Tapping industrial heat could cut fossil fuels use

October 7th, 2009 Executives urge lawmakers to pass climate billWASHINGTON — Executives from about 150 companies, many involved in renewable energy technologies, heard a pep talk at the White House and then combed the halls of Congress on Wednesday to argue for passage of a climate bill that is facing an uphill fight in the Senate. The executives in scores of meetings with senators and their staffs sought to counter opponents' arguments that the climate bill, which will force a shift away from fossil fuels, also will lead to much higher energy prices and cost American jobs.

September 23rd, 2009 Obama wants worldwide end of fossil fuel subsidiesWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is calling on the world to end massive government subsidies that encourage the use of fossil fuels blamed for global warming. The president, who is set to host the G-20 economic summit opening Thursday in Pittsburgh, will propose a gradual elimination, with the time frame to be determined, according to White House officials.

August 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - New analysis of climate model projections suggest that in the US, the average number of days in August with temperatures over 95 degrees Fahrenheit could nearly triple by 2050, and the average number of days over 100 degrees could nearly double. Beyond being uncomfortable, these projected increases in extreme heat will have important societal impacts, including: heat stress mortality in humans and livestock; increases in peak energy demand; crop damage; and increased demand for water The analysis was done by researchers at Climate Central, US, to illustrate expected increases in extreme summer heat in the country.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at the (US) Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a new method for capturing significantly more heat from low-temperature geothermal resources, which holds promise for generating virtually pollution-free electrical energy. The scientists will determine if their innovative approach can safely and economically extract and convert heat from vast untapped geothermal resources.

June 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A research team has developed a new method that converts cellulose into chemical feedstock for fuels and plastic. The researchers, from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, developed the new method.

June 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have determined that humans are disrupting the nitrogen cycle by altering the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the biosphere. The chief culprit for disruption in the nitrogen cycle is fossil fuel combustion, which releases nitric oxides into the air that combine with other elements to form smog and acid rain.

May 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - People should drop their pre-conceived ideas about how things should work and act to save the world from ecological disaster, says author and democracy activist Frances Moore Lapp. Lapp calls for a wholesale revamping of the way we view government, the economy and democracy.

May 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A democracy activist has said that challenging simple concepts can save planet Earth from demise. In a speech at Ottawa's Carleton University as part of the 78th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, author and democracy activist Frances Moore Lappe called for a wholesale revamping of the way we view government, the economy and democracy.

April 23rd, 2009 Paper companies gain support for tax creditWASHINGTON — Lawmakers from paper-producing states vowed Thursday to save a tax credit that has provided an unintended multibillion-dollar windfall to paper companies. Struggling paper companies recently discovered they could qualify for federal tax credits intended to promote the development of alternative fuels because they use a byproduct in the paper-making process as fuel to power their mills.

April 22nd, 2009 Paper companies get unexpected tax-credit windfallWASHINGTON — A law to make the earth a little greener is giving paper mills an unintended multibillion-dollar tax windfall with the help of a little diesel fuel. The bonanza, however, could be short-lived.

April 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The faculty of a US university has determined that an overpopulated planet is the biggest problem that we face today, followed by climate change and a need for renewable energy resources. According to a survey of the faculty at the SUNY (State University of New York) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), overpopulation is the world's top environmental issue, followed closely by climate change and the need to develop renewable energy resources to replace fossil fuels.

April 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of scientists has determined that tapping industrial waste heat could reduce fossil fuel demands in the short term and improve efficiency of countless manufacturing processes. The scientists, Lihua Zhang and Tomohiro Akiyama of Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, explain that heat waste from industrial processes, such as combustion and electricity generation is sometimes of low energy and diffuse.

March 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have determined that as soot particles in the atmosphere age, airborne sulfuric acid may help turn them into condensation nuclei, which enable the formation of clouds. The research was conducted by Alexei F.

March 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - If India has to continuously grow at eight to nine percent, then it should reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran said here Monday. At the same time, the onus to adopt green technologies should not completely lie on the developing world, he pointed out.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Painting a gloomy picture of adverse climate change affecting countries across the globe, a leading energy expert has said that more than one-third of world energy demand would continue to be met by fossil fuels like coal till 2030. 'World energy demand would increase by 45 percent between now and 2030.