Adam’s Twitter Facts: April 16-30, 2011

Get Adam’s Tweets in real-time by following @adamwerbach on Twitter

Forget deficits, inflation, and profits. The monsoon is India’s key indicator. http://bit.ly/eyxjCw
Airlines prices expected to rise as fuel costs cause widespread losses. http://bit.ly/gATXgS
Was the early universe one-dimensional? Scientists are trying to find out. http://bit.ly/i2pc5f
New research creates hope for targeted treatment of stress disorders. http://bit.ly/dPqVQX
Wall-E? Trash sorting robot could reduce landfill waste by 50%. http://bit.ly/g8zXd5

Adam Explains Cultural Sustainability for core77

Adam’s Twitter Facts: April 1-15, 2011

Get Adam’s Tweets in real-time by following @adamwerbach on Twitter.

For the first time, there are now more cows than people in New Zealand.  http://bit.ly/hst2NM
The earthquake in New Zealand: $11B + 1.5% of GDP over five years. http://nyti.ms/efH2mw
Under threat, the Hagfish fills up 7 buckets full of gooey, slimy gunk. http://n.pr/fQW6P3
Drug resistant infections = more than 25,000 deaths + $1.5B/yr in the EU. http://bit.ly/eAvo63

Adam’s Twitter Facts: March 16-31, 2011

Get Adam’s Tweets in real-time by following @adamwerbach on Twitter.

Pre-quake, Japan’s power 30% nuclear to produce 40% of electronics. http://bit.ly/hyRwY6
Americans consume 22 tsp of added sugar daily, teens 34. http://on.msnbc.com/gkFuRv
US concern for climate change at lowest point since 1997. http://bit.ly/i2RnQr
Woof. Barking dogs could face the death penalty in Adelaide, Australia. http://bit.ly/eq0Yk5
Brazilian Amazon makes up about 33% of all tropical forests. http://bit.ly/eKgJ8P

Japan Quake May Stall U.S. Nuclear Power Expansion Plans

Read the original by Adam Werbach at theatlantic.com

Renewable energy advocates are concerned that the unraveling nuclear crisis in Japan may prove to be a setback for U.S. clean energy policy. Efforts to stop and contain the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station are intensifying as an attempt to pump ocean water into a crippled reactor temporarily failed yesterday, increasing the risk of the release of larger amounts of radioactive material. As nuclear fears grow, the anxiety could spell an end to the fragile truce between environmental advocates and nuclear power advocates — the basis for the Obama administration’s attempts to promote clean energy in the U.S.

Adam’s Twitter Facts: March 1–15, 2011

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Today, 75% of the world’s coral reefs are threatened, up 10% since 1998. http://bit.ly/hNnz2H
Scientific American on “how to cool a nuclear reactor” http://bit.ly/g8n3xQ
Last week’s house budget proposal cuts clean energy research funding by almost 20%.
Invasive fire ants est. to do > $6B in property damage in US each year. http://bit.ly/heI9Fl
Chicago plans to roll out 280 electric car charging stations by end of 2012. http://bit.ly/hCtDeD

Adam’s Twitter Facts: February 16–28, 2011

Get Adam’s Tweets in real-time by following @adamwerbach on Twitter.

Scotland – 2nd largest global exporter of salmon at 40% of food exports. http://bit.ly/dGRk1H
Scottish fish farm chemical usage up by 163%. Production up only 11%. http://bit.ly/dGRk1H
A new, endangered species of S. African yam being used to treat cancer.http://bit.ly/eY2wlp
N. Africa and the Middle East pop could double to 600M within 40 years. http://bit.ly/eR01po

The No-Good, Very Bad, Overwrapped Banana

Read the original by Adam Werbach at theatlantic.com

Del Monte is marketing plastic-wrapped bananas–to the horror of environmentalists. But what is the right reaction?

A few weeks ago the banana company Del Monte released a packaging innovation: a plastic banana wrapper. The story spread through the Twitterverse as an example of consumer society gone wrong. The wrapper, which appears to be a small, transparent-printed plastic bag, features “Controlled Ripening Technology (CRT)” which allows a banana to stay ripe for six more days on the shelf. Del Monte’s UK managing director, James Harvey, was unrepentent in his response to criticisms, stating in the Fresh Produce Journal that “Del Monte’s new CRT packaging is designed to provide significant carbon footprint savings by reducing the frequency of deliveries and the amount of waste going to landfill.”

Libya’s Revolution Offers a Second Chance for Clean Energy

Read the original at theatlantic.com

The oil price spike of 2008 was quickly forgotten in the haze of economic recession, but Libya’s revolution could put innovation back on track.

In July 2008 oil prices reached $147 a barrel and suddenly energy prices were on everyone’s agenda. Soon, oil prices fell as the economy faltered and people moved on to the more immediate concerns of keeping their jobs and businesses alive. Now, as events in Libya provide a specific scenario for a supply disruption, predictions of oil at $200 a barrel are beginning to proliferate. Investment bank Nomura projects the price of oil could hit $220 a barrel. We’re about to return to 2008 prices.

Adam’s Twitter Facts: February 1-15, 2011

Get Adam’s Tweets in real-time by following @adamwerbach on Twitter.

Bisphenol A present in 91% of Canadians, particularly teens. http://bit.ly/eh0loh
30% of shark species are threatened or near threatened with extinction. http://bit.ly/fwfm59
Namibia’s creates 26.6 million-acre coastal park. http://bit.ly/eIaTZR
1/3 of all world mail delivered is US junk mail. 100 billion pieces/year http://bit.ly/ez0yoa
Oil will hit $300/barrel by 2025 according to Charles T. Maxwell http://bit.ly/f2BHnu