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Source: Fuel Fix

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats seem to be living on different planets when it comes to how to meet U.S. energy needs.

A new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research of public attitudes about energy shows that Republicans in the poll overwhelmingly push for more oil drilling, while Democrats back conservation and new sources such as wind and solar power.

That reflects the polarized positions on energy that have divided Congress and emerged in the presidential campaign.

The poll shows that majorities in both parties say energy an important issue. But political party identification is closely tied to people’s perceptions of the causes of energy problems and possible solutions. No other demographic factor is as consistently associated with opinions on energy.

Source: Environmental Protection On-Line

The oceans have warmed in the past 50 years, but not by natural events alone.

New research by a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and international collaborators shows that the observed ocean warming over the last 50 years is consistent with climate models only if the models include the impacts of observed increases in greenhouse gas during the 20th century.

Though the new research is not the first study to identify a human influence on observed ocean warming, it is the first to provide an in-depth examination of how observational and modeling uncertainties impact the conclusion that humans are primarily responsible.

“We have taken a closer look at factors that influence these results,” said Peter Gleckler, an LLNL climate scientist and lead author of the new study that appears in the June 10 edition of the journal Nature Climate Change. “The bottom line is that this study substantially strengthens the conclusion that most of the observed global ocean warming over the past 50 years is attributable to human activities.”

The group looked at the average temperature (or heat content) in the upper layers of the ocean. The observed global average ocean warming (from the surface to 700 meters) is approximately 0.025 degrees Celsius per decade, or slightly more than 1/10th of a degree Celsius over 50 years. The sub-surface ocean warming is noticeably less than the observed Earth surface warming, primarily because of the relatively slow transfer of ocean surface warming to lower depths. Nevertheless, because of the ocean’s enormous heat capacity, the oceans likely account for more than 90 percent of the heat accumulated over the past 50 years as Earth has warmed.

In this study the team, including observational experts from the United States, Japan and Australia, examined the causes of ocean warming using improved observational estimates. They also used results from a large multi-model archive of control simulations (that don’t include the effects of humans, but do include natural variability), which were compared to simulations that included the effects of the observed increase in greenhouse gases over the 20th century.

“By using a “multi-model ensemble,” we were better able to characterize decadal-scale natural climate variability, which is a critical aspect of the detection and attribution of a human-caused climate change signal. What we are trying to do is determine if the observed warming pattern can be explained by natural variability alone,” Gleckler said. “Although we performed a series of tests to account for the impact of various uncertainties, we found no evidence that simultaneous warming of the upper layers of all seven seas can be explained by natural climate variability alone. Humans have played a dominant role.”

Source: Environmental Protection On-Line

New groundbreaking research by scientists at Trinity College Dublin has found that exposure to nanoparticles can have a serious impact on health, linking it to rheumatoid arthritis and the development of other serious autoimmune diseases. The findings that have been recently published in the international journal Nanomedicine have health and safety implications for the manufacture, use and ultimate disposal of nanotechnology products and materials. They also identified new cellular targets for the development of potential drug therapies in combating the development of autoimmune diseases.

Environmental pollution including carbon particles emitted by car exhaust, smoking and long term inhalation of dust of various origins have been recognized as risk factors causing chronic inflammation of the lungs. The link between smoking and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis has also been established. This new research now raises serious concerns in relation to similar risks caused by nanotechnology products which if not handled appropriately may contribute to the generation of new types of airborne pollutants causing risks to global health.

In their research, the Nanomedicine and Molecular Imaging team at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Medicine led by Professor of Molecular Medicine, Yuri Volkov investigated whether there was a common underlying mechanism contributing to the development of autoimmune diseases in human cells following their exposure to a wide range of nanoparticles containing different physical and chemical properties.

The scientists applied a wide range of nanomaterials including ultrafine carbon black, carbon nanotubes and silicon dioxide particles of different sizes, ranging from 20 to 400 nanometers, to human cells derived from the lining of the airway passages, and to the cells of so-called phagocytic origin − those cells that are most frequently exposed to the inhaled foreign particles or are tasked with cleaning up our body from them. At the same time, collaborating researchers from the Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (Morgantown, WV, USA) have conducted the studies in mice exposed to chronic inhalation of air contaminated with single walled carbon nanotubes.

The result was clear and convincing: all types of nanoparticles in both the TCD and US study were causing an identical response in human cells and in the lungs of mice, manifesting in the specific transformation of the amino acid arginine into the molecule called citrulline which can lead to the development of autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

In the transformation to citrulline, human proteins which incorporate this modified amino acid as building blocks, can no longer function properly and are subject to destruction and elimination by the bodily defense system. Once programmed to get rid of citrullinated proteins, the immune system can start attacking its own tissues and organs, thereby causing the autoimmune processes which may result in rheumatoid arthritis.

