Oceans failing the acid test, U.N. says

(CNN) -- The chemistry of the world's oceans is changing at a rate not seen for 65 million years, with far-reaching implications for marine biodiversity and food security, according to a new United Nations study released Thursday.

"Environmental Consequences of Ocean Acidification," published by the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP)," warns that some sea organisms including coral and shellfish will find it increasingly difficult to survive, as acidification shrinks the minerals needed to form their skeletons.

Lead author of the report Carol Turley, from the UK's Plymouth Marine Laboratory said in a statement: "We are seeing an overall negative impact from ocean acidification directly on organisms and on some key ecosystems that help provide food for billions. We need to start thinking about the risk to food security."

Tropical reefs provide shelter and food for around a quarter of all known marine fish species, according to the U.N. report, while over one billion people rely on fish as a key source of protein.

Full article- http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/12/02/ocean.acidification.threat.cancun/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Age of sail boats inspires green solutions

London (CNN) -- With its long hull, towering masts and expansive sails, it resembles a schooner from the 19th century. But fitted with a series of high-tech features, this so-called "sail ship" is designed to cut carbon emissions on the high seas today.

Part of a fleet of carbon-neutral, wind-powered sail ships planned by Britain's B9 Energy, it's just one example of how companies are looking to the past for greener alternatives to the gas-guzzling vessels that transport the world's cargo.

When it comes to wind power replacing fuel in shipping vessels, "it's not a question of if, but when," according to David Surplus, the chairman of B9 Energy, Britain's largest windfarm operator.

"By most people's estimates, we have reached peak oil -- sooner or later the fuel will run out and there will simply be no alternative," said Surplus.

Roughly 87% of international trade is carried out by the shipping industry, figures from the International Maritime Organization show.

With the majority of world trade traveling by sea, the shipping industry is responsible for around 4% of global carbon emissions, according to the latest figures available from the United Nations.
B9 expects its 100% carbon-neutral trading ship to be in production by 2012.
B9 expects its 100% carbon-neutral trading ship to be in production by 2012.

B9 claims its vessel will be the first commercially produced merchant ship to harness alternative energy, but it certainly isn't alone in using old-fashioned sail boats to move goods.

"At the moment it's happening on a fairly small, fairly local scale," said Jan Lundberg, founder of Sail Transport Network, a group that promotes sailing as a means of eco-friendly, cost-efficient trade.

But the trend is growing, he said, pointing to examples like El Lago Coffee Company, which uses traditional sail boats to ship Guatemalan coffee beans to the United States, and the Sail Transport Company, a Seattle-based group that uses sailboats to deliver "petroleum-free organic produce."

B9's new eco-friendly ships, planned to be in production by 2012, signify a return to a much more traditional form of merchant shipping. Before diesel-powered steel tankers came to dominate the seas, international trade was conducted on vast, wooden sail ships.

The 100% carbon-neutral freighter will feature automated, self-adjusting sails that respond to minute changes in the wind to maximize propulsion. The boat will also take advantage of "skysail" technology -- a kite-styled towing system currently used on some cargo ships to improve fuel efficiency.

In addition, a biofuel-powered engine will operate under less windy conditions.

Surplus says that with these technologies, the B9 sail ship will be able to carry up to 9,000 tons of cargo. That's just a fraction of the more than 100,000 tons that much larger ships used for long-haul trade can carry, he admitted.

But B9 will initially just operate within Europe, particularly in the North Sea and Baltic where the winds are strong.

Surplus added: "There are currently about 1,500 similarly sized fossil fuel-powered ships working along these routes and our dream is to replace all of them."

Whether sail ships can replace modern freighters on a large scale, however, remains to be seen. Jeremy Harrison, communications director at the British-based Chamber of Shipping, has his doubts.

"I would love to see sail boats replace the current system," he said. "But I just can't see how it will be economical, even as fuel prices rise."

According to Harrison, advances in fuel efficiency onboard super-large cargo ships will help offset the rising cost of fossil fuels.

"Big shipping companies have already made huge savings just by 'slow steaming' -- reducing their speeds to save on fuel consumption," he said.

Earlier this year Maersk, the world's largest container shipping firm with more than 600 ships, announced that it had adapted its giant marine diesel engines to travel at super-slow speeds -- reducing emissions by 30% and saving a reported $100 million in the process.

"Unless you can build a sail-powered boat as big as the ships that are out there today, it will be very difficult to achieve the economies of scale to make it competitive," Harrison said.

Surplus, however, is undeterred.

He said: "A lot of people don't understand what renewable energy has achieved onshore. If you simply transfer those economic models across to shipping, it completely transforms the economic proposition."

Heavy snow causes Metrodome roof to collapse in Minnesota

The eye of a blizzard lingered Sunday over parts of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where heavy snow caused the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis to collapse, a spokesman for the Minnesota State Patrol said.

A low pressure system, pushed by heavy winds, is creating hazardous conditions in parts of the Midwest, which has been blanketed by near-whiteout conditions since the storm began Friday.

The National Weather Service issued an alert Sunday for parts of the three states and regions along the Mississippi River, warning travelers of hazardous conditions caused by heavy snow, fierce winds and subzero temperatures.

Full article and video-http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/12/winter.weather/index.html?hpt=T1

Police: Wis. man shoots TV after Palin dance

MADISON, Wis. (AP) —

Prosecutors say a rural Wisconsin man blasted his TV with a shotgun after watching Bristol Palin's "Dancing with the Stars" routine, sparking an all-night standoff with a SWAT team.

According to court documents, 67-year-old Steven Cowan became enraged while watching Palin dance on Monday evening. He felt Palin was not a good dancer.

He went to his bedroom and returned to the living room with a shotgun and blasted the TV, then pointed the gun at his wife, who managed to escape and call police. Tactical officers surrounded the house and finally managed to talk Cowan out Tuesday morning.

He has been charged second-degree reckless endangerment, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines. It was unclear whether Cowan has retained an attorney.

States Diverting Money From Climate Initiative

State governments in debt are finding large pools of money to help pay for their spending by using funds intended for environmental initiative action.

In New York, government officials found $90 million to pay for schools by dipping into money generated by a multistate greenhouse gas initiative.

In New Hampshire, the state took $3.1 million from a similar environmental fund. And in New Jersey, the government diverted its whole share: $65 million.

At least three financially troubled states have discovered in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade system, a convenient pool of money that can be drawn on to help balance state budgets.

Full article at-- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/nyregion/29greenhouse.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Tornado, severe weather cause damage, injuries in Mississippi

State authorities dispatched emergency crews Tuesday to survey the damage following an onslaught of severe weather in Mississippi that led to the hospitalization of at least six people, property loss and power outages.

A tornado touched down in Yazoo County on Monday night, causing damage to a downtown Yazoo City courthouse and tossing widespread debris in the area.

The twister touched down around 8:05 p.m. local time (9:05 p.m. ET), according to the National Weather Service's Jackson, Mississippi, office.

Greg Flynn, spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said the damage included "a lot of windows blown out, some roof damage and very little power in the downtown area" of Yazoo City.

No severe injuries or deaths have been reported, the MEMA spokesman said.

Flynn said six people from Attala County were hospitalized from the severe weather, but the extent of their injuries is not immediately clear.

Link to video---> http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/30/mississippi.tornado/index.html?iref=allsearch