the fall of california
California is actually not on the top list of areas that will be affected by global warming, but it should be. In his first public statement as Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu said that California can expect to lose all of its agriculture and many of its cities by the new century, if more is not done, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
“I don’t think the American public has gripped in its gut what could happen,” he said. “We’re looking at a scenario where there’s no more agriculture in California.” And, he added, “I don’t actually see how they can keep their cities going” either.
In his first interview he was clear in his beliefs that public education is necessary in the administrations climate change policy. He feels that public awareness has not caught up with the beliefs held by politicians, and that it must.
And while his comments have been met with joy from environmentalists, there are still skeptics in Washington that feel he is doing a disservice. One Senator, who sadly is on the Environment and public Works Committee, does not feel that we are in such dire straights, and thinks there is scientific data to support it.
In all honesty, we want to believe that Senator. Because what we see points to disaster on many levels and fear the American public will not wake up in time.
a modest proposal
Yesterday, we reported about changing out our current strain of crops for ones that are high-albedo. Albedo is the effect created when short wave energy is reflected back into space, creating a cooler atmosphere.
Berekely has suggested a simple proposal.. paint all the roofs white. As we all know, lighter colors reflect light and heat, while darker colors absorb light and heat. Our current roof top conditions only reflect 10 to 20% of the light hitting it. The authors of the study references the mediterranean houses, where they are all painted white, as an example of how housing can help with cooling effects.
Buildings with air conditioners expend energy to cool down – energy that’s mostly generated from burning fossil fuels. On a larger scale, cities heat up more than their rural surroundings because of their dark roofs, dark pavements, and the absence of vegetation – an urban “heat-island” effect that raises the average air temperature of cities and their suburbs.
It is interesting that their research has shown that by painting all the roofs white, or putting solar reflective material on the roof, would be the equivalent of taking the world’s 600 million cars off the road for 18 years.
This seems like a simple idea, that if put in place, could have a immeasurable benefits.
Obama’s Dream Green Team
Today, at 12p EST, the United States of America welcomed our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama. While it is expected that he will assist this country out of its vast inadequacies created by the Bush Administration, the one great hope, is the ‘green’ hope. Many have talked in the weeks past of the Dream Green Team. But, we felt that on this day, it bears reminding who is on this team and welcoming them in their leadership roles of combating climate change.
Dr. Steven Chu – Department of Energy
Nobel Prize winning physicist. He has a sophisticated grasp of the complexities of global warming and a strong belief that it needs to be fought agressively. He has long been an advocate to alternative energy and nuclear power, arguing that a shift away from fossil fuel is necessary for our long term survival.
Lisa Jackson – Environmental Protection Agency
She comes from the post of serving as the New Jersey head of the Department of Environmental Protection. She has been a staunch defender of the environment in her state, setting policy on clean water, clean air, and land preservation. During her confirmation hearings, many heard music when she said, “Science will be the backbone of what the EPA does.”
Jane Lubchenco – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Dr. Lubchenco is a marine ecologist and Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University. Her expertise includes ocean ecosystems and the human/environment nexus: biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science, ecosystem services, marine reserves, coastal marine ecosystems, the state of the oceans and of the planet.
Carol Browner – Asst. to the President for Energy and Climate Change
She was the head of the EPA under President Clinton. She believes that global warming is the greatest challenge we have ever faced. She will act as a coordinator for environmental, energy, climate, transport and related matters for the federal government.
Nancy Sutley – White House Council on Environmental Quality
She is currently serving as the Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment of Los Angeles. She brings with her more than a decade in senior environmental, energy and water policy-making positions in California. She also has experience dealing with budget and legislative matters at the state and federal level.
Dr. John Holdren – White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Dr. Holdren is a professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University. His work has focused on causes and consequences of global environmental change, analysis of energy technologies and policies, ways to reduce the dangers from nuclear weapons and materials, and the interaction of content and process in science and technology policy.
science is back!
December 10, 2008 by admin
Filed under environment science, politics
Steven Chu
Nobel prize winning physicist Steven Chu will be the head the Department of Energy, Lisa Jackson will be the head of the EPA, Carol Browner has been picked as the energy “czar” and Nancy Sutley will lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
• Chu was one of three scientists who shared the Nobel Prize for physics in 1997 for work in cooling and trapping atoms with laser light. He’s a professor of physics and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and has been the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2004, where he has pushed for research into alternative energy as a way to combat global warming.
It is the oldest of the Energy Department’s national laboratories, doing only unclassified work, and in recent years under Chu has been at the center of research into biofuels and solar technologies.
• Jackson, who will be the first black person to lead the EPA, is a former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection commissioner who worked at the federal agency for 16 years, including under Browner when she was Clinton’s EPA chief. Jackson is a co-chairman of Obama’s EPA transition team, and currently serves as chief of staff to New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine.
A New Orleans native, she grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward, the area stricken by Hurricane Katrina. She holds chemical engineering degrees from Tulane University and Princeton University.
• Browner, who served as EPA chief for eight years under Clinton, will become Obama’s go-to person in the White House overseeing energy issues, an area expected to include the environment and climate matters. Now chair of the National Audubon Society and on the boards of several other environmental groups, Browner has been leading the Obama transition’s working group on energy and environment.
• Sutley, the deputy mayor for energy and environment in Los Angeles and the mayor’s representative on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, is the first prominent member of the gay and lesbian community to earn a senior role in Obama’s new administration.
She was an EPA official during the Clinton administration, including being a special assistant to the EPA administrator in Washington. She also previously served on the California State Water Resources Control Board and was an energy adviser to former Gov. Gray Davis.
Obama continues to impress with his appointments. In this move, a clear statement has been made to American public that science is back in the White House.
Stumble it!