Jack Dini

Arsenic and Cancer Treatment

What do you think of when you hear someone mention the play/movie “Arsenic and Old Lace?” For most folks this evokes the thought of arsenic and poison. Well, in spite of the title of the entertainment, arsenic was the least effective agent two seemingly harmless sisters used to dispatch lonely gentleman callers.

Chad: Eco-Conscious But a Failed State

Chad is as geographically isolated as places come in Africa. It is also among the continent’s poorest and least stable countries, the scene of recurrent civil wars and foreign invasions since it gained independence from France in 1960. (1) Among the population poverty is severe. Only one in four adults is literate and 37 percent of the children underweight.

Poverty is the Worst Carcinogen

What environmental problems kill humans in the greatest numbers today? It isn’t Alar, ozone depletion, dioxins, nuclear wastes, electromagnetic radiation, pesticide residue, PCBs, asbestos, or global warming. What kills the most people is dung smoke and diarrhea, which are both directly related to poverty. Poverty can therefore be described as the worst carcinogen.

Renewable Electricity Mandates Raise Prices and Kill Jobs

Renewable electricity mandates are causing electricity prices to rise and killing jobs in the states that have enacted them. “Electricity prices are already nearly 40 percent higher in states with an REM (renewable electricity mandate). While the renewable mandates may not be the only reason electricity prices are higher in those states, these mandates likely contribute to higher prices and certainly are not helping to decrease the price,” reports a recent study from the Institute for Energy Research. (1)

Light Pollution and Dark Skies

Have you seen overhead clouds at night glowing with strange pink or orange colors? This is wasted light reflecting off the water particles that form clouds; light pollution which causes an atmospheric phenomenon known as sky glow.

Many Of Our ‘Green Jobs” Go To China

“Clean tech has seen a boost as the US pours government funding into renewable energy, and China looks to reap much of the benefits. Latest example is a Chinese wind-turbine company which is the exclusive supplier for one of the largest wind-farm developments in the US,” reports Jeremy Hsu. He adds, “This comes as the US has increasingly out-sourced much of its wind turbine development. Less than a quarter of wind turbine components installed in the US came from domestic production.” Just 15 percent of the 2,800 new jobs from wind turbine development will take the form of US jobs. (1)

Wind and Solar Subsidies Drying Up In Europe

Wind and solar energy subsidies are experiencing drastic cutbacks in many European nations and some places in the United states

Daylight Saving Time- Does It Really Make Sense?

It seems like a simple gesture: Spring forward, Fall back. Yet does anyone know what we’re doing asks Michael Downing. (1)

EPA Goes After Perchlorate and Chromium: The Media Follow Along Without Questioning

Perchlorate and chromium are on EPA's bucket list of 'toxic chemicals' on which it proposes to set new limits. Neither has been given fair coverage by the main-stream media. Quotes can be found from environmental groups supporting the action, but nothing from scientists and others with an opposing view, typical of the unbalanced reporting that has covered the perchlorate and chromium issues.

Germany’s New Big-Brother Energy Law-

"A new law has been passed by the German government, quietly and almost unnoticed. Soon in the future, the government will tell it's citizens how much energy they can consume," reports Pierre Gosselin. He adds, "It's all in the name of 'saving the planet from climate catastrophe.' They are moving quickly now, and Germany is now lost. Although climate skepticism is rising, it's too late." (1)

Criminal Carbon Trading Schemes Escalate

“Carbon trading is now the fastest growing commodities market on earth. Since Kyoto signatories bought in to the cap and trade concept in 2005, there have been more than $300 billion worth of carbon transactions, prompting several investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and Barclays, to set up their own carbon trading desks,’ reports Mark Schapiro. He adds, “In this highly specialized new industry, perhaps a thousand people really understand how onsite measurement of CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects work, and there is a serious potential for conflicts of interest.” (1)

Carbon Trading Schemes in Trouble and Ignored

Why are carbon trading issues that have gone awry ignored by the media? Two examples: 1-scam artists from around the world, capitalizing on lax regulations at the Danish emissions trading registry have made off with an estimated $7-billion over the last two years, and 2- the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) announced that it will be ending carbon trading this year. Both of these have been underreported (ignored?) by most media.

China’s Carbon Emissions Continue to Increase- Far Outdistancing the Rest of the World

In 2009, the US drop in carbon dioxide emissions was the largest since data collection began in 1949. They were 7 percent lower due to slow economic growth, a drop in energy demand of almost 5 percent, a drop in electricity generation of 4 percent, the use of more efficient technologies, and the addition of cleaner sources of energy (natural gas and renewable energy), Worldwide, emissions dropped 1.3 percent, mostly a matter of the economy. The last time carbon dioxide pollution dropped worldwide was in 1999. (1)