This article, written by Katherine Bagley, was originally published here at InsideClimate News. For the first time in human history, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are expected to pass 400 parts per million across much of the Northern Hemisphere in May, according to scientists who study data from the Mauna Loa Observatory, the [...]
Spring seems to finally be here! The birds are chirping, the bees are humming, and depending on who you ask, the pollen is floating in the air like a thick fog of misery. Allergy season is in full swing in the Southeast and if your town looks anything like my back yard in Charleston, you [...]
Just over a year ago we made the decision to continue to practice what we preach with the installation and activation of our own solar photovoltaic array at our Knoxville, TN office. As part of a series of energy efficiency improvements to our new office, we knew that installing the solar system was the ideal [...]
With the announcement from Vatican City that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has been elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a whole bevy of analysis has begun on the newly elected pontiff including his chosen name: Pope Francis. When I heard this, I immediately wondered, is Pope Francis the new “green” Pope?
For folks not following Catholicism, it may have been easy to overlook the green credentials of Pope Francis’ predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In 2007, Vatican City became the first carbon neutral country in the world under Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. As part of that decision, a forest was planted to absorb as much carbon dioxide as the Vatican emits annually. Just a year later, over 2,400 solar panels were installed on the Vatican’s papal audience hall. In 2010, the Vatican decided to expand its solar program to 100 megawatts – decidedly making Vatican City the greenest country on the planet. Other green credentials of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI include a publication by the Papal Academy of Sciences noting the dire effects of climate change on glaciers, an entire sermon for the celebration of the World Day of Peace in 2010 titled “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation,” and last but not least, evaluating an all-electric, solar-powered Popemobile.
I was ecstatic; we filled the bus! Twenty-two people boarded in Gainesville and another thirty-three got on in Jacksonville; so many had traveled a long way to join us. It was 9pm and I finally got to relax: we were really off to Washington D.C. to join the Forward on Climate Rally. What started with [...]
To bring the Southeast closer to a clean energy future, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy recognizes that this critical transition must be equitable and afford all people and communities access to goods, resources and opportunities. At SACE, we believe that the future success of any energy and climate movement will be determined by how [...]
There’s nothing like a heaping serving of data to really drive a point home – and that’s exactly what the Environmental Protection Agency does with its most recent report of plant-by-plant emissions data. EPA’s 2011 Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program report is loaded with emissions data from 1,594 fossil fuel plants across the nation. The resoundingly [...]
“Forward on Climate” rally, expected to draw 20,000 Americans, will be largest climate rally ever. UPDATE: 35,000-40,000 participated–it was an exciting and inspiring day! Look for follow-up post soon. On Sunday, February 17, fifty-six people of all ages from North Florida will be in Washington, D.C. to join a massive rally calling on President [...]
If you know someone who still hasn’t bought into the idea of anthropogenic climate change, Chasing Ice, a documentary that reveals stunning images of glaciers retreating, could serve as a powerful educational tool. The subject of Chasing Ice, James Balog, is a long-time photographer who has explored the relationship between man and nature. The impetus [...]
Despite heat waves, droughts, wildfires, melting ice caps and super-charged storms that dominated 2012′s headlines, the words ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ barely warranted a mention during the entire presidential campaign. In a surreal moment, one debate moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley, noted that she had a question prepared ‘for all you climate change people’ but [...]
