How soil carbon sequestration can affect global warming
You gotta love that word SEQUESTRATION - I hope to use it one day in scrabble game
The tricky issue here is to wrap your head around defining the time scale on what carbon capture works - surely wetlands full of peat and bogs are next millinea's low grade coal deposit - I guess this a good argument against draining swamps and preventing fires in peaty environments -
Whether or not you believe that the world is experiencing global warming, many officials and policymakers have made the topic of global warming known for years. Global warming, in essence, is linked to the overabundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Much in the way the glass of a traditional greenhouse traps the sun's heat so plants inside can grow, certain gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and methane - byproducts of both natural and industrial applications - trap the sun's heat and warm up the planet.
To survive, a certain level of the greenhouse effect needs to take place naturally, otherwise the Earth's temperature would be below freezing and life as we know it would be impossible. However, when the greenhouse effect becomes too intense, according to scientists, the Earth's temperature grows warmer and a domino effect of circumstances may arise. These may include everything from melting of polar ice caps to a rise in sea level to aboveaverage temperatures across the board. As a result, many people are continually looking for ways to help reduce this potentially damaging situation. Soil carbon sequestration may help.
What is carbon sequestration?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), terrestrial carbon sequestration is the process through which carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is absorbed by trees, plants and crops through photosynthesis and stored as carbon in biomass (tree trunks, branches, foliage and roots) and soils. Farms and other agricultural businesses contribute to greenhouse gases in two ways. First, certain agricultural applications such as harvesting forestry for wood and paper production removes acres upon acres of trees that would normally "consume" CO2. Second, equipment, harvesting and fertilizing processes, and other means of operation can contribute to greenhouse gas production in itself. Through soil sequestration, agriculture can offset the production of CO2 by taking measures to balance or reduce it in the hope of preventing climate change.
How is carbon sequestration
achieved?
According to the EPA, there are three general means by which agricultural and forestry practices can reduce greenhouse gases:
1. Avoiding emissions by maintaining existing carbon storage in trees and soils;
2. Increasing carbon storage by tree planting or converting from conventional to conservation tillage practices on agricultural lands;
3. Substituting bio-based fuels and products for fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and energy-intensive products that generate greater quantities of CO2 when used.
Sequestration results vary among plant species and soil. Additionally, sequestration can eventually reach a saturation point in soil that has regained the levels of carbon and organic matter or when trees or plants reach maturity. However, regular maintenance of plants can help ensure that carbon is not lost to the atmosphere once again.
Can improvement be
measured?
Yes. According to studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is estimated that about 100 billion metric tons of carbon over the next 50 years could be sequestered through forest preservation, tree planting and improved agricultural management. This would offset 10 to 20 percent of the world's projected fossil fuel emissions. There are many methods to measure the changes in carbon in aboveground and below-ground biomass, soils and wood products. Statistical sampling, computer modeling and remote sensing can be used to estimate carbon sequestration and emission sources at the global, national and local levels.
What are the other
benefits?
In addition to moderating climate changes, carbon sequestration can improve general quality of life in the soil, air, and water and with regard to wildlife. It improves the quality of both the habitats and the creatures that sustain in these habitats.
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
The climate link to big fires :: ABC Canberra
The climate link to big fires ::
BUT could it be due to El Nino, ENSO, IPO, SAM, IOD ? This story is just another excuse to blame manmade GHGs. The cumulative effects of the natural variations far outway the anthropogenic inputs, but the IPCC won't tell us this - of course
With recent big fires, there has been much talk about a possible link between climate change and the extent and magnitude of bushfires. Has the drought been to blame for a build up of fuels? Would big fires be brought under control more readily with natural and more regular rainfall?
Dr Nicholls is Professorial Fellow for the School of Geography and Environmental Science at Monash University, Lead Author of the Chapter "Understanding and attributing climate change" of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment and a former member of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre."The world has warmed," warned Dr Nicholls, "and has warmed considerably in the last 150 years and particularly in the last 50 years."Graphs illustrated the observed temperature, a line which curved sharply upwards towards the end of the last century, a blue band represented the climate model as calculated when only natural forces, such as changes in solar conditions, volcanic and cloud activity were introduced. This band stayed fairly level over the timeline. Finally, a red band was shown as the predicted model when anthropogenic forces were introduced, which rose in tandem with the actual observed temperature data.
There is a strong relationship between climate variations and area burnt in fires
What does this mean for fires? Preliminary research on Tasmania Dr Nicholls has conducted in co-operation with the Bureau of Meteorology as a part of the Bushfire CRC shows the relationship between rainfall and temperature variations and the area of land burnt in a fire. This data showed that since 1950 there has been a general trend for a reduction in rainfall to lead to larger areas being burnt if you have a dry October to March and less area burnt during times of year when the rainfall has been increasing. "There is a strong relationship between climate variations and area burnt in fires." Data presented also shows a trend in Victoria that the warmer the year, the greater the area burnt. Dr Nicholls has also concluded from his research that dryer conditions earlier in the year correlates to and earlier start to the bushfire season."In the last 10 years the situation has changed," he said, "because temperatures have increased, it appears to mean that fires are starting earlier no matter what the rainfall is."So what does this mean for the future? According to the IPCC predictions, Australia is expected to experience a slight rise in temperature over the next twenty to twenty five years from two degrees up to four and a half degrees dependant of the levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC also predicts that changes in precipitation levels will result in an increase in the area of damage, and warmer temperatures will mean a much longer bushfire season as indicated by the Tasmanian and Victorian data.In conclusion, Dr Nicholls stated, "Every drought seems to be hotter than the last drought and that has to have implications to fuel management and fuel reduction, as well as to fire response"
What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the guestbook
BUT could it be due to El Nino, ENSO, IPO, SAM, IOD ? This story is just another excuse to blame manmade GHGs. The cumulative effects of the natural variations far outway the anthropogenic inputs, but the IPCC won't tell us this - of course
With recent big fires, there has been much talk about a possible link between climate change and the extent and magnitude of bushfires. Has the drought been to blame for a build up of fuels? Would big fires be brought under control more readily with natural and more regular rainfall?
Dr Nicholls is Professorial Fellow for the School of Geography and Environmental Science at Monash University, Lead Author of the Chapter "Understanding and attributing climate change" of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment and a former member of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre."The world has warmed," warned Dr Nicholls, "and has warmed considerably in the last 150 years and particularly in the last 50 years."Graphs illustrated the observed temperature, a line which curved sharply upwards towards the end of the last century, a blue band represented the climate model as calculated when only natural forces, such as changes in solar conditions, volcanic and cloud activity were introduced. This band stayed fairly level over the timeline. Finally, a red band was shown as the predicted model when anthropogenic forces were introduced, which rose in tandem with the actual observed temperature data.
There is a strong relationship between climate variations and area burnt in fires
What does this mean for fires? Preliminary research on Tasmania Dr Nicholls has conducted in co-operation with the Bureau of Meteorology as a part of the Bushfire CRC shows the relationship between rainfall and temperature variations and the area of land burnt in a fire. This data showed that since 1950 there has been a general trend for a reduction in rainfall to lead to larger areas being burnt if you have a dry October to March and less area burnt during times of year when the rainfall has been increasing. "There is a strong relationship between climate variations and area burnt in fires." Data presented also shows a trend in Victoria that the warmer the year, the greater the area burnt. Dr Nicholls has also concluded from his research that dryer conditions earlier in the year correlates to and earlier start to the bushfire season."In the last 10 years the situation has changed," he said, "because temperatures have increased, it appears to mean that fires are starting earlier no matter what the rainfall is."So what does this mean for the future? According to the IPCC predictions, Australia is expected to experience a slight rise in temperature over the next twenty to twenty five years from two degrees up to four and a half degrees dependant of the levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC also predicts that changes in precipitation levels will result in an increase in the area of damage, and warmer temperatures will mean a much longer bushfire season as indicated by the Tasmanian and Victorian data.In conclusion, Dr Nicholls stated, "Every drought seems to be hotter than the last drought and that has to have implications to fuel management and fuel reduction, as well as to fire response"
What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the guestbook
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Winter 'second warmest on record'
Winter 'second warmest on record'
common guys -- the records only go back 93 years
The UK has experienced its second warmest winter on record, with a mean temperature of 5.47C (41.8F), provisional Met Office figures show.
In southern England, the winter warmth set a new high, reaching 6.53C (43.8F), beating 6.49C (43.7F) in 1989-90.
All three winter months saw above average temperatures, and January also recorded its second highest UK-wide temperature, reaching 6.0C (43F).
The Met Office's UK national record series date back to 1914.
The warmest winter on record was in 1988-89, when the mean temperature was 5.82C (42.5F).
Climate signal
One of the data series used to compile the UK temperature figures is the Central England Temperature Record (CET) record, which is the world's oldest continuous dataset for temperature, stretching back to January 1659.
The CET had recorded a mean temperature of 11.22C (52.20F) for the 12-month period from March 2006 to the end of February 2007, which was the warmest year-long period on record.
"It is very carefully monitored and statistically handled so you can compare yesterday with 348 years ago," said Met Office meteorologist Wayne Elliott. "Therefore it is a good measure of changes to the climate."
The Met Office's figures for the UK from the beginning of December to the end of February showed that the winter had not only been warmer, but also wetter than average.
This matched the sort of conditions that the UK was expected to experience as a result of climate change, Mr Elliott said.
UK'S FIVE WARMEST YEARS
Annual mean temperatures:
2006 - 9.73C (49.5F)
2003 - 9.51C (49.12F)
2004 - 9.48C (49.1F)
2002 - 9.48C (49.1F)
2005 - 9.46C (49.0F)
(Source: UK Met Office)
"It is consistent with the climate change message," he told BBC News. "It is exactly what we expect winters to be like - warmer and wetter, and dryer and hotter summers."
However, he warned that these figures could not alone be used as evidence of the impact of human activity on the climate but said that the "warming trend caused by humans is emerging from the natural variability."
"The fact that the five warmest years on record are the five past years is interesting, but we cannot add anything more to that at the moment," he observed.
"But the winter we have just seen is consistent with the type of weather we expect to see more and more in the future."
common guys -- the records only go back 93 years
The UK has experienced its second warmest winter on record, with a mean temperature of 5.47C (41.8F), provisional Met Office figures show.
