http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/7219262.html

Rice Researchers Push Carbon Dioxide Tax

The Baker Institute at Rice University released studies saying that if we put a tax on carbon dioxide would cut U.S. oil use and emissions by 2050; this would also be expensive and economically unreasonable. The article also mentions that the impact of the electric car would have a moderate impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The other topic, wind power, as released by Rice University will have no contribution to lowering U.S. oil use.

The author doesn’t seem to be bias, but his article is a little negative. He keeps it even by touching on some positives of the electric car.

This article is from chron.com on September 26, 2010 and was published in the newspaper the next morning, September 27.

III. The Population

B. Human Population

(1. Human population dynamics)

(2. Population size)

(3. Impacts of population growth)

V. Energy Resources and Consumption

B. Energy Consumption

(2. Present global energy use)

(3. Future energy needs)

C. Fossil Fuel Resources and Uses

F. Energy Conservation

G. Renewable Energy

VI. Pollution

A. Pollution Types

(1. Air pollution)

C. Economic Impacts

VII. Global Change

B. Global Warming

Drug-filled Mice Airdropped Over Guam to Kill Snakes

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100924-science-animals-guam-brown-tree-snakes-mouse-tylenol/

National Geographic

September 24, 2010

The brown tree snake is an invasive species on the island of Guam. It has decimated local wildlife populations, especially birds. In an effort to curb the snake population on the island, the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) has airdropped small mice stuffed with acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.

The article seems biased towards the USDA, supporting this effort. They argue that curbing the brown tree snake population will help prevent the snake from spreading to other islands, such as Hawaii. The article also emphasizes the steps taken by the USDA to prevent endemic species from consuming the drug-laced mice.

IIA Ecosystem Structure

IIIA Population Biology Concepts

IVA2 Controlling Pests

Is the EPA America’s Secret Economic Weapon - Mathew Jellins

Analysis of a Environment Article

Is the EPA America’s Secret Economic Weapon

http://www.enn.com/regulatory/article/41820

Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise won the race because he ran the whole race, taking the long view, seeing the big picture, unlike the rabbit who, given his speed, didn’t see the need.

While China seems to be roaring ahead right now with unchecked economic expansion, the significant environmental challenges they are accumulating will eventually catch up with them. The International Fund for China’s Environment estimates that the cleanup of this mess will cost well over $100 billion annually, more than 2% of their GDP. In fact, the Academy for Environmental Planning estimates that back in 2004 China spent over 3% of their GDP on environmentally related costs and in 2007, according to the World Bank, that number was 6%. Considering that the entire US defense budget ($771 billion last year) represented only 5.5% of our GDP that gives you some idea of the magnitude we’re talking about. Does anyone still think that the environment is not a matter of national security? Environmental expenditures in the US are ounces of prevention compared to these many pounds of cure.

In India, concern over the economic impact of environmental pollution has become so acute, that a special branch of their accounting system has been created to track this. A World Bank study, back in 1992 found that environmental costs in India comprised some 4.5% of GDP. Population growth since then, equivalent to the addition of an entire US population has surely raised that figure.

Analysis

Summary – The person writing this article describes the expense of containing the Environmental damages in China. The amount is hovering in the 100 billions, about a percent of any where between 2 to 6.

Bias – This person is obviously bias. He lives in US and defiantly dislikes China. He even throws in a kick at India for spending 4.5% of its budget on clean up. The biggest thing I wonder is what is the U.S. amount of Clean Up? In all those percents thrown out the U.S. is never told.

By Mathew Jellins

Cutting Schools' Energy Waste and Bills

APES Current Event: Schools' Energy
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/cutting-schools-energy-waste-and-bills/?scp=6&sq=environment&st=cse


Cutting Schools' Energy Waste and Bills
By: Andrew C. Revkin

Over the next 2 years, 500 public schools will be getting an environmental makeover thanks to the Clinton Global Initiative. The schools will be working on installing super-efficient windows, digital environmental sensors, and smart thermostats. Not only will this cut energy waste and costs for the schools, but this will also teach the students about how to be environmentally friendly, and the hope is that they take this new found knowledge home with them and share it with their families.

This article was published in the New York Times on September 23, 2010.

The bias is pro environmentalist. The author believes that this will definitely be a successful plan when implemented, which he demonstrates in the last sentence of the article. He has given his own name to environmentally-conscious kids, which shows that he is definitely a pro environmentalist.



V. Energy Resources and Consumption
B. Energy Consumption
1. History
(Industrial Revolution; exponential growth; energy crisis)
2. Present global energy use
3. Future energy needs

VI. Pollution
C. Economic Impacts (cost-benefit analysis; externalities; marginal costs; sustainability)

Levee Fails Along Wisconsin River

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/27/wisconsin.flooding/index.html

The levee near Portage, WI began to fail on Sunday, and by the time it fully fails, up to 100 homes could be affected. Some members have been trapped by floodwaters covering major roads in the area. The sand levy had been in place for roughly 120 years, and had slowly deteriorated over time. Heavy rainfall over the last week appears to have been the catalyst of this failure.

This article comes from cnn.com on September 27, 2010.

Little or no bias was detected in the report, and all information was presented objectively.

I. Earth Systems and Resources

C. Global Water and Resources Use (surface and groundwater issues)

IV. Land and Water Use

In Arabian Desert, a Sustainable City Rises

http://www.amnation.com/vfr/archives/017458.html

The project to build the "world's first zero-carbon city" on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi began in 2007 and now 3 1/2 acres of city, Masdar, are complete. Masdar uses resources from its environment such as wind and solar energy to lower the high temperatures from the desert environment and power the driverless electric cars which run under the city. The designers of Masdar hope this experiment will have a great effect on other cities around the world; however, many seem to be skeptical of it because most people are concerned with day to day issues rather than sustainability.

This article is from nytimes.com on September 25, 2010. I posted the link above because you can only see the article for a short period of time on nytimes.com unless you are a subscriber online. This link has the full article attached.

This article has a little bias towards the end when it talks about the effects of Masdar on the world. It mentions that Masdar is a great start to building sustainable cities; however, it also says the Masdar project will have little or no impact on other cities because they are concerned with the short-term rather than the long-term effects of their actions.

IV. Land and Water Use

D. Other Land Use

1. Urban land development

2. Transportation infrastructure

5. Sustainable land-use strategies

V. Energy Resources and Consumption

G. Renewable Energy

Sample

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/business/energy-environment/31coal.html?ref=earth

Banks Grow Wary of Environmental Risks

Several large banks and commercial lenders are no longer funding companies and projects that may have questionable environmental consequences because it is risky to their reputations. The article specifically discusses the controversial mining technique of mountain top removal as well as deforestation linked to palm oil producers. This puts banks in a tough spot since these practices are not illegal and they are competing for banking business. If they don't lend the money then someone else will.



The article cites information collected by the Sierra Club which would imply a slight bias for environmentalist.

IV. Land and Water Use
Mining (Mining formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and treaties)
VI. Pollution
C. Economic Impacts (cost-benefit analysis; externalities; marginal costs; sustainability)