·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Via Docuticker.

What Happened to the Seasons?
Source: Oxfam, UK

The timing of rain, and intra-seasonal rainfall patterns are critical to smallholder farmers in developing countries. Seasonality influences farmers’ decisions about when to cultivate and sow and harvest. It ultimately contributes to the success or failure of their crops. Worryingly, therefore, farmers are reporting that both the timing of rainy seasons and the pattern of rains within seasons are changing. These perceptions of change are striking in that they are geographically widespread and because the changes are described in remarkably consistent terms. In this paper, we relate the perceptions of farmers from several regions (East Asia, South Asia, Southern and East Africa, and Latin America) of how seasons are changing, and in some cases, how once distinct seasons appear to be disappearing altogether, and the impacts that these changes are having. We then go on to ask two critical questions. Firstly, do meteorological observations support farmers’ perceptions of changing seasonality? Secondly, to what extent are these changes consistent with predictions from climate models? We conclude that changing seasonality may be one of the major impacts of climate change faced by smallholder farmers in developing countries over the next few decades. Indeed, this may already be the case. Yet it is relatively unexplored in the literature. We also suggest some of the key adaptation responses that might help farmers cope with these changes.

+ Direct link to document (PDF; 221 KB)

Via Docuticker.

Fossil Fuel Production Up Despite Recession
Source: Worldwatch Institute

World production of fossil fuels-oil, coal, and natural gas-increased 2.9 percent in 2008 to reach 27.4 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) per day. In the first half of the year, producers strained to meet global demand, but when the recession took hold later in the year the market was swamped by excess supply. Energy prices reflected this shift: oil peaked at $144 per barrel in July, then fell to $34 per barrel in December. Continuing a decade-long trend, most of the growth was in the Asia-Pacific region, where production grew 6.3 percent.

Although the global economic crisis has caused a temporary slump in demand, the longterm trend is clear: fossil fuel consumption in developing countries has surpassed that in industrialized countries. With four times the population and a vast demand for economic development to raise standards of living, developing countries will see energy use rise further.

For six years running, coal has led the growth in fossil fuel production. In 2000, it provided just 28 percent of the world’s fossil fuel energy production, compared with 45 percent for oil. But by 2008, coal production reached 9.1 Mtoe per day, representing a third of fossil energy production and a 0.7 percent increase over 2007. The growth in China’s coal consumption since 2000 dwarfs that of all other countries combined. India, second in growth, added less than an eighth as much coal consumption as China during that period.

Via Docuticker.

2010 Annual Fuel Economy Guide Now Available
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy today unveiled the 2010 Fuel Economy Guide, which gives consumers important information about estimated fuel costs and mileage standards for model year 2010 vehicles.
…
Fuel-efficient models come in all types and sizes, so consumers can save thousands of dollars over a vehicle’s lifetime without sacrificing performance. Model year 2010 fuel economy leaders include a wide range of hybrid models, from compact cars to sport-utility vehicles.

Each vehicle listing in the Fuel Economy Guide provides an estimated annual fuel cost. The estimate is calculated based on the vehicle’s miles per gallon (mpg) rating and national estimates for annual mileage and fuel prices. The online version of the guide allows consumers to input their local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive a personalized fuel cost estimate.

+ Full Document (PDF; 530 KB)

Hedrick Smith Productions has created a discussion guide and DVD clip reel from the PBS FRONTLINE special POISONED WATERS that aired nationwide on April 21, 2009. The package will include a DVD with five-minute excerpts from the show and a 26-page educational booklet fitted into a DVD case. Together, the discussion guide and video clips are designed to stimulate public discussion of crucial issues and effective solutions for water protection and restoration.  It is intended for teachers, students, regulators, administrators, activists and anyone else interested in improving water quality. It will be available at no charge for a limited time.   Please visit the PBS FRONTLINE Web site at www.pbs.org/frontline/poisonedwaters for the full PBS broadcast and more information about the program.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new information on EPA and state enforcement of hazardous waste and air regulations.  In addition, the EPA posted data that allows the public, for the first time, to compare toxic releases with compliance data from facilities.  This is part of EPA’s ongoing commitment to increase transparency and promote the public’s right to know by improving access to available data.

EPA made available new summary reports and data from 2004 through 2008 on EPA and state enforcement program performance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements.  The reports include online graphs, trend information on enforcement and compliance in each state, and comparative reports.  Data such as compliance monitoring activity, violations discovered, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed are available.

EPA also updated the agency’s Enforcement and Compliance Online (ECHO) Website to allow users to view current information on facility compliance with water, air, and hazardous waste requirements in relation to pollutant release data from EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory and National Emissions Inventory databases.  This provides the public with more information on the overall environmental footprint of each facility.

In the agency’s reviews of both EPA and state enforcement program performance, it identified several concerns with some programs, including uneven enforcement response, failure to identify high priority violators, and inadequate penalty assessment.  The recommendations that EPA made on how to address these concerns are now available through the ECHO website.

ECHO allows users to find permit, compliance monitoring, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information over the past three years.  ECHO provides communities with important enforcement and compliance information about regulated facilities.  Included in the new information released today is a list of commonly asked questions about the CAA and RCRA programs, such as air quality, pollutant releases, state performance, and overall compliance rates.

