Environment Articles

Environment | By Michael Dappert @ Friday, 29th June 2007 @ 8:50 PM

About 25 years ago I was working on the farm where I live in Illinois. We were working on an implement of some type making some adjustments preparing to do some field work. A chemical spray truck backed up to a field not more than 16 feet away and began spraying herbicides. It is this stupidity on the part of applicators that is one of the most dangerous aspects of our chemical society. Five or six years ago another chemical spray truck began spraying the field out in front of our h... more...

Environment | By Daniel Yergin @ Wednesday, 27th June 2007 @ 2:43 PM

Where's Russia headed? One good place to get an answer was the just-concluded St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which followed the strained G-8 meeting in Germany. According to Russian Economics Minister German Gref, upwards of 10,000 people from over 60 countries participated in the Forum, which this year was also done in partnership with the World Economic Forum -- otherwise known as Davos. I attended the forum and chaired the session on energy. I have subsequently been... more...

Environment | By Daniel Johansson @ Friday, 22nd June 2007 @ 11:25 PM

Recycling is the buzz word of the 21st Century, with everyone eager to prove their green credentials and help cut carbon emissions. And when it comes to disposing of old or redundant computers it is no different; whether you run a business or you have equipment at home it's all about computer recycling! But, it's much more than ensuring that you look to be doing the right thing; refurbishing and recycling computers forms a very important part of a sustainable waste strategy. It is also... more...

Environment | By Adam Beazley @ Wednesday, 20th June 2007 @ 6:01 AM

The majority of the population are living in homes who's energy efficiency is very poor and it is costing them money and hurting our environment. Over 21% of all the carbon dioxide pollution in the U.S. comes from energy used in homes. Most of that carbon dioxide is created by your local "dirty" electricity plant, in fact, your home is generally responsible for more co2 emissions than your car. There are many different things you can do to increase your homes efficiency to cut down ... more...

Environment | By Daniel Yergin @ Thursday, 14th June 2007 @ 5:13 PM

Over 1200 people turned up on June 5th in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the "Ethanol Summit" - billed as the world's first ethanol "congress." Among them was CNBC's own Global Energy Expert, Daniel Yergin, who, as one of the keynoters, was charged with delivering the global energy view. CNBC's Website caught up with Dan, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates for a few questions between planes-en route from Sao Paulo to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum i... more...

Environment | By Mayoor Patel @ Tuesday, 12th June 2007 @ 12:49 AM

Oil wells usually refer to a vertical hole drilled in the earth to find and extract petroleum oil and natural gas from the underground layers. Wells are generally composed of a series of small holes and tubing and smaller holes within, encased in cement, whereby perforations along the casing in the production zone enable the oil to flow though rocks into the production casing. Inherent pressure is then enough to allow the oil and gas to flow to the surface. In case the pressure is not enough, ot... more...

Environment | By Warren Peters @ Wednesday, 6th June 2007 @ 9:51 AM

There's so much waste that is generated in gardens every day. You'll find leaves, dead plants, twigs and grass clippings. It takes too long and probably involves a lot to take it to a landfill so what do you do? The simplest solution is to start a compost heap saving a lot of time and money, not only yours but others as well if you were thinking of paying the garbage disposal people and getting them to take it away. Especially when all this waste can be converted into excellent... more...

Environment | By Daniel Yergin @ Wednesday, 6th June 2007 @ 7:50 AM

At the conclusion of last year's G8 summit in Scotland, Russian President Vladimir Putin said to the other leaders of the G8 industrial nations, "We cannot ignore the question of overcoming poverty and the fight against terrorism." But "the key issue for the next summit" would be energy security. Setting the agenda was certainly his prerogative as the incoming "president" of the G8. Moreover, he did it from a unique perspective. For, he added, "If you put togethe... more...

Environment | By Warren Peters @ Tuesday, 5th June 2007 @ 12:07 PM

The best organic fertilizer comes from your garden. Don't throw out the grass. If managed properly, grass can be the answer to your composting problems. With a little effort and care, you can keep the grass from rotting. All you have to do is take a few precautionary measures to succeed in your goal of making the perfect compost heap. When you trim your lawn, allow the blades of grass to fall on the lawn. Your lawn mower can do it for you if you make a slight alteration. Detach the ... more...

Environment | By Warren Peters @ Monday, 4th June 2007 @ 12:12 PM

Many researchers believe that harnessing the power of the atom in fission reactions is the most significant alternative energy resource that we have, for the fact of the immense power that it can generate. Nuclear power plants are very clean-burning and their efficiency is rather staggering. Nuclear power is generated at 80% efficiency, meaning that the energy produced by the fission reactions is almost equal to the energy put into producing the fission reactions in the first place. There... more...