In southern England, the winter warmth set a new high, reaching 6.53C (43.8F), beating 6.49C (43.7F) in 1989-90.
All three winter months saw above average temperatures, and January also recorded its second highest UK-wide temperature, reaching 6.0C (43F).
The Met Office's UK national record series date back to 1914.
The warmest winter on record was in 1988-89, when the mean temperature was 5.82C (42.5F).
Climate signal
One of the data series used to compile the UK temperature figures is the Central England Temperature Record (CET) record, which is the world's oldest continuous dataset for temperature, stretching back to January 1659.
The CET had recorded a mean temperature of 11.22C (52.20F) for the 12-month period from March 2006 to the end of February 2007, which was the warmest year-long period on record.
"It is very carefully monitored and statistically handled so you can compare yesterday with 348 years ago," said Met Office meteorologist Wayne Elliott. "Therefore it is a good measure of changes to the climate."
The Met Office's figures for the UK from the beginning of December to the end of February showed that the winter had not only been warmer, but also wetter than average.
This matched the sort of conditions that the UK was expected to experience as a result of climate change, Mr Elliott said.
UK'S FIVE WARMEST YEARS
Annual mean temperatures:
2006 - 9.73C (49.5F)
2003 - 9.51C (49.12F)
2004 - 9.48C (49.1F)
2002 - 9.48C (49.1F)
2005 - 9.46C (49.0F)
(Source: UK Met Office)
"It is consistent with the climate change message," he told BBC News. "It is exactly what we expect winters to be like - warmer and wetter, and dryer and hotter summers."
However, he warned that these figures could not alone be used as evidence of the impact of human activity on the climate but said that the "warming trend caused by humans is emerging from the natural variability."
"The fact that the five warmest years on record are the five past years is interesting, but we cannot add anything more to that at the moment," he observed.
"But the winter we have just seen is consistent with the type of weather we expect to see more and more in the future."
Businessmen vie for Australia's first nuke plant | The Daily Telegraph
Businessmen vie for Australia's first nuke plant
If anybody in Oz can get a nuke power plant happening it would have to be Huge Organ and his buddies Rob and Ron -- good luck guys!
THREE of Australia's richest men have formed a private company to set up the first nuclear power plant in the country, with South Australia and Victoria identified as potential locations.
Former SA Economic Development Board chairman Robert de Crespigny and business identities Hugh Morgan and Ron Walker are the key shareholders of a company called Australian Nuclear Energy Pty Ltd.
Mr Morgan, the former head of previous Olympic Dam uranium mine owner Western Mining, is chairman of the venture and owns 20 per cent of the company.
Mr de Crespigny and his close friend Mr Walker each hold 40 per cent stakes in the business.
The trio are examining the viability of setting up a nuclear plant at sites in South Australia or Victoria. A source close to the business partners said the company had raised its plans with the Federal Government and the Rann and Bracks governments.
The company is also talking to the US-based General Electric company which is the world's largest supplier of nuclear generation equipment.
"The company was formed to investigate the feasibility of setting up a nuclear plant in Victoria," the source said.
"Informal discussions have been held with the Federal Government and the South Australian and Victorian state governments."
The high-powered business push for a nuclear plant comes at a sensitive time for the Federal Government as it examines the recommendations of the Switkowski Report. Earlier this month the state Labor premiers warned the Howard Government it should temper its support for nuclear power generation. "The (premiers) call on the Prime Minister to provide assurances that federal powers will not be used to impose nuclear power stations or waste dumps on the states and territories," the state premiers said on February 8. South Australian Premier Mike Rannn ruled out nuclear power for South Australia while he was on watch. "A nuclear power station costing a couple of billion dollars would not be either financially or economically viable given our population size," he said. "SA is already leading the nation in renewable energy such as wind power." The Rann Government successfully fought off a Federal Government bid to place a low-level radioactive waste dump in the state's Outback in 2004. The De Crespigny proposal could put Mr Rann in a difficult political position, with the former EDB boss a key architect of bureaucratic and funding changes which are driving a mining exploration boom in the state. He was also a member of the State Government cabinet executive committee. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks vowed in December to put any proposal for a nuclear plant to a referendum. In December the Federal Government's expert review of the potential for nuclear power generation headed by former Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski, recommended Australia could have 25 nuclear plants by 2050. Dr Switkowski said the first reactor could be operating within 10 years. A study published last month by the Australia Institute identified the South-East, the upper Spencer Gulf or Port Adelaide as potential SA sites for nuclear plants. The sites flagged as best suited were Mt Gambier or Millicent, Port Adelaide, and Port Pirie or Port Augusta. South Australia has been the epicentre of a uranium exploration boom in Australia, with more than 50 companies now searching for yellowcake in the state. Australia's first nuclear reactor, at Lucas Heights near Sydney was shut down last month after 50 years in operation. The experimental facility is being replaced by a $350 million reactor to be commissioned this year.
If anybody in Oz can get a nuke power plant happening it would have to be Huge Organ and his buddies Rob and Ron -- good luck guys!
THREE of Australia's richest men have formed a private company to set up the first nuclear power plant in the country, with South Australia and Victoria identified as potential locations.
Former SA Economic Development Board chairman Robert de Crespigny and business identities Hugh Morgan and Ron Walker are the key shareholders of a company called Australian Nuclear Energy Pty Ltd.
Mr Morgan, the former head of previous Olympic Dam uranium mine owner Western Mining, is chairman of the venture and owns 20 per cent of the company.
Mr de Crespigny and his close friend Mr Walker each hold 40 per cent stakes in the business.
The trio are examining the viability of setting up a nuclear plant at sites in South Australia or Victoria. A source close to the business partners said the company had raised its plans with the Federal Government and the Rann and Bracks governments.
The company is also talking to the US-based General Electric company which is the world's largest supplier of nuclear generation equipment.
"The company was formed to investigate the feasibility of setting up a nuclear plant in Victoria," the source said.
"Informal discussions have been held with the Federal Government and the South Australian and Victorian state governments."
The high-powered business push for a nuclear plant comes at a sensitive time for the Federal Government as it examines the recommendations of the Switkowski Report. Earlier this month the state Labor premiers warned the Howard Government it should temper its support for nuclear power generation. "The (premiers) call on the Prime Minister to provide assurances that federal powers will not be used to impose nuclear power stations or waste dumps on the states and territories," the state premiers said on February 8. South Australian Premier Mike Rannn ruled out nuclear power for South Australia while he was on watch. "A nuclear power station costing a couple of billion dollars would not be either financially or economically viable given our population size," he said. "SA is already leading the nation in renewable energy such as wind power." The Rann Government successfully fought off a Federal Government bid to place a low-level radioactive waste dump in the state's Outback in 2004. The De Crespigny proposal could put Mr Rann in a difficult political position, with the former EDB boss a key architect of bureaucratic and funding changes which are driving a mining exploration boom in the state. He was also a member of the State Government cabinet executive committee. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks vowed in December to put any proposal for a nuclear plant to a referendum. In December the Federal Government's expert review of the potential for nuclear power generation headed by former Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski, recommended Australia could have 25 nuclear plants by 2050. Dr Switkowski said the first reactor could be operating within 10 years. A study published last month by the Australia Institute identified the South-East, the upper Spencer Gulf or Port Adelaide as potential SA sites for nuclear plants. The sites flagged as best suited were Mt Gambier or Millicent, Port Adelaide, and Port Pirie or Port Augusta. South Australia has been the epicentre of a uranium exploration boom in Australia, with more than 50 companies now searching for yellowcake in the state. Australia's first nuclear reactor, at Lucas Heights near Sydney was shut down last month after 50 years in operation. The experimental facility is being replaced by a $350 million reactor to be commissioned this year.
egoli - News & Views
Paladin makes $1bn bid for Summit
What a difference 10 years makes - when Summit pegged these leases , nobody wanted to know about uranium -- now they are a billion dollar asset - well done Alan
Paladin Resources Limited (PDN) today announced a takeover bid for Summit Resources Limited (SMM). The offer comprises one fully paid ordinary Paladin share for every 2.04 fully paid ordinary Summit shares, implying a price of $5.12 per Summit share based on recent trading levels.
AdvertisementThe uranium miner said the offer values Summit at approximately $1.01 billion and represents a premium of approximately 34% to the volume weighted average price for Summit shares over the last 10 trading days. Summit managing director Alan Eggers today said the company would carefully consider Paladin’s bidder’s statement before providing a formal response. He said the company’s board would convene shortly after it receives the bid documentation. “This offer is not unexpected and, in my opinion, is designed to capture value that will otherwise flow to Summit’s shareholders. We will be communicating more fully about this with our shareholders shortly,” he added. "At this stage shareholders should take no action, ignore all communication from Paladin and await our further advice." Summit is a Western Australia based exploration company with interests in uranium, copper, gold, phosphate and iron ore exploration projects in northwest Queensland. The most advanced project in Summit’s portfolio is the Valhalla uranium deposit situated near Mount Isa. The deposit is part of the Isa Uranium Joint Venture Agreement, of which Summit is manager and holder of a 50% interest with Paladin holding the remaining 50%. Paladin said the proposed takeover represents a significant step forward in its growth strategy. “By accepting the offer, Summit shareholders will become shareholders in a uranium producing company which enjoys excellent exposure to current strong uranium pricing,” the company concluded. At 1450 AEDT, shares in Paladin Resources were 25c lower at $10.05, while shares in Summit Resources were up $1.08 or 27% at $5.08.
What a difference 10 years makes - when Summit pegged these leases , nobody wanted to know about uranium -- now they are a billion dollar asset - well done Alan
Paladin Resources Limited (PDN) today announced a takeover bid for Summit Resources Limited (SMM). The offer comprises one fully paid ordinary Paladin share for every 2.04 fully paid ordinary Summit shares, implying a price of $5.12 per Summit share based on recent trading levels.
