Winter Storm Power Outages Reveal Problem For EVs

Yesterday the Philadelphia area was hit with an ice storm only thirty-six hours after a snow storm dumped as much as nine inches of snow in and around the city. The force of gravity combined with the weight of the wet snow and half an inch of ice proved too much for many trees in the greater Philadelphia area, resulting in what can only be referred to as “The Great Treepocalypse of 2014.”

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Fukushima Nuclear Plant Radiation Levels ‘Lethal Within Four Hours’

Over two years after the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed entire towns and left Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant crippled and dangerously unstable, it’s hard to get this issue to rise above all the other news (and noise). BBC News reports that radioactive water leaked into the ground last week, and measurements show levels high enough to “prove lethal within four hours of exposure.” This is a problem that is not going away anytime soon.

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Climate Change False Choice: Jobs Or The Environment

If there is one thing in the debate over climate change that irks me the most, well, after climate change deniers, it’s the false choice of jobs or the environment. Even if addressing climate change meant the loss of thousands or millions of jobs, that would not be a valid reason to do nothing. Yeah, you read that correctly. Let’s simply face facts. We are all selfish about our wants and our needs compared to the wants and needs of future generations. But as recent climate-fueled events like Hurricane Sandy have shown us, not only are future generations at risk, our future is at risk.

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New Jersey Bridge Collapse And Train Derailment Leads To Chemical Spill

Unlike global warming, where no single storm event can be directly attributed to a warming planet, we can directly attribute infrastructure failures with lack of public and political will. No, we do not know the exact cause of today’s train derailment and bridge collapse in Paulsboro, NJ, but we do know that events like this will become more common if we continue to allow America’s infrastructure to deteriorate. The bridge collapse and train derailment resulted in a chemical spill of vinyl chloride into the Mantua Creek. Over 70 people received medical treatment due to the spill.

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Fact of the Day: The Atmosphere Contains Over 390 PPM Of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

350 logoCarbon dioxide (CO2) build up in the atmosphere increases the greenhouse effect and global warming is the result. When the globe warms, it leads to changing weather patterns including bigger and more violent storms. It also leads to permanently changed local and regional climates. This is what we call climate change. Before the industrial age, the normal average level of CO2 in the atmosphere was 275 parts per million.

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By Favoring Money Romney Cements His Disregard for Environment

Prosperity - image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.comMuch of this year’s presidential election campaign has focused on the economy. While that’s certainly no great surprise, one topic that must be prioritized is the environment. Mitt Romney’s vow to de-regulate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to appease his fossil fuel burning donors clearly demonstrates he favors making money over protecting the environment. His blatant disregard for the environment is there for everyone to see. Why the Obama campaign hasn’t made more of this issue remains something of a mystery.

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