There are wonderful stories from all over the world that Greentech Media comes across in the realm of clean energy and sustainability. On Our Reading List highlights our favorite recent finds.
- Greentech Media can boast that all three of its offices reside in cities that made Scientific American’s list of Top 10 Cities for Green Living. The Boston office was also quick to point out that their city outranked New York and San Francisco on healthy living. Is your city on the list? If not, do you think it should have been?
- In this three-part series, Steve Denning at Forbes takes an in-depth look at manufacturing in the U.S. and what shipping manufacturing overseas means for the U.S. economy. GTM Research analysts debated what this larger picture means for solar panels. Brett Prior, Senior Analyst for GTM Research, asked the question, “Would the U.S. be better off designing, engineering and marketing products -- or assembling them?” Feel free to weigh in on the issue in the comments.
- Eric Wesoff recently took a look at Chinese energy policy, especially in the face of an onslaught of Republican presidential candidates who are looking to dismantle the EPA. Over at the Texas Tribune, they dive a little deeper into Rick Perry’s energy legacy in Texas, and what that will mean if he were to win the Republican nomination and even the White House. Sure, wind energy penetration increased from about 1 percent to 8 percent in Texas during his tenure in office, but his stalwart hatred of the EPA and his favorable outlook on the still-unrealistic concept of clean coal is at least slightly frightening for renewable energy advocates.
- How sustainable is the fish you’re eating? If you’re careful enough to look for MSC-certified labels, you probably think the Marine Stewardship Council has vetted it. But not so fast, according to an article in Science Magazine, which highlights new research that shows that up to 10 percent of MSC-certified Chilean sea bass (or Patagonian toothfish, if you prefer) comes from other sources. The latest news shows that not only is more science needed to back up certification, but that species like Chilean sea bass perhaps shouldn't be on the menu at all.
- Countries all over the world are rethinking nuclear in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, but not China, according to a story at Yale Environment 360. With 20 new nuclear power plants on schedule to be built in China in the next decade, one of the developer's of China's atomic bomb, He Zuoxiu, asked in the Chinese journal Science Times in May, "Are we really ready for this kind of giddy speed? We’re seriously underprepared, especially on the safety front."
- Stephen Lacey over at Think Progress asks why journalists are overlooking PV when it comes to summer peak energy demand. He argues that major news outlets, like the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are not even bringing PV into the conversation, although wind is mentioned. If the peak event occurs because it's hot and sunny, perhaps PV should merit a closer look.
- Finally, take a look at CNN's list of billion-dollar natural disasters. Floods and tornadoes with expensive repair bills occur with shocking regularity these days. Michael Kanellos asks whether these disasters will compel the insurance industry to prod the rest of corporate America to take action on climate legislation. The influence of insurers has been anticipated for a while.