Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Daylight Saving time- Do we need it?
For nearly a century, Americans have been springing forward and falling back, and this year will be no different. Come Sunday morning, we’ll be snuggled soundly in bed as the clocks fall back an hour. Daylight saving time is the autumnal gift that provides the proverbial snooze button to our circadian rhythm.But whether or not we should get that extra sleep has spurred some passionate debate from many disparate groups.To better understand the situation, it’s best to look at why we do this annual clock change each fall and spring. Agrarian cultures built their societies around sunlight, waking up with the sun to toil in the field and heading home as the sun lowered beneath the horizon. But the Industrial Revolution, and electricity in particular, brought the freedom to unshackle us from nature’s clock.As far back as 1897, countries began instituting daylight saving time, adding an hour of sunlight to the day. This meant communities could be more productive — people could work longer, and when work was done it was still bright enough to run errands and stimulate the economy. The added daylight also meant more exposure to vitamin D and the added time for people to exercise outdoors.Everyone from factories to retail shops embraced the change. Even candy makers supported the new system, figuring the extra hour of sunlight meant it would be safer for kids to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.“It has several technical benefits as well,” explained Dr. David Prerau, author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time,” during a phone interview. “It’s been found to reduce energy usage by doing something called load smoothing” — separating out electrical loads throughout the day to better deal with the valleys and peaks of energy usage — “and so you’re going to generate energy more efficiently and therefore have less effects on pollution.”A study by the U.S. Department of Transportation showed that the country's electricity usage is cut by 1 percent each day because of daylight saving time.But not everyone is on board with the time shift.Michael Downing, a teacher at Tufts University and the author of “Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time,” says messing with the clock doesn’t really save energy. “Daylight saving is still a boon to purveyors of barbecue grills, sports and recreation equipment, and the petroleum industry, as gasoline consumption increases every time we increase the length of the daylight saving period,” Downing told MNN. “Give Americans an extra hour of after-dinner daylight, and they will go to the ballpark or the mall — but they won't walk there.”Daylight saving time increases gasoline consumption, according to Downing. “It is a convenient and cynical substitute for a real energy conservation policy.”There’s data to back him up. A report by the California Energy Commission’s Demand Analysis Officeconcluded that increasing daylight saving time “had little or no effect on energy consumption in California.”Television networks aren’t fans of the time change either. The extra hour of daylight means less people are home to watch TV. Viewership ratings traditionally plunge each spring. Fox’s hit “American Idol” clocked in historic low ratings immediately following the time change in spring 2009. On average, primetime shows shed 10 percent of their viewers on the Monday after the clocks are changed.“I think television networks would like it to be dark as soon as you left the office and headed home for the night,” Bill Gorman, of the website TV by the Numbers, told NPR. “And maybe it started raining or snowing a lot as soon as primetime began.”It doesn’t look like those issues with springing forward and falling back will end soon. As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the U.S. Congress pushed daylight saving time three to four weeks deeper into the fall in an effort to combat growing energy problems.That change has resulted in sunrises as late as 8:30 a.m. in some areas, causing unexpected ripple effects.For example, it threw a wrench into the lifestyle of observant Jews whose morning synagogue services are predicated on the sun. In fact, Prerau points out, Israel has a relatively short daylight saving time compared to other countries. “If sunrise is late, religious Jews have to delay going to work or pray at work, neither of which is a desirable situation,” he says.“If you don't like daylight saving time, you have plenty of options,” explains A.J. Jacobs, the bestselling author of “The Know-It-All.” He suggests moving to Arizona or Hawaii, states which don’t observe daylight saving time at all. “Parts of Indiana used to be DST-resistant as well, but I think they've since buckled.”Even for those who do live in such states, life isn't simple. “It’s crazy. People forget about us not changing so they call at ridiculous times,” says Anita Atwell Seate, a doctoral student at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “But, on the upside, you don’t have to adjust your sleep schedule or your clocks.”Is daylight saving time a fait accompli or will time ever just stand still? Downing doesn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. “Since 1966, every 20 years, Congress has given us another month of daylight saving. We're up to eight months now,” he says. “And there is every reason to believe that the [U.S.] Chamber of Commerce, the national lobby for convenience stores — which account for more than 80 percent of all gasoline sales in the country — and Congress will continue to press for extensions until we adopt year-round daylight saving. And then, why not spring forward in March or April and enjoy double daylight saving time?”
