New York

Who Wants a Sustainable, Pollution-Free New York by 2030?

Stephen CANADA, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, economics, Energy, ENVIRONMENT, Global Issues and Perspectives, global warming, News, Science, sustainability , , , , , , ,
Wind turbines on the Tug Hill plateau in upstate New York
Wind turbines on the Tug Hill plateau in upstate New York

By Stephen Leahy

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Mar 19 2013 (IPS)

As usual, midtown Manhattan is packed with whisper-quiet cars and trams while thousands walk the streets listening to the birds of spring sing amongst the gleaming, grime-free skyscrapers in the crystal-clear morning air.

Welcome to New York City in April 2030.

I think the public will be 100 percent behind this, if they know about it.

This is not a fantasy. It is a perfectly doable goal, said Stanford University energy expert Mark Jacobson. In fact, the entire state of New York could be powered by wind, water and sunlight based on a detailed plan Jacobson co-authored.

It’s not only doable, powering New York on green energy is “sustainable and inexpensive” and would save lives and health costs, Jacobson told IPS.

Each year, air pollution kills 4,000 people in New York State and costs the public 33 billion dollars in health costs, according to the study Jacobson co-authored with experts from all over the U.S. It will be published in the journal Energy Policy.

Full Story

Green Approaches to Water Treatment Gaining Ground Around World

Stephen CANADA, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, global warming, Health, water , , , , , , ,

Pool of water in oz forest rslpix

By Stephen Leahy

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Jan 18 2013 (IPS)  

After Hurricane Sandy swept through the northeast of the United States late October 2012, millions of New Yorkers were left for days without electricity.  But they still had access to drinking water, thanks to New York City’s reliance on protected watershed areas for potable water.

Instead of using electric-powered water treatment plans, New York City brings its high-quality drinking water through aqueducts connected to protected areas in the nearby Catskill/Delaware forests and wetlands – just one example of how protecting watersheds can provide residential areas with drinking water and flood and pollution protection at bargain basement prices.

New York saved between four and six billion dollars on the cost of water treatment plants by protecting forests and compensating farmers in the Catskills for reducing pollution in lakes and streams.

Full story here

Green Approaches to Water Safest and Cheapest Solution

Stephen 1 Must Read, Biodiversity, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, ECOLOGY, Forests, Global Issues and Perspectives, global warming, News, Science/Tech, sustainability, water , , , , , , , , , , ,
Wetlands regulate, clean and cool water. Mare Aux Cochons high-altitude wetlands, Seychelles Islands (ReneeLeahy copyright)
Wetlands regulate, clean and cool water. Mare Aux Cochons high-altitude wetlands, Seychelles Islands (ReneeLeahy copyright)

By Stephen Leahy

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Jan 18 2013 (IPS)

After Hurricane Sandy swept through the northeast of the United States late October 2012, millions of New Yorkers were left for days without electricity.  But they still had access to drinking water, thanks to New York City’s reliance on protected watershed areas for potable water.

Instead of using electric-powered water treatment plans, New York City brings its high-quality drinking water through aqueducts connected to protected areas in the nearby Catskill/Delaware forests and wetlands – just one example of how protecting watersheds can provide residential areas with drinking water and flood and pollution protection at bargain basement prices.

New York saved between four and six billion dollars on the cost of water treatment plants by protecting forests and compensating farmers in the Catskills for reducing pollution in lakes and streams.

In 2011, countries around the world invested more than eight billion dollars in similar watershed projects around the world, according to the State of Watershed Payments 2012 report released Thursday. That year, China led the way, accounting for 91 percent of watershed investment.

“Whether you need to save water-starved China from economic ruin or protect drinking water for New York City, investing in natural resources is emerging as the most cost-efficient and effective way to secure clean water and recharge our dangerously depleted streams and aquifers,” said Michael Jenkins, president of Forest Trends, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the United States, which compiled the report. Continue reading →

Radio EcoShock: Ravaging Tide or Renewable World?

