diplomats themselves!
— understands what’s happening half of the time. Borrowing From Solar and Chip Tech to Make Diamonds Faster and Cheaper. Photo Just a decade ago, Silicon Valley had high hopes of becoming a vibrant manufacturing center by making solar panels.
But price competition from abroad, particularly from China, quickly dashed those dreams. And so the founders of Nanosolar, a large start-up that raised about half a billion dollars in its first six years, began exploring ways to build that would apply their expertise to new technologies. A group of engineers and scientists, led by R. Coal Exports and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week. Why Food Waste is an Urgent Global Problem. You’ve probably already heard the stats: 35 million tons of food goes to the landfill every year in the United States.
It’s a staggering amount when you figure that food comprised more than 20 percent of our entire yearly waste stream in 2013. Seattle Is Not Being Changed by Amazon but by Financial Institutions. Amazon's new headquarters in downtown Seattle.
Charles Mudede Much of the blame—maybe too much—on the rising costs of living in Seattle has been placed on Amazon and tech workers. But the source of the major housing issues Seattle faces will eventually prove not to be in the sectors of production (Boeing) or distribution (Amazon) but in finance. We pick on Amazon because, despite being a tech company, it is a visible and hard entity. And the EV revolution will be led by ... Volvo? Cities Are Banning Cars in Favor of Cyclists and Pedestrians to Fight Choking Pollution. It’s no secret that traffic contributes to poor air quality in urban centers, but it’s now clear that even just one car-free day, such as Los Angeles’ CicLAvia event, can significantly improve the quality of what you’re breathing.
Hosted by the nonprofit of the same name in partnership with Los Angeles County Metro and the mayor’s office, a CicLAvia is a one-day event in which streets in a neighborhood of Los Angeles are closed to traffic and opened for cyclists and pedestrians. The last CicLAvia to take place in Downtown Los Angeles was in October 2014; it cut particulate pollution in half compared with normal traffic days, according to a study from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health that was published on Monday in the journal Environmental Pollution.
Are India’s clean energy investments slowing the march of coal? Chinese investment in the Indian renewable energy sector has skyrocketed recently, and construction equipment manufacturer Sany Group is the latest to join the push.
The company announced last week that it will direct $3 billion toward the development of at least two gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in India, largely in the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. When Child Care Costs More Than Rent, Women Stay at Home. The percentage of mothers who stay at home with their children has been on the rise since 1993, and it’s not because formerly career-driven women have suddenly woken up to the joys of full-time baby bonding. In nearly 81 percent of U.S. towns, the average price of two-kid child care costs more than rent, which can make working a full-time job seem like a poor economic decision. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, expenses related to child care (day care facilities, babysitters, and nannies) should not exceed 10 percent of a family’s income.
For its new study, the Economic Policy Institute used its family budget calculator to compare “the income families need in order to attain a modest yet adequate living standard where they live” with how much child care costs in their respective communities. The stats are an effective argument for birth control among people of reproductive age who hope for financial security. Peduto, other leaders join in Resilience Pledge bringing $5 million in suppor... PITTSBURGH, PA –Mayor William Peduto is committing at least 10% of the city’s operating and capital budget spending to flood control, street and facility improvements, and other projects that will improve the City’s resilience against challenges it will face in future years. Signing the pledge will secure $5 million in technical and financial resources for Pittsburgh over the next five years from The Rockefeller Foundation/100 Resilient Cities, which held a resilience summit with Mayor Peduto and other leaders from around the world this week.
The Planned Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon Power Plant Is a Really Big Deal. Just outside the Welsh city of Swansea, the U.K. is planning one of the most innovative power plants ever constructed. Real Returns for Investing in Resilience. Mars, General Mills, Unilever, Kellogg, Nestlé Unite On Climate Action. With key international climate negotiations fast approaching in Paris, the chief executive officers of consumer goods companies Mars, Incorporated, General Mills, Unilever, Kellogg Company, Nestlé USA, New Belgium Brewing, Ben & Jerry’s, Clif Bar, Stonyfield Farm and Dannon USA released a joint letter to U.S. and world leaders pledging to accelerate business action on climate change and urging governments to do the same by forging a robust international agreement this December.
