As a country, China has made solar panel manufacturing a key part of its economic agenda. After huge increases in production, prices dropped 75 percent over the last three years. For the renewable energy world, it was a huge boon. Falling prices helped make solar panels easier and easier for homeowners to afford. But the U.S. government, worried about competition to American solar manufacturers, slapped a huge tariff on all Chinese solar panel imports, slowing sales here.

In Europe, demand for solar panels has slowed as some government rebates and other incentives have been reduced or ended. Chinese companies that relied on demand from European countries are now suddenly faced with piles of excess stock. Some European countries are also now considering following the United State’s example and raising prices on Chinese panels, arguing that they are being dumped on the market.

Chinese solar stocks have plummeted, and the companies are struggling. In response, the Chinese government asked local governments to create new plans for adding solar power to their grids. Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and other states are involved. Right now, only 1 percent of China’s electricity comes from solar. The country is the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world, and their coal use alone is responsible for more than 15 percent of world carbon dioxide emissions. China can use every bit of solar power that can be installed.

Unfortunately, the U.S. needs much more solar power as well. The U.S. decision to raise prices on Chinese solar panels slowed solar growth just when it’s most critical for renewable energy to grow. Here’s hoping the Chinese solar companies survive.

Image credit: Zhu Difeng/Shutterstock

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The analysis was done by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a nonprofit alliance of more than 400,000 citizens and scientists. The researchers studied six months of primetime Fox News programs, from February to July 2012. They also analyzed one year of op-eds from the Wall Street Journal. In both cases, the research focused on stories about climate change.

Both media outlets were found to be dismissive of the fact that human-caused climate change is happening, despite scientific consensus. The study also found that the stories commonly included disparaging comments about particular scientists and “cherry picking” of data. Overall, the coverage was found to promote distrust of science, and climate science in particular.

“It’s like they’re talking and writing about a parallel universe,” said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist at UCS. “Their viewers and readers simply aren’t getting an accurate story on climate science.”

The study recommends that News Corp. should thoroughly review its coverage of climate change, and develop standards for communicating on the subject. UCS also suggests that journalists working for News Corp. should be better trained on how to distinguish between ideological beliefs and scientific facts. In fact, Rupert Murdoch actually pledged in 2007 that his organizations’ coverage of climate change would improve over time — but that hasn’t happened yet. In 2010, Fox was widely criticized for a leaked memo to all staff telling them to report on climate change as “theory” rather than fact. Not much has changed in 2012.

Main image credit: kwest/Shutterstock

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Zombie bees are regular bees infected with a parasitic fly that changes its host’s behavior and eventually leads to death. The parasitic fly attacks the bee by using a sharp appendage to pierce the bee and lay an egg inside it. When the egg hatches, the maggot feeds on the bee’s organs. Infected bees are likely to fly after dark, unlike normal bees, which return to their hives when the sun sets. The zombie bees are also drawn to lights, and as the infection progresses, they begin to fly erratically and eventually lurch on the ground.

Earlier this month, a beekeeper discovered that the zombie bees had spread to Washington. The beekeeper collected samples of the insects, and is one of many citizen scientists sharing data with ZomBeeWatch.org, a website run by San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik. Hafernik hopes to discover more about how the parasite is spreading, and determine if it is contributing to the collapse of bee colonies.

Bee populations have been dropping rapidly since 2006. Researchers have various theories about the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, including cell phone use and pesticides. The problem is particularly serious because of honeybees’ important role in pollinating crops. Bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in crop value. The parasitic fly is likely worsening colony collapse, though it’s not yet clear if it has a major impact.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, nearly 80 percent of hives are infected with the parasite. Infected bees have also been found in other parts of California, Oregon, and now, in Washington. Anyone who discovers a suspicious bee is encouraged to report it to ZomBeeWatch.

Image credit: Dani Vincek/Shutterstock 

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With gray, cloudy Scandinavian winters, Denmark isn’t exactly known for its sunshine. Solar panels, however, still perform well there. Demand has been driven partly by a net metering program set up in 2010. Net metering, which is also available in many places in the United States, gives homeowners credit for extra solar power produced by the panels on their roof. If someone’s away during the day, or is simply using less power than the solar panels are generating, their electric meter will begin to spin backward. At a later point, when the homeowner needs that power, they can access it from the grid without paying for it. That’s an especially good deal in Denmark, which has some of the highest electricity prices in the world.

Danish citizens have an appetite for innovative products, so they’ve been quick to embrace solar power, according to a manager from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Denmark benefits from a strong design tradition and this also characterizes the Danish solar sector in which aesthetics and thinking ahead of user needs is a central part of product development,” said Kim Schultz, from Invest in Denmark.  “This means that solar solutions are more likely to meet consumers’ demands.”