AdvertisementThe uranium miner said the offer values Summit at approximately $1.01 billion and represents a premium of approximately 34% to the volume weighted average price for Summit shares over the last 10 trading days. Summit managing director Alan Eggers today said the company would carefully consider Paladin’s bidder’s statement before providing a formal response. He said the company’s board would convene shortly after it receives the bid documentation. “This offer is not unexpected and, in my opinion, is designed to capture value that will otherwise flow to Summit’s shareholders. We will be communicating more fully about this with our shareholders shortly,” he added. "At this stage shareholders should take no action, ignore all communication from Paladin and await our further advice." Summit is a Western Australia based exploration company with interests in uranium, copper, gold, phosphate and iron ore exploration projects in northwest Queensland. The most advanced project in Summit’s portfolio is the Valhalla uranium deposit situated near Mount Isa. The deposit is part of the Isa Uranium Joint Venture Agreement, of which Summit is manager and holder of a 50% interest with Paladin holding the remaining 50%. Paladin said the proposed takeover represents a significant step forward in its growth strategy. “By accepting the offer, Summit shareholders will become shareholders in a uranium producing company which enjoys excellent exposure to current strong uranium pricing,” the company concluded. At 1450 AEDT, shares in Paladin Resources were 25c lower at $10.05, while shares in Summit Resources were up $1.08 or 27% at $5.08.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Venezuela to seize foreign oil projects - Yahoo! News
Venezuela to seize foreign oil projects -
Go Hugo Go -- to hell ?
The Boys @ Langley VaHQ must be getting twitchy
CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered by decree on Monday the takeover of oil projects run by foreign oil companies in Venezuela's Orinoco River region.
Chavez had previously announced the government's intention to take a majority stake by May 1 in four heavy oil-upgrading projects run by British Petroleum PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., Total SA and Statoil ASA.
He said Monday that has decreed a law to proceed with the nationalizations that will see state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, taking at least a 60 percent stake in the projects.
"The privatization of oil in Venezuela has come to an end," he said on his weekday radio show, "Hello, President." "This marks the true nationalization of oil in Venezuela."
By May 1, "we will occupy these fields" and have the national flag flying on them, he said.
The law is expected to be published shortly in the government's official gazette, and the companies will have four months from then to negotiate terms and conditions with PDVSA to decide whether they will take part in new joint ventures as minority partners, Chavez said.
Chavez did not detail how the government will pay for its increased share in the projects in which the companies are estimated to have invested some $17 billion.
The government has compensated companies reasonably in recent weeks for nationalizations it has carried out in other sectors, but those agreements were for assets valued far less than the oil projects.
The Orinoco projects are the only oil-producing operations in the country remaining under private control, which Chavez called "disgraceful."
But he added that Venezuela doesn't "want the companies to go ... We just want them to be (minority) partners."
Private companies pumping oil elsewhere in Venezuela submitted to state-controlled joint ventures last year, and few resisted because they were reluctant to abandon Venezuela, which has the largest oil deposits outside of the Middle East.
Chavez has been given special powers by congress for 18 months to issue laws by decree in energy and other areas, which he has used to nationalize the country's biggest telecommunications company and electricity company in recent days.
Chavez has justified the nationalizations as necessary to give the government control of sectors "strategic" to Venezuela's interests
Go Hugo Go -- to hell ?
The Boys @ Langley VaHQ must be getting twitchy
CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered by decree on Monday the takeover of oil projects run by foreign oil companies in Venezuela's Orinoco River region.
Chavez had previously announced the government's intention to take a majority stake by May 1 in four heavy oil-upgrading projects run by British Petroleum PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., Total SA and Statoil ASA.
He said Monday that has decreed a law to proceed with the nationalizations that will see state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, taking at least a 60 percent stake in the projects.
"The privatization of oil in Venezuela has come to an end," he said on his weekday radio show, "Hello, President." "This marks the true nationalization of oil in Venezuela."
By May 1, "we will occupy these fields" and have the national flag flying on them, he said.
The law is expected to be published shortly in the government's official gazette, and the companies will have four months from then to negotiate terms and conditions with PDVSA to decide whether they will take part in new joint ventures as minority partners, Chavez said.
Chavez did not detail how the government will pay for its increased share in the projects in which the companies are estimated to have invested some $17 billion.
The government has compensated companies reasonably in recent weeks for nationalizations it has carried out in other sectors, but those agreements were for assets valued far less than the oil projects.
The Orinoco projects are the only oil-producing operations in the country remaining under private control, which Chavez called "disgraceful."
But he added that Venezuela doesn't "want the companies to go ... We just want them to be (minority) partners."
Private companies pumping oil elsewhere in Venezuela submitted to state-controlled joint ventures last year, and few resisted because they were reluctant to abandon Venezuela, which has the largest oil deposits outside of the Middle East.
Chavez has been given special powers by congress for 18 months to issue laws by decree in energy and other areas, which he has used to nationalize the country's biggest telecommunications company and electricity company in recent days.
Chavez has justified the nationalizations as necessary to give the government control of sectors "strategic" to Venezuela's interests
BBC NEWS | UK | Drivers face new phone penalties
Drivers face new phone penalties
HOW ABOUT ? smoke a cigarette, drink a coffee, shake your fist at another driver and punch a destination into your GARMIN, turn left .... and make a call at the same time -- yep these drivers are out there
location based services
Motorists who use hand-held mobile phones while driving will now face tougher penalties.
The maximum fixed penalty fine has doubled to £60, and three points can be added to offenders' licences.
Motorists will also be prosecuted for using a hands-free phone if they are not in control of their vehicle.
Transport minister Dr Stephen Ladyman said those who flouted the law were "selfishly" endangering others, but a drivers' group criticised the move.
'Robustly enforce'
In 2005, 13 deaths and 400 injuries were blamed on drivers using hand-held mobile phones.
The Department for Transport says 21% of drivers admit breaking the law, introduced in December 2003.
Road safety minister Dr Ladyman said the new penalties would be combined with a "hard-hitting" television campaign.
He added: "There are many things motorists can do to ensure they are safe and responsible drivers.
"I am clear that we must continue to educate and encourage motorists about how to achieve this, as well as robustly enforce the law to discourage those that think it is OK to break it."
A recent survey commissioned by Direct Line suggested one million people in the UK were flouting the law at any one time, with drivers in Cardiff, Newcastle and Southampton the worst offenders.
There are quite a lot of people out there who are perfectly capable of holding a conversation on a mobile phone
Nigel HumphriesAssociation of British Drivers
Inspector Douglas Kirkham, from Lothian and Borders Road Policing Branch, warned drivers should not assume they were immune from prosecution if they were using a hands-free or Bluetooth kit.
He said: "If while making or having a conversation, even if you're using a Bluetooth, you are not in proper control of your vehicle, then an offence has still been committed."
But Nigel Humphries, from the Association of British Drivers, argreed people whose driving is affected by mobile phone use should be prosecuted.
But he argued those who could use a phone in a responsible way should be free to do so.
He said: "There are quite a lot of people out there who are perfectly capable of holding a conversation on a mobile phone while the driving comes first.
"That's why you need the police to be concentrating on the people who clearly aren't doing that, and they're obvious if you're driving along."
The maximum fine rises to £1,000 if the police or the driver choose to take a case to court rather than use a fixed-penalty notice, rising to £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches.
HOW ABOUT ? smoke a cigarette, drink a coffee, shake your fist at another driver and punch a destination into your GARMIN, turn left .... and make a call at the same time -- yep these drivers are out there
location based services
Motorists who use hand-held mobile phones while driving will now face tougher penalties.
The maximum fixed penalty fine has doubled to £60, and three points can be added to offenders' licences.
Motorists will also be prosecuted for using a hands-free phone if they are not in control of their vehicle.
Transport minister Dr Stephen Ladyman said those who flouted the law were "selfishly" endangering others, but a drivers' group criticised the move.
'Robustly enforce'
In 2005, 13 deaths and 400 injuries were blamed on drivers using hand-held mobile phones.
The Department for Transport says 21% of drivers admit breaking the law, introduced in December 2003.
Road safety minister Dr Ladyman said the new penalties would be combined with a "hard-hitting" television campaign.
He added: "There are many things motorists can do to ensure they are safe and responsible drivers.
"I am clear that we must continue to educate and encourage motorists about how to achieve this, as well as robustly enforce the law to discourage those that think it is OK to break it."
A recent survey commissioned by Direct Line suggested one million people in the UK were flouting the law at any one time, with drivers in Cardiff, Newcastle and Southampton the worst offenders.
There are quite a lot of people out there who are perfectly capable of holding a conversation on a mobile phone
Nigel HumphriesAssociation of British Drivers
Inspector Douglas Kirkham, from Lothian and Borders Road Policing Branch, warned drivers should not assume they were immune from prosecution if they were using a hands-free or Bluetooth kit.
He said: "If while making or having a conversation, even if you're using a Bluetooth, you are not in proper control of your vehicle, then an offence has still been committed."
But Nigel Humphries, from the Association of British Drivers, argreed people whose driving is affected by mobile phone use should be prosecuted.
But he argued those who could use a phone in a responsible way should be free to do so.
He said: "There are quite a lot of people out there who are perfectly capable of holding a conversation on a mobile phone while the driving comes first.
"That's why you need the police to be concentrating on the people who clearly aren't doing that, and they're obvious if you're driving along."
The maximum fine rises to £1,000 if the police or the driver choose to take a case to court rather than use a fixed-penalty notice, rising to £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches.
EU Sues Germany Over Broadband Limits
EU Sues Germany Over Broadband Limits
no speed limits on the autobahn .. but on the info-highway --- VERBOTEN!!
location based services
(AP) -- The European Commission said Monday it was suing Germany over a law allowing Deutsche Telekom AG to keep rivals off its high-speed Internet networks.
EU spokesman Martin Selmayr told reporters that a letter "of formal notice" was sent to Berlin after it ignored repeated warnings not to adopt legislation that could grant Deutsche Telekom a de-facto monopoly on a new broadband network. The German parliament on Friday passed the telecommunications law, exempting Deutsche Telekom's high-speed network from regulation and demands to open up its network to competitors, at least for now. Under legal procedures, the German government has been given 15 days to answer the legal notice issued by the commission. "I regret that Germany has chosen to ignore the commission's concerns about this new telecom law despite several clear warnings from the commission," said Viviane Reding, EU commissioner in charge of telecommunications issues. She said the German law is "an attempt to stifle competition in a crucial sector of the economy, and in violation of the EU telecom rules in place since 2002." Selmayr added the EU intends to take the case to the EU's court of justice. Monday's move comes in a long-standing battle between Brussels and Berlin over EU claims Deutsche Telekom is working to keep competitors off its broadband network, which it has to open up to others under EU rules.
