CLIMATE CHANGE * Climate Change May Boost Contact With Pollutants http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20081227/hl_hsn/climatechangemayboostcontact withpollutants;_ylt=Al0J72xoKfTFs.mxfAQHp41pl88F <http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20081227/hl_hsn/climatechangemayboostcontac twithpollutants;_ylt=Al0J72xoKfTFs.mxfAQHp41pl88F> Global climate change may lead to a rise in health problems due to increased exposure to harmful air pollutants, suggest researchers who reviewed studies projecting the impact of climate change on air quality... The authors said further research is needed to better project the health impacts caused by changing concentrations of ozone caused by climate change. They said areas of uncertainty include the projected degree of future climate change, the impact of future emissions and their pathways, potential changing weather patterns, severity of episodes of poor air quality, and changes in population vulnerability. * 'As night from day.' http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/662b698e-d837-11dd-bcc0-000077b07658.html <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/662b698e-d837-11dd-bcc0-000077b07658.html> The change in the White House promises to be the single most important factor governing the world's approach to tackling what many governments and scientists regard as the biggest problem of the century: climate change. * Climate scientists: it's time for 'Plan B.' http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-scientis ts-its-time-for-plan-b-1221092.html <http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-scienti sts-its-time-for-plan-b-1221092.html> An emergency "Plan B" using the latest technology is needed to save the world from dangerous climate change, according to a poll of leading scientists carried out by The Independent. * Green goal of 'carbon neutrality' hits limit. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123059880241541259.html?mod=googlenews_w sj <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123059880241541259.html?mod=googlenews_ wsj> Companies from Dell Computer to Timberland Co., the shoe maker, to News Corp., the owner of The Wall Street Journal, have promised to become "carbon neutral." What that means may surprise customers and consumers who have been bombarded with bold promises. <<Green Goal of 'Carbon Neutrality' Hits Limit - WSJ_com.htm>> * Revealed: the cement that eats carbon dioxide. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/31/cement-carbon-emission s <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/31/cement-carbon-emissio ns> Cement, a vast source of planet-warming carbon dioxide, could be transformed into a means of stripping the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, thanks to an innovation from British engineers. * Slowdown of coral growth extremely worrying, say scientists. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/01/1 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/01/1> Coral growth across the Great Barrier Reef has suffered a "severe and sudden" slowdown since 1990 that is unprecedented in the last four centuries, according to scientists. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY * How underground 'hot rocks' could power America's future. http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/12/31/how-underground-hot- rocks-could-power-america%E2%80%99s-future/ <http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/12/31/how-underground-hot -rocks-could-power-america%E2%80%99s-future/> Geothermal heat could meet 10 percent of America's energy needs by mid-century, according to the US Department of Energy. What's more, it would not generate the climate-warming carbon emissions associated with fossil fuels. VEHICLE CHOICES * Sharp fall in hybrid vehicles sales as US tightens belt. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c23007be-d835-11dd-bcc0-000077b07658.html <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c23007be-d835-11dd-bcc0-000077b07658.html> Americans' appetite for hybrid cars is evaporating as tumbling fuel prices and tighter household budgets trump environmental concerns. * Lotus plans electric sports car. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/59842844-d83a-11dd-bcc0-000077b07658.html <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/59842844-d83a-11dd-bcc0-000077b07658.html> Lotus, the sports-car manufacturer, plans to enter the burgeoning field of battery-powered cars with a high-performance electric vehicle. HOME HEATING * Houses with no furnace but plenty of heat. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?_r=1 <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?_r=1> Houses in the Kranichstein District are part of a revolution in building design: There are no drafts, no cold tile floors, no snuggling under blankets until the furnace kicks in. There is, in fact, no furnace. <<The Energy Challenge - No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in Innovative 'Passive Houses' - Series - NYTimes_com.htm>> GREEN BUILDING * Lower fuel and home prices stall green building http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081226/ap_on_bi_ge/low_energy_homes;_ylt=An Z7rgiTZ.ZXmNZKP4J4saJpl88F <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081226/ap_on_bi_ge/low_energy_homes;_ylt=A nZ7rgiTZ.ZXmNZKP4J4saJpl88F> Homebuilders slapped on solar panels and added other eco-friendly enhancements as energy prices soared earlier this year, hoping greener homes would lure reluctant buyers. But since July, the cost of oil has plunged from $147 a barrel to about $36, while home prices continued to fall. Together, these headwinds have stalled low-energy housing developments around the country. WOOD BURNING * Enforcement Of Alaskan Wood Burning Ban http://www.aer-online.com/mail/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content. 2209 <http://www.aer-online.com/mail/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content .2209> Police in Alaska's Mendenhall Valley are vigorously enforcing a ban on the illegal use of woodstoves during days when air quality is officially considered unhealthy. The Juneau Empire reports that 100 valley residents received warnings for using their woodstoves on days when the state Department of Environmental Conservation declared a "bad air day." Two bans went into effect earlier this month, in response to tighter federal laws on air pollution. A 2007 state survey found that of 400 Mendenhall Valley residents, 44% had wood-burning devices, such as a woodstove, pellet stove or a fireplace. Those found using their appliances during bad air days received a warning, with $100 fines levied at repeat offenders. FUELS * NZ airline flies jetliner partly run on biofuel http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008572034_apas newzealandairplanebiofuel.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008572034_apa snewzealandairplanebiofuel.html> Looking to reduce its carbon footprint and cut its fuel bill, Air New Zealand on Tuesday tested a passenger jet that was powered partially with oil from a plum-sized fruit known as jatropha. The airline is the latest carrier to experiment with alternative fuels, partly due to the threat of rising oil prices but also to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from aviation, which are projected to rise by 90 percent by 2020... Tuesday's flight was a joint venture by Air New Zealand, airplane maker Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce and biofuel specialist UOP Llc, a unit of Honeywell International. * Biofuel test flight marks a 'green' step -- Airlines seek to cut carbon emissions http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/394073_biofuel30.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/394073_biofuel30.html> In a number of test flights being watched worldwide, particularly by the airline industry, carriers want to know if the performance of engines powered by biofuel is indistinguishable from those that are using traditional jet fuel. If so, the industry may be moving closer to achieving cleaner air Bill Smith Senior Environmental Specialist City of Tacoma Solid Waste Management 3510 S. Mullen Street Tacoma, WA 98409 253-593-7719 Phone 253-591-5547 Fax