Cameron Kovach

January 16, 2011

2010 ties '05 as warmest year on record

Independent studies by NOAA and NASA have concluded that average global temperatures in 2010, at 1.12 degrees above average, have tied 2005 as the warmest year on record. The past decade has included 9 of the 10 hottest years on record based on global data collected since 1880. Last year also had the highest average annual global precipitation on record.

Source:

Juliet Eilperin, 2010 ties '05 as warmest year on record, Wash. Post, Jan. 13, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/12/AR2011011206299.html.

Climate change prompts debate among experts about spread of tropical diseases

In 2000, a Harvard study raised concerns that warming global temperatures would expand the range of disease-carrying insects and pathogens. However, a study last year suggested that climate change would not increase the amount of infectious disease, but rather shift the geographical burden. New disease outbreaks will be offset by disease reductions elsewhere. The issue remains controversial amongst scientists.

Source:

Arthur Allen, Climate change prompts debate among experts about spread of tropical diseases, Wash. Post, Jan. 10, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006063.html.

Agency Revokes Permit for Major Coal Mining Project

Originally approved in 2007, the EPA revoked a permit for one of the nation's largest mountaintop-removal projects. Relying on authority from the Clean Water Act, the EPA claimed that the project would result in unacceptable damage to surrounding rivers, wildlife, and communities. Environmentalists praise the decision while others fear it will have a chilling effect on investment and economic recovery.

Source:

John M. Broder, 2010 Agency Revokes Permit for Major Coal Mining Project, N.Y. Times, Jan. 13, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/science/earth/14coal.html?partner=rss&emc=rss.

Expectations high for Argonne's battery technology

Battery technology may have hit a turning point that will make electric cars more practicable and efficient in the future. Argonne National Laboratories recently developed a new composite that is cheaper, smaller, and lighter than current batteries on the market, plus lasts twice as long between charges. The discovery will likely create more jobs, spur innovation, and improve the environment.

Source:

Ted Gregory, Expectations high for Argonne's battery technology, Chi. Trib., Jan. 7, 2011, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-argonne-battery-20110107,0,5959164.story.

BYD committed to selling electrics, hybrids in US

A Chinese automaker (BYD Co.) with dreams of "zero carbon" and "zero emissions" plans on selling electric and hybrid vehicles in the U.S. this year. With financial investment from Warren Buffet, BYD will unveil three vehicles at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. BYD claims that one of their electric crossovers has a 186 mile range and an 87mph top speed.

Source:

David Runk, BYD committed to selling electrics, hybrids in US, San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 10, 2011, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/01/10/financial/f091055S54.DTL#ixzz1AjtfjNMJ