Source: Green.Yahoo.Com
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Chennai hit by Jal Cyclone
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Jal cyclone has resulted in a day-night rain all over the coastal chennai city. Most parts of chennai experienced a good rain with winds blowing at great speeds. The Jal cyclone is expected to cross the shores between Chennai and nellore and heavy rain is predicted over the coastal areas. Already the pondicherry government has declared holidays to the schools in puduchery. The Chennai corporation has taken the necessary actions and steps to keep the damages minimum. Jal has also disrupted the normal life in Chennai and other areas in TamilNadu. The sea water invaded into the village areas in Cudddalore (near the Silver beach).
Andhra is also experiencing a heavy rain.
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Jal cyclone has resulted in a day-night rain all over the coastal chennai city. Most parts of chennai experienced a good rain with winds blowing at great speeds. The Jal cyclone is expected to cross the shores between Chennai and nellore and heavy rain is predicted over the coastal areas. Already the pondicherry government has declared holidays to the schools in puduchery. The Chennai corporation has taken the necessary actions and steps to keep the damages minimum. Jal has also disrupted the normal life in Chennai and other areas in TamilNadu. The sea water invaded into the village areas in Cudddalore (near the Silver beach).
Andhra is also experiencing a heavy rain.
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Sunday, October 3, 2010
Win $75,000 for your environmental projects
The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is an initiative by the University of St Andrews in Scotland and the international integrated energy company, ConocoPhillips.
The Prize recognises significant contributions to environmental conservation and since its launch in 1998 has attracted entries from more than 50 countries each year on diverse topics including;
* sustainable development in the Amazon rainforest
* urban regeneration
* recycling
* health and water issues
* renewable energy
Submissions for the annual prize are assessed by a panel of eminent trustees representing science, industry and government with the award going to the project the Trustees consider displays the best combination of good science, economic realism and political acceptability.
The winner will receive $75,000 USD and two runners up
will each receive $25,000 USD.
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The Prize recognises significant contributions to environmental conservation and since its launch in 1998 has attracted entries from more than 50 countries each year on diverse topics including;
* sustainable development in the Amazon rainforest
* urban regeneration
* recycling
* health and water issues
* renewable energy
Submissions for the annual prize are assessed by a panel of eminent trustees representing science, industry and government with the award going to the project the Trustees consider displays the best combination of good science, economic realism and political acceptability.
The winner will receive $75,000 USD and two runners up
will each receive $25,000 USD.
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Saturday, October 2, 2010
Osama Bin laden as "Environmental Activist"
Osama bin Laden yesterday criticised relief efforts in Pakistan and called for action against climate change in what appeared to be a new audio tape from the al-Qaida leader.
The audio message lasted about 11 minutes, and was broadcast with a video showing still images of Bin Laden and images of natural disasters, the Islamist website used by al-Qaida said.
The authenticity of the tape and its precise release date could not be immediately confirmed. In it, however, Bin Laden congratulates Muslims on the holy month of Ramadan, which started on 11 August 11 and ended 9 September.
He describes the fate of the Pakistani people following catastrophic floods, saying: "Millions of children are out in the open air, lacking basic elements of living, including drinking water, resulting in their bodies shedding liquids and subsequently their death."
Bin Laden also touches on global warming, the second time he is believed to have made climate change a prominent theme of one of his statements.
"The huge climate change is affecting our (Islamic) nation and is causing great catastrophes throughout the Islamic world," he says in the tape.
"It is not sufficient anymore to maintain the same relief efforts as previously, as it has become crucial to deliver tents, food and medicine."
Islamic charities, some with suspected ties to militant groups, were quicker than the Pakistani government to provide relief to flood victims.
Pakistani and US officials have repeatedly expressed concern that the Taliban and other militant groups could exploit the disarray following the floods in Pakistan to gain recruits.
Bin Laden urges a "huge transformation" in how relief work is administered, suggesting the number of victims of climate change is far larger than the number of victims of war.
He blames countries in the region for setting aside a "huge part" of their budgets to finance armies without having any impact on the Palestinian cause.
"Spending is nowhere in comparison to what is being spent on those armies," he says.
The message was Bin Laden's first since 25 March, when he threatened to execute any Americans taken prisoner by al-Qaida if accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was executed.
US soldiers and Afghan militia forces launched a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora mountains in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States in pursuit of the Saudi-born Bin Laden.
But he has never been found, and is believed to be hiding in the mountainous border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/02/osama-bin-laden-climate-change
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The audio message lasted about 11 minutes, and was broadcast with a video showing still images of Bin Laden and images of natural disasters, the Islamist website used by al-Qaida said.