Stephen 1 Must Read, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, ECOLOGY, Energy, ENVIRONMENT, global warming, News , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Flooding of New Jersey shoreline

Can big cities like New York or Washington protect against storm surge and rising seas?

 

I highly recommend this excellent weekly radio show: RADIO ECOSHOCK  hosted by Alex Smith  — Stephen

Nov 7 Show:  

Mike Tidwell, author of “The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas, and the Coming Death of America’s Coastal Cities.”

Professor J. Court Stevenson, University of Maryland, on city surge defenses around the world.

Daphne Wysham interviews German Green Parliamentarian Hermann Ott: leading the way to renewables before climate collapse.

Website: Radio Ecoshock 121107 1 hour

FREE DOWNLOAD: Download/listen to show in CD Quality (56 MB)

SuperStorm Sandy High Wind Warnings +1500 km area

Stephen 1 Must Read, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, ENVIRONMENT, Global Issues and Perspectives, global warming, News, OCEAN , , , , , , , , ,

Update from from weather guru Jeff Masters:

High wind warnings are posted from Northern Michigan to Lake Okeechobee, Florida, and from Chicago to Maine. All-time low pressure records have been set at Atlantic City, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, and Wilmington Delaware. The rain is coming down in sheets along the east coast, where heavy rain stretches from Virginia to Pennsylvania and New York. Virginia Beach, VA has seen 9.26″, Dover, DE has seen 6.36″ and Ocean City, MD has seen 6.31.

Storm warnings are posted for Tuesday on Lake Michigan near Chicago, where sustained 55 – 60 mph winds and waves of 20 – 25 feet are expected. Storm warnings are posted on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and high winds from Sandy blowing off of Lake Erie caused damage to signs in Port Clinton, Ohio this afternoon. Check out this webcam view of a very angry Lake Erie. High wind warnings extend from northern Michigan to Central Florida.

Sandy Says: Not “Targeting” New York or Anywhere Else

Stephen 1 Must Read, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, Energy, ENVIRONMENT, Hurricane, News, OCEAN, Science , , , , , , , , , , , ,

To be absolutely clear: I am not “targeting” New York City or anywhere else. I am pushed and pulled by temperature and pressure differences. My winds are powered by warm water and moisture. And there is enough heat and moisture for my winds to make 12-foot high waves over a 3 million sq km area – one third the size of the US.

Read full post at Hurricane Sandy Speaks (crosspost)

The Great Groundhog’s Day Blizzard – Worst Winter Storm in 60 Years

Stephen 1 Must Read, CANADA, CLIMATE CHANGE/GLOBAL WARMING, Energy, Global Issues and Perspectives, global warming, News, Science , , , , ,
Images Modis sat - January 31 at 10:30 a.m., 12:05 p.m., and 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time

This is what climate change looks like

One of the largest winter storms since the 1950s has hit 30 U.S. states from New Mexico to Maine and now into central and eastern Canada — +100 million people affected, hundreds of thousands without power. Chicago could get buried by more than 60 centimeters (2-ft) of snow — hundreds stranded already.

Climate change is certainly playing a role in this massive storm.

1. Warmer global temps means there is now four per cent more water vapour in the atmosphere which means heavier snowfalls.

2. There is also more energy in the climate system which makes storms more powerful.

3. Finally the melting of the Arctic sea ice is changing wind patterns in the polar regions bring colder, wetter winters to the eastern US  and western Europe scientists told me several months ago. (See my previous post East Coast Blizzard and Europe’s Snowmaggddon Reveal Fingerprints of Climate Change

Climate change loads the dice in favour of extreme events.

My latest article on this The Yin and Yang of Climate Extremes We Will See More of. — Stephen

Recent related articles:

Climate Change Could Be Worsening Effects of El Niño, La Niña

Arctic Melt Down Is Bringing Harder Winters and Permanently Altering Weather Patterns

Arctic Ice in Death Spiral, Thaws Permafrost — Risks Climate Catastrophe