QUICK NEWS, December 8: EAT HEALTHY, SAVE THE PLANET – AVATAR DIRECTOR; WHAT STOPS SOLAR; A BIG WIND OPPORTUNITY
EAT HEALTHY, SAVE THE PLANET – AVATAR DIRECTOR James Cameron: Halting Climate Change is as Simple as Changing Our Diets
James Cameron, December 8, 2015 (Newsweek)
“…[Climate change is] happening now, with worsening droughts, agriculture crashes, and rising sea levels that will prompt the mass displacement of millions of people…[The emissions reduction targets being proposed are not enough but climate negotiators]have an additional arrow in their quiver…Animal agriculture is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions through its production of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides…[I]t’s actually larger than the entire transportation sector…We need transportation, of course. But we don’t need to eat animals [and animal products]…And we’re actually much healthier if we don’t…About 85 percent of Amazon deforestation is directly attributable to animal agriculture…Our diet is unhealthy for us and unhealthy for the planet…[B]y making a conscious, ethical decision about what we put on our plates, we could quite possibly change the world.” click here for more
WHAT STOPS SOLAR Why is so little solar energy being used?
Kathleen Story, December 7, 2015 (UK Examiner)
“…[W]hy is less than one percent of electricity in the United States obtained from sunshine? Engineers M.A. Delucchi and M.Z. Jacobson published their analysis that the world could be run 100 percent by wind, water, and solar power by 2030. They projected 50 percent wind, 20 percent solar thermal, 14 percent solar photovoltaic plants, 6 percent solar photovoltaic rooftop systems, 4 percent geothermal power plants, 4 percent hydroelectric power plants, and 1 percent each ocean-wave devices and tidal turbines…[The most common method of capturing solar energy is solar panels, photovoltaics…Only about 0.4 percent of electricity in the United States is from photovoltaics. The percentage in other countries like Germany is much higher, in peak times over 50 percent. Solar power is free, carbon-free, and available around the world…Power companies may be against solar use since entire cities could take themselves off the grid by turning their buildings into their own energy sources. The Maine Public Utilities Commission published a study in March 2015 showing rooftop solar is worth 33.7 cents per kilowatt hour as it reduces costs of fuel, generating plants and transmission equipment. Maine's 2014 average residential price is 15.27 cents…[U]tilities are only concerned with their bottom line and are not taking into account the costs of pollution and fossil fuels on the environment.” click here for more
A BIG WIND OPPORTUNITY Mass. environment group releases wind energy report
Rebecca Turco, December 8, 2015 (ABC-6-News)
“…[B]y 2020, an increase in [Massachusetts] wind power could cut out as much carbon pollution as taking 151,107 cars off the road – even more, if the state adopts offshore wind farms, which can produce almost double the amount of energy as traditional land turbines [according to Turning to the Wind from Environment Massachusetts. The group]…is campaigning state lawmakers to approve renewable energy tax credits…Opponents are concerned these wind farms would be noisy eye-sores, though advocates counter the offshore turbines would be likely 15 or more miles out into the water…If Massachusetts does install offshore wind farms in the next five years, Environment Massachusetts estimates as much as 400 megawatts of wind energy would be produced – enough to power 137,827 homes…” click here for more
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