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Full-Text Articles in Other Environmental Sciences
U.S. Vehicle Efficiency Standards, Derek Baylog
U.S. Vehicle Efficiency Standards, Derek Baylog
Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies
The United States is a driving force of the global economy and a major innovator in the technology sector. For decades the world has looked to The United States as a leader of great technological advancements with the strong economy to allow investors a chance make these technologies a reality. So why is it now that we lag behind other countries when it comes to making our technology energy efficient? Sure we’ve been steadily growing our production of renewable resources with wind and solar energy, bet we are still behind in the second largest source of pollution, transportation. According to …
When Addressing Climate Change, Don’T Forget Animal Agriculture, Aaron Matzke
When Addressing Climate Change, Don’T Forget Animal Agriculture, Aaron Matzke
Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies
As COP 21 closes in Paris, global animal agriculture is a topic that has eluded the international media. Animal agriculture is responsible for more global greenhouse gas emissions than transportation according to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. With global population and prosperity rising, the global meat supply is expected to nearly double by 2050. This increase in production will only be achieved if significant steps are taken to promote sustainability through existing techniques globally, and to regulate air contamination in industrial feedlots in the United States. Alternative meat production methods, which have seen considerable investment recently, could supplement animal …
Energy Subsidies And The Future Of Power, Christian Jewett
Energy Subsidies And The Future Of Power, Christian Jewett
Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies
The modern political climate has grown rife with talk concerning the use of fossil fuels as an energy source and how this may impact our planet for generations to come. The Left and the Right seem to be at odds over whether or not climate change is actually occurring, or who is causing it. Additionally, the energy industry likes to tout their “low-cost” energy sources as a boon to the global economy as well as a benefit to the consumer at large. However, are coal, oil, and natural gas truly the “cheapest” sources of energy? Whether or not one believes …
Making Walkable Communities, Katie Zuehlke
Making Walkable Communities, Katie Zuehlke
Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies
There is no doubt that global warming is happening. With all the rage about climate change and global warming people should be doing more about it than just reading about it in the news. We should be making efforts towards making changes on a local level. This in turn could grow to a national level with more and more people participating in the movement and actually make global changes, instead of just talking about it. When the scale of participants grows the scale of the changes made will grow as well and this will be the beginning of the changes …
Incentives Critical To Full Wind Power Potential In Nebraska, Michael Neale
Incentives Critical To Full Wind Power Potential In Nebraska, Michael Neale
Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies
On August 3rd, President Obama and the EPA announced the Clean Power Plan (CPP) with the goal of cutting 32% of carbon emissions nationwide by 2030. The plan institutes carbon reduction requirements for all states based on their current sources of energy, for Nebraska the goal is 40%. The next day, Governor Ricketts and his Attorney General announced they would be fighting the mandate in court; stating the plan is unlawful federal government overreach, while expressing concerns the reduction are infeasible in the timeframe given and will drive up electricity costs. Governor Ricketts misses the point on this. Reducing carbon …
The Clean Power Plan Needs To Be A Law, Mitchell Frischmeyer
The Clean Power Plan Needs To Be A Law, Mitchell Frischmeyer
Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies
The Clean Power Plan (CPP) is a long overdue policy which is necessary to direct national investment in emerging markets and create an intelligent energy infrastructure that strives to operate at max efficiency. To this point, the US has developed using inefficient and dirty fuels, a method which allowed for cheap and reliable energy generation, but is largely responsible for the change in global climate. If we expect to prevent climate change, our energy infrastructure must be reformed. Countries like Denmark have led the way in energy reform by creating policies set to reach 100% renewable generation by 2050 (8). …