The authenticity of the tape and its precise release date could not be immediately confirmed. In it, however, Bin Laden congratulates Muslims on the holy month of Ramadan, which started on 11 August 11 and ended 9 September.
He describes the fate of the Pakistani people following catastrophic floods, saying: "Millions of children are out in the open air, lacking basic elements of living, including drinking water, resulting in their bodies shedding liquids and subsequently their death."
Bin Laden also touches on global warming, the second time he is believed to have made climate change a prominent theme of one of his statements.
"The huge climate change is affecting our (Islamic) nation and is causing great catastrophes throughout the Islamic world," he says in the tape.
"It is not sufficient anymore to maintain the same relief efforts as previously, as it has become crucial to deliver tents, food and medicine."
Islamic charities, some with suspected ties to militant groups, were quicker than the Pakistani government to provide relief to flood victims.
Pakistani and US officials have repeatedly expressed concern that the Taliban and other militant groups could exploit the disarray following the floods in Pakistan to gain recruits.
Bin Laden urges a "huge transformation" in how relief work is administered, suggesting the number of victims of climate change is far larger than the number of victims of war.
He blames countries in the region for setting aside a "huge part" of their budgets to finance armies without having any impact on the Palestinian cause.
"Spending is nowhere in comparison to what is being spent on those armies," he says.
The message was Bin Laden's first since 25 March, when he threatened to execute any Americans taken prisoner by al-Qaida if accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was executed.
US soldiers and Afghan militia forces launched a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora mountains in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States in pursuit of the Saudi-born Bin Laden.
But he has never been found, and is believed to be hiding in the mountainous border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/02/osama-bin-laden-climate-change
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Renewable energy production goes down in UK
The UK has suffered a second fall in renewable energy production this year, raising concern about the more than £1bn support the industry receives each year from taxpayers.
The drop in electricity generated from wind, hydro and other clean sources in the first half of 2010 could also be a setback to the coalition government's promise that the UK could help lead a "third industrial revolution" and create a low-carbon economy.
The DECC today said lower than expected wind speeds and rainfall led to a 12% fall in renewable electricity generated between April and June, compared to the same period in 2009. This setback follows a smaller but still notable decline between January and March, again compared to last year.
With a sharp drop in output from nuclear power stations as well, greenhouse gas emissions from each unit of electricity generated will inevitably have risen, at a time when the UK has pledged to cut such pollution, and is pressing other countries to do the same.
The renewable energy figures are likely to prompt criticism of the government's energy policies from all sides. Supporters want ministers to increase funding for green industry so more wind farms are built, reducing the risk of seasonal set backs; critics will say the government should instead increase support for energy efficiency, nuclear power or cleaner forms of burning fossil fuels.
With speculation mounting that the government is considering cutting the feed-in tariff subsidy for small-scale renewable equipment, 69 industry figures and other experts will tomorrow publish an open letter to the government warning such a move would "shatter" confidence and put future investment "in mortal peril".
However, Robert Gross, director of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology at Imperial College London, said it was too soon to react to the drops in renewables, pointing out that other electricity sources were also vulnerable to short-term problems, such as fluctuations in supply and prices of fossil fuels and technology shutdowns at nuclear reactors. Risks were not likely to arise until renewable sources made up more than 25-35% of electricity supply, when the UK would need back up from one or more of the several options: new gas plants, better connections to mainland Europe, better demand management so more electricity was used at off-peak times, and better technology to store surplus energy for peak times, said Gross.
The DECC also suggested the government was not yet planning to change its policies, which included direct support of £265m from 2000-2009, and about £1bn indirect subsidies for large installations through 'renewable obligation certificates' in 2008-9.
"Wind energy is home-grown, low-carbon and adds diversity to our energy mix," said a department statement. "The intermittent nature of wind means that we do need alternative back-up generation, for when wind speeds drop. But for most of the time it will be possible to generate significant amounts of electricity from wind, thereby reducing the amount of fossil fuels we need to consume."
The latest energy statistics for the second quarter of 2010 show total energy production in the UK was 9.2% lower than the same period last year, while final energy consumption was 1.8% higher. Among the different fuels, output from oil and coal fell, while only gas increased its output, by 7.1%. It was a similar picture for electricity alone: coal power stayed steady at about 23% of electricity supplied, nuclear output fell by 23% to 15.8%, and gas production rose by more than 10% to over half of all electricity.
Chris Huhne, the climate secretary, repeatedly chastised the previous government for putting the UK in 25th place among the 27 European Union countries for renewable energy, a ranking based on 2008 figures.
