The Go Green Debate

Is coal clean? Is coal cheaper & better than renewable energy? Possibly, in 10 years with a billions of dollars of research. However the coal industry still attempts to sell carbon sequestration technology.

In the small mining town of Ely, Nevada the coal industry lobby for a new construction of “clean” coal plants. The residents resist and are upset that it would double the greenhouse gas emissions of the town.

“In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to solve the democracy crisis.” - Al Gore

At the closing session of the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference (TED) in Monterey, California on Saturday, March 1st, Al Gore delivered a speech insisting that the public become more active and insistent about the environmental problems we are facing in order to force politicians out of their complacency.

“As important as it is to change the light bulbs, it’s more important to change the laws.” - Al Gore

Mary Lou Jepsen gives an awesome presentation on at the Greener Gadgets 2008 conference in New York on One Laptop Per Child.

“By trying to do the right thing and by designing for the poorest people in the world, we’ve made the greenest laptop in the world. And that’s not just the color!” - Mary Lou Jepsen

In the video below, Mary Lou illustrates how the OLPC laptop, also known as XO or the $100 laptop, is a new model for energy-efficient electronics, consuming just 2 Watts of energy.

Rex Murphy talks about his “Point of View” of global warming on the CBC’s (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) flagship nightly news program, The National.

Katie Couric on Primary Questions asked ten leading presidential candidates whether or not global warming is a real and immediate threat.

What do the presidential democratic candidates have to say about Nuclear Energy? Find out in the below clips from the 2008 democratic debate.

John Edwards:

Hillary Clinton:

Barack Obama:

Which presidential candidate has the best plan for our global warming and climate change problem? The answers are in with the Climate Cup 2008 tournament. Check out these videos that seed the hopefuls, and weigh the issues in this eco-friendly winner-take-all tournament.

Climate Cup 2008: Republicans

Climate Cup 2008: Democrats

Vice President Al Gore has recently completed renovations to his Nashville, Tennessee home in response to the criticism of his high electric bills. All improvements were focused on making his home more energy efficient.

Since the renovation, Gore’s natural gas usage is down 93 percent and his electricity is down 11 percent during a period in which average usage increased 20-30% due to a Nashville heat wave.

Gore has also said he invests in renewable energy such as solar and wind power to balance 100 percent of his electricity usage.

Kim Shinn of the U.S. Green Building Council gave the house its second-highest rating for sustainable design.

The 11th Hour is a new documentary film narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film examines the human relationship with earth from its earliest glimmers of innovation, to the challenges humanity faces in the present, to the possibilities of the future.

The 11th Hour is the last moment when change is possible. This film explores how we’ve arrived at this moment — how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course.

The film features experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who discuss the most important issues that face our planet & people.

Check Out The Trailer:

Many countries around the world have already signed the Kyoto Protocol Agreement, but the US has rejected the agreement. Why? Is it because the agreement isn’t effective?

In this episode of The Massachusetts School of Law’s Educational Forum, Professor Diane Sullivan interviews Dr. Paul R. Epstein of the Harvard Medical School, Nancy Cole of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Kurt Olson Professor of Law at MSL about Global Warming & the Kyoto Protocol Agreement.