"The health effects of air pollution imperil human lives. This fact is well-documented." - Eddie Bernice Johnson
"Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let's not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources." - Ronald Reagan
"The most important pathological effects of pollution are extremely delayed and indirect." - Rene Dubos
This will be a short comment on this Friday's newsletter. The beginning quotes say a lot and those quotes lead into the By the Numbers which then relates to the next story. Other articles are on water, two new green house gasses, desalination, saving energy, and electric car network. There are follow up articles on the Smart Grid and the Chinese Drywall problem and coal. The final article is a comparison of Green certification programs.
By the Numbers
Is Vinyl Flooring Causing Autism?
The right to water
Majority of Europeans believe quality and quantity of water is a serious problem
A rising tide for new desalinated water technologies
Tampa Bay runs out of surface water
Two 'new' greenhouse gases growing, say international research team
Climate change may wake up 'sleeper' weeds
US businesses demand binding energy-saving targets
Is decentralization the future of sustainable energy?
>Nissan to trial fast charge electric car network
Saving Energy: The Smart Grid
Heat Images: Is Your Home Leaking Money?
900,000+ Construction Jobs Lost
Senators Seek Interim Ban on Chinese Drywall
THE END OF AN ERA:
Primary Green Product Standards And Certification Programs: A Comparison
By the Numbers
About one child in 150 develops autism or a related disorder like Asperger's syndrome by the age of 8, according to a study released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It confirms recent estimates, which put the number at roughly one in 160 children — higher than the one-in-200 estimate made in the 1980s.
Extrapolating from the number of cases it found, the study suggested that some 560,000 Americans age 21 or under struggled with such disorders.
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Is Vinyl Flooring Causing Autism?
Scientists find "baffling" link between autism and the phthalates off-gassed by vinyl flooring, and other indoor air contaminants.
Children who live in homes with vinyl floors, which can emit chemicals called phthalates, are more likely to have autism, according to research by Swedish and U.S. scientists published Monday.
The study of Swedish children is among the first to find an apparent connection between an environmental chemical and autism.
The scientists were surprised by their finding, calling it "far from conclusive." Because their research was not designed to focus on autism, they recommend further study of larger numbers of children to see whether the link can be confirmed.
Bernard Weiss, a professor of environmental medicine at University of Rochester and a co-author of the study, said the connection between vinyl flooring and autism "turned up virtually by accident." He called it "intriguing and baffling at the same time."
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The right to water
The problem is real. The United Nations forecasts that by 2030, nearly half of the world's population will be living in areas of 'high water stress, and climate change is compounding the problem according to a UN report released to coincide with the Istanbul conference. Global warming is causing droughts in some areas and floods in others. In Africa alone, between 75 million and 250 million people may experience increased water stress due to climate change by 2020, warns the report. Water scarcity could displace as many as 700 million people.
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Majority of Europeans believe quality and quantity of water is a serious problem
Almost two out of three of Europeans consider that the quality of water in their country is a serious problem, according to a special Eurobarometer survey on Europeans' opinion on water issues published by the European Commission this week-end. The report also shows that Europeans see the quantity of available water as an equally serious problem. More than a third of Europeans feel that over the last five years the quality of rivers, lakes and coastal waters has deteriorated. Industry and agriculture are seen as having the biggest impact on the quality and quantity of water in their country and an overwhelming majority of Europeans think climate change will have an impact on water resources.
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A rising tide for new desalinated water technologies
The global desalinated water supply will grow at a CAGR of 9.5% over the next decade, reaching 54 billion m3/year (cubic meters per year) in 2020 - 54 trillion liters/year - or triple what it had been in 2008, according to a new report from Lux Research entitled "Desalination's Future Champions."
According to Lux's analysis, the demand for desalinated water will foster a rising wave of new water treatment technologies, all aiming to challenge the incumbent reverse osmosis (RO) in desalination's three market segments - seawater desalination, inland brackish water, and water recycling. RO dominated the desalination equipment market with a 54% revenue share as of 2008, and the relative success of its challengers will vary by market segment.
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Tampa Bay runs out of surface water
Tampa Bay, home of the largest desalination plant in the US, has officially succumbed to drought conditions and shut off its surface water supply.
According to the Agency's Regional Water Supply and Drought Index this month, rainfall total across Florida's Tampa Bay area were 70 per cent below normal for the month of February.
'Surface water flow conditions are critically low,' it added. 'C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir water began flowing into the regional water supply distribution system about six months ahead of average condition needs and supplies are almost exhausted.'
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Two 'new' greenhouse gases growing, say international research team
Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) are powerful greenhouse gases that have recently been discovered to be growing quickly in the global background atmosphere. These gases are used in industrial processes, partly as alternatives to other harmful greenhouse and ozone depleting gases. NF3 is used in the electronics industry - often as a replacement for perfluorocarbons (PFCs) - particularly in the manufacture of liquid-crystal flat-panel screens. SO2F2 is used as a replacement for methyl bromide, largely in structural fumigation applications. The new measurements of SO2F2 appear in a paper co-authored by Dr Fraser in the 12 March 2009 edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research.
"Information about the abundance of these gases in the atmosphere, their growth rates, lifetimes, and emissions is just emerging," Dr Fraser says.
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Climate change may wake up 'sleeper' weeds
Weeds cost Australia more than A$4 billion a year either in control or lost production and cause serious damage to the environment.
