Photo Credit: Trent Hodges
After three months of intensive Spanish classes and technical training, I have finally settled down in the community I will be living for the next two years serving in Peace Corps. When I originally came to Guatemala, I was informed that there were no sites on the coast. This at first was hard to swallow. After spending four years in San Diego recreating in and studying the ocean, it took time to prepare myself for two years without salt in my veins. Read more…
Trent Hodges
Buenos dias a todos, Trent or Guayo (my nickname in Spanish) reporting here from Santa Catarina Barahona Guatemala. The above photo is the view from my house. It’s currently raining ash from the volcanic eruption this morning and the haze of debris is creating an eerie bluish hue in the sky. It’s a beautiful sight, but it doesn´t compare to the reddish glow of last night´s lava display. This is a daily occurrence here and no cause for alarm in the community. As I write, men are carrying recently chopped firewood to their homes while the women carry maiz and vegetables from the farms surrounding this community. Needless to say, this is an area where the relationship between nature and humanity is amplified. Read more…
Though energy policy and the passing of climate change legislation is a time consuming process, President Obama displayed on Monday the power of an executive order. Obama has called on all federal agencies to set goals for deep emissions cuts by 2020. These agencies must create individual plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within 90 days. After the creation of these goals, the agencies must employ new strategies and technologies to meet targeted emission levels by 2020. Read more…
Photo Credit: David Boyle
Climate Change policy is like putting together a puzzle. There are many different pieces and all must come together and fit before the big picture is realized.
Two big important pieces of the puzzle came together today as the Senate introduced its climate bill called the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The second piece of the puzzle regards the EPA as it revealed today, for the first time, that they will regulate carbon emissions from big industry. This is a huge day in energy policy as two separate forms of government have made their respective strides towards a clean energy future. Read more…
Photo Credit: Dalliedee
What is the role of man in balancing, controlling, and restoring the natural world? This is a question that is fiercely debated and difficult to answer. In Idaho, a state that possesses a vast amount of wilderness and species, this question is one of the most prominent topics in assessing environmental issues.
Wolves were once an important predator that roamed Idaho’s forests. However, due to their impact on farmer’s livestock, they were completely eradicated from Idaho. In 1995, the wolf was reintroduced and under federal protection, the population has increased dramatically. The rapid growth of wolves in Idaho has led to ecological changes such as a decrease in deer and elk populations. Now, for the first time ever, there will be a hunting season for wolves in Idaho in an effort to control the population and restore ecological balance in Idaho’s forests. The hunting of wolves in Idaho is heavily supported by farmers, hunters, and Idaho’s Fish and Game department. It is opposed by most environmental groups and many Idaho citizens. Read more…
If you have read my earlier posts, you know that I like writing about policy. There is nothing that makes me more motivated and inspired than seeing environmental change in physical writing, a binding document that encourages as well as enforces certain standards and changes for the good of the planet.
For this reason, NOAA or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gets two big thumbs up for recently banning the commercial harvesting of krill. These small crustaceans are a vital food source in the marine food web and only recently came under fishery pressure. As Mark Helvey, a regional administrator for NOAA sustainable fisheries put it “Protecting this vital food source will help protect and maintain marine resources and put federal regulations in line with West-Coast states.” Fishing for krill not only has implications in disrupting the marine food web, but threatens other marine creatures through destructive fishing practices that are similar to the fishery for shrimp (Check out www.shrimpsuck.org to find out more). Read more…
The era of praying and wishing for US leaders to take big steps in fighting global warming may soon come to an end. The US took arguably the biggest domestic step in combating climate change recently as the house of representatives narrowly passed the Climate Change Bill. This 1500 page document requires large companies which include oil refineries, utilities, and manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 from 2005 emissions levels. If the senate passes this bill and it becomes law, it will be the first time in the history of the country that there will be enforceable limits on CO2 emissions……This is BIG news.
If passed, this bill will fundamentally change the fossil fuel based society that has infiltrated the US. It is a sign that America has decided to pursue the route of sustainability and provide a habitable country for generations to come.
Though the bill still must pass through the senate and it will be a couple years before the changes begin to occur, the ice has been broken in climate change policy. Now, we can only expect and demand the enforcement and continued passage of effective climate change policy. Washington has delivered a clear message that climate change will no longer be an issue put on the bookshelves for a later date.
Check out the full article at Reuters
The US policy towards global greenhouse gas emissions reduction has taken a new direction. Dr. Pershing, the head of the US delegation of climate talks in Bonn, announced that the US policy has shifted from a focus on enforcing carbon cuts in developed countries, to curtailing the growth of emissions in development. In effect, it calls on developed nations to make substantial reductions in their emissions now and in the future while underdeveloped countries must make a commitment to change the carbon course in their growing economies. Read more…
Photo found at ESRI.com
U.S lawmakers recently created a new agency within the Energy Department that focuses on clean energy investments. Essentially, this means that the agency will provide loans and loan guarantees to American businesses investing in clean energy systems and technologies. Historically, there has been hesitation from the private business sector to invest in clean energy systems due to the initial high costs. The new agency however, will facilitate private businesses in their transition to clean energy in the form of loans. The agency has acquired $6 billion through the stimulus package for transmission loan guarantees for businesses. Read more…
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