The former German state-owned telephone company plans to roll out a high-speed optical fiber network that will transmit data up to 20 times faster than current offerings. The plan is to provide Germany's 50 largest cities with high-speed broadband lines by 2007. Berlin had agreed with Deutsche Telekom's argument that it could only make a decent profit on the network if it was exempt from any requirement to offer its lines to rivals. The Commission called the arrangement unfair and threatened to sue unless changes were made. Reding and EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes had last October sent a letter to German Economy Minister Michael Glos arguing against the German law, saying it would violate EU rules. "The German law, as now adopted, jeopardizes the competitive position of Deutsche Telekom's existing competitors and makes it much harder for new competitors to enter German markets," the commission said in a statement. It added that the company controls access of over 9 million telephone lines out of 12.9 million lines in Germany.
no speed limits on the autobahn .. but on the info-highway --- VERBOTEN!!
location based services
(AP) -- The European Commission said Monday it was suing Germany over a law allowing Deutsche Telekom AG to keep rivals off its high-speed Internet networks.
EU spokesman Martin Selmayr told reporters that a letter "of formal notice" was sent to Berlin after it ignored repeated warnings not to adopt legislation that could grant Deutsche Telekom a de-facto monopoly on a new broadband network. The German parliament on Friday passed the telecommunications law, exempting Deutsche Telekom's high-speed network from regulation and demands to open up its network to competitors, at least for now. Under legal procedures, the German government has been given 15 days to answer the legal notice issued by the commission. "I regret that Germany has chosen to ignore the commission's concerns about this new telecom law despite several clear warnings from the commission," said Viviane Reding, EU commissioner in charge of telecommunications issues. She said the German law is "an attempt to stifle competition in a crucial sector of the economy, and in violation of the EU telecom rules in place since 2002." Selmayr added the EU intends to take the case to the EU's court of justice. Monday's move comes in a long-standing battle between Brussels and Berlin over EU claims Deutsche Telekom is working to keep competitors off its broadband network, which it has to open up to others under EU rules.
The former German state-owned telephone company plans to roll out a high-speed optical fiber network that will transmit data up to 20 times faster than current offerings. The plan is to provide Germany's 50 largest cities with high-speed broadband lines by 2007. Berlin had agreed with Deutsche Telekom's argument that it could only make a decent profit on the network if it was exempt from any requirement to offer its lines to rivals. The Commission called the arrangement unfair and threatened to sue unless changes were made. Reding and EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes had last October sent a letter to German Economy Minister Michael Glos arguing against the German law, saying it would violate EU rules. "The German law, as now adopted, jeopardizes the competitive position of Deutsche Telekom's existing competitors and makes it much harder for new competitors to enter German markets," the commission said in a statement. It added that the company controls access of over 9 million telephone lines out of 12.9 million lines in Germany.
U.S. funds hydrogen experiment
U.S. funds hydrogen experiment
seeing the light with the lightest element?
The U.S. Energy Department has awarded a U.S. researcher a $3 million grant for a project that focuses on harnessing photoactive material from the sun.
University of Nevada-Reno professor Manoranjan Misra's project uses the sun to generate hydrogen -- one of the cleanest forms of energy that is 33 percent more efficient than liquid fuels. Northern Nevada, with more than 300 sunny days per year could become the perfect hub to generate hydrogen energy, said Misra. Misra and colleagues have created a hydrogen material that has more than a billion nanotubes, giving it excellent potential to produce hydrogen from another abundant resource -- water. Misra's small-scale hydrogen generation system at the university produces the gas through an electrochemical process from applied ultrasonic waves. "We are currently using simulated solar light in the lab," Misra said, "and we are finding our system to be a good and robust way to facilitate the movement of electrons by the incident light to produce hydrogen from water." Misra estimates by the end of this decade the system could grow to a more industrial size scale, allowing power companies to produce hydrogen that might power automobiles or homes. Copyright 2007 by United Press International
seeing the light with the lightest element?
The U.S. Energy Department has awarded a U.S. researcher a $3 million grant for a project that focuses on harnessing photoactive material from the sun.
University of Nevada-Reno professor Manoranjan Misra's project uses the sun to generate hydrogen -- one of the cleanest forms of energy that is 33 percent more efficient than liquid fuels. Northern Nevada, with more than 300 sunny days per year could become the perfect hub to generate hydrogen energy, said Misra. Misra and colleagues have created a hydrogen material that has more than a billion nanotubes, giving it excellent potential to produce hydrogen from another abundant resource -- water. Misra's small-scale hydrogen generation system at the university produces the gas through an electrochemical process from applied ultrasonic waves. "We are currently using simulated solar light in the lab," Misra said, "and we are finding our system to be a good and robust way to facilitate the movement of electrons by the incident light to produce hydrogen from water." Misra estimates by the end of this decade the system could grow to a more industrial size scale, allowing power companies to produce hydrogen that might power automobiles or homes. Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Coastal Brits Fret About Climate Change
Coastal Brits Fret About Climate Change
AP) -- A 12-bedroom guest house, with beautiful views of the North Sea, a lighthouse and sandy beaches, sounds like prime real estate. But Cliff House is nearly worthless.
The offshore wooden barrier that once protected the sand and clay cliffs of this stretch of eastern English coast has broken apart, and the government has decided that with the expected rise in sea levels and storm surges that experts attribute to global warming, some vulnerable coastal areas are no longer worth defending.
"The next big storm could take us away," said Diana Wrightson, one of two elderly women who bought Cliff House 26 years ago, assuming the coastline would always be protected. Predictions of rising sea levels usually envision the low-lying islands of the south seas, or cyclone-prone Bangladesh, as the most vulnerable victims. But Britain is part of a growing club of rich countries whose coastal populations feel threatened. Hurricane Katrina looked to many like the shape of things to come when it devastated New Orleans in 2005. Venice is building up its defenses. Holland is rethinking its famous seawalls. The fears have grown more acute following the release this month of a report by scientists from 113 countries forecasting temperature rises of 2 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit and sea level rises of 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century. It says global warming is almost certainly man-made. Britain's own "Stern Review," a sweeping report about climate change, says unless action is taken, rising sea levels, heavier floods and more intense droughts could displace 200 million people worldwide by the middle of the century. Ronan Uhel, a top official at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, said the situation in Happisburgh shows that governments and insurance companies have finally started letting the public know that it will have to do more than buy fuel-efficient cars and better light bulbs to fight global warming. He said citizens are being shown they can't keep building homes on islands and near lowlands and coastlines, especially in vulnerable areas where it no longer makes sense to rebuild offshore barriers. In countries like Britain, "a national debate is just starting about what is an appropriate policy of adaptation to climate change," Uhel said in an interview. "People are just beginning to realize the risks of global warming and the big lifestyle changes that may be needed to brace for them." Late last year, a new law took effect in England and Wales whereby the government decides whether it makes sense, economically and environmentally, to rebuild barriers. For Happisburgh, 135 miles northeast of London, the answer was no. "Basically, whatever we do to reduce greenhouse emissions we're going to face about one meter (3.3 feet) sea level rise on the east coast of England in the next 100 years," Clive Bates, a top official at the British government's Environment Agency, told The Associated Press. "Either we won't be able to defend part of the coast, or it will be too expensive to do it. One of the most troubling issues for us is to decide where we can no longer sustain coastal defense, where we basically need to warn people to retreat," he said. Happisburgh, on the East Anglia coast, has always been vulnerable, and accounts of houses, lighthouses or farmland collapsing into the sea date back to the early 19th century. "But the rate of erosion there now is phenomenal, in excess of 10 meters (33 feet) a year, because of sea level rise, the collapse of its offshore barrier and the fact that southeastern England is sinking," Dr. David Viner, a senior scientist at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, said in an interview. Viner said sea levels are now rising about 3 millimeters a year in that area, increasing to as much as 10 millimeters a year because of global warming. A millimeter is about the thickness of a paper clip.
"These areas were previously defended, but the government is now making it clear for the first time that while it will not let economically important areas such as London flood, it will no longer defend relatively low-value areas such as Happisburgh village, where the rate of erosion will continue to increase," he said. Since 1990, when Happisburgh's offshore wooden barrier began to break apart, exposing its soft cliffs to pounding from the North Sea, about 25 bungalows have been lost to erosion in the picturesque village of 850 people. Cliff House now sits about 15 feet from the cliff and no longer accepts visitors. Wrightson and her partner have rented a home further inland. They will get no insurance payoff or government compensation for the loss of Cliff House. The Environment Agency has no overall figures for land loss, but is mapping the projected erosion risk nationally over the next 100 years. "Whatever the climate change predictions of the future, the number of residential areas that already are suffering from the impact of more erosion, higher sea levels, storm surges and increased risk of flooding are being broken every year," said Paul Van Hofwegen of the World Water Council, a think tank based in Marseille, France. Britain is already taking steps such as strengthening a barrier that prevents the River Thames from flooding riverside landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament. Meanwhile, Venice is sinking while the Adriatic Sea is rising, sometimes flooding St. Mark's Square, the most visited spot in the fabled city. In 2003 authorities approved a $5.5 billion project dubbed Moses, after the biblical figure who parted the Red Sea, to plant hinged barriers in the seabed just off Venice which can be raised when tides get too high. Low-lying Holland has waged a battle against the ocean for centuries, building a massive network of dikes and windmill-driven pumps. After a devastating 1953 flood killed 1,835 people, it launched the Delta Project, one of the world's largest engineering projects, consisting of storm surge barriers, giant sluices and dams. Now, just as the 50-year project has reached completion, fear of climate change has shifted the theory of disaster control away from blocking floodwaters to managing them. It involves selectively breaching the dikes at key pressure points to ease the destructive force and allow the water to flood unpopulated areas. --- Associated Press correspondent Arthur Max contributed to this report from Amsterdam, Netherlands. --- On the Net: http://www.happisburgh.org.uk By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
AP) -- A 12-bedroom guest house, with beautiful views of the North Sea, a lighthouse and sandy beaches, sounds like prime real estate. But Cliff House is nearly worthless.
