tracy boyer, author at planet forward - 克罗地亚vs加拿大让球

the climate generation: youth activists pressure politicians to put a stop to climate change

mon, 31 may 2010 16:17:20 +0000

for many youth, a warming world is more than an abstract threat. within the lifetimes of today’s young adults and children, climate change could lead to food shortages, changing coastlines and catastrophic storms. an october 2009 pew research poll found that young americans are more likely than any other age group to view climate change as “a very serious problem.” about 2,000 young people voiced those concerns at the 2009 united nations climate talks in copenhagen, where world leaders tried – and failed – to agree on a treaty to curb heat-trapping gases. despite the collapse of the talks, youth activists vowed to continue pressuring politicians to put a stop to climate change. (note: this story was reported with support from the pulitzer center on crisis reporting.) video by sara peach

http://unc.news21.com/index.php/stories/the-climate-generation.html

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roping the wind in texas

sat, 26 dec 2009 15:54:56 +0000

by nacho corbella

the mid-20th century discovery of oil and gas fields in central texas changed the trajectory of several small towns in decline. but the boom bypassed the town of roscoe.

from his nearby cotton farm, cliff etheredge watched the other towns grow. “to me, the hungriest man is the one who has to sit and watch somebody else eat,” he said. “that’s what we did here.”

then, in 2004, etheredge saw a chance to cash in on the emerging west texas wind boom. as chairman of wind works, a wind farm development company, he introduced wind energy to roscoe. landowners earn income for each turbine placed on their property and a percentage of the profits from the energy each turbine produces.

the roscoe wind farm is the world’s largest capacity wind farm with 627 wind turbines and a total installed capacity of 781.5 mw.

see more at powering a nation

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debating coal’s future

sat, 26 dec 2009 15:46:41 +0000

the residents of meigs county, ohio, live beneath the towering smokestacks of four coal-fired power plants. elisa young worries about the health effects of the plants, but others in her community are eager for the jobs a new plant could bring. video by sara peach

http://unc.news21.com/index.php/stories/coal.html

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religion rejuvenates environmentalism

sat, 26 dec 2009 15:42:00 +0000

evangelical pastor ken wilson’s environmental conversion began two years ago with goose bumps, watery eyes and an appeal for help.

“i heard gus speth, the dean of forestry at yale, say to a group of religious leaders, ‘i used to think the top environmental problems facing the world were global warming, environmental degradation and eco-system collapse, and that we scientists could fix those problems with enough science,’” wilson recalls. “‘but i was wrong. the real problem is not those three items, but greed, selfishness and apathy. and for that we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. and we scientists don’t know how to do that. we need your help.’”

back home, wilson thought more about passages in the bible containing messages of stewardship for the earth. he began preaching about a christian duty to protect the environment, or “creation care,” at the vineyard church of ann arbor, mich., where he is senior pastor.

“it was like i was popping a cork,” wilson says. “people came up to me in the lobby after the lectures actually with tears in their eyes, saying thank you for speaking to this issue.”

wilson was surprised to see that many of those people were new to the church.

“there was a ph.d. in evolutionary biology who came to the church for the very first time for the creation care series, and he said to me, ‘here’s a church that is finally talking about science in a positive way and actually cares for the environment.’”

continue reading … http://unc.news21.com/index.php/stories/rel.html

video by courtney woo

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moving to higher ground

sat, 26 dec 2009 15:34:21 +0000

villagers from the small coastal alaskan town of newtok have endured extreme weather leading to massive erosion. though not at fault, this group of some 350 yup’ik eskimos is among the planet’s first casualties of climate change. they are forced by rising sea levels and melting permafrost to relocate, but uncertainties in funding this unprecedented event place the village in danger. because newtok hopes to stay together to maintain their strong traditions, the entire community has chosen to work through frustrations to move intact to a new village site on higher ground.

http://unc.news21.com/index.php/stories/alaska.html

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