Environment | By Warren Peters @ Monday, 4th June 2007 @ 12:10 PM

The Germans have really taken off when it comes to renewable fuel sources, and have become one of the major players in the alternative energy game. Under the aegis of the nation's electricity feed laws, the German people set a world record in 2006 by investing over $10 billion (US) in research, development, and implementation of wind turbines, biogas power plants, and solar collection cells. Germany's feed laws permit the German homeowners to connect to an electrical grid throu... more...

Environment | By Warren Peters @ Sunday, 3rd June 2007 @ 6:13 PM

Biofuels are produced by converting organic matter into fuel for powering our society. These biofuels are an alternative energy source to the fossil fuels that we currently depend upon. The biofuels umbrella includes under it's aegis ethanol and derivatives of plants such as sugar cane, as well as vegetable and corn oils. However, not all ethanol products are designed to be used as a kind of gasoline. The International Energy Agency (IEA) tells us that ethanol could comprise up to 1... more...

Environment | By Daniel Yergin @ Friday, 1st June 2007 @ 12:59 PM

The disclosure of "proved reserves" has been one of the great rituals of the reporting season for oil and gas companies, and one carefully monitored by investors. It's recently taken on even more significance with high and jittery prices, concerns about energy security, and plain fear of running out. In a world of uncertainty, these disclosures seem to provide direct, quantitative information on the future oil "inventory"-at least for companies reporting to the US Se... more...

Environment | By Michael Dappert @ Thursday, 31st May 2007 @ 9:38 AM

Are Americans lazy or just poorly informed? In today's world, there are no valid reasons for being poorly informed, only excuses. Our current crop of power holding politicians seem to extol the virtues of being less than interested in learning or gaining greater understanding of the world around us. Their implied modus operandi is they already know everything there is worth knowing. I visited the grocery store today. Like lots of stores, the doors automatically open when you app... more...

Environment | By Daniel Yergin @ Tuesday, 22nd May 2007 @ 1:06 AM

Energy is markedly different from the other controversial matters that will be at the top of the US-Chinese Strategic Economic Dialogue, edition two, meeting this week in Washington. Trade and currencies are the now familiar issues at the centre of the economic tensions in the bilateral relationship. Energy, however, is about competition and the risks of collision around the world. At a time of tight markets and high prices, those risks can grow. The dialogue is chaired by Henry P... more...

Environment | By Daniel Yergin @ Tuesday, 22nd May 2007 @ 1:04 AM

A recent set of decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit raises the prospect that market-based rate transactions, including billions of dollars worth of wholesale power contracts, entered into during the US West power crisis may be modified now, more than six years down the road. This may set a precedent for regulatory intervention and modification of wholesale power transactions by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with much broader implicati... more...

Environment | By Matthew Hick @ Monday, 21st May 2007 @ 12:32 AM

Hemp is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized plants grown in the world today. One of the first plants cultivated by man, and maybe the most versatile one ever grown, Cannabis Sativa l. Cannabis (Hemp), has been used for thousands of years in China and Egypt as a medicine. Criticized for the indulgent use of higher tetrahyclrocannabinol concentration plants by some to dry or compress into marijuana and hashish, hemp attempts to gain respect in the worldwide market have been thw... more...

Environment | By Warren Peters @ Saturday, 19th May 2007 @ 7:38 PM

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) was conceived of by the French engineer Jacques D'Arsonval in 1881. However, at the time of this writing the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii is home to the only operating experimental OTEC plant on the face of the earth. OTEC is a potential alternative energy source that needs to be funded and explored much more than it presently is. The great hurdle to get over with OTEC implementation on a wide and practically useful level is cost. It is ... more...

Environment | By James Copper @ Tuesday, 15th May 2007 @ 2:04 PM

Green energy refers to the use of power that is not only more efficient than fossil fuel but that is friendly to the environment as well. Green energy is generally defined as energy sources that dont pollute and are renewable. There are several categories of green energy (GE). They are anaerobic digestion, wind power, geothermal power, hydropower on a small scale, biomass power, solar power and wave power. Waste incineration can even be a source of green energy. Nuclear power p... more...

Environment | By James Copper @ Monday, 14th May 2007 @ 10:32 PM

We hear so much about energy efficiency nowadays. Energy efficiency is about saving our environment and saving our money. How we got about practicing energy efficiency isnt always as clear, though. Here, there, are the most frequently asked questions about energy efficiency, and their answers. The question most often asked is if buying products such as appliances that are specifically designed for energy efficiency cost more than others? The answer is yes and no. While their initia... more...