Coordinated by the nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization Ceres, the letter was spotlighted today at a bipartisan, bicameral briefing on climate change in Washington, D.C. featuring a half-dozen food company executives. The briefing was sponsored by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Chris Gibson (R-NY). “Climate change is bad for farmers and agriculture.
Launched in 2010, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan aims to decouple the company's growth from environmental impact. A Lot of People Think Sustainability Belongs in the Federal Nutrition Guidelines. U.S. Reaches Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal With 11 Pacific Nations. ‘Rebuild by Design’ Joins 100RC to Bring Collaborative Research & Design-driven Approaches to Cities.
Will California redouble its push for clean energy? It all rides on this upcoming vote. Urban policy: could the federal government finally ‘get’ cities? The appointment of a federal minister for cities and the built environment is a signal moment in urban policy in Australia. Can capitalism evolve to address the climate crisis? The EPA's big crackdown on smog, explained. Volkswagen's appalling clean diesel scandal, explained. Skip the Car Charger: Roads With a Jolt of Electricity Are Coming to the U.K. A Sushi Master’s Lament—and the One Fish You Should Always Avoid. Google's making it easy for you to get solar panels onto your roof. King County becomes largest government in U.S. to use new energy-tracking system used by Microsoft. Improving Our Water Efficiency: The Coca-Cola Company. The home that pays its own utility bill (and then some) 2015 ENERGY STAR Top Certifiers. Seattle 2030 District Releases New Strategic Plan. Why Everyone Benefits from Energy Efficiency Programs.
Obama Administration Announces Actions to Protect Communities from the Health Impacts of Climate Change at White House Summit. The Pacific Northwest is Doomed. Going Green and Conserving Cash. Obama's $4bn Clean-Energy Initiative: A Big Number Hiding a Bigger Idea. China Just Made Its Plans To Fight Climate Change Official. 2030 Districts: Communities Collaborating to Reach Inspirational Goals with Measured Performance.
5 Trends Transforming the US Energy Sector. California's Gap: Who Gets Permits? Efficiency Technologies Ready To Set Sail. Nutella Sparks War Of Words Between European Environmental Ministers. EIA finds wind energy will have largest role in cost-effectively meeting Clean Power Plan. Waste to Energy Plants on the Rise - Forester Network. Implementing Stormwater and Erosion Control Best Management Practices - Forester Network. Climate Change Is Helping One Weird Pest Destroy More Crops. Can Technology Save Africa’s Forests? California Shows the World How to Stave Off a Climate Catastrophe. Is Seattle a model for sustainable cities, or just a mess?
VIDEO: How The Energy Industry Can Stay Resilient In A Collaborative Economy. At Their Annual Gathering in Seattle, Urban Planners Confronted a Growing Housing Affordability Crisis. Changing the Conversation About the Growth of Pacific Northwest Cities. Solar Streets: New Roadways May Ditch Asphalt for Energy-Generating Sunshine ... It Takes How Much Water to Grow an Almond?!
Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS) Battery Hackers Are Building the Future in the Garage. Coal-Country States Declare War on Obama’s Climate Rules. FEMA to deny funds to climate change deniers. Citigroup sets aside $100 billion for green initiatives. Obama vetoes Keystone XL bill. Investors Encourage Further Transparency, Standardization to Spur Green Bond Market Growth — Ceres. Why is Harvard buying vineyards in drought-ravaged California? Education for Success in the Sustainability Industry. Got Policy Solutions? Think: Brownies. This Reusable Paper Saves Trees and Prints Using Ultraviolet Light. The Case for Mandatory Composting. The New Oregon Carbon Tax Report is Out. Fashion Futures: Resource Constraints and Sustainable Design. Within 2 Years, a Quarter of the World’s Carbon Emissions Are Likely to be Priced. V-Spring™ Telescoping Light Pole. ASBC Summit Attendees Chart Path and Policies to a Sustainable Economy. A Public Company Has Finally Become A B Corp.
Announcing the Future-Fit Business Benchmark. Energy Efficiency: The Secret Revolution — Solutions Journal Summer 2014. "60 Minutes" investigates risky infrastructure - Videos. California Readies for Cap-and-Trade Next Steps. World’s Top Sustainable Solution: Pedal-Powered Recycling.