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Why Does So Much U.S. Coal Come from Federal Land?
Posted by National Geographic: Christina Nunez on January 15th, 2016
National Geographic: By hitting “pause” on granting new federal coal leases, the Obama administration is facing up to an uncomfortable reality in its drive to meet climate targets: Nearly 41 percent of American coal comes from government-owned land. The price industry pays to mine that coal hasn’t changed in more than 30 years. Now, the Interior Department plans for the first time to factor impacts on the environment and human health into the deal. The shift announced Friday aims to bring a decades-old leasing policy...
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Big Hydro Threatens to Wipe Out Little Hydro in Malaysia
Posted by National Geographic: Christina Nunez on July 16th, 2015
National Geographic: Nestled within the rain forest of Malaysian Borneo, a handful of villages are so remote they don't even have roads. They do, however, have electricity.
The villages draw on the nearby Papar River's current to generate enough power to run lights, refrigerators, and phone-chargers for up to 50 households. The systems, dubbed "microhydro," are small-scale versions of the same hydroelectric dams that help power large cities.
Now, however, a controversial proposal to build a bigger dam threatens...
White House Takes Aim at Methane Emissions: 3 Key Takeaways
Posted by National Geographic: Christina Nunez on January 14th, 2015
National Geographic: Tackling a huge climate issue, the Obama administration Wednesday announced long-awaited measures to slash U.S. emissions of methane-a potent greenhouse gas-from the oil and gas industry. Setting an "ambitious" goal, the White House is aiming for a 40 to 45 percent cut from 2012 levels in the next ten years.
Releases of heat-trapping methane, the main component of natural gas, are rife in the booming oil and gas industry. Leaky equipment and the intentional flaring of "waste" gas at oil sites...