Energy52
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Mandating energy benchmarking: the next step for cities in addressing climate change?
by Marne Sussman Within the past two years, two cities in the U.S. have passed ordinances mandating that existing buildings benchmark their energy usage. Benchmarking requires a building owner to report energy use data which can then be compared to data from buildings of a similar size and function and to past data from…
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A Rogue Water Project
Even today, many Central Asian nations rely on infrastructure that was clumsily implemented by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, and Tajikistan is no exception. In fact, she is the poorest country in Central Asia and has long been quarrelling with Uzbekistan and even Afghanistan over resources and related policies. One such controversial project involves…
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Ideas for the Sustainable City: Green Buildings
On March 23, the Environmental Protection Agency released a list of the 40 cities with the highest percentage of energy-efficient buildings. While Los Angeles, Washington and San Francisco made the top three, NYC came in at number ten. When we think about carbon emissions, we often think of cars, trucks, factories, and power plants. We think…
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Climate and Meningitis in Africa
A new Google Earth tour explores the link between climate and meningitis outbreaks in Africa.
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30 Rock and Responsible Energy Use
NBC’s Green Week 2009 featured an entertaining energy challenge for the characters of 30 Rock, when Jack tasks Kenneth and the office with reducing the show’s energy consumption by five per cent. Here are some highlights of how characters committed to help the cause. Liz Lemon: Agrees to remove the mini fridge from her office…
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Event: The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges: An Overview and Focus on Water
The Columbia Climate Center, in collaboration with the Columbia Water Center and the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, invites you to attend “The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges: An Overview and Focus on Water,” on Tuesday, November 24 at 3 pm. The event will feature Charles Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering and President…
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The water/energy nexus
At the Columbia Water Center we frequently refer to the water/energy nexus. I am often asked what is meant by this term. Broadly speaking, the water/energy nexus refers to the myriad cyclical ways in which water and energy relate to, and impact, each other. Water is necessary in the production of virtually all types of…
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Assessing Global Metrics for Agriculture
On October 1, I attended a symposium entitled “Going Beyond Rhetoric: Metrics for Assessing Global Agriculture,” hosted by the Earth Institute and convened at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. Fifteen stories in the air, we were surrounded by miles of urban landscape — Queens to the east, Manhattan to the west, and no…
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Water and Energy Conflict in Central Asia
Water resources management in the Central Asia region faces formidable challenges. The hydrological regimes of the two major rivers in the region, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, are complex and vulnerable to climate change. Water diversions to agricultural, industrial and domestic users have reduced flows in downstream regions, resulting in severe ecological damages.…