[GWSG] Yale taxes C; wave power; env. services lost; good fracking news; FL solar house; warming clouds; US ag targets

[Tilley, Al]

1.  Yale is imposing an internal carbon tax, led by the man who helped conceive the tax in the first place.  The move is intended to influence decisions from program development to investing.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060017204



2.  A new wave power generator is expected to reduce the cost from the current $.40/kwh to $.12-15/kwh.  The current design, piloting off the coast of Australia, is meant to replace diesel power for islands, and also serves to pump water through shoreside desalination membranes.  (Sub. req'd.)  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/business/energy-environment/catching-waves-and-turning-them-into-electricity.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=0



3.  Oil and gas development in the US degrades the environmental services provided by the land used.  We are losing significant carbon sequestration as vegetation disappears.  Between 2000-2012 fossil fuel development has cost us the equivalent of half the animal grazing potential of the entire area under the Bureau of Land Management.  We are also destroying habitat and landscape connectivity, as well as water resources.  The losses are likely to be long-lasting or even permanent.  http://www.sciencemag.org/content/348/6233/401.summary  A recap of the article provides more details.  http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2015/04/24/study-oil-and-gas-drilling-consuming-millions-of-acres/



4.  The good news on fracking is that people are losing money on it.  Half the US fracking companies will be dead or sold this year.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-22/half-of-u-s-fracking-companies-will-be-dead-or-sold-this-year



5.  The U of Florida, the National U of Singapore, and Santa Fe College have combined to design a home "in the Florida vernacular" for this year's Solar Decathlon.  Habitat for Humanity collaborated in producing an affordable, sustainable modular design suited to hot and humid climates.  http://1sun4all.com/solar/florida-singapore-solar-decathlon-video/



6.  Measurements of heat interchange in the upper atmosphere indicate that future changes in cloud cover will result in slightly greater warming, contradicting some earlier projections and confirming the work of Andrew Dessler.  http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/apr/23/changes-in-water-vapor-and-clouds-are-amplifying-global-warming



7.  The Department of Agriculture has introduced a package of voluntary changes meant to reduce emissions from that sector by over 20% as of 2025.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/04/23/the-obama-administration-wants-to-slash-emissions-from-agriculture-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal/
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