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Archive for the ‘Carbon’ Category

Carbon taxes, cash for clunkers, and the tragedy of the commons

Posted in Carbon, Policy, Science and society, Sustainable living, tagged , on December 9, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Question: what do Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, ‘eco-nomics’ pundit David McWilliams, and the Nobel Prize committee have in common? Answer: a growing realisation of the need to factor the environment into the economy. Lenihan’s budget today will at last introduce a carbon tax and, with it, the principle of ‘the polluter pays’. US economist Elinor [...]

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The future of motors in general?

Posted in Carbon, Policy, Sustainable living, Transport on June 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

We’ve been watching a car crash unfold here over the last few days, as the future of General Motors was decided.  Or at least, the short-term future. I’m posting this from southern Ontario, where in fairness thousands of jobs currently depend on the American auto industry. As it happens, this is also the homeland of [...]

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Earth hour 2009, the LHC and greening your electricity

Posted in Carbon, Sustainable living, electricity on March 10, 2009 | 1 Comment »

We can’t all install a wind turbine at the bottom of the garden, yet simply changing when we use electricity can make our power consumption greener. Some years ago, making a science programme for RTE radio, I was let into the inner sanctum where skilled engineers control the Ireland’s electrcity supply to meet the constant [...]

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Who do you buy your electricity from?

Posted in Carbon, electricity on October 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Veteran environment journalist Fred Pearce has started a new Green Wash column at The Guardian. His opening salvo examines the question of green electricity supply, and green energy tariffs — the scheme that lets British energy customers pay a premium for green energy. But, as Pearce reveals, there is no guarantee that the extra money [...]

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What’s green, and earning money?

Posted in Carbon, Sustainable living, Tourism, electricity on September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Expect to hear more about the Danish island of Samsø which, thanks to a massive community effort over the past decade, is now self-sufficient in renewable energy. The 4,000 inhabitants spent €54 million (raised in local taxes and investment), to install nearly a dozen wind turbines on land, and the same again offshore, plus banks [...]

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Do you count your carbon?

Posted in Carbon, Food, Sustainable living on September 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

If you knew a product’s carbon footprint, would it influence what you buy? Could carbon-labelling help reduce a country’s greenhouse gas emissions? Tesco and other British high street multiples are introducing carbon labelling on selected products, and the Japanese government recently announced something similar. But, I’m not convinced that this carbon labelling will work. First, [...]

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