The offshore wooden barrier that once protected the sand and clay cliffs of this stretch of eastern English coast has broken apart, and the government has decided that with the expected rise in sea levels and storm surges that experts attribute to global warming, some vulnerable coastal areas are no longer worth defending.
"The next big storm could take us away," said Diana Wrightson, one of two elderly women who bought Cliff House 26 years ago, assuming the coastline would always be protected. Predictions of rising sea levels usually envision the low-lying islands of the south seas, or cyclone-prone Bangladesh, as the most vulnerable victims. But Britain is part of a growing club of rich countries whose coastal populations feel threatened. Hurricane Katrina looked to many like the shape of things to come when it devastated New Orleans in 2005. Venice is building up its defenses. Holland is rethinking its famous seawalls. The fears have grown more acute following the release this month of a report by scientists from 113 countries forecasting temperature rises of 2 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit and sea level rises of 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century. It says global warming is almost certainly man-made. Britain's own "Stern Review," a sweeping report about climate change, says unless action is taken, rising sea levels, heavier floods and more intense droughts could displace 200 million people worldwide by the middle of the century. Ronan Uhel, a top official at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, said the situation in Happisburgh shows that governments and insurance companies have finally started letting the public know that it will have to do more than buy fuel-efficient cars and better light bulbs to fight global warming. He said citizens are being shown they can't keep building homes on islands and near lowlands and coastlines, especially in vulnerable areas where it no longer makes sense to rebuild offshore barriers. In countries like Britain, "a national debate is just starting about what is an appropriate policy of adaptation to climate change," Uhel said in an interview. "People are just beginning to realize the risks of global warming and the big lifestyle changes that may be needed to brace for them." Late last year, a new law took effect in England and Wales whereby the government decides whether it makes sense, economically and environmentally, to rebuild barriers. For Happisburgh, 135 miles northeast of London, the answer was no. "Basically, whatever we do to reduce greenhouse emissions we're going to face about one meter (3.3 feet) sea level rise on the east coast of England in the next 100 years," Clive Bates, a top official at the British government's Environment Agency, told The Associated Press. "Either we won't be able to defend part of the coast, or it will be too expensive to do it. One of the most troubling issues for us is to decide where we can no longer sustain coastal defense, where we basically need to warn people to retreat," he said. Happisburgh, on the East Anglia coast, has always been vulnerable, and accounts of houses, lighthouses or farmland collapsing into the sea date back to the early 19th century. "But the rate of erosion there now is phenomenal, in excess of 10 meters (33 feet) a year, because of sea level rise, the collapse of its offshore barrier and the fact that southeastern England is sinking," Dr. David Viner, a senior scientist at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, said in an interview. Viner said sea levels are now rising about 3 millimeters a year in that area, increasing to as much as 10 millimeters a year because of global warming. A millimeter is about the thickness of a paper clip.
"These areas were previously defended, but the government is now making it clear for the first time that while it will not let economically important areas such as London flood, it will no longer defend relatively low-value areas such as Happisburgh village, where the rate of erosion will continue to increase," he said. Since 1990, when Happisburgh's offshore wooden barrier began to break apart, exposing its soft cliffs to pounding from the North Sea, about 25 bungalows have been lost to erosion in the picturesque village of 850 people. Cliff House now sits about 15 feet from the cliff and no longer accepts visitors. Wrightson and her partner have rented a home further inland. They will get no insurance payoff or government compensation for the loss of Cliff House. The Environment Agency has no overall figures for land loss, but is mapping the projected erosion risk nationally over the next 100 years. "Whatever the climate change predictions of the future, the number of residential areas that already are suffering from the impact of more erosion, higher sea levels, storm surges and increased risk of flooding are being broken every year," said Paul Van Hofwegen of the World Water Council, a think tank based in Marseille, France. Britain is already taking steps such as strengthening a barrier that prevents the River Thames from flooding riverside landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament. Meanwhile, Venice is sinking while the Adriatic Sea is rising, sometimes flooding St. Mark's Square, the most visited spot in the fabled city. In 2003 authorities approved a $5.5 billion project dubbed Moses, after the biblical figure who parted the Red Sea, to plant hinged barriers in the seabed just off Venice which can be raised when tides get too high. Low-lying Holland has waged a battle against the ocean for centuries, building a massive network of dikes and windmill-driven pumps. After a devastating 1953 flood killed 1,835 people, it launched the Delta Project, one of the world's largest engineering projects, consisting of storm surge barriers, giant sluices and dams. Now, just as the 50-year project has reached completion, fear of climate change has shifted the theory of disaster control away from blocking floodwaters to managing them. It involves selectively breaching the dikes at key pressure points to ease the destructive force and allow the water to flood unpopulated areas. --- Associated Press correspondent Arthur Max contributed to this report from Amsterdam, Netherlands. --- On the Net: http://www.happisburgh.org.uk By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Sweden restarts nuclear reactors
Sweden restarts nuclear reactors
Two of three Swedish nuclear reactors shut down this month following minor incidents were restarted this week, the Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) said on Friday.
"Ringhals 2 and Forsmark 2 were restarted this week," SKI spokesman Anders Joerle told AFP. The Ringhals 2 reactor, on the west coast south of Gothenburg, was stopped on February 16 due to a "small leak" in its primary cooling system. The Forsmark 1 and 2 reactors, north of Stockholm on the east coast, were halted on February 3 after a fault was found in rubber panels in the Forsmark 1 reactor's housing. On Friday, Forsmark 1 was the only one of Sweden's 10 reactors that was out of service. Sweden said earlier this month that it would ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the Forsmark plant, after a slew of incidents there. Nuclear power accounts for nearly half of Sweden's electricity production. The country has shut two of its 12 nuclear reactors since 1999 as part of a plan to phase out nuclear power over the next 30 or so years, or when the reactors' lifespan expires. © 2007 AFP
Two of three Swedish nuclear reactors shut down this month following minor incidents were restarted this week, the Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) said on Friday.
"Ringhals 2 and Forsmark 2 were restarted this week," SKI spokesman Anders Joerle told AFP. The Ringhals 2 reactor, on the west coast south of Gothenburg, was stopped on February 16 due to a "small leak" in its primary cooling system. The Forsmark 1 and 2 reactors, north of Stockholm on the east coast, were halted on February 3 after a fault was found in rubber panels in the Forsmark 1 reactor's housing. On Friday, Forsmark 1 was the only one of Sweden's 10 reactors that was out of service. Sweden said earlier this month that it would ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the Forsmark plant, after a slew of incidents there. Nuclear power accounts for nearly half of Sweden's electricity production. The country has shut two of its 12 nuclear reactors since 1999 as part of a plan to phase out nuclear power over the next 30 or so years, or when the reactors' lifespan expires. © 2007 AFP
A climate-change amplifying mechanism
A climate-change amplifying mechanism
During the past ninety thousand years there were alternating hot and cold periods lasting several thousand years each which resulted in a modification of global oceanic circulation. With the help of paleoclimatic and paleooceanographic indicators, scientists at CEREGE have highlighted a feedback mechanism of ocean circulation on the climate which reinforces this heating or cooling. This mechanism relies on a close link between the circulation of the North Atlantic and the tropical hydrology of Central America.
This study, published in the February 22, 2007 edition of the review Nature, should allow us to better understand and therefore better predict the effects of climate change on oceanic circulation.
In the past, major and rapid climatic variations which took place notably during the last glacial period (Heinrich period) disturbed ocean circulation. Climatic archives (marine and lake sediment, polar ice, stalagmites) show the close relationship existing between climatic variations and oceanic circulation. Changes in oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic have influence on a planetary level by affecting, in particular, the water cycle. These changes are accompanied by a shift in the climatic equator which separates the trade wind systems of the two hemispheres: southwards during cold events and northwards during hot ones. Central America, a narrow continental strip which separates the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, plays a key role in this system. On the Atlantic side surface waters evaporate, which increases salinity. The water vapour is transferred by the trade winds to the Pacific where it is deposited as rain, thus lowering salinity there. This enormous transfer of water (several hundred thousand cubic meters per second) maintains a contrast in salinity between the two oceans. The surface waters of the tropical Atlantic are then transported, via the Gulf Stream, towards the high latitudes where they warm the atmosphere before plunging into the abysses in the convection zones situated in the seas of Norway, Greenland and Labrador. The deep waters formed by this process then flow into the world ocean, purging the North Atlantic of part of its excess salt.
The scientists at CEREGE reconstituted the variations in surface water salinity in the area where the water vapour coming from the Atlantic is deposited. To do this they worked on the measurements taken in marine sediments collected in 2002 west of the Isthmus of Panama by the French oceanographic ship the Marion Dufresne. This study shows that the cold Heinrich periods correspond to increases in salinity in the east Pacific. This is synonymous to a decrease in the transfer of water vapour. By comparing their results to other studies done in the Atlantic sector and in South America, the scientists were able to describe a feedback mechanism which amplified the climatic disturbance. During cold periods the trade winds, loaded with humidity, migrated southwards. Unable to cross the Andes part of the rain, which would normally have lowered the salinity of the East Pacific, fell in the Amazon basin. This feedback had the effect of re-injecting rainwater into the Atlantic, thereby decreasing the ocean’s salinity. This water was then transported to the higher latitudes, contributing to the weakening of deep oceanic circulation, thereby reinforcing the cooling above and around the North Atlantic. Today, the fact that global warming could disturb the water cycle and lead to a slowing down of the North Atlantic circulation is a real subject of concern. Oceanographic data from the last 50 years suggest that hydrographic changes (temperature and salinity) as well as a lessening of the flow of water transported by certain surface and deep-sea marine currents have already occurred in the North Atlantic. The risk of an even greater variation of oceanic circulation by the end of this century or the beginning of the next needs to be taken seriously and actively studied. Citation: Moisture transport across Central America as a positive feedback on abrupt climatic changes, Leduc G., Vidal L., Tachikawa K., Rostek F., Sonzogni C., Beaufort L., Bard E., Nature, 22 February 2007. Source: CNRS
During the past ninety thousand years there were alternating hot and cold periods lasting several thousand years each which resulted in a modification of global oceanic circulation. With the help of paleoclimatic and paleooceanographic indicators, scientists at CEREGE have highlighted a feedback mechanism of ocean circulation on the climate which reinforces this heating or cooling. This mechanism relies on a close link between the circulation of the North Atlantic and the tropical hydrology of Central America.
