Tag: News
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Industry Word Games Mislead Americans on Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, and other drilling practices have unlocked previously inaccessible reserves of oil and gas across the U.S. and the world. However, some of the debate over fracking is distorting public understanding of these practices and interfering with good decision-making about this recent boom in unconventional oil and gas production. [caption…
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Did Canada Just Have the Largest Coal Slurry Spill in Its History?
A scary thing happened on Halloween near Hinton, Alberta. Canada had what may be the largest coal slurry spill in its history when a dam failed at the Obed Mountain coal mine and 264 million gallons (1 billion litres) of waste water contaminated at least 25 kilometers of the Athabasca river. Ten municipalities located downstream…
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Healthy Rivers Build Greater Resilience to Climate Change
Climate change is bringing more extreme floods and droughts, and large dams can compound the impacts of both. Dam failures, levees that cut off rivers from their floodplains and hydropower projects that lay idle in times of drought reduce the ability of societies to cope with the impacts of a changing climate. The new report, Civil…
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Worldwide Solar PV Installations to Double by 2020
Despite waning government support, the threat of international trade wars and high-profile bankruptcies, the solar photovoltaic (PV) market continues to grow. Solar PV technology costs have steadily declined, and pathways to further cost reduction are being pursued. By the end […] — Solar Builder magazine
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Energy Experts Respond to Scientists’ Letter Advocating Nuclear Power
By Dale Bryk Four distinguished atmospheric scientists, including Dr. James Hansen, have written an open letter encouraging those “opposed to nuclear power” to rethink their position in light of the urgent need to fight dangerous climate change. Hansen and his coauthors are right to underscore the dangers of climate disruption from the global addiction to fossil…