The United Kingdom’s Met Office put together this graphic on climate change. I think it is one of the most informative, succinct graphics I’ve seen in a long time. Very nice.
[via Climate Progress]
Posts Tagged: green
13
Mar 09
Google PowerMeter
You can’t fix what you don’t measure, and no one measures their electricity use. I am pretty excited about Google’s new PowerMeter project.
Most people don’t know how much electricity their appliances use, where in the house they are wasting electricity, or how much the bill might go up during different seasons. But in a world where everyone had a detailed understanding of their home energy use, we could find all sorts of ways to save energy and lower electricity bills. In fact,studies show that access to home energy information results in savings between 5-15% on monthly electricity bills.
Very cool. I hope it will be available here.
25
Nov 08
Porter Hypothesis
From Wikipedia:
According to the Porter Hypothesis strict environmental regulations can induce efficiency and encourage innovations that help improve commercial competitiveness. The hypothesis was formulated by the economist Michael Porter.
According to this hypothesis, strict environmental regulation triggers the discovery and introduction of cleaner technologies and environmental improvements, the innovation effect, making production processes and products more efficient. The cost savings that can be achieved are sufficient to overcompensate for both the compliance costs directly attributed to new regulations and the innovation costs.
This is exactly why I am thrilled when the price of gas goes up. The sooner, and higher, the better.
29
Oct 08
Petropolitics
Thomas L. Friedman writes for Foreign Policy:
The First Law of Petropolitics posits the following: The price of oil and the pace of freedom always move in opposite directions in oil-rich petrolist states. According to the First Law of Petropolitics, the higher the average global crude oil price rises, the more free speech, free press, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, and independent political parties are eroded. And these negative trends are reinforced by the fact that the higher the price goes, the less petrolist leaders are sensitive to what the world thinks or says about them. Conversely, according to the First Law of Petropolitics, the lower the price of oil, the more petrolist countries are forced to move toward a political system and a society that is more transparent, more sensitive to opposition voices, and more focused on building the legal and educational structures that will maximize their people’s ability, both men’s and women’s, to compete, start new companies, and attract investments from abroad. The lower the price of crude oil falls, the more petrolist leaders are sensitive to what outside forces think of them.
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