This study, published in the February 22, 2007 edition of the review Nature, should allow us to better understand and therefore better predict the effects of climate change on oceanic circulation.
In the past, major and rapid climatic variations which took place notably during the last glacial period (Heinrich period) disturbed ocean circulation. Climatic archives (marine and lake sediment, polar ice, stalagmites) show the close relationship existing between climatic variations and oceanic circulation. Changes in oceanic circulation in the North Atlantic have influence on a planetary level by affecting, in particular, the water cycle. These changes are accompanied by a shift in the climatic equator which separates the trade wind systems of the two hemispheres: southwards during cold events and northwards during hot ones. Central America, a narrow continental strip which separates the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, plays a key role in this system. On the Atlantic side surface waters evaporate, which increases salinity. The water vapour is transferred by the trade winds to the Pacific where it is deposited as rain, thus lowering salinity there. This enormous transfer of water (several hundred thousand cubic meters per second) maintains a contrast in salinity between the two oceans. The surface waters of the tropical Atlantic are then transported, via the Gulf Stream, towards the high latitudes where they warm the atmosphere before plunging into the abysses in the convection zones situated in the seas of Norway, Greenland and Labrador. The deep waters formed by this process then flow into the world ocean, purging the North Atlantic of part of its excess salt.
The scientists at CEREGE reconstituted the variations in surface water salinity in the area where the water vapour coming from the Atlantic is deposited. To do this they worked on the measurements taken in marine sediments collected in 2002 west of the Isthmus of Panama by the French oceanographic ship the Marion Dufresne. This study shows that the cold Heinrich periods correspond to increases in salinity in the east Pacific. This is synonymous to a decrease in the transfer of water vapour. By comparing their results to other studies done in the Atlantic sector and in South America, the scientists were able to describe a feedback mechanism which amplified the climatic disturbance. During cold periods the trade winds, loaded with humidity, migrated southwards. Unable to cross the Andes part of the rain, which would normally have lowered the salinity of the East Pacific, fell in the Amazon basin. This feedback had the effect of re-injecting rainwater into the Atlantic, thereby decreasing the ocean’s salinity. This water was then transported to the higher latitudes, contributing to the weakening of deep oceanic circulation, thereby reinforcing the cooling above and around the North Atlantic. Today, the fact that global warming could disturb the water cycle and lead to a slowing down of the North Atlantic circulation is a real subject of concern. Oceanographic data from the last 50 years suggest that hydrographic changes (temperature and salinity) as well as a lessening of the flow of water transported by certain surface and deep-sea marine currents have already occurred in the North Atlantic. The risk of an even greater variation of oceanic circulation by the end of this century or the beginning of the next needs to be taken seriously and actively studied. Citation: Moisture transport across Central America as a positive feedback on abrupt climatic changes, Leduc G., Vidal L., Tachikawa K., Rostek F., Sonzogni C., Beaufort L., Bard E., Nature, 22 February 2007. Source: CNRS
Baltic gas pipeline sparks fears in Nordic countries
Baltic gas pipeline sparks fears in Nordic countries
AP) -- Governors from five Western states agreed Monday to work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.
The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state agreed that they would develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals. "In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. "Western states are being particularly hard-hit by the effects of climate change." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a so-called cap-and-trade program, which lets companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce carbon dioxide, would provide "a powerful framework for developing a national cap-and-trade program. ... This agreement shows the power of states to lead our nation addressing climate change." The agreement - called the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative - builds on earlier efforts by several states. Last year, Schwarzenegger signed California legislation imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants, with a goal of cutting greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. And Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to work toward a possible joint emissions-trading market.
New Mexico and Arizona last year agreed to work to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. A similar joint effort on climate change was agreed upon in 2003 by California, Oregon and Washington. Carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the biggest of the greenhouse gases, so called because they create a heat-trapping blanket when released into the atmosphere. Others are methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gases. Scientists say the atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide now than it has for hundreds of thousands of years.
AP) -- Governors from five Western states agreed Monday to work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.
The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state agreed that they would develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals. "In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. "Western states are being particularly hard-hit by the effects of climate change." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a so-called cap-and-trade program, which lets companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce carbon dioxide, would provide "a powerful framework for developing a national cap-and-trade program. ... This agreement shows the power of states to lead our nation addressing climate change." The agreement - called the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative - builds on earlier efforts by several states. Last year, Schwarzenegger signed California legislation imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants, with a goal of cutting greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. And Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to work toward a possible joint emissions-trading market.
New Mexico and Arizona last year agreed to work to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. A similar joint effort on climate change was agreed upon in 2003 by California, Oregon and Washington. Carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the biggest of the greenhouse gases, so called because they create a heat-trapping blanket when released into the atmosphere. Others are methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gases. Scientists say the atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide now than it has for hundreds of thousands of years.
Top Scientist Seeks Halt on Coal Plants
Top Scientist Seeks Halt on Coal Plants
AP) -- Governors from five Western states agreed Monday to work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.
The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state agreed that they would develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals. "In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. "Western states are being particularly hard-hit by the effects of climate change." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a so-called cap-and-trade program, which lets companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce carbon dioxide, would provide "a powerful framework for developing a national cap-and-trade program. ... This agreement shows the power of states to lead our nation addressing climate change." The agreement - called the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative - builds on earlier efforts by several states. Last year, Schwarzenegger signed California legislation imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants, with a goal of cutting greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. And Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to work toward a possible joint emissions-trading market.
New Mexico and Arizona last year agreed to work to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. A similar joint effort on climate change was agreed upon in 2003 by California, Oregon and Washington. Carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the biggest of the greenhouse gases, so called because they create a heat-trapping blanket when released into the atmosphere. Others are methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gases. Scientists say the atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide now than it has for hundreds of thousands of years.
AP) -- Governors from five Western states agreed Monday to work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.
The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state agreed that they would develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals. "In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. "Western states are being particularly hard-hit by the effects of climate change." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a so-called cap-and-trade program, which lets companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce carbon dioxide, would provide "a powerful framework for developing a national cap-and-trade program. ... This agreement shows the power of states to lead our nation addressing climate change." The agreement - called the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative - builds on earlier efforts by several states. Last year, Schwarzenegger signed California legislation imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants, with a goal of cutting greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. And Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to work toward a possible joint emissions-trading market.
New Mexico and Arizona last year agreed to work to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. A similar joint effort on climate change was agreed upon in 2003 by California, Oregon and Washington. Carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the biggest of the greenhouse gases, so called because they create a heat-trapping blanket when released into the atmosphere. Others are methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gases. Scientists say the atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide now than it has for hundreds of thousands of years.
5 Governors Agree to Work on Climate
5 Governors Agree to Work on Climate
AP) -- Governors from five Western states agreed Monday to work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.
The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state agreed that they would develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals. "In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. "Western states are being particularly hard-hit by the effects of climate change." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a so-called cap-and-trade program, which lets companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce carbon dioxide, would provide "a powerful framework for developing a national cap-and-trade program. ... This agreement shows the power of states to lead our nation addressing climate change." The agreement - called the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative - builds on earlier efforts by several states. Last year, Schwarzenegger signed California legislation imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants, with a goal of cutting greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. And Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to work toward a possible joint emissions-trading market.
New Mexico and Arizona last year agreed to work to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. A similar joint effort on climate change was agreed upon in 2003 by California, Oregon and Washington. Carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the biggest of the greenhouse gases, so called because they create a heat-trapping blanket when released into the atmosphere. Others are methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gases. Scientists say the atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide now than it has for hundreds of thousands of years.
AP) -- Governors from five Western states agreed Monday to work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.
The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state agreed that they would develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals. "In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. "Western states are being particularly hard-hit by the effects of climate change." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said a so-called cap-and-trade program, which lets companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce carbon dioxide, would provide "a powerful framework for developing a national cap-and-trade program. ... This agreement shows the power of states to lead our nation addressing climate change." The agreement - called the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative - builds on earlier efforts by several states. Last year, Schwarzenegger signed California legislation imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants, with a goal of cutting greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. And Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to work toward a possible joint emissions-trading market.
New Mexico and Arizona last year agreed to work to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. A similar joint effort on climate change was agreed upon in 2003 by California, Oregon and Washington. Carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the biggest of the greenhouse gases, so called because they create a heat-trapping blanket when released into the atmosphere. Others are methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic gases. Scientists say the atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide now than it has for hundreds of thousands of years.
MiningNews.net + De Crespigny, Morgan in nuclear plant proposal
De Crespigny, Morgan in nuclear plant proposal
ROBERT de Crespigny and Hugh Morgan – two of Australia's most high-profile mining executives – have been linked to a proposed venture to establish Australia's first nuclear power plant.
Hugh Morgan.
Robert Champion de Crespigny
According to a report in the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper, the pair – together with prominent Melbourne businessman Ron Walker – have formed a company called Australian Nuclear Energy to investigate establishing a commercial nuclear plant in South Australia or Victoria.The report said the company was talking to US-based General Electric, the world's largest supplier of nuclear generation equipment.A source reportedly told the newspaper that the group had held discussions with the Federal, South Australian and Victorian governments.However, South Australian Premier Mike Rann said he had not heard of the group and would not consider a proposal to build a plant in his state."If they ever try to see me, they will be shown the door," Rann was quoted as saying.Australia's only nuclear reactor, the Lucas Heights plant in New South Wales, was closed last year after 50 years of operating as an experimental facility.De Crespigny, who currently heads up Australian- and London-listed resources group Scarborough Minerals, was behind Australian gold mining success story Normandy Mining. Morgan, meanwhile, was the long-serving head of WMC.