Commenting on the significance of the findings, TCD’s Professor Volkov says: “The research establishes a clear link between autoimmune diseases and nanoparticles. Preventing or interfering with the resulting citrullination process looks therefore as a promising target for the development of future preventative and therapeutic approaches in rheumatoid arthritis and possibly other autoimmune conditions.”

Source: Environmental Protection On-line

Although it’s long been suspected that human activity has greatly contributed to environmental stress, it’s only recently that science has begun to show just how great a role that activity is playing.

In an article published in the journal Nature Climate Change, Michigan State University’s Thomas Dietz and his colleague, Eugene Rosa of Washington State University, take a critical look at the various factors that have long been prime climate-change suspects. One in particular: The role of population growth.

“How does population growth influence greenhouse gas emissions?” Dietz asks. “Well, in looking at most nations of the world during the last few decades we find that for each 1 percent increase in population, we get a bit more than a 1 percent increase in emissions.”

And with the Earth’s population projected to reach 10 billion by the end of this century, “it unquestionably will add to the stress we place on the planet,” Dietz said.

Until recently, climate-change debate had focused on whether it was brought about by human activity. Recently that debate has shifted to what sorts of activities are creating it.

“No single factor acts independently of the others,” said Dietz, a professor of sociology and environmental science and policy, and assistant vice president for environmental research. “The effect of population size depends on consumption; the effects of consumption depend on how many people are consuming at that level.”

Another factor that has sparked climate-change debate focuses on how affluent a nation is. On one hand it’s argued that more affluent nations use more resources, thus creating more emissions.

On the other hand, citizens of more affluent nations tend to be more socially conscious and are willing to work and pay for a cleaner environment.

“For example,” Dietz said, “increased use of electricity generated by renewable sources that do not emit greenhouse gases might partially or wholly compensate for the tendency toward increased emissions that come with increased affluence.”

Dietz and Rosa write that they are not optimistic about the future, calling the paper they did “sobering.”

“The population and economic growth that can be anticipated in coming decades will tend to push emissions substantially upward,” they wrote.

The only possible saving grace, they say, is improved technology and changes in the way humans use resources.

“However, these changes will need to be huge because they must counter substantial increases in scale coming from population growth and especially increasing affluence.”

Source: Environmental Expert.com

The New York Times Reports Banks and Big Investors Have Dramatically Increased Their Commitments to Companies That Address Environmental Concerns

SANTA BARBARA, CA — (Marketwire) — 06/11/12 — Carbon Sciences Inc. (OTCBB: CABN), the developer of breakthrough technologies to make transportation fuels, hydrogen and other valuable products from natural gas, today commented on a report by The New York Times that banks and big investors have dramatically increased their financial commitments to green technology firms that address environmental concerns. Carbon Sciences could benefit from this new focus on clean tech by major financial institutions.

‘We can confirm the uptick in clean tech interest reported today by The New York Times,’ said Byron Elton, CEO of Carbon Sciences. ‘During the last few months we have been approached by a number of major energy related companies and strategic investors interested in our natural gas technologies. The natural gas boom drives much of this interest. However, certain investors are looking ahead to the need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and how our technology can be used to transform CO2 into transportation fuels.’

Today, The New York Times reported what it referred to as ‘the greening of Wall Street.’ In the wake of a $30 billion commitment to new environmental investments by Wells Fargo in April and a $40 billion promise from Goldman Sachs this month, Bank of America will announce a 10-year, $50 billion initiative of its own.

Facing bad publicity on practically every front, the big banks are highlighting what has quietly become a hot growth area in recent years — backing projects and companies in sectors like renewable energy, emissions reduction and reduced-carbon transportation.

There is a new hunger for capital among green companies, as well as new interest on the part of investors. At the same time, new regulations are requiring companies to raise money and invest in new technologies that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. In addition, the banks are capitalizing on federal tax credits being offered to encourage investment in renewable energy.

Elton concluded, ‘Interest in clean tech investments is high in the U.S., but for most clean tech companies this is a global market. We are now engaged in discussions with companies from all over the world.’

About Carbon Sciences Inc.

Innovating at the forefront of chemical engineering, Carbon Sciences is developing a breakthrough technology to make cleaner and greener transportation fuels, hydrogen and other valuable products from natural gas. Our highly scalable, clean-tech process will enable the world to reduce its dependence on petroleum by transforming abundant and affordable natural gas into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and other products, such as hydrogen, methanol, pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides and plastics. The key to this process is a breakthrough catalyst that can reduce the cost of reforming natural gas into synthetic gas (syngas), the most costly step in making products from natural gas.

To learn more about Carbon Sciences’ breakthrough technology, please visit us here and follow us on Facebook here.

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Jennifer Webb
Coltrin & Associates (for Carbon Sciences)
212-221-1616 ext. 102
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