|
||||
|
Faculty
Associate Joins Solar Energy Board of Directors Professor Frank Laird, GSIS faculty member and I2E2 Faculty Associate, was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). Based in Boulder, ASES is a national organization dedicated to advancing the use of solar energy for the benefit of U.S. citizens and the global environment. The Board is obligated to meet three times per year, and is responsible for making policy decisions for the society, hiring the director, approving budgets, and setting up committees for activities, such as the annual National Solar Energy Conference A member of ASES since 1993, Laird has
become increasingly more involved in the group's activities. For the
past two years, he has served on the Public Policy committee, helping
to develop policy position papers, which are published on the ASES website
at http://www.ases.org/solarguide/position.html.
He will continue to server on this committee, in addition to his new
obligations. Laird will serve a two year term, after which he is eligible for re-election. For more information about the American
Solar Energy Society, go to http://www.ases.org. |
||||
|
E.U.
Reacts to Bush Climate Change Plan The gulf between the European Union and the United States on the issue of climate change seems to be growing ever wider with the recent announcement of President George W. Bush's climate change proposal. There has been nearly unanimous criticism about the Bush proposal at high levels in the E.U. and Member States. This criticism has been in stark contrast to European reluctance since September 11 to criticize the Bush Administration on any level. The official E.U. reaction to the Bush proposal came in a joint statement by Jaume Matas, Minister for Environment and current President of the Environment Council of Ministers, and Margot Wallström, European Environment Commissioner. "It is clear that the proposals for the U.S. action on climate change are purely domestic," the two leaders said. "But the E.U. is concerned that they will not even be sufficient to reduce U.S. emissions. The 'intensity target' proposed allows for further increases in absolute emissions and is not sufficient to fight climate change effectively." Despite welcoming the fact that the Bush Administration had come forward with its long awaited policy, Matas and Wallström said, "The proposals by President Bush may represent a first step in the right direction, where also economic operators in the U.S. are asked to contribute to emission control. However, mandatory monitoring and reporting of emissions at company level would be necessary to adequately assess whether the proposals by President Bush represent an effort comparable to the ones under the Kyoto Protocol." Environmental leaders in Member States also panned the new plan. U.K. Energy Minister Brian Wilson characterized the Bush plan as "wrong and most unfortunate," adding, "We are committed to Kyoto. We want the world to be committed to Kyoto and Kyoto is the starting point." And the Bush plan received poor marks from Philippe Meunier, head of France's intergovernmental task force on global warming, who described the proposal as "window dressing." Meanwhile, the generally staid U.K. publication, The Economist, said to tackle climate change would necessitate either setting mandatory targets for reducing carbon emissions or imposition of a carbon tax. The magazine described the Bush plan's emphasis on voluntary measures as "a sham" adding, "As the president himself might say, his proposal is all hat and no cattle." Notwithstanding the substantial differences of opinion with the U.S. on the climate change issue, the E.U. is forging ahead with efforts to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The E.U. and its Member States intend to ratify the protocol in advance of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in August. Bearing this in mind, the E.U. continues it efforts to keep Japan and Russia in the Kyoto fold. Commenting about the general malaise in
E.U.-U.S. relations, the U.K.'s Lord Paddy Ashdown, former head of the
Liberal Democrats in the British Parliament, described it aptly: "George
Bush, from America's 'Lone Star State,' may be about to turn the U.S.
into a 'Lone Star Nation.'" |
||||
|
Mercury Cafe Social/Information Series on Global Warming This series is open to anyone who would like to learn more about climate change and meet interesting people over good food and drinks. Join our social/information series at the Mercury Café for fun and learning. Bring a friend who knows nothing about the issue, or just come by yourself to learn more. To view the Café's excellent menu: www.mercurycafe.com. Future dates and agendas for the series are given below. All events will take place at the Mercury Café, 2199 California St. Denver. 303-294-9281. (If you plan to order food and beverage, please note that the Café accepts cash and checks only).
For more information, contact Dr. Laurie Johnson at lauriejo@du.edu or 303-871-2146. This series is co-sponsored by I2E2. Please email lauriejo@du.edu if you are coming so the Café will know what to expect in numbers. |
||||
|
The
Race to Stop Global Warming April 14,
2002 Last year we had a small informal team from DU. Let us know if you plan to participate, and we will make arrangements for a DU gathering at the event |
||||
|
NCSE Releases Handbook of Federal Funding for Environmental R&D [An enhanced version of this announcement, complete with tables, is available online at: http://www.cnie.org/Updates/page.cfm?FID=1541] WASHINGTON, DC--The National Council for
Science and the Environment NCSE estimates that Congress added nearly $900 million for environmental R&D above the amount requested by the President in the current fiscal year (FY 2002). Federal funding for environmental R&D is approximately $7.5 billion in FY 2002, an increase of $315 million or 4.4 percent over FY 2001. The increase in federal funding for environmental R&D in FY 2002 is a reversal from the President's budget request, which proposed a decrease of $572 million or 8.0 percent relative to FY 2001. The net change of approximately $888 million between the President's budget request and the spending bills passed by Congress is the result of many factors, including the response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, input from the scientific community, and strong support from key members of Congress. Eight federal agencies account for more than 95 percent of federal funding for environmental R&D. Among the top eight agencies, five were slated for decreases in funding for environmental R&D in the President's budget request for FY 2002. By the end of the appropriations process, two agencies (NASA and Department of Defense) received cuts in funding for environmental R&D. In contrast, all of the top 15 federal agencies received increases in total R&D in FY 2002. Federal funding for environmental R&D grew at less than one-third the rate of total R&D, which increased by 13.5 percent to $103.7 billion in FY 2002. "The scientific community will be watching for cuts in environmental R&D in the appropriations process," said Dr. Peter Saundry, Executive Director of NCSE. "New funding for environmental R&D is needed to improve the scientific basis for environmental decisionmaking." An executive summary of NCSE's new report, "Handbook of Federal Funding for Environmental R&D," is available at http://cnie.org/Affiliates/HandbookES. The full online report, including hundreds of hyperlinks, is available to NCSE University Affiliates. For further information, please contact: Craig Schiffries, Ph.D. Reprinted from an NCSE online announcement.
I2E2 is an active supporter of NCSE. |
||||
|
Spring Course: Global
Environment Please announce to all of your students a course that is being offered in the spring quarter. The Global Environment (INTS 2150) will convene on Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 - 4:50pm. A short description follows, with a link to the full, one page overview.
Click
here for the full overview.
Job Opening: Post-Doctoral, Energy
Technology Modeling and Assessment - U.S. EPA The deadline to apply is March 14,
2002. Pre-Doctoral
Positions: - Ph.D. Student
Researcher, Industrial Ecosystems, Rutgers University
The Environmental and Societal Impacts
Group (ESIG) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
seeks an individual to work as an early- or mid-career Scientist with
primary interests in research on societal impacts of weather and management
of weather-related risks, with a focus on extreme events. Go to the Career
Page for complete information. Applications will be reviewed until
the position is filled. Job Opening: Full-time Natural
Science Faculty - Alverno College Alverno College, a women's college with
an international reputation for innovation in assessment and ability-based
education, seeks an assistant professor of natural science to begin
in August 2002. Strong collaborative skills and a primary interest in
teaching and developing curricula for first year interdisciplinary science
courses are most important. Background in science education, geology,
or environmental science is a plus. Go to the Career
Page for complete information. Application deadline is March
6, 2002. |
||||
International Institute for
Environment & Enterprise
University of Denver
2199 S. University Blvd.
Mary Reed Building, 3rd Floor
Denver, Colorado 80208-2360