Solar energy production more than doubled in 2008

A new report from Solarbuzz shows that 2008 was a record setting year for the production of clean, renewable energy production worldwide. Though solar energy production more than doubled, the US came in third in overall solar production.

America should be the world's leader in renewable energy, but it will take meaningful investments in new technologies. That's one reason why LCV supports President Obama's budget, which includes $150 billion in clean energy investments.

Read about the record production of 2008 at Sustainable Energy Transition.

Gore remains inspiration to LCV policy team

We were treated yesterday to a momentous and inspirational speech in downtown DC by former Vice President Al Gore. He challenged the American people to revolutionize our country by switching to 100% renewable energy sources within ten years.

His words were informative and backed by facts from world famous scientists and energy entrepreneurs. His is a truly thoughtful solution to the threat of global climate change. The message was confident, simple, and truthful, that the audience could not help but be inspired and rejuvenated with new hope for the energy future of our planet.

On another front, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid showed great leadership this week by continuing to stand firm against the pro-drilling lobby backed by the oil and gas industry. Our environmental champions continue to fight hard to protect our coasts and pass clean energy legislation that will create jobs, save us money, and combat global climate change.

The Exxon Delegation Halts Two Key Pieces of Legislation

The Exxon Delegation, led by Senators McConnell and Inhofe, voted today on the side of Big Oil companies, again, denying cloture to bring to debate two pieces of legislation that worked to defend working families and provide them with alternative energy options.

The Consumer-First Energy Act was defeated, despite the support that it received by 50 members not afraid of Big Oil. The bill would have cracked down on the outrageous profits of oil and gas companies and diverted portions to a fund designed to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and offset the effects of global warming.

The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act received the support of 51 Senate members. It was designed to extend federal tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and held the potential to grow the economy, create thousands of jobs and take steps in the fight against global warming.

LCV is working tirelessly to elect pro-environment candidates into the Senate so that in November we will have the 60 votes needed to pass necessary legislation to combat Big Oil and safeguard our nation’s working families.

Coal: The Not So Clean Alternative to Oil

Oil prices have hit $135 a barrel as of today, which has led energy suppliers to look towards coal to lessen the cost. Many glorify the petroleum alternative, happy to save money and to decrease dependence on foreign oil.

Mentioned in a New York Times article this morning, the revival of coal mines in Bibai, Japan has brought “hope” to workers who have not seen production of this magnitude in nearly four decades.

But what is often pushed aside when considering the use of coal as an energy alternative to oil is the adverse environmental impacts of its mining.

The World Coal Institute, a non-profit, non-governmental organization of coal enterprises and associations, says that surface coal mining requires large areas of land to be disturbed, which encourages soil erosion, dust, noise and water pollution, and harmfully effects local biodiversity.

While oil is having negative consequences on foreign affairs, the environment, and our wallets, Coal is no better a solution if we want to minimize our destructive impact on the environment.

More dedication should be paid to the uses of renewable energy alternatives such as, wind, solar, and tidal if we expect to lessen the influences of oil while concurrently working towards a clean and safe environment.

Help to Solve the Climate Crisis

I just signed the We Campaign's petition urging Congress to renew tax incentives for renewable, clean energy. Will you join me? Just copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/tax

The We Campaign is an effort launched by Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to promote solutions to the climate crisis. It's an urgent issue, but the climate crisis is also solvable if we work together and unite our leaders around solutions like renewable power and enhanced energy efficiency. We can leave the next generation a healthy climate.

Thank you.

More from St. Louis

Over the past 48 hours, LCV interns Courtenay and Michelle have been whizzing around St Louis driving to community colleges to collect signatures for the renewable energy ballot initiative, and to post flyers requesting help from volunteers.

Poor Michelle. Courtenay is probably the worst map reader in history. She'd struggle if you asked her to find a McDonalds on the highway. Nevertheless we managed to find the colleges and collect almost 100 signatures. Yes! We're really enjoying seeing St Louis, a laid-back city full of Mom-and-Pop sandwich shops, college kids soaking up the sun, and cool coffee shops like "Meshuggas" (located below the Coalition for the Environment office) where the regulars sport dreadlocks and flipflops and stroll about with laptops under their arms.

Gotta run- we're heading to a Santana Concert at the Scott Trade Center to get signatures from the people lining up outside!

On the Road in St Louis

After a fun afternoon of volunteering at the Earth Day event on the National Mall (which, fortunately, was neither blown away nor electrocuted in the stormy weather LCV interns Michelle, Spencer and Courtenay leaped over puddles that would intimidate Moses, onto a train and towards Baltimore to catch flights to Kansas City (Spencer) and St Louis (Michelle and Courtenay.) Our aim: to head to the mid-west to help "Renew Missouri" with a signature-signing initiative to put clean energy on the ballot in November.

At the airport, after an enthusiastic "Go team!" the interns parted. Due to the storms Courtenay and Michelle's plane was delayed, so that we arrived at our hotel at 1:30AM, sleepy but excited for the day ahead.

The next day we drove via rental car to the Coalition for the Environment office in St Louis, where we met its friendly and energetic staff. After a warm welcome we started working. Michelle and Courtenay drove to Meremac Community College to collect signatures for the afternoon, then came back to the office to work the phones until 9pm.

People -particularly students- have been very obliging with their John Hancocks. We're optimistic about the week ahead!

Lights to Go Off for "Earth Hour"

On this Saturday at 8:00 PM, you can join millions of participants in more than 25 cities around the world in turning off your lights for "Earth Hour."

