China is well ahead of all other countries in terms of its concentration of industries and resulting environmental impact. It is the leading exporter of goods and leading importer of raw materials and scrap. It is not surprising, then, that China has a larger carbon footprint than all other countries, having surpassed the United States [...]
Q: I was horrified to read recently that our oceans are actually becoming acidic, that the continued burning of fossil fuels is changing the chemistry of our seas. What’s going on? It’s a known fact that our oceans are becoming more acidic as a result of the increasingly large load of human-generated carbon dioxide (CO2) [...]
How many earths does it take to support your lifestyle? If everyone lived the lifestyle of the average American we would need 5 planets to support us all. Yes, FIVE planets. According to the Global Footprint Network, it now takes the Earth one year and six months to regenerate what we use in a year, [...]
I have always thought that the buying of carbon offset credits was a waste of money, but now I have confirmation. Heifer International’s (one of my favorite charities) WorldArk magazine, which you can read online right here, has an article about carbon offsets that says what I have been saying all along – “It sounds [...]
And it’s about time, given that the fuel efficiency standard (set by CAFE) in the United States was 27.5 MPG in 1985…and was still 27.5 MPG in 2009. The Department of Transportation, along with the Environmental Protection Agency (a name sometimes seen as being oxymoronic), have worked together to establish new efficiency standards that start [...]
Dear EarthTalk: What does “carbon neutral” really mean? And is it really possible to live in such a manner without just resorting to buying carbon credits? Carbon neutral is a term that has sprouted many definitions, and how to achieve it has spawned numerous interpretations, too. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, which made [...]