ROBERT de Crespigny and Hugh Morgan – two of Australia's most high-profile mining executives – have been linked to a proposed venture to establish Australia's first nuclear power plant.
Hugh Morgan.
Robert Champion de Crespigny
According to a report in the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper, the pair – together with prominent Melbourne businessman Ron Walker – have formed a company called Australian Nuclear Energy to investigate establishing a commercial nuclear plant in South Australia or Victoria.The report said the company was talking to US-based General Electric, the world's largest supplier of nuclear generation equipment.A source reportedly told the newspaper that the group had held discussions with the Federal, South Australian and Victorian governments.However, South Australian Premier Mike Rann said he had not heard of the group and would not consider a proposal to build a plant in his state."If they ever try to see me, they will be shown the door," Rann was quoted as saying.Australia's only nuclear reactor, the Lucas Heights plant in New South Wales, was closed last year after 50 years of operating as an experimental facility.De Crespigny, who currently heads up Australian- and London-listed resources group Scarborough Minerals, was behind Australian gold mining success story Normandy Mining. Morgan, meanwhile, was the long-serving head of WMC.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Professor demonstrates new hydrogen fuel system
Professor demonstrates new hydrogen fuel system
Northern Nevada energy consumers can be excused if they have a sense of "sticker shock" when their power bills come due following the holiday season. Or, that they have a feeling of powerlessness as the price of gasoline climbs to $3 per gallon. They wonder: will the days of the $1 tank of gas ever return?
Thanks to research done by a University of Nevada, Reno professor in the area of hydrogen energy generation, soaring power bills could become a thing of the past. And, finding a power source for your car that costs as little as $1 per gallon could also soon become a welcome reality. Manoranjan Misra, professor of materials science and engineering, recently received a $3 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue his groundbreaking work in various forms of renewable energy. Misra's current project focuses on harnessing photoactive material from the sun to generate hydrogen. Hydrogen is one of the cleanest forms of energy, and studies have shown that it is 33 percent more efficient than liquid fuels. Northern Nevada, with its uncommonly sunny weather – with more than 300 sunny days per year – could become the perfect hub to generate hydrogen energy, according to Misra. "We can utilize this great energy resource to our advantage to produce hydrogen," Misra said. "We are uniquely positioned in Northern Nevada, as the average energy from the sun is around one kilowatt per square meter area. In Reno it is much higher than that. Because it is so bright and sunny here in Reno, we have in many ways the perfect location for photo-hydrogen generation." Misra and his research team have created a new hydrogen material that has more than a billion nanotubes, which gives it excellent potential to produce hydrogen from another abundant resource – water. Misra's small-scale hydrogen generation system, located in the Laxalt Mineral Research Building, produces the material through an electrochemical process from applied ultrasonic waves.
"We are currently using simulated solar light in the lab," Misra said, "and we are finding our system to be a good and robust way to facilitate the movement of electrons by the incident light to produce hydrogen from water." By the end of the decade, Misra estimates that the system could grow to a more industrial size scale, which would allow power companies to produce hydrogen that could be used to power automobiles or power your home. The new power source is extremely cost-effective, Misra says. "What do we pay now for a tank of gas? A little less than three dollars per gallon? The equivalent for hydrogen generation might be something more along the lines of $1 per gallon to produce," Misra says. "Plus, hydrogen is much more friendly to the environment. Given the weather in Northern Nevada, where on most days we have 10 to 15 percent more sunlight than in other areas of the country, the future of this type of this energy is limitless." Source: University of Nevada, Reno
Northern Nevada energy consumers can be excused if they have a sense of "sticker shock" when their power bills come due following the holiday season. Or, that they have a feeling of powerlessness as the price of gasoline climbs to $3 per gallon. They wonder: will the days of the $1 tank of gas ever return?
Thanks to research done by a University of Nevada, Reno professor in the area of hydrogen energy generation, soaring power bills could become a thing of the past. And, finding a power source for your car that costs as little as $1 per gallon could also soon become a welcome reality. Manoranjan Misra, professor of materials science and engineering, recently received a $3 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue his groundbreaking work in various forms of renewable energy. Misra's current project focuses on harnessing photoactive material from the sun to generate hydrogen. Hydrogen is one of the cleanest forms of energy, and studies have shown that it is 33 percent more efficient than liquid fuels. Northern Nevada, with its uncommonly sunny weather – with more than 300 sunny days per year – could become the perfect hub to generate hydrogen energy, according to Misra. "We can utilize this great energy resource to our advantage to produce hydrogen," Misra said. "We are uniquely positioned in Northern Nevada, as the average energy from the sun is around one kilowatt per square meter area. In Reno it is much higher than that. Because it is so bright and sunny here in Reno, we have in many ways the perfect location for photo-hydrogen generation." Misra and his research team have created a new hydrogen material that has more than a billion nanotubes, which gives it excellent potential to produce hydrogen from another abundant resource – water. Misra's small-scale hydrogen generation system, located in the Laxalt Mineral Research Building, produces the material through an electrochemical process from applied ultrasonic waves.
"We are currently using simulated solar light in the lab," Misra said, "and we are finding our system to be a good and robust way to facilitate the movement of electrons by the incident light to produce hydrogen from water." By the end of the decade, Misra estimates that the system could grow to a more industrial size scale, which would allow power companies to produce hydrogen that could be used to power automobiles or power your home. The new power source is extremely cost-effective, Misra says. "What do we pay now for a tank of gas? A little less than three dollars per gallon? The equivalent for hydrogen generation might be something more along the lines of $1 per gallon to produce," Misra says. "Plus, hydrogen is much more friendly to the environment. Given the weather in Northern Nevada, where on most days we have 10 to 15 percent more sunlight than in other areas of the country, the future of this type of this energy is limitless." Source: University of Nevada, Reno
Probing Question: Are today's nuclear power plants safe?
Probing Question: Are today's nuclear power plants safe?
Burning fossil fuels to make electricity releases many tons of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Today, as the United States and other nations search for "greener" ways of generating energy, nuclear power is getting a fresh look. The process yields huge quantities of electricity with essentially zero emissions of greenhouse gases. But are nuclear power plants safe?
"Nuclear plants are very safe," asserted Forrest J. Remick, professor emeritus of nuclear engineering, adding, "It helps to compare their safety record with that of other major industries." In 2005, the industrial accident rate for nuclear power plant workers was 0.24 per 200,000 worker hours, compared with 3.5 accidents per 200,000 worker hours for all manufacturing industries (14.6 times greater). But what about those of us who live near nuclear plants? Said Remick, "No member of the public has been killed or injured from radiation during the nearly 50 years that commercial nuclear power plants have been operating in the U.S."
'Many of the 104 nuclear plants in the nation today are approaching the end of their 40-year licenses. But instead of utilities shutting down these profitable facilities, virtually all are expected to apply for 20-year license renewals. To date, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating licenses of 47 plants, and a number of others are currently under review. "The NRC is very thorough in inspecting for safety," said Remick, citing an average of 22 months for the NRC to sign off on a license renewal for a given plant. "Almost all of the equipment in a plant, with the exception of the pressure vessel" -- the structure, made of ductile, high-strength steel, that holds the reactor core -- "is replaceable: motors, pumps, pipes, wiring and so on," he said. "The integrity of the pressure vessel itself is monitored through the use of sample coupons of the same material, which are irradiated within the reactor vessel and are periodically removed for evaluation to determine effects of aging." As of early 2007, the NRC had received around 30 indications from U.S. utilities that they will soon apply to build new nukes. According to Remick, a new generation of reactors has been designed to include passive safety features. "Instead of having a safety system operated by motors and pumps," he noted, "the new designs rely on water stored at an elevation higher than the core, so that if you have an emergency and need cooling water, it automatically arrives by gravity." Operators can replenish the cooling water later by mechanical means, including tanker trucks. "In older designs, you might need electricity to open a valve for cooling," said Remick. "In many of the new designs, spring-loaded valves require electricity to remain shut and open automatically in the event of a loss of power." (Remick hastened to add that today's operating nuclear plants have multi-tiered backup systems for delivering electric current in the event of a power failure.)
The NRC has issued design certification for four advanced, next-generation nuclear power plant designs. These plants will be simpler and cheaper to build than older ones, thanks to increasing standardization and the ability to assemble many components off-site. New designs are more efficient than older designs, and they are safer. One, known as VHTR (Very High Temperature Reactor), will include a helium-cooled reactor that uses tiny pellets of uranium fuel encased in graphite. "If you lose cooling in such a reactor," said Remick, "those little pellets will absorb heat without failing and releasing radioactivity." The concept has been demonstrated in test reactors in the United States, Germany, China and South Africa. "Existing nuclear plants are cash cows for utilities," Remick said. "Although fairly expensive to build, nuclear plants are much less expensive to operate than oil or gas plants and slightly less expensive to run than coal-burners. Also, they're non-polluting." The industry has come a long way in understanding how to safely produce power since the 1979 accident at the Unit 2 assembly at Three Mile Island (TMI), near Harrisburg, that resulted in a partial core meltdown. Although considered the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power-generating history, the mishap led to no deaths or injuries among plant workers or members of the local community. Since then, noted Remick, "TMI has twice set world records for consecutive days of operation without a shutdown for refueling or to repair or replace malfunctioning equipment." Source: By Charles Fergus, Research Penn State
Burning fossil fuels to make electricity releases many tons of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Today, as the United States and other nations search for "greener" ways of generating energy, nuclear power is getting a fresh look. The process yields huge quantities of electricity with essentially zero emissions of greenhouse gases. But are nuclear power plants safe?
"Nuclear plants are very safe," asserted Forrest J. Remick, professor emeritus of nuclear engineering, adding, "It helps to compare their safety record with that of other major industries." In 2005, the industrial accident rate for nuclear power plant workers was 0.24 per 200,000 worker hours, compared with 3.5 accidents per 200,000 worker hours for all manufacturing industries (14.6 times greater). But what about those of us who live near nuclear plants? Said Remick, "No member of the public has been killed or injured from radiation during the nearly 50 years that commercial nuclear power plants have been operating in the U.S."
