Friday Five: January 25, 2013

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then this 13 second clip is worth at least 100,000.
62 years of climate change in 13 seconds
"remarkable, chilling timelapse of NASA meteorological data on global temperature rises."

We are told that the markets will make the best solution and protect health if allowed to function properly.  The truth is that without funding and attention to health, industry will not take care of it themselves if it is not in their best interest financially. Even political administrations have to focus on an issue and allocate resources in order for the full effects to be known. Without the attention of industry or government, there is no one left with the ability to evaluate whether the actions of the market add value to our lives or take it away.
Taking a harder look at fracking and health
"With a strongly pro-industry administration led by Pennsylvania’s Republican governor, Tom Corbett, and a Republican-controlled legislature that has recently approved a gas-drilling law friendly to industry, state financing has not been available for research into whether drilling activities have negative health effects, Dr. Penning said.
'Academia can only do work if there’s funding to do that work,' he said."

That said, there are solutions emerging and expanding on the technology front...
LEDs emerge as popular 'green' lighting
"Although priced at around 20 times more than the old-fashioned incandescents, bulbs based on LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, last much longer and use far less electricity, a saving that homeowners are beginning to recognize. Prices for the bulbs are falling steadily as retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s sell them aggressively and manufacturers improve the technology."

From local governments and communities...
Cities climate change initiatives feature trees and green infrastructure
"A new report from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives highlights 20 local governments across the U.S. that are taking the initiative to combat global warming, including strategies around their urban tree canopies. The report follows an earlier survey of 298 American cities, which found almost two-thirds are pursuing adaptation planning for climate change."

...and even from the investments in the energy marketplace. Everyone has a role to play.
The past two years have been the highest in history for clean tech investment
"The private investment numbers for 2012 are second only to 2011, when investment hit a high of $302 billion. While the 2012 numbers did decline by 11%, the 2012 total still beat expectations: 'Indeed, the most striking aspect of these figures is that the decline was not bigger, given the fierce headwinds the clean-energy sector faced in 2012 as a result of policy uncertainty, the ongoing European fiscal crisis and continuing sharp falls in technology costs,' commented Michael Liebreich, CEO of Bloomberg Clean Energy Finance."

Happy Friday!