Climate Change Doubt not due to ignorance of the science

May 28, 2012

A new study has dispelled the myth that the public are divided about climate change because they don't understand the science behind it. And the Yale research published today reveals that if Americans knew more basic science and were more proficient in technical reasoning it would still result in a gap between public and scientific consensus. Indeed, as members of the public become more science literate and numerate, the study found, individuals belonging to opposing cultural groups become even more divided on the risks that climate change poses.

"The aim of the study was to test two hypotheses," said Dan Kahan, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School and a member of the study team. "The first attributes political controversy over climate change to the public's limited ability to comprehend science, and the second, to opposing sets of cultural values. The findings supported the second hypothesis and not the first," he said.

"Cultural cognition" is the term used to describe the process by which individuals' group values shape their perceptions of societal risks. It refers to the unconscious tendency of people to fit evidence of risk to positions that predominate in groups to which they belong.

In this study, researchers measured "science literacy" with test items developed by the National Science Foundation. They also measured their subjects' "numeracy"—that is, their ability and disposition to understand quantitative information.

"In effect," Kahan said, "ordinary members of the public credit or dismiss scientific information on disputed issues based on whether the information strengthens or weakens their ties to others who share their values. At least among ordinary members of the public, individuals with higher science comprehension are even better at fitting the evidence to their group commitments."

Researcher Ellen Peters of Ohio State University said that people who are higher in numeracy and science literacy usually make better decisions in complex technical situations, but the study clearly casts doubt on the notion that the more you understand science and math, the better decisions you'll make in complex and technical situations. "What this study shows is that people with high science and math comprehension can think their way to conclusions that are better for them as individuals but are not necessarily better for society."

According to Kahan, the study suggests the need for science communication strategies that reflect a more sophisticated understanding of cultural values.

"More information can help solve the climate change conflict," Kahan said, "but that information has to do more than communicate the scientific evidence. It also has to create a climate of deliberations in which no group perceives that accepting any piece of evidence is akin to betrayal of their cultural group.

Forest-sourced biofuel is bad for the environment, new study warns

May 15, 2012

A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, reports that the volume of greenhouse gas released when a forest is cleared depends on how the trees will be used and in which part of the world the trees are grown.

When trees are felled to create solid wood products, such as lumber for housing, that wood retains much of its carbon for decades, the researchers found. In contrast, when wood is used for bioenergy or turned into pulp for paper, nearly all of its carbon is released into the atmosphere. Carbon is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.

"We found that 30 years after a forest clearing, between 0 percent and 62 percent of carbon from that forest might remain in storage," said lead author J. Mason Earles, a doctoral student with the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. "Previous models generally assumed that it was all released immediately."

The researchers analyzed how 169 countries use harvested forests. They learned that the temperate forests found in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe are cleared primarily for use in solid wood products, while the tropical forests of the Southern hemisphere are more often cleared for use in energy and paper production.

The study's findings have potential implications for biofuel incentives based on greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, if the United States decides to incentivize corn-based ethanol, less profitable crops, such as soybeans, may shift to other countries. And those countries might clear more forests to make way for the new crops. Where those countries are located and how the wood from those forests is used would affect how much carbon would be released into the atmosphere.

"This is just one of the pieces that fit into this land-use issue," said Earles. Land use is a driving factor of climate change. "We hope it will give climate models some concrete data on emissions factors they can use."

Hydro bills revamped as smart meters turn on

May 16, 2012

If you're a Sudbury Hydro customer thinking of cranking up the A/C during a hot day this summer or doing your laundry after lunch, you may want to think twice. Two years after homeowners started to get "smart" electricity meters installed, the company is rolling out time-of-use pricing that penalizes people who guzzle power during peak usage hours. The smart meters record what time you use electricity at and enable billing at different rates that are designed to encourage efficiency in electricity generation and use.

Paula Tarini, supervisor of conservation with Sudbury Hydro, said people should take advantage of the different rates and change their habits.