Planning for the event on March 29th was inspired by last year’s Earth Hour in which residents of Sydney voluntarily switched off the lights in their homes, office buildings, and stores to raise awareness about conserving energy. This year, cities including Chicago, San Francisco, Bangkok, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Copenhagen, and Dublin have agreed to join several Australian cities for an hour of energy consciousness.

The Earth Hour website offers participants anywhere a chance to create your own event. To further global awareness, why not call a few friends and have a candlelit picnic with red wine (doesn’t require refrigeration) on Saturday night?

Spring Awakenings

When walking along the streets of Washington DC, robins and sparrow hop excitedly in and out of the bushes. The sweet smell of flowers offers a momentary elation from the bustling crowds. Above you, the tree branches are bursting with the pink and white blossoms for which the capital is famous (along with a few minor governmental institutions). Spring has arrived.

While people on their lunch breaks soak up the sun, scientists are worrying that the early arrival of birds, butterflies and blossoms will have negative affects on the web of life. For example, certain plants are bearing fruit before the animals that depend on them emerge from hibernation. Birds that hatch too early can die from the effects of late freezes. These changes can alter the season-based food chain so dramatically that they lead to the extinction of species.

Hopefully the sunshine and bird songs will cause certain members of Congress to have their own Spring awakenings. Our government must take action immediately to wean America of the energy consumption habits that are heating the planet.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

On this Saint Patrick’s Day, we’d like to draw attention to the wonderful Ireland, a country that is setting standards in clean renewable energy even when its citizens aren’t swathed in celebratory shades of green.

Recent studies have shown that there is enough onshore and offshore wind around the island to supply all of its energy needs. Ireland currently has a fraction of the turbines and storage mechanisms to fully exploit this renewable source, but that hasn’t stopped it from having high goals. Ireland hopes to get 33 to 42 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010, an impressive aim for an industrialized country!

LCV endorses Kay Barnes

Today LCV announced its endorsement of former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes as Representative for Missouri’s 6^th District. Barnes would replace Rep. Sam Graves whose LCV lifetime average is an abysmal 4 percent. In contrast, Barnes has a positive record of supporting renewable energy projects. If elected to Congress she has pledged to push for legislation that would eliminate billions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies, and instead invest that money in the development of clean renewable energy.

See our press release.

LCV Praises House Passage of Renewable Energy Tax Credits

WASHINGTON, DC - League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski issued the following statement regarding the House’s passage of the energy bill:

“While we applaud Speaker Pelosi and the U.S. House for passing this much-needed bill, this vote illustrates the fact that the real problem is in the Senate. Twice last year, a minority of Senators led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has stood in the way of this important legislation. Perhaps this third time will be the charm for the American people, and the Senators who have blocked this bill will finally act in America’s interests.”

Click here to read our press release.

LCV Staff Retreats to Chesapeake Bay

LCV staff members were lucky to have the chance to take a full-day retreat to the ultra-hip and super-eco-friendly Merrill Environmental Center at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We discussed our 2007 highs and lows, set goals for 2008 and beyond and enjoyed a day away from the bustle of downtown D.C.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters building is recognized as one of the "greenest" buildings ever constructed. Sustainability issues ranging from energy use to material selection were given serious consideration throughout design and construction of this facility. It was the first building to receive a Platinum rating through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Rating System, version 1.0.

Covered in recycled cans and cars and heated by solar panels, the building is capable of using 70 percent less energy than a typical office building.

While we were there, Kerry snapped some great photos of the building itself, and of the beautiful waters which the Foundation works to protect.

Chairman of IPCC testifies before Congress

Today Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, testified before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Chairman Edward J. Markey of the Select Committee hosted what was Dr. Pachauri’s first appearance before Congress.

In his somber, eloquent testimony, Dr. Pauchauri reminded Congress that addressing global warming isn’t just about installing wind turbines and passing vehicle efficiency standards; it's about protecting the poorest, most vulnerable people on the planet. Evoking Ghandi he quoted, "Anything you do, you must look at what the implications will be for the least privileged." In material terms, he was alluding to shocking statistics that a warming climate will likely lead to water stresses and crop reduction by 50% in some African countries by 2020.

Dr. Pachauri also testified that global warming cannot be stopped. Even if the world’s greenhouse gas emissions peaked in 2015, the gases already in the atmosphere would continue warming the earth by 0.1 degrees every decade. This climate shift will be enough to make one fifth to one third of the earth’s organisms extinct. There is a strong possibility that Greenland will collapse, creating higher ocean levels that will change the world’s geography.

Nevertheless, Dr. Pachauri reminded the Select Committee that there is reason to be hopeful, and to start moving towards becoming a low emission society. All the green technology that we need has either been developed or will be so in the next two decades. Genetically modified crops can be developed to become more flood and drought resistant. The use of wind power is dramatically rising around the globe. Countries like Germany are having an "Energy Renaissance" which is bringing economic growth. If America engages in investment flows, technology transfers, and incentives towards clean energies, it can lead the world as a low emissions economy.

Capping carbon need not be at the expense of alleviating poverty in the developing world, and Dr. Pachauri called one of his personal missions "Lighting a million lights." He is dedicated to bringing renewable energy that is affordable to the 1.6 billion people who currently have no access to electricity. As a society that is "preoccupied with human rights," he encouraged the US to engage with its own low-emission partnership activities with developing countries.

(Image from Dagbladet: www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2007/01/29/490346.html)