'Many of the 104 nuclear plants in the nation today are approaching the end of their 40-year licenses. But instead of utilities shutting down these profitable facilities, virtually all are expected to apply for 20-year license renewals. To date, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating licenses of 47 plants, and a number of others are currently under review. "The NRC is very thorough in inspecting for safety," said Remick, citing an average of 22 months for the NRC to sign off on a license renewal for a given plant. "Almost all of the equipment in a plant, with the exception of the pressure vessel" -- the structure, made of ductile, high-strength steel, that holds the reactor core -- "is replaceable: motors, pumps, pipes, wiring and so on," he said. "The integrity of the pressure vessel itself is monitored through the use of sample coupons of the same material, which are irradiated within the reactor vessel and are periodically removed for evaluation to determine effects of aging." As of early 2007, the NRC had received around 30 indications from U.S. utilities that they will soon apply to build new nukes. According to Remick, a new generation of reactors has been designed to include passive safety features. "Instead of having a safety system operated by motors and pumps," he noted, "the new designs rely on water stored at an elevation higher than the core, so that if you have an emergency and need cooling water, it automatically arrives by gravity." Operators can replenish the cooling water later by mechanical means, including tanker trucks. "In older designs, you might need electricity to open a valve for cooling," said Remick. "In many of the new designs, spring-loaded valves require electricity to remain shut and open automatically in the event of a loss of power." (Remick hastened to add that today's operating nuclear plants have multi-tiered backup systems for delivering electric current in the event of a power failure.)
The NRC has issued design certification for four advanced, next-generation nuclear power plant designs. These plants will be simpler and cheaper to build than older ones, thanks to increasing standardization and the ability to assemble many components off-site. New designs are more efficient than older designs, and they are safer. One, known as VHTR (Very High Temperature Reactor), will include a helium-cooled reactor that uses tiny pellets of uranium fuel encased in graphite. "If you lose cooling in such a reactor," said Remick, "those little pellets will absorb heat without failing and releasing radioactivity." The concept has been demonstrated in test reactors in the United States, Germany, China and South Africa. "Existing nuclear plants are cash cows for utilities," Remick said. "Although fairly expensive to build, nuclear plants are much less expensive to operate than oil or gas plants and slightly less expensive to run than coal-burners. Also, they're non-polluting." The industry has come a long way in understanding how to safely produce power since the 1979 accident at the Unit 2 assembly at Three Mile Island (TMI), near Harrisburg, that resulted in a partial core meltdown. Although considered the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power-generating history, the mishap led to no deaths or injuries among plant workers or members of the local community. Since then, noted Remick, "TMI has twice set world records for consecutive days of operation without a shutdown for refueling or to repair or replace malfunctioning equipment." Source: By Charles Fergus, Research Penn State
States beat Washington to renewable energy - Yahoo! News
States beat Washington to renewable energy - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In Texas, home to some of the world's biggest oil companies, you might think the case for renewable energy would be tough to make. As it happened it was tough, but not impossible.
It was simply a case of showing that technologies like massive wind turbines and solar roof shingles would do the job with costs that were in line with power generated from fossil fuel, said Jim Marston, of the Texas office of Environmental Defense, an advocacy group.
Texas is one of more than 20 states which, lacking a lead from central government in Washington and spurred by mounting evidence of the threat of global warming, have pressed ahead with their own measures to boost renewable energy use and curb emissions of carbon dioxide, held largely responsible for pushing up world temperatures.
President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush, having rejected the ground-breaking Kyoto Protocol on curbing carbon dioxide on the ground that the U.S. economy could not afford it, in January acknowledged the challenge of climate change in his State of the Union address and spoke of new technologies and alternative fuels as possible solutions.
Initiatives taken in the United States, the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter accounting for nearly one quarter of all carbon emissions, are watched closely by scientists and governments round the world, hoping Bush's recognition of the need to curb emissions will be followed by meaningful action.
Just days after Bush's address, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in Paris saying that global warming was "unequivocal" and that human use of fossil fuels almost certainly caused the rise in world temperatures recorded over the last half-century.
The panel forecast further temperature rises in the coming decades that would bring more severe storms, worse droughts and rising seas, threatening coastal areas and possibly forcing millions of people from low-lying land.
The Democratic victory in mid-term congressional elections last year has led to predictions by environmental groups, and some legislators, that the U.S. will set mandatory limits on carbon emissions by the end of this congressional session in 2008.
STATES TAKE OWN ACTION
Some 20 states, refusing to wait for a change of course in Washington, have already taken a variety of steps to tackle climate change, including setting requirements for renewable energy use ranging from 2.2 percent of total electricity generation in Wisconsin to 25 percent in Minnesota.
In Texas, Marston of Environmental Defense said direct action had proved convincing.
"We literally brought in a truck with the wind turbines ... then we also showed some of the really interesting cutting-edge technology that's happening in solar, literally having solar panels built into roof shingles," he said in a telephone interview.
That helped convince Texas lawmakers to require that some part of the state's electric power needs be met with alternative energy, he said. To keep the pressure on after the law was passed in 1999, environmental advocates used an age-old spur: competition.
"What we do in Texas is, we talk about keeping up with your neighbors," Marston said. "We were really proud when we passed our law in 1999 ... within a few years a lot of other states had passed us by, so we caught up to become number one again."
That meant raising the amount of renewable energy required, or what bureaucrats call the 'renewable portfolio standard.'
On the other hand Texas, where Bush has a ranch, remains one of the country's biggest energy users and one company is trying to build 12 more coal-fired plants there, which would dent the state's green credentials.
California, a longtime leader in the drive for renewables, approved a law last September to require cuts in greenhouse gases, while eight eastern states joined in a regional plan to cut emissions of carbon dioxide.
On February 21, California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona called for California's new low-carbon fuel standard, meant to cut the carbon content of transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020, to be rolled out nationwide.
"We have been working toward this commitment to renewable energy and to the environment for 30 years, and our first global climate change legislation went into effect in 1986," said Claudia Chandler of the California Energy Commission.
Does that mean the states are the place to press the case for alternative energy? Not entirely, according to Chuck Kutscher of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
"Climate change is such a big problem, I really do think we need to attack this on several different levels," Kutscher said in a telephone interview from Boulder, Colorado.
Kutscher noted that the use of renewable energy, including biofuels and geothermal power, was only part of the solution.
Data in a report he edited, "Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.," showed energy efficiency would offset more carbon emissions than all available renewable energies combined.
"We don't have to convince everybody," Kutscher said. "People who are passionate about this can influence policy. I think the new Congress is reacting to the segment of the population that is really demanding action."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In Texas, home to some of the world's biggest oil companies, you might think the case for renewable energy would be tough to make. As it happened it was tough, but not impossible.
It was simply a case of showing that technologies like massive wind turbines and solar roof shingles would do the job with costs that were in line with power generated from fossil fuel, said Jim Marston, of the Texas office of Environmental Defense, an advocacy group.
Texas is one of more than 20 states which, lacking a lead from central government in Washington and spurred by mounting evidence of the threat of global warming, have pressed ahead with their own measures to boost renewable energy use and curb emissions of carbon dioxide, held largely responsible for pushing up world temperatures.
President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush, having rejected the ground-breaking Kyoto Protocol on curbing carbon dioxide on the ground that the U.S. economy could not afford it, in January acknowledged the challenge of climate change in his State of the Union address and spoke of new technologies and alternative fuels as possible solutions.
Initiatives taken in the United States, the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter accounting for nearly one quarter of all carbon emissions, are watched closely by scientists and governments round the world, hoping Bush's recognition of the need to curb emissions will be followed by meaningful action.
Just days after Bush's address, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in Paris saying that global warming was "unequivocal" and that human use of fossil fuels almost certainly caused the rise in world temperatures recorded over the last half-century.
The panel forecast further temperature rises in the coming decades that would bring more severe storms, worse droughts and rising seas, threatening coastal areas and possibly forcing millions of people from low-lying land.
The Democratic victory in mid-term congressional elections last year has led to predictions by environmental groups, and some legislators, that the U.S. will set mandatory limits on carbon emissions by the end of this congressional session in 2008.
STATES TAKE OWN ACTION
Some 20 states, refusing to wait for a change of course in Washington, have already taken a variety of steps to tackle climate change, including setting requirements for renewable energy use ranging from 2.2 percent of total electricity generation in Wisconsin to 25 percent in Minnesota.
In Texas, Marston of Environmental Defense said direct action had proved convincing.
"We literally brought in a truck with the wind turbines ... then we also showed some of the really interesting cutting-edge technology that's happening in solar, literally having solar panels built into roof shingles," he said in a telephone interview.
That helped convince Texas lawmakers to require that some part of the state's electric power needs be met with alternative energy, he said. To keep the pressure on after the law was passed in 1999, environmental advocates used an age-old spur: competition.
"What we do in Texas is, we talk about keeping up with your neighbors," Marston said. "We were really proud when we passed our law in 1999 ... within a few years a lot of other states had passed us by, so we caught up to become number one again."
That meant raising the amount of renewable energy required, or what bureaucrats call the 'renewable portfolio standard.'
On the other hand Texas, where Bush has a ranch, remains one of the country's biggest energy users and one company is trying to build 12 more coal-fired plants there, which would dent the state's green credentials.
California, a longtime leader in the drive for renewables, approved a law last September to require cuts in greenhouse gases, while eight eastern states joined in a regional plan to cut emissions of carbon dioxide.
On February 21, California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona called for California's new low-carbon fuel standard, meant to cut the carbon content of transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020, to be rolled out nationwide.
"We have been working toward this commitment to renewable energy and to the environment for 30 years, and our first global climate change legislation went into effect in 1986," said Claudia Chandler of the California Energy Commission.
Does that mean the states are the place to press the case for alternative energy? Not entirely, according to Chuck Kutscher of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
"Climate change is such a big problem, I really do think we need to attack this on several different levels," Kutscher said in a telephone interview from Boulder, Colorado.
Kutscher noted that the use of renewable energy, including biofuels and geothermal power, was only part of the solution.
Data in a report he edited, "Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.," showed energy efficiency would offset more carbon emissions than all available renewable energies combined.
"We don't have to convince everybody," Kutscher said. "People who are passionate about this can influence policy. I think the new Congress is reacting to the segment of the population that is really demanding action."
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