2Sustain

How will climate change impact the coastal landscape of California?

New research from the US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey (USGS) gives us some insights.

In the first integrated study of its kind, USGS scientists and academic colleagues analyzed how California’s interconnected San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Bay-Delta system) could change from 2010 to 2099 in response to both fast and moderate climate warming scenarios. The results show that: (more…)

Today’s consumers are more concerned about environmental issues such as pollution, water shortages, packaging waste and the use of pesticides than they are about climate change, according to Nielsen’s 2011 Global Online Environment & Sustainability Survey.

The latest findings, compiled from a poll of more than 25,000 Internet respondents in 51 countries showed that: (more…)

Climate change threatens American cities with a variety of water-related risks, ranging from drought to sea level rise and increased rainfall, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The report, Thirsty for Answers: Preparing for the Water-related Impacts of Climate Change in American Cities, found that climate change will impact water supplies and waterways in communities across the country, with geography often determining the specific effects.

The first of its kind, this peer-reviewed report compiles the results of more than 75 scientific studies, data generated by government agencies and information gathered by other nonprofit organizations. Specifically, it analyzes how climate change will impact water supplies and waterways in 12 target cities:

• Boston, Massachusetts
• Chicago, Illinois
• Homer, Alaska
• Los Angeles, California
• Miami, Florida, and the Florida Keys
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New York, New York
• Norfolk, Virginia
• Phoenix, Arizona
• San Francisco, California
• Seattle, Washington
• St. Louis, Missouri

The NRDC says climate change impacts are likely to include: (more…)

Last month, the athletic apparel company PUMA announced its first “environmental profit and loss statement.” PUMA’s CEO Jochen Zeitz explained the decision by insisting that, in order to remain profitable, companies must integrate into their business models the true costs of relying on nature.

PUMA’s move is an example of “corporate ecosystem valuation,” the process of businesses making strategic decisions by assigning a financial price to both ecosystem degradation and the services that ecosystems provide. For example, clean water and forests provide services like erosion control, CO2 absorption, and food.

But, why would companies consider adding a value to resources like water or timber? After all, these are not line items an analyst typically finds on a balance sheet. Data from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) tells part of the story: (more…)

GE Appliances & Lighting is now the first full-line appliance manufacturer in the US to adopt the foam-blowing agent cyclopentane in the manufacturing of its top-freezer refrigerators in Decatur, Ala.

This is a noteworthy development because cyclopentane – which GE uses to propel insulation into the doors and cases of refrigerators – significantly reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the insulating process.  In fact, GE says that using cyclopentane will reduce the facility’s GHG emissions from the foam-blowing process by 99 percent compared to the foam-blowing agent it replaces.

By transitioning to cyclopentane as the foam-insulating agent for GE’s 16-, 17- and 18-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerators, GE’s Decatur, Ala., plant will reduce GHG emissions from the foam-insulating process by more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually. This is equal to: (more…)