"Deferring some of the things that you do, such as turning on your dishwasher at 7 o'clock versus five o'clock. Just little things like that. Try to use it more efficiently," Tarini said.

The exact rate tiers depend on the season. For summer, it's most expensive to use electricity between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the hottest hours of the day, when households tend to turn on their air-conditioning. At those times, one kilowatt-hour of energy costs 11.7 cents.

In all seasons, the cheapest hours are on weekdays from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and on weekends and holidays, when the price per kWh drops to 6.5 cents.

"People have an opportunity to change their habits and do things at the lower rate," Tarini said. "I can't tell you it's going to save money and I can't tell you it's going to cost you more. It's all up to the individual."

Ontario has spent $1.5 billion, most of it obtained from charges on customers' hydro bills, to install about 4.5 million smart meters across the province. But late last year, Ontario's environment commissioner said there's no evidence the smart meters are having any effect on consumption patterns. Some Sudbury residents are skeptical of the system, too.

"They're kind of forcing us into a lifestyle change," said downtowner Doug Brown. "Even if you change your whole lifestyle and stay up all night and sleep during the day, the simple fact is we're going to be paying more for power."

Sudbury Hydro said the smart meters were supposed to have already come into effect, but were delayed by provincial issues. The utility's customers can expect to see the changes on their next bill.

New Jersey Takes Slow, Steady Approach to Offshore Wind

May 18, 2012

Europe has been operating huge wind turbines offshore for more than a decade, while here in the U.S., this cutting edge clean technology seems perennially “five years off.”

The infamous project proposed offshore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts has been under deliberation for more than 10 years. During that time, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and seven other countries have already installed 53 offshore wind farms totaling 3,813 megawatts (MW) of carbon free electricity. That is enough power to keep the lights on for more than 2.8 million American homes, or a city larger than the size of Chicago.

The international wind power industry is watching Washington, DC to see if lawmakers will extend the federal production tax credit (PTC) for wind power. But their eyes are also focused on Trenton, the state capital of New Jersey, to see if state regulators there will help launch America’s long-awaited offshore wind energy industry.

In August of 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act, which authorizes up $100 million in ratepayer-funded subsidies for offshore wind developments in the Atlantic Ocean that connect to the New Jersey grid. Special “offshore renewable energy credits” (ORECs) help make projects more economic, but unlike the Solyndra federal government loan guarantees, these subsidies are only awarded after projects meet a cost/benefit criteria and produce renewable energy delivered state consumers. In addition, a “Clean Energy Manufacturing Fund” offers additional grants and loans based on local job creation. Many experts consider New Jersey’s offshore wind program to be the most well conceived state policy initiative in the nation.

Perhaps the most unusual company pursuing the Garden State’s offshore wind power opportunity is Fishermen’s Energy, based in Cape May, New Jersey. Several of the East Coast’s largest commercial fishing companies have partnered to create the company, which has been developing a 25 MW project for several years. In contrast to Cape Wind and other ambitious proposals, the New Jersey-based consortium chose a step-by-step approach: a demonstration project. It is siting its five turbine windfarm within the three-mile state-controlled boundary off Atlantic City, a city looking to extend its image – and economy – beyond casino gambling. If building America’s first offshore windfarm were a race, Fishermen’s Energy might look like the tortoise to Cape Wind’s hare.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is currently reviewing the company’s proposed pilot project. By modestly committing consumer dollars to the pilot project, New Jersey would lock in its leadership of an entirely new industry: offshore wind power. If the Fishermen Energy’s pilot project is allowed to move forward, more than 500 MW of additional offshore wind capacity could come online to serve New Jersey within the next five years, creating as many as 11,000 manufacturing, installation and ongoing operation and maintenance jobs for the Garden State.

Wind, Solar...Coconuts: Small Island Developing States Commit to Renewable, Sustainable Energy for All

May 15, 2012

Typically heavily reliant on the cost of high and volatile diesel and fossil fuel imports, small island developing states are also on the front line when it comes to having to cope with climate change. Now they’re realizing there’s a lot in the way of cleaner, more efficient and less costly power and fuel resources right at home. They’re increasingly, if belatedly, establishing ambitious renewable energy programs and setting aggressive targets to employ local renewable energy resources to reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, working with a range of international development agencies, public and private sector partners domestic and foreign, in doing so.

