Environmental News Network

Could payphones be converted to EV charging stations?
In an intriguing development across New York City there is speculation that the authorities may soon look at converting existing payphones into electric car charging stations. On the surface this may look like yet another crazy idea connected with the electric vehicle industry but if you take a step back, consider the options, it may just be feasible. In yet another sign that the electric vehicle industry is set to go mass-market, people are now actually looking at converting existing payphone units into electric vehicle charging stations. But what are the potential problems and drawbacks? Perhaps the major problem which the EV industry will encounter when converting existing payphones into electric vehicle charging stations is their location. The vast majority are located in situations which are not amenable to parking cars to recharge their batteries although there are some which could be transformed with very little fuss. It will be interesting to see how the authorities tackle this particular problem. >> Read the Full Article
Space weather
The weather is important to everyone. Will it rain today, will I need a jacket? But what is space weather? Is there really "weather" in outer space? Isn't space almost a perfect vacuum? UCLA has been studying this for some time and recently completed a study that sheds important light on space weather. Solar storms â€” powerful eruptions of solar material and magnetic fields into interplanetary space â€” can cause what is known as "space weather" near Earth, resulting in hazards that range from interference with communications systems and GPS errors to extensive power blackouts and the complete failure of critical satellites. >> Read the Full Article
Power Move in Support of Lowering Power Plant Emissions
Power plants are the largest concentrated source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the U.S., accounting for about one-third of all domestic GHG emissions. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new proposals for carbon pollution standards for new power plants. Twenty-two major companies signed a letter in support of the proposed standards. The companies include Unilever, Levi Strauss, Symantec and Patagonia. All of the 22 companies that signed the letters have signed the Ceres Climate Declaration, which calls for a coordinated effort to tackle climate change. In fact, the 22 companies are the largest companies among the over 600 that signed the Declaration. >> Read the Full Article
The Importance of a Sustainable Energy Plan
Creating a Sustainable Energy Plan is a simple, systematic way to examine, refine, and act on one of the most important aspects of a sustainable business. A plan lets you see where you are, decide what immediate positive changes your company can make, and create long-term practical and actionable goals. Why create a plan specifically about energy? Energy use is your most important environmental impact. >> Read the Full Article
An Electric Fish Tale
Emanating from the highest peaks of the Merume Mountains in Guyana the Mazaruni River has been protecting the privacy and discovery of a previously unknown electric fish. The Akawaio penak represents the newly discovered genus and species of fish. Nathan Lovejoy, professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough and his team of international researchers, made the discovery. >> Read the Full Article
Columbia unveils largest EV taxi service in South America
It may come as a surprise to many people to learn that the largest EV taxi service in South America is situated in Bogota, Colombia. While the likes of Europe, the Far East and to a greater extent the US dominate the EV industry it seems as though the principles behind electric vehicle travel have transferred to South America with little trouble. The vehicles in question are part of an array of EVs manufactured by BYD and the 45 BYD e6 EVs now ferrying people across Bogota certainly seem to have caught the headlines. There are many reasons why this particular project is catching the eye of not only businesses but also politicians and consumers across the region. >> Read the Full Article
Shaken in Pakistan
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that a 7.7 magnitude earthquake has shaken the southwestern portion of Pakistan. The earthquake struck the area at 16:29 local time Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at a depth of 15 miles under Pakistan's geographically largest but least populated province of Balochistan. The earth shook for about 2 minutes. The city nearest to the epicenter is Karachi, Pakistan with a population of 11.6 million people. The USGS reports that the earthquake is a result of an "olique-strike-slip motion at shallow crustal depths". >> Read the Full Article
Citizen Scientists Contribute to Galaxy Catalogue
In an effort to categorize the galaxies in our universe, more than 83,000 volunteer citizen scientists have come together to contribute to the project, Galaxy Zoo 2. Now that's a research team! Led by the University of Minnesota, researchers and citizen scientists have made over 16 million classifications on more than 300,000 galaxies -no wonder why it took so many volunteers. Researchers explain that computers are good at automatically measuring properties such as size and color of galaxies, but more challenging characteristics, such as shape and structure, can currently only be determined by the human eye. >> Read the Full Article
Earth's radiation belts more complicated than thought
The Earth is circled by belts of electrons and ions that have been the subject of study for decades. Now, a new study casts light on details of these radiation belts that eluded scientists. Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts in 1958, space scientists have believed these belts encircling the Earth consist of two doughnut-shaped rings of highly charged particles â€” an inner ring of high-energy electrons and energetic positive ions and an outer ring of high-energy electrons. In February of this year, a team of scientists reported the surprising discovery of a previously unknown third radiation ring â€” a narrow one that briefly appeared between the inner and outer rings in September 2012 and persisted for a month. >> Read the Full Article
Aye-aye, it's unique!
If "unique" is a relative term then this endangered critter has it hands down...or rather, fingers down! The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), once believed to be a rodent is a primate found in the canopy of the forests of Madagascar. This dark brown and black nocturnal animal is a variety of lemur with very special hands featuring one extraordinarily long middle finger with a piercing fingernail at its end. The aye-aye will tap its fingers on hollow branches disturbing resident grubs and listening for movement. Using its naked bat like ears, the aye-aye has excellent hearing and is the only primate known to use echolocation to find its prey. >> Read the Full Article