This Week’s Top Eco Stories

President Obama

by Lindsay E. Brown

An Oil Minister, Plugging Renewables?

You bet. Stranger things have happened. Saudi oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, distanced himself from the politicians and oil execs who persist in challenging the science behind global warming. In a speech on Monday in London, he gave a huge plug to solar energy.  “Greenhouse gas emissions and global warming are among humanity’s most pressing concerns.”

On Keystone XL, Mainstream Media Displays Major Bias Towards Oil Industry

I don’t know about you, but I find this news to be shocking (Joking!). Mainstream media is playing favorites, inaccurately parroting the oil industry’s arguments on employment figures which is an argument that has been dispelled, time and time again. (We reported on this last week.) The graphics in this article are, shall we say, disturbing to say the least.

Dow and Monsanto Team Up on the Mother of All Herbicide Marketing Plans

This past December, the USDA took steps toward approving a new variety of corn engineered by Dow AgroSciences that would survive being sprayed by the herbicide 2, 4-D. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this chemical may be a carcinogen, causes neurotoxicity, reproductive problems, and immunosuppression. Pesticides like this one aren’t just harmful to humans, the’re responsible for the disappearance of honey bees worldwide, as we recently addressed.

Warmer Winters Uproot Garden Planting Map. Could It Be… Climate Change?

The newly-released “Hardiness Zone” chart from the USDA shows the impact of warming across the country. But how much of these changes are due to climate change? Find out!

Renewables From Vestas to Suntech Plan Profit Without Subsidy

In 2010, electricity generation from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion compared with just $157 billion from natural gas, oil and coal, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. But much of this progress is happening in Europe. “In the U.S. the wind industry is threatened by the loss of a tax credit which expires at the end of this year. Vestas has said it may fire 1,600 U.S. workers if the credit isn’t renewed, and President Obama in his State of the Union Speech on Jan. 24 urged Congress to “pass clean-energy tax credits.”

Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom Gets Oscar Nod

A powerful documentary which captures the Japanese experience of the 2011 tsunami. Survivors turn to the annual cherry blossom season for hope. We’ll be crossing our fingers for this film!

 

Originally published at LauraTurnerSeydel.com