In an address today in Perth to the GREENHOUSE 09 conference on climate change, CSIRO researcher, Dr John Scott, said, however, that those cost estimates were only based on the damage caused by weeds known to be active in Australia.
"Out there, throughout the nation, are many weed species lying low but with the potential to take off and add to the economic and social burden of weed control," Dr Scott said.
"One critical unknown is what these lurking weeds will do under climate change. Will their distributions change? Will they spread north or south, east or west, and will these movements change them into full-blown pest species?"
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US businesses demand binding energy-saving targets
The cost savings to the US economy that could be attained through energy-efficiency initiatives are even higher than previously thought, according to new research released last week by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The study calculated that annual energy bill savings for businesses and consumers could reach US$168.6bn (GBP 116.5bn), a figure 16 per cent greater than the ACEEE's previous estimate. The updated figures were released to coincide with the launch of a new coalition of NGOs and businesses, including Allianz, Dow Chemical, Intel and Sun Microsystems, under the banner of the Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America.
The group said it would lobby legislators to enact a federal energy-efficiency target, which would help drive wider adoption of energy-efficiency measures.
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Is decentralization the future of sustainable energy?
A team of German scientists has taken a look into the future in a unique evaluation of decentralized electricity generation. They found that there are a number of factors that affect the sustainability of decentralization. These must be fully considered in order to properly evaluate proposed changes to the power grid.
Decentralization consists of small plants or even microgenerators that produce power close to its point of use, rather than relying on a central, distributed power grid. This could take the form of an industrial combined heat and power (CHP) plant, where waste products are incinerated onsite, or small, domestic units - such as solar panels or wind turbines attached to individual houses. The shift towards decentralization can be seen in many industrialized countries. But whether it is sustainable compared with a centrally controlled grid is under debate.
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Nissan to trial fast charge electric car network
The prospect of electric cars that can be recharged within 10 to 15 minutes moved a step closer last week with the announcement of a new pilot project in Arizona.
Car giant Nissan announced that it has signed a partnership with electric vehicle charging technology firm ECOtality and Pima Association of Governments, which represents the Tucson, Arizona region, that will see the three parties work together on rolling out a charging network.
ECOtality said that it would aim to have parts of the public recharging infrastructure rolled out by 2010, in readiness for the US launch of Nissan's zero emission vehicle. Nissan added that under the agreement it would then make a supply of electric vehicles available to the regions public and private fleets.
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Saving Energy: The Smart Grid
There has been much talk about renewable energy production and reduced consumption. Now, engineers are looking at the link between the two: Could smart grids and power meters start an energy revolution?
One of the biggest problems with renewable energy is that it is so difficult to plan. Whether the wind blows and the sun shines is hard to anticipate. What is worse, some of the best places for solar energy or wind power are far a way from consumers.
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Heat Images: Is Your Home Leaking Money?
Many ways of reducing energy costs are expensive. But there is also great potential for cost-effective improvements to be made in buildings. Energy consultant Christoph Lehner explains how to find the leaky spots and why heat images can do the trick.
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900,000+ Construction Jobs Lost
More than 0.9 million US construction jobs were lost in the year to February 2009. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show the states of Arizona, Florida and Vermont were hardest hit in percentage terms, with a fall of -10% or more in construction employment. California suffered the worst in absolute terms, with the loss of 155000 jobs.
Only three states - Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma - have seen a rise in construction employment since February 2008, and these increases have been modest. Arkansas and Oklahoma have seen less than 100 construction jobs created each. Louisiana has been stronger, with 10900 new jobs, equating to a +8.2% rise.
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Senators Seek Interim Ban on Chinese Drywall
Two U.S. Senators have filed a bill seeking a recall and temporary ban of certain Chinese-made drywall, the latest effort to address problems with Chinese-made drywall believed to be emitting unpleasant, sulfurous odors and causing unusual air-conditioner problems in homes from Florida to Louisiana.
Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced the bill, which also asks the Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a study in conjunction with the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Environmental Protection Agency. They want the study to include at least 10 samples of drywall that was imported from China during 2004 through 2007 and used in residential dwellings in the U.S. The study should include at least one sample of drywall from residences located in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia, according to the bill's text. The bill is called the Drywall Safety Act of 2009.
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THE END OF AN ERA:
Closing the Door on Building New Coal-fired Power Plants in America
Jonathan G. Dorn
Community opposition, legal challenges, and financial uncertainty over future carbon costs are prompting companies to rethink their plans for coal. Since the beginning of 2007, 95 proposed coal-fired power plants have been canceled or postponed in the United States--59 in 2007, 24 in 2008, and at least 12 in the first three months of 2009. This covers nearly half of the 200 or so U.S. coal-fired power plants that have been proposed for construction since 2000. The vast majority of the remaining proposals are essentially on hold, awaiting word on whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is going to impose limits on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. With further legal challenges ahead and the regulation of CO2 imminent, 2009 may very well witness the end of new coal-fired power plants in the United States.
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Primary Green Product Standards And Certification Programs: A Comparison
Demystifying the Differences Among Leading Green Product Certification and Standards Programs
According to the McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Report 2008, architectural and building contracting firms (non-residential sector) agree that to remain competitive they must shift towards green building, including the use of green building products to achieve energy efficiency, water conservation and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) goals. More than 50% of specifiers are incorporating green products in their building projects. However, making wise product selections is challenging, especially when confronted by a myriad of marketing claims, green washing practices and the lack of credible sources for industry-independent, third-party information.
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