by Tan Copsey
The US has passed a climate change bill! Bloody hell! – ‘Nineteen years after the first hearings on global climate change, Congress today approved legislation placing a firm cap on carbon emissions. The historic legislation sets the framework for a reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions of 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The bill also includes a moratorium on the construction of new coal-fired power plants that do not contain effective carbon capture and storage technology, beginning July 4th, 2007’. Oh wait this was also posted yesterday (sound of manic laughter degenerates into wracking sobs).
Other hilarious April fools day’s pranks involving displaced polar bears in key law-makers closets now firmly behind us (yes I dreamt that one), we move swiftly to more serious environmental news.
College students wanting to study something relevant to their future employment have temporarily put aside ethnomusicology and are flocking to ‘new courses on clean energy technologies and the environment’. Demand is quickly chasing supply and US campuses are all in on teaching green tech to today’s tots.
Less encouragingly the US sees massively ramping up production of bio-fuels as a solution. Slow down screams the NRDC, as does Mon-bi-ooo, who suggests a five year freeze.
And finally, not really an environmental story per se, unless it’s been chowing down on Aussie uranium, but Monga-bay has pictures of a really really large Cane Toad – see above.
