Health, Social and Economic Benefits of Global Leaded Gas Phase-Out

New York (UN) - Improvements in IQ, reductions in cardiovascular diseases, and decline in criminality are among the annual US$2.4 trillion benefits linked to ridding the world of leaded petrol.

These economic benefits, outlined in a new scientific study, may prove to be even higher if other diseases and factors such as cancer and rising urbanization, where the impacts of lead pollution are higher, were brought into the calculations.

MGM Highest Ranking Casino on Newsweek's List of Greenest Companies

LAS VEGAS - For the second consecutive year, MGM Resorts International has been listed among Newsweek Magazine's 500 most environmentally responsible companies in the United States, and also as the highest ranking company in the casino resort industry.

The company ranked as the third most highly rated hotel company on the list, and was one of only two hotel companies to move up in this year's rankings.

New York Students to Survey Neighborhood Trees

New York City high school students will survey neighborhood trees next week as part of a program to teach students to think about the urban environment.

The students hail from the NYC iSchool. The iSchool program is geared to engage students in meaningful work in real world situations and provide the in-house classroom structure to support that development.

Center for Sustainable Energy Opens in Brooklyn Park

Center for Sustainable Energy Opens in Brooklyn Park

Wax On Wax Off: New Enviro Surf Wax

As a surfer, it is your responsibility to be aware of your impact on the environment. It is every surfer’s obligation to protect and care for the place that gives us so much enjoyment. After all, without a healthy ocean ecosystem, surfing would be nonexistent. Everything from driving in search of waves, wetsuit production (and disposal), surfboard foam and resins, and even wax, have an impact. Surf wax is the only product in surfing which is truly disposable, yet is required by every surfer, for every session. The goal of wax is to displace water, while remaining sticky, and petroleum-based products are extremely effective at accomplishing those goals.

NYC Reduces GHG Emissions by Almost Five Percent in One Year

In conjunction with Climate Week NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that NYC was well on its way to meeting the commitments of the four-year-old PLaNYC.

Mayor Bloomberg said that, “We cut City government’s greenhouse gas emissions 4.6 percent during the 12 months ending June 30th, compared to the previous fiscal year. That keeps us on course to hitting our 2017 goal."

European Parliament Calls for Fast Action to Cut Non-CO2 Climate Forcers

Washington, DC – The European Parliament is calling for fast action to reduce non-CO₂ climate forcers including black carbon soot, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), methane, and ground-level ozone, which together are responsible for nearly half of climate forcing. The Parliament's call for action came in a Resolution passed today by an overwhelming majority (578 to 51 with 22 abstentions).

The Resolution calls for a comprehensive climate policy and “stresses that in addition to considering CO₂ emission reductions, it should place emphasis on strategies that can produce the fastest climate response,” specifically strategies to cut black carbon soot, HFCs, methane, and ground-level ozone. Because these climate forcers are short-lived, reducing them produces a fast climate response.  This is in contrast to long-lived CO₂, where a significant portion remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years. Even cutting CO₂ emissions to zero today will not produce cooling for a thousand years.