Denmark also has other strong renewable energy programs, which have made the existing infrastructure ideally suited for solar power. Wind power has been well developed, especially offshore, and is continuing to grow. Denmark plans to get 50 percent of its electricity from wind power by 2020, and is already over halfway to that goal. By 2050, the country plans to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. If Denmark’s solar use is any indication, the country may even reach that ambitious goal there early. This is the kind of leadership we need to fight climate change in time.

Main image credit: Carsten Medom Madsen/Shutterstock

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The previous version of Maps made it easy to find a train or bus; a click of a button would lead to simple public transportation directions in both a list and a map. Now, unfortunately, pushing the transit button leads to a list of third-party apps rather than directions. You need to choose an app, launch it, and wait for it to load before you can begin to get public transit info.

You’d need to do this for every city where you need directions, so if you’re visiting a friend or family member but want to get around town on your own, you’ll have to install new apps. There’s also no easy way to compare driving, walking or public transit options.

Why the change? The Apple Maps app used to use Google’s mapping service, but Apple has replaced it with their own map data. Over the last few years, as Google became more of a competitor, Apple acquired three mapping companies of its own. Apple either lacks public transit data or decided not to include it. Either way, it’s a giant step backward.

It’s hard to get people to switch to public transportation. Even for city-dwellers who don’t own cars, if public transit seems complicated, someone might choose to take a taxi. To receive mass adoption, public transit needs to be easy to use. The information needs to be at peoples’ fingertips fast, so they don’t miss the bus or train.

There are rumors that Google is planning to offer its own Maps app, separately, in Apple’s App Store. That would be welcome news — if Apple actually allows it. We’ll see what happens.

Main image credit: Kim Gunnarson/Flickr

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“We are now in uncharted territory,” said NSIDC Director Mark Serreze. “While we’ve long known that as the planet warms up, changes would be seen first and be most pronounced in the Arctic, few of us were prepared for how rapidly the changes would actually occur.”

Arctic sea ice grows in the winter when the sun sets, and shrinks in the summertime. In the past, the ice commonly survived for several years, but in recent years it has become more common for large areas of ice to completely melt away in the summertime. This year, following record retreats in June and July, sea ice fell to the lowest extent ever on record on Aug. 26. That record low — of 4.10 million square kilometers — was broken again on Sept. 4, when the extent of ice fell below 4.00 million square kilometers. On Sept. 16, it fell again to 3.41 million square kilometers.

The changes are unprecedented. It’s very unusual for melting to happen this late in the season, and the researchers note that it’s possible the melting could continue. The fact that melting has occurred in late August and September demonstrates how unusually thin the ice is. The researchers had predicted the ice would refreeze much earlier.

The melting of the ice will itself increase global warming, helping to speed more melting. What’s next? It’s possible it won’t be long before the ice is almost gone.

“Twenty years from now from now in August you might be able to take a ship right across the Arctic Ocean,” said Serreze.

Image of arctic sea ice extent on Sept. 16 by NASA.

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The Dutch-owned boat, named the Abel Tasman (formerly known as the Margaris, it was renamed in honor of its new home in Tasmania) was registered in Australia on Sept. 7. The giant trawler can operate nonstop, processing 250 metric tons of fish each day. As it tows its 300-meter long net through the ocean, fish are sucked up through a long pipe and processed onboard.

The boat’s owners, Seafish Tasmania, say that the boat has an “excluder” that is intended to prevent large animals from becoming caught in the net. The net also has an escape hatch. A similar, smaller boat owned by Seafish Tasmania caught 14 dolphins in its nets, but didn’t have the excluder device. Greenpeace is arguing that because the excluder hasn’t been tested with this boat, it’s possible it won’t work as intended.

While large animals might or might not be slightly safer, local fishermen say the boat may decimate fish stocks. Seafish Tasmania has been approved to take 18,000 metric tons of jack mackerel and redbait, two species of fish that are critical as food for seals, tuna and other sea life. In the past, when redbait were fished in the area, tuna disappeared. The super trawler is more than twice as big as any past ship ever used in the area. In other parts of the world, like West Africa (where, incidentally, the Australian fish are intended to be sold) super trawlers have been accused of wiping out fish populations.

For now, the government has banned the boat for two years to allow more environmental studies, though the company is already fighting the ban.

Main photo credit: Greenpeace

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Right now, homeowners wanting to get solar power on their rooftop can take the federal solar tax credit. When tax time rolls around, you can claim up to 30 percent of the cost of your solar system on your taxes. If your tax liability isn’t that high, the extra credit will roll over to the next year. The tax incentive has been an important part of helping solar power quickly grow; wind and solar have grown six-fold even in the middle of a deep recession. But the new report, from the Climate Policy Initiative, says that a cash incentive could work as well for much less money.

According to the study, a 14 percent cash incentive would provide the same benefit as the tax credit, while costing government 57 percent less. By providing up-front investment, the government could help homeowners reduce the need to get outside financing, which would help reduce the overall cost of the project. The other benefit of the cash incentive is that it can help anyone, regardless of their tax liability. The report recommends that the government offer homeowners options for both the incentive and the tax credit.

