Back in April 2010, the UK’s Feed-in Tariff scheme was introduced by the government, which aimed to increase the level of renewable energy in accordance with the legal commitment to produce at least 15% of the country’s total energy from renewables by 2020. After nearly two years, how well is the system working?
Category: Politics
Governments Spend $1.4 Billion Per Day to Destabilize Climate
We distort reality when we omit the health and environmental costs associated with burning fossil fuels from their prices. When governments actually subsidize their use, they take the distortion even further. Worldwide, direct fossil fuel subsidies added up to roughly $500 billion in 2010.
sustainablog Stands with the SOPA/PIPA Blackout
No, we haven’t gone dark today like some of the bigger players online. But we do stand with Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, and other sites, large and small, that have decided to shut down for the day (in part, or in full) to protest SOPA/PIPA legislation currently pending in the US House of Representatives and Senate.
Demographics Loom Large in State Failure
After a half-century of forming new states from former colonies and from the breakup of the Soviet Union, the international community is today faced with the opposite situation: the disintegration [ … ]
City Of Toronto Latest To Pass Shark Fin Ban
While the practice of shark finning is illegal in North America, current laws banning shark finning do not address the issue of the shark fin trade. Therefore, fins are being imported into North America from countries with few or even no shark protections in place.
Occupy George: Protest Wealth Inequality in America on Your Dollars
As Occupy Wall Street protests ramp up around the country, conversations abound about wealth and income inequality in America. But now you can put your message on your money with [ … ]
Economic Growth: Another Benefit of Bicycling
A few months ago, I took note of Jay Walljasper’s arguments for public investment in bicycling infrastructure: in short, government spending on trails and bike lanes pays off in terms [ … ]
Not just Creating Little Treehuggers: Environmental Education as a Learning System
What’s going on in Washington these days? Duh, debt ceiling negotiations, right? Fortunately, that’s not all… there is still legislation in the works that addresses other issues beyond government spending. [ … ]
Imitating Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus is a hero of mine. He was a 16th century monk from Rotterdam who maintained correspondence with most of the educated world of his day. He translated the [ … ]
When the Nile Runs Dry: Egypt, Water, and Political Stability*
By Lester R. Brown A new scramble for Africa is under way. As global food prices rise and exporters reduce shipments of commodities, countries that rely on imported grain are [ … ]
Biofuels For Transportation: Been There, Done That
There is a great deal of controversy about the wisdom of diverting a significant percentage of the US corn crop into the production of ethanol to fuel cars. Something like [ … ]
Transportation Funding for Bicycling: an Economic No-Brainer?
Even the most die-hard supporter of our current personal transportation infrastructure (essentially, roads and bridges designed for cars) will likely admit that bicycling (and walking) has some fundamental benefits: a [ … ]
The World Food Prices Spike Continues (4th Installment)
The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) released their global food price index data today showing what happened in April. Last month there had been a glimmer of [ … ]