Recession does have some positives. The stalled economy reduced demand for gasoline and diesel and electric power. People drove less, bought fewer items and used less energy as a result. The production of greenhouse gas — carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases — peaked in 2007 at 2.752 billion metric tons, dipped to a [...]
Americans have pumped less gas every week for the past year. During those 52 weeks, gasoline consumption dropped by 4.2 billion gallons, or 3 percent, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse. The decline is longer than a 51-week slide during the recession. The main reason: higher gas prices. The national average for a gallon of gas is [...]
The average fuel economy of the U.S. new-car fleet is increasing, and carbon dioxide emissions show incremental reductions. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report projects average “real world” CO2 emissions dropping to 391 grams per mile in 2011 and mileage creeping up to 22.8 miles per gallon for new cars. That compares with 394 grams [...]
In September 2011, Solyndra, a US-based solar panel manufacturer, declared bankruptcy. The Solyndra case illustrates the complexity of developing renewable energies. Many globalization factors influence the production and distribution of renewable energy, such as economics, politics, science and technology policy, and commodity markets, to name a few. The demand for energy continues to rise as [...]
Sammy Wilson, the Finance Minister of Stormont, has recently made news by stating that the UK energy policy will increase debts among its citizens. The comment was made just after the government’s White Paper Energy Policy was published. This might just come as a blow to the citizens, who are trying to get debt free. [...]
In this age of economic turbulence and post recession hangover, millions of Americans are trying hard to come to terms with their debt problems. The study conducted by Federal Reserve shows consumer debt in the U.S. has reached $6 billion last year, and it keeps soaring higher and higher. Several factors are responsible for this increasing problem. Nowadays, [...]
The term ‘circular economy’ covers a number of different ideas and beliefs, from ‘the closed loop’, ‘cradle to cradle’ or ‘design to disassemble’. Which ever definition is used, there are a number of ‘core principles’ in design that underpin the theory. The circular economy is loosely defined as one which balances economic development with environmental and resources [...]