The study also found that a cash incentive could improve wind policy. By extending the current wind production tax credit, but delivering it as a cash incentive, the government could help wind project owners get the same benefit while reducing government costs by nearly half.

Main photo credit: isak55/Shutterstock

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The book, which was first distributed at the Rio+20 conference in June and is now available in a digital version, is not the first to call for urgent action in sustainability. However, it is somewhat unique in attempting to take a wholly comprehensive (though abridged) look at the environmental problems we face in 2012, and potential solutions to those problems. The book is also filled with gorgeous photographs from National Geographic photographer Mattias Klum.

Ice forms fantastic shapes in Grey Lake on the edge of Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park. Photo credit: Mattias Klum

The Human Quest begins with the idea that we are the first generation to understand that humanity has the power to destroy the Earth’s ability to support us. For 10,000 years, humans thrived in the interglacial age known as the Holocene, with stable temperatures that allowed the human population to swell from a few million people to seven billion. Now, according to many scientists — including the authors of this book — we’ve entered a new era called the “Anthropocene,” from the Greek word for human. People have influenced the planet so dramatically that we have pushed the Earth into a new geological age.

Surrounded by reefs and lagoons, the island of Ovelau is part of the Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific. Photo credit: Mattias Klum

Rockström, who heads the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden, lists the many environmental tipping points converging before us: climate change, ozone depletion, disappearing fish stocks, loss of tropical forests and woodlands, and global mass extinctions. More than 9,000 plant species and more than 10,000 animal species are now endangered. The author continually stresses that the loss of this biodiversity isn’t only critical because our children or grandchildren will miss the privilege of seeing these animals, but because they are a fundamental part of our support system as humans. The “ecosystem services” that nature provides — like clean drinking water and pollination — possess a financial value worth more than the GDPs of 196 countries in the world.

The book suggests that there are nine “planetary boundaries” that humans must respect in order to preserve Earth’s capacity to support human life. To stay within a “safe operating space,” we need to move back within three “big” boundaries: climate change, ozone depletion, and ocean acidification, which each have catastrophic tipping points. For climate change, we have already passed beyond the boundary, and need to bring atmospheric greenhouse gases back within safe limits. Rockström also lists four “slow” boundaries that are critical for nature’s resilience: freshwater use, land use, biodiversity loss, and nutrient cycling. Last, he includes two human-made boundaries: chemical pollution and particulate air pollution. Each of these boundaries is being tested as global consumption swells exponentially.

Tebaran, a blowpipe hunter in Sarawak, Malaysia, sees a difficult path ahead for indigenous people in Borneo, as logging operations and palm oil plantations rapidly engulf the land of his ancestors, rainforests that were abundant in plants and animals. Photo credit: Mattias Klum

Though Rockström’s words and Klum’s stunning photographs make it clear how urgent and immense the challenge is, the book ends with optimism. “We have the intelligence, the creativity, the technological know-how, and the power to steer clear of a disastrous future,” Rockström writes. “Our Human Quest is no utopia; it is an achievable dream.” The book shares examples of necessary steps toward sustainability, including a shift to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Most critical, they say, is a change in mindset. We need to stop thinking of the environment as something “out there” and separate, and realize that it is a part of us; we also need to understand how quickly we must act.

The book is worth reading. Unfortunately, printed versions were limited to those given out at Rio+20 and the digital copy doesn’t seem optimized for all web or mobile devices. Here’s hoping the publisher improves on the current offering so more people read this important message.

All photos courtesy Mattias Klum

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EVs and certain other zero-emission vehicles that run on hydrogen fuel cells and compressed natural gas are already eligible to drive in carpool lanes even when they only have one passenger, as long as they get a special sticker from the state. The program used to be even bigger, including hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, but after successfully encouraging mass adoption of hybrids, that part of program expired. Now the state legislature is focused on encouraging consumers to buy even lower-emission cars.

Assembly Bill 2405, authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield from Los Angeles, would allow every car that currently qualifies for carpool lanes to also avoid tolls. In some cases, the roads are both carpool and toll lanes, and in others, roads that are purely toll lanes would be affected. Critics in the government have argued that EV drivers should have to pay tolls, because the tolls are an important part of paying for some new roads.

Some have also argued that letting a single EV driver ride in a carpool lane actually encourages pollution, because the situation leads to more congestion on the road overall. That was a common argument made against allowing hybrid cars in carpool lanes, too. But a fascinating new study last year found that the opposite was actually true: When hybrid cars were banned from carpool lanes, congestion increased. The carpool lane became 15 percent slower. Researchers speculated that the reason was safety concerns — as regular lanes became more crowded, carpool drivers slowed to make passing in and out of the lane safer.

Just as carpool lane exemptions helped get hybrids on the road, the same can be done with electric cars. Exempting EVs from tolls is an extra push, and a good idea.

Main image: Model S by Tesla

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