Ecobella Blog

The Chinese government has applied for the rights to conduct deep-sea mining for valuable metals in the international waters of the southwestern Indian Ocean. Using remotely operated underwater vehicles, China identified a reserve of sulphide deposits near a pocket of hydrothermal vents, located more than 5,000 feet beneath the ocean’s surface. They hope to mine valuable metals — including copper, nickel, and cobalt, which are used in the production of high-tech products such as cellphones, laptop computers and batteries. While the environmental risks of such mining operations are unknown, conservationists are concerned the mining could disturb ecosystems over a much wider area. “Conditions at this depth are normally very stable, and any mining damage would impact the environment for a very long time,” said Richard Harrington of the UK-based Marine Conservation Society.

Source: Yale 360

If there are environmental problems/concerns with Public Companies under the eye of the press, the public, the environmental groups in the Gulf of Mexico, what can we expect with the transparency of Chinese companies in the middle of nowhere…

Follow the Elearning Course @ DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION

The number of cars on U.S. roads dropped by 4 million in 2009, the only large decline in the nation’s car fleet since the government began keeping records in 1960. While consumers bought 10 million cars during the year, another 14 million vehicles were scrapped, dropping the total to 246 million vehicles, despite the government’s “cash for clunkers” program that gave individuals as much as $4,500 to exchange older cars for more fuel-efficient models.

Analysts cited numerous factors for the decline, including high gasoline prices, improved public transportation, and the popularity of online social networking, which for many teens has replaced the automobile as a way to socialize.

Other people attribute the decline on the economic downturn and the tight credit.  Americans leased automobiles more than anywhere else.  But leasing requires credit – and the credit crunch has changed the landscape for consumer credit. Leasing is not as popular now.

Currently, there are 117 vehicles for every 100 licensed Americans, but high debt and other costs of car ownership will make consumers less likely to keep more cars than they use, said Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute. Many families with three cars will likely cut back to two, he predicts, and those with two may cut back to one or none.

Source:  The Globe and Mail

Fossil fuels, after all, are an early first industrial revolution, 19th century technology. But we are now applying nanotechnology to the design of renewable energy technologies such as solar energy.

As a result, the cost per watt of solar energy is coming down rapidly and the total amount of solar energy is growing exponentially. It has in fact been doubling every two years for the past 20 years and is now only eight doublings away from meeting all of the world’s energy needs.

Source: NYDailyNews