Posted by Eric Holthaus | Nov 9, 2009 | 0 Comments
Experts from Swiss Re, Oxfam America, and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society recently participated in a panel discussion at Columbia recently on weather index insurance for climate change adaptation. The event, organized as part of efforts to support Climate Week in New York, was sponsored by the New York Committee for Oxfam [...]
Posted by Betsy Ness-Edelstein | Jun 30, 2009 | 0 Comments
In a lively talk at the Indian Consulate in New York last Thursday, Indian climate envoy Shyam Saran called for technology and resource transfer from developed to developing countries, saying that because they are responsible for the bulk of historic carbon emissions, developed countries should bear the brunt of climate adaptation and mitigation costs.
A former [...]
Posted by Adrian Soghoian | Jun 26, 2009 | 0 Comments
“I know that vibration wasn’t normal”
Jack Lemmon famously uttered these words in the 70s blockbuster The China Syndrome in reference to unusual activity taking place at his nuclear reactor. Lemmon, a shift supervisor at the plant, uncovers alarming evidence that the plant is fundamentally unsound and demands that it be shut down. His concerns are [...]
Posted by Francesco Fiondella | Jun 23, 2009 | 2 Comments
We know climate has always presented a challenge to farmers, herders, fishermen and others whose livelihoods are closely linked to their environment–particularly in developing countries. A type of insurance called index insurance shows some promise as a climate-risk management tool, according to the latest Climate and Society publication from Columbia’s International Research Institute for Climate [...]
Posted by Adrian Soghoian | Jun 19, 2009 | 1 Comments
Deutsche Bank launched the first real-time carbon counter Thursday morning, taking advantage of the unusually rainy weather to underscore the importance of communicating climate change awareness. Located across 33rd street from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, the Carbon Counter displays the running total of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Deutsche Bank Asset Management (DeAM) [...]
Posted by Sarah Brennan | Apr 14, 2009 | 3 Comments
Okay, so you agree that CCS is part of a balanced climate stabilization portfolio. (Right? If not, sorry – I’ve been meaning to write that post for awhile.) Now what? How do we possibly store all of that gas safely, permanently, and legally? On April 21, the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy is co-sponsoring, with the NY Department of Environmental Conservation and NYSERDA, a one-day forum to discuss the policy implications of CCS.
Posted by Lareef Zubair | Mar 31, 2009 | 0 Comments
The Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka (CRI) has sustained an improved prediction scheme for national coconut production for the last four years. Coconuts are an important source of food and raw materials and also provide income to millions in the tropics. Coconuts are the most important food crop after rice in Sri Lanka and [...]
Posted by Mary-Elena Carr | Mar 8, 2009 | 0 Comments
The sixth meeting of the Global Roundtable on Climate Change (GROCC) took place on February 26 and 27. Around 150 corporations, non-governmental organizations, and government groups have been meeting since 2005 to discuss the science, technology, and economic considerations required for sound public policies on climate change.
Some commenters to our posting to announce the meeting wondered how [...]
Posted by Cathy Vaughan | Jan 26, 2009 | 0 Comments
McKinsey & Company has just released a new study outlining the potential costs of climate change mitigation. The report, which revises work originally published in 2007, evaluates 200 greenhouse gas abatement opportunities across 10 sectors and 21 world regions. It concludes that greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 35-40% below 1990 levels by 2030 are achievable [...]
Posted by Sarah Brennan | Jan 22, 2009 | 0 Comments
There’s an article in today’s New York Times about PepsiCo’s effort to calculate the carbon footprint of its products, starting with Tropicana orange juice. A half-gallon of Tropicana represents the equivalent of 3.75 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. This is roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a 5-mile drive to the grocery [...]