The compliance data posted today tells only one part of the story and does not relate directly to overall hazardous waste management or air quality, which have improved in the United States over the past 30 years as the result of local, state, and federal implementation of environmental programs.

More information on RCRA data: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/rcra/index.html
More information on CAA data: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/caa/index.html
More information on ECHO:  http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/

I just received this message from the EPA State and Local Climate Energy Program. It includes announcements  of more than $96 million in funding opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that can be used to support climate and energy initiatives including vehicle technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green building, waste management, training, and education. For full eligibility and application details, please visit the links provided below.

National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program–$64 million
EPA requests proposals for the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Through this program, EPA seeks projects that will achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced and diesel emissions exposure, particularly from fleets operating in designated poor air quality areas. Eligible entities include regional, state, local, or tribal agencies or port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, and nonprofit organizations. Up to 80 awards are anticipated. Proposals are due 12/8/09.
For more info:  http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html.

Clean Diesel Emerging Technologies–$8 million
EPA requests proposals for the Clean Diesel Emerging Technologies Funding Assistance Program. Eligible diesel emission reduction solutions are listed at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/prgemerglist.htm. Eligible entities include regional, state, local or tribal agencies or port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, and nonprofit organizations.  Six to 10 awards are anticipated. Proposals are due 12/8/09.
For more info: http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html.

SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program–$12 million
EPA requests proposals for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program. This program will support projects that reduce diesel emissions through the creation of national, tribal, regional, state, or local finance program(s). Eligible entities include regional, state, local or tribal agencies or port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, and nonprofit organizations. Up to six awards anticipated. Proposals are due 12/8/09.
For more info: http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html.

Environmental Education–$3 million
EPA requests proposals for Environmental Education Grants. This program supports environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. Eligible entities include local and tribal education agencies, colleges or universities, state education or environmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local or state agencies that conduct educational, environmental programs. Up to 95 awards are anticipated. Responses due 12/15/09.
For more info: http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html.

Environmental Justice Small Grants Program–$1 million
EPA requests proposals for the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. This program supports projects that address a local environmental and public health issue within an affected community. This year the program will emphasize the disproportionate impacts of climate change in communities with environmental justice concerns. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, energy efficiency, renewables, water efficiency, green jobs and green economy capacity building, and smart growth. Eligible entities include city, township, and county governments; tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations. Up to 40 awards are anticipated. Responses due 1/8/10.
For more info: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.

Brownfields Job Training–$2.6 million
EPA requests proposals for Brownfields Job Training Grants. This program supports the delivery of environmental job training to communities that currently receive, or have received, financial assistance from EPA for brownfields-related work. Eligible entities include state, local, and tribal governments; regional councils or groups of local governments; and nonprofit organizations. Twelve to 13 awards are anticipated. Responses due 12/1/09.
For more info: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/grants-funding.htm#EPA-OSWER-ORCR-09-07

Green and Healthy Homes–$2.4 million
HUD requests proposals for the Green and Healthy Homes and Technical Studies Program. Through this RFP, HUD seeks to improve knowledge of the effects of residential green construction on both indoor environmental quality and occupant health, with a particular focus on children and other sensitive populations. Eligible entities include state, local, and tribal governments and academic, nonprofit, or for-profit institutions. Up to seven awards are  anticipated. Responses due 11/17/09.
For more info: http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa09/grplead.cfm.

Solid Waste Management–$3.4 million
USDA requests proposals for the Solid Waste Management Grant Program. This program supports projects that assist communities through free technical assistance and/or training geared toward reducing or eliminating pollution of water resources in rural areas, and improve planning and management of solid waste sites in rural areas. Eligible entities include public bodies, tribal governments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Up to 40 awards anticipated. Responses due 12/31/09.
For more info: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/SWMG.htm.

Read the full post at the Sustainable Electronics Initiative Blog.

Since writing the first part of the eBook mini-series, I have been interested in the life cycle assessment comparison of books and eBooks. This concept may sound simple at first, but it quickly becomes much more complicated. While a true analysis (one worthy of publishing in a scientific journal) would require months of work, data collection and analysis, calculations, and report-writing, I opted for a much simpler approach (one that may be publishable on an informal blog, such as this one).

In order to complete a very simplistic life cycle analysis, I had to take into account books and e-books. This in itself presents a significant problem when taking into account the boundary of book sales. To keep things simple, I decided that my boundary will include the first Harry Potter book. How did I choose this boundary? It was the first thing that popped into my head, since this was a very popular book that was read by a wide range of age groups. My boundary for e-books included just the Amazon Kindle. I figured that focusing in on just one, very popular e-reader would be the best course of action.

I completed my life cycle analysis on the Life Cycle Analysis Calculator, which can help you create a simple LCA using very basic information. Keep in mind that the simpler the LCA, the more uncertainty and potential errors there are. With that, I want to emphasize that this was an exercise is very simple comparison, and not one which should be taken as fact. This is more of a possible general trend, rather than scientific fact.