China Alleges Diplomatic Snub at Copenhagen Summit (AP)
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said he was snubbed at last year's Copenhagen climate conference and fired back Sunday at critics who accuse China of arrogance.
Japan Faces Rocky Path to Emissions Trading System (Reuters)
Japan faces a rocky path to launching an emissions trading system after the government approved legislation on Friday that was vague on how the scheme would set limits on emissions.
U.S. to Abstain From Voting on Eskom World Bank Loan (Bloomberg)
The U.S. will abstain from voting on a $3.75 billion World Bank loan requested by South Africa’s state-owned power utility to help fund a new coal-fired plant.
Kerry: Energy Bill More About Jobs (AP)
Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win over wavering senators, said he is pushing environmental reforms to create jobs and spark energy independence, with climate benefits along "for the ride."
Chu: Schumer Effort to Alter Stimulus Energy Grants Would Kill Jobs
(The Hill)
Energy Secretary Chu warned against a Senate effort to impose "buy American" requirements on certain renewable power projects funded with grants authorized in the 2009 stimulus law, saying he is "a little afraid" it will "kill a lot of jobs."
NOAA Director Urges Better Explanations of Climate (AP)
Climate change is here and scientists need to do a better job of explaining it to the public, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told reporters in a briefing.
UN Climate Claims on Rainforests Were Wrong, Study Suggests (Telegraph)
A new study, funded by NASA, has found that the most serious drought in the Amazon for more than a century had little impact on the rainforest's vegetation. The finding appears to contradict claims made by the UN IPCC.
UK: Government Adverts Banned for Overstating Climate Change (Sunday Times)
Two government advertisements that use nursery rhymes to warn people of the dangers of climate change have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for exaggerating the potential harm.
RGGI Auction Volume Up 42% (Environmental Leader)
Trading of carbon permits under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative rose 42% in the most recent trading session — the seventh such auction — bringing the total amount of proceeds generated to $582.38 million.
Made in the U.S.A.: Efficiency Materials (Green Inc.)
According to a recent study commissioned by efficiency advocates, equipment like caulking and insulation — basic tools for retrofitting the country's homes and businesses — is almost entirely made in the United States.
German State Premier Seehofer Objects to Solar Cuts (Reuters)
Bavaria state premier Horst Seehofer — one of three parties in Angela Merkel's center-right coalition — said that the German government's plans to cut state-mandated solar power incentives are excessive.
U.S. Beats Canada in Green Investments: Report (Canwest News Service)
The Obama administration is spending eight times more per person on new renewable energy, public transit and energy efficiency measures than Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, concludes a new analysis.
State Support Key to U.S. Nuclear Revival (Reuters)
Full support from state regulators is viewed as critical to keep the U.S. nuclear revival moving forward, utility executives said last week at the IHS CERA energy conference in Houston.
Al-Qaida Suspect from NJ Worked at 6 Nuke Plants (AP)
An American seized in Yemen in a sweep of suspected al-Qaida members had been a laborer at six U.S. nuclear power plants, and authorities are investigating whether he had access to sensitive information or materials that would be useful to terrorists.
Good idea, actually. But...
Large buildings are intrinsically more energy-efficient that small buildings, due to basic scaling laws (the usable volume increases faster than are of the shell, through which most energy loss occurs). Cleverly-designed large buildings can be more energy-efficient still, as they can take advantage of large-scale passive thermal effects that small buildings cannot, heating and cooling themselves naturally.
In a megastructure as compact as this, the energy for transportation would be far, far less than in a conventional city, simply because people wouldn't need to travel such long distances. Between both architectural and transport efficiencies, you could expect people living in a city like this to have carbon footprints 50%-70% smaller than they otherwise would.
And actually, structures like this are considerably *more* disaster-resistant than conventional urban agglomerations -- look up the work of the Japanese Hyper-Building Consortium to see how they handle seismic forces, fire suppression, et cetera. (By the way -- climate change can't cause tsunamis. It can raise the sea level, letting tsunamis that would happen otherwise reach *higher*, but climate change certainly can't cause tsunamis all by itself. It's important to be scrupulously non-sensationalist about these things.)
That said, it's never going to happen. Shimizu has been kicking this idea around for nearly two decades, and during that time, the until recently property values in Tokyo have fallen continuously (I believe that last year was the first small rise, in real terms, since 1991). With a rapidly shrinking population and declining property values, there's simply no convincing economic argument for a structure like this. Perhaps in China or the Gulf, but not in Japan.
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