However, last week RenewableUK, the industry lobby group, said the UK was "on course" to meet its commitment to reach 15% of all energy – including at least 30% of electricity – from renewable sources by 2020.
Responding to today's figures, a spokesman for the group said: "Clearly we need to deploy more renewable devices if we expect to get more in the energy mix. Hydro and wind power will vary from year to year, as do other technologies, but we know that they can and do contribute significant amounts of electricity.
"Hydro is one the world's oldest and most widespread energy technologies, and wind power has shown its mettle across Europe. If we don't write off nuclear energy on the basis of [its latest] fall, why would we write off hydro, or even wind, which is now the UK's largest source of renewable energy?"
Louise Hutchins, climate campaigner for Greenpeace, said: "At the moment it [renewable energy] is a very small share in electricity and small fluctuations in weather can have an impact on the percentage of supply. When we have a lot more renewable energy there will be a lot more stability."
Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/30/uk-renewable-energy-production-drops
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The drop in electricity generated from wind, hydro and other clean sources in the first half of 2010 could also be a setback to the coalition government's promise that the UK could help lead a "third industrial revolution" and create a low-carbon economy.
The DECC today said lower than expected wind speeds and rainfall led to a 12% fall in renewable electricity generated between April and June, compared to the same period in 2009. This setback follows a smaller but still notable decline between January and March, again compared to last year.
With a sharp drop in output from nuclear power stations as well, greenhouse gas emissions from each unit of electricity generated will inevitably have risen, at a time when the UK has pledged to cut such pollution, and is pressing other countries to do the same.
The renewable energy figures are likely to prompt criticism of the government's energy policies from all sides. Supporters want ministers to increase funding for green industry so more wind farms are built, reducing the risk of seasonal set backs; critics will say the government should instead increase support for energy efficiency, nuclear power or cleaner forms of burning fossil fuels.
With speculation mounting that the government is considering cutting the feed-in tariff subsidy for small-scale renewable equipment, 69 industry figures and other experts will tomorrow publish an open letter to the government warning such a move would "shatter" confidence and put future investment "in mortal peril".
However, Robert Gross, director of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology at Imperial College London, said it was too soon to react to the drops in renewables, pointing out that other electricity sources were also vulnerable to short-term problems, such as fluctuations in supply and prices of fossil fuels and technology shutdowns at nuclear reactors. Risks were not likely to arise until renewable sources made up more than 25-35% of electricity supply, when the UK would need back up from one or more of the several options: new gas plants, better connections to mainland Europe, better demand management so more electricity was used at off-peak times, and better technology to store surplus energy for peak times, said Gross.
The DECC also suggested the government was not yet planning to change its policies, which included direct support of £265m from 2000-2009, and about £1bn indirect subsidies for large installations through 'renewable obligation certificates' in 2008-9.
"Wind energy is home-grown, low-carbon and adds diversity to our energy mix," said a department statement. "The intermittent nature of wind means that we do need alternative back-up generation, for when wind speeds drop. But for most of the time it will be possible to generate significant amounts of electricity from wind, thereby reducing the amount of fossil fuels we need to consume."
The latest energy statistics for the second quarter of 2010 show total energy production in the UK was 9.2% lower than the same period last year, while final energy consumption was 1.8% higher. Among the different fuels, output from oil and coal fell, while only gas increased its output, by 7.1%. It was a similar picture for electricity alone: coal power stayed steady at about 23% of electricity supplied, nuclear output fell by 23% to 15.8%, and gas production rose by more than 10% to over half of all electricity.
Chris Huhne, the climate secretary, repeatedly chastised the previous government for putting the UK in 25th place among the 27 European Union countries for renewable energy, a ranking based on 2008 figures.
However, last week RenewableUK, the industry lobby group, said the UK was "on course" to meet its commitment to reach 15% of all energy – including at least 30% of electricity – from renewable sources by 2020.
Responding to today's figures, a spokesman for the group said: "Clearly we need to deploy more renewable devices if we expect to get more in the energy mix. Hydro and wind power will vary from year to year, as do other technologies, but we know that they can and do contribute significant amounts of electricity.
"Hydro is one the world's oldest and most widespread energy technologies, and wind power has shown its mettle across Europe. If we don't write off nuclear energy on the basis of [its latest] fall, why would we write off hydro, or even wind, which is now the UK's largest source of renewable energy?"
Louise Hutchins, climate campaigner for Greenpeace, said: "At the moment it [renewable energy] is a very small share in electricity and small fluctuations in weather can have an impact on the percentage of supply. When we have a lot more renewable energy there will be a lot more stability."
Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/30/uk-renewable-energy-production-drops
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