Tropical island nations are even turning back to one of their iconic trees, one that was in the past a driver of local economies and international trade– the coconut palm. The tall, flexible and strong swaying coconut palms that grace many a tropical island post card are a renewable, naturally recyclable source of a wide range of products, including transportation fuel, oil, food and fiber. Small, enterprising companies such as Kokonut Pacific, with little or no support from banks, other lenders or corporations, are having success getting locals living on island nation states to make use of simple, appropriate technology to make sustainable, low impact use of coconuts.

Small island developing states’ (SIDS) renewable energy drive has taken on international proportions. Representatives from island state around the world last week gathered in Bridgetown, Barbados for the UN Development Program’s “Achieving Sustainable Energy for All in Small Island Developing States“ conference. By the end of the two-day conference, they all had put their name to the “Barbados Declaration,” agreeing to call out and work for “universal access to modern and affordable renewable energy services, while protecting environment, ending poverty and creating new opportunities for economic growth.”

Host Barbados helped set the tone and direction for the UNDP conference, committing to increasing renewable energy’s share of the Caribbean island’s electricity capacity to 29% by 2029.

Other small island states made the following commitments:

- Maldives committed to achieve carbon neutrality in the energy sector by year 2020

- Marshall Island aim to electrify all urban households and 95 percent of rural outer atoll households by 2015

- Mauritius committed to increasing the share of renewable energy – including solar power, wind energy, hydroelectric power, bagasse and landfill gas – to 35 percent or more by 2025

- Seychelles committed to produce 15 percent of energy supply from renewable energy by 2030

The Barbados Declaration and Rio+20

While recognizing the great potential for small island developing states to make use of local renewable energy resources they also emphasized that improved access to technology, financial resources and locally-minded expertise are vital to doing so.

The Complete Electric Car with Charging Station

May 21, 2012

One of the problems with an all electric car is charging them. As opposed to gasoline stations, there are far fewer opportunities to charge electric vehicles. Shai Agassi hopes Israel is ready to embrace the efficiency and economics of electric cars. His company Better Place rolled out four electric car charging stations in northern Israel. It is planned to quickly grow this network so that every place in Israel be within range of one of their network stations. This is intended to eliminate, the range anxiety which frightens some consumers out of considering electric cars. Better Place contracted with French automaker Renault to produce a customized version of their Fluence electric car.

Israel is not the only place where Better Place is using this concept of wide distribution system combined with an electric car concept. Earlier in 2011 in Hawaii they did the same. To use this network, drivers can signup for a free membership and see an interactive map of Charge Spot locations at www.betterplace.com/hawaii. Membership includes free network access for 2012.

Better Place has jettisoned the fixed battery concept to avoid long charging times. Instead, drivers can swap their depleted batteries for fully charged ones at a network of stations, receiving a full, 100-mile range in five minutes. Better Place owns the batteries, bringing down the purchase price of the cars using the network.

People driving shorter distances, the vast majority of customers, can plug in their batteries each day to chargers installed at their homes, offices and public locations, which will fully recharge in six to eight hours.

So far, the four Better Place battery stations are set up in central and northern Israel. During the second half of the year, around 40 stations are due to be operating across the country. But even before that, the company says enough will be up that a motorist could make the 300 mile drive from Israel's northern tip to its southern end.

Israel was chosen for the experiment in part because of its tech-savvy population. Also, with 80 percent of the population living in a narrow, densely populated stretch along the Mediterranean coast, it provides a perfect laboratory for the relatively small charging network.

Denmark is set to become Better Place's second launch site this year. Australia is to become its first major market, with deployment in the capital, Canberra, also this year. Small-scale projects are already in place in Hawaii and California. Amsterdam is the next European target after Denmark.