Dickinson to Durban » Mosaic Action
Can I Get a Translator, Please?
By: Christine Burns ’14 On October 20th and 21st, the Mosaic students traveled to Washington D.C. to listen to an eclectic group of well-renowned individuals in the global climate change arena. Two individuals that provided some very interesting insight were Dr. Shalini Vajjhala and Dr. Joel Scheraga from the EPA. Dr. Scheraga has served the EPA in many positions, his current one being the Senior Advisor for Climate Adaptation in the Office of International Affairs. Dr. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Conservation, Environmental Politics, Featured, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action
Base Load: Where Renewable Energy Resources Fall Short
by Sam Parker ’12 Many, including myself, are demanding a looking for a “renewable energy revolution” and a low carbon economy in this country and the rest of the world. For the future of our children and our planet, this is something that is an absolute necessity, but often what it lost in this thought is the concept of Base Load or Base Demand. For those who may not know, Dictionary.com defines base load as “the constant or permanent load on a power supply”. Essentially, all those things are run all day in your home (i.e. refrigerators, heat, a/c, clocks, etc.), place a demand on energy supply all of the time. Now, how does a renewable energy system work with base load? Not very well. At present, our base load energy requirements, as well as peak demand … Read entire article »
Filed under: Carbon Markets, Climate Change, Mosaic Action, Summer Reading Responses
Stop! Don’t Offset… Carbon Offsets the Snake Oil of CO2 Mitigation
by Sam Parker, ’12 In 2009, there was a bill, called the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill, that has passed through the House and was killed in the Senate. This bill was potentially one of the most significant climate laws to have ever been seen in the U.S. It would instate a Cap and Trade system of carbon trading on U.S. coal power plants . This bill came under much scrutiny from many different places. Possibly the biggest criticism was the effects Cap and Trade may have had on the economy. I wish to criticize a different aspect of this bill, offsets. As noted by Laurie Williams and Allen Zabel in there video The Huge Mistake, the bill would have allowed for the companies to purchase carbon offsets to mitigate there CO2 emissions for 20 years … Read entire article »
Filed under: Carbon Markets, Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action
The College Environment
One question that keeps coming up in my mind as to my studies with this Africa Mosaic,is my own involvement in contributing to the GHG emissions of the world. While having the privilege to study international climate negotiations in-depth is not possible for a majority of the public with jobs and other full-time commitments, I realize that I am extremely priveged and fortunate in this sphere. I go to a good liberal arts college which affords me the opportunity and focus to do such a thing. However, merely studying the impacts of carbon emissions outside my privileged “scholarly bubble” feels, well, unfulfilling. So the question I wish to discuss is how and why this “bubble” shapes some of the environmental choices I am able to make in my four years at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Mosaic Action
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