Tuesday, February 18, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 2/18/14

<> Climate, Environment, and Conservation: Remarks on Climate Change - Remarks on Climate Change John Kerry Secretary of State; Jakarta, Indonesia February 16, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Robert. Thank you very, very much. I don't know. I think some of you were cheering twice for the same university. I don't know. (Laughter.) It seemed to come from the same place anyway. What a pleasure to be here at America, where we are looking at all of the a. . .

<> Climate, Environment, and Conservation: U.S.-China Joint Statement on Climate Change - U.S.-China Joint Statement on Climate Change Media NoteOffice of the Spokesperson Washington, DC February 15, 2014 In light of the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change and its worsening impacts, and the related issue of air pollution from burning fossil fuels, the United States and China recognize the urgent need for action to meet these twin challenges. Both sides reaffirm their. . .

<> NRDC: President Obama Driving America to Cleaner Energy Future-

WASHINGTON (February 18, 2014) – President Obama's newly announced fuel-efficiency standards for heavy trucks will help such vehicles go farther on less fuel while further curbing carbon pollution from America's transportation sector, the largest source of carbon pollution after power plants. NRDC is scheduled to be a White House guest at this morning's event in Upper Marlboro, Md.

<> 2014 Farm Bill Drill Down: Recap and Wrap Up - This post wraps up our series on what is in the new 2014 Farm Bill for sustainable food and farming systems.  We started the series with an overview of what was in the bill for sustainable agriculture, and then dove into a series of posts with the nitty-gritty details of the new bill: 

<> Extreme Weather in parts of the world (Updated 14 February 2014) - World Meteorological Organization reports parts of the world have witnessed a series of extreme weather conditions in the first six weeks of 2014, continuing a pattern that was set in December 2013.

<> Launch of WBCSD's new Policy Advisory Council- Geneva, February 12, 2014 - During a high-level dialogue at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) convened member CEOs and key policymakers to launch the WBCSD's first Policy Advisory Council. This new council will guide the WBCSD's global policy outreach, focused on working with. . .

<> New Study Shows Powerful Impact of Ethanol Industry on Jobs & Energy Independence- (February 18, 2014) ORLANDO, Fla. — The Renewable Fuels Association unveiled a new study today by ABF Economics entitled "Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States" at the National Ethanol Conference in Orlando, Fla. The study examines the nationwide impact of the ethanol industry in 2013 on job creation, the economy, household income, and. . .

<> Why We Need CCS, Part 1: The Basics - CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is often neglected as a low-carbon energy option next to renewables and nuclear. Part 1 of this three-part article will make the basic case why CCS is highly likely to actually play a very prominent role in a future climate-constrained world. 

<> The Fifth Anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Five years ago, on February 17, 2009, less than a month into his first term, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. At the time, the country was experiencing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Private employers had already cut almost 4 million jobs, trillions in dollars in household wealth had been wiped out. . .

<> Chemical and non Chemical Alternatives to Endosulfan- The webinar aims at:  Raising awareness of the obligations pertaining to endosulfan under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions  Sharing information available on possible chemical and non chemical alternatives to endosulfan  Presenting Parties to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions with a proposed methodology to assess the continued need of endosulfan. . .

<> Combating climate change with ammonia-fueled vehicles - Running vehicles on ammonia could reduce emissions to levels far below those achieved by other alternative fuels, such as natural gas or ethanol derived from corn.