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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 27th, 2008 Israeli scientist uses enzymes to change the world In the world of biology, an enzyme is a change agent - a catalyst that can cause chemical reactions, shaking things up and producing a new, and better, reality. So it’s no accident that Dr. Sobhi Basheer’s specialty is enzyme work; the Sakhnin native is one of the most accomplished enzyme technology researchers in Israel, an entrepreneur with no fewer than three successful startup companies to his credit, and a walking symbol of Israeli-Arab coexistence, as well. If that doesn’t describe a “change agent,” then what does? From his post as director of the Galilee Society’s research and development center - a biotechnology incubator funded by the Ministry of Science - Basheer has been working on biotechnology projects for over a decade, conducting groundbreaking work in enzyme research that has led to a number of innovative products, from environmentally friendly biodiesel fuel to artificial mother’s milk fat, to a better way to make margarine, among others. Turning waste into biodiesel: With his latest project, SB Biotechnologies, Basheer is working to transform “waste” animal and vegetable oil into diesel fuel, using genetically engineered enzymes that produce diesel in a clean, environmentally friendly manner - unlike the current popular production methods that spew out many pollutant by-products. Considering that many countries, including all members of the European Union, have mandated that all diesel fuel sold contain as much as 25 percent biodiesel, the company has already begun lining up clients. Using Basheer’s methods, they save money by avoiding the need to dispose of the pollutants, and polish their reputation for being environmentally-friendly too. “It’s a revolutionary idea, so much so that we were included in this year’s Israel President’s Conference on new technologies,” Basheer tells ISRAEL21c. But the President’s Conference was just a prelude to an even bigger event. Basheer’s company will be representing Israel at the 14th UN Congress of Climate Change in Poland later this year. “It’s a conference that seeks to put into action the principles of the Kyoto Protocol to lower emissions. We’re one of only seven Israeli companies that have been invited to present their technology, and we are very proud,” Basheer says. For most entrepreneurs or scientists, it would have been enough to figure out a better way to produce a much-in-demand commodity, supplementing the finite supply of fossil fuels with virtually inexhaustible supplies of vegetable and animal oil. But Basheer is still active in another company he started eight years ago, called Enzymotec, which uses biotechnology to produce a range of products, such as artificially produced mother’s milk fat, used in infant formula to allow better digestion of formula and key minerals such as calcium and essential fats. Another Enzymotec product mimics the ability of breast milk to boost DHA availability in the brain, critical for brain and vision development in babies. *** Basheer studied for his Master’s degree at Hebrew University and pursued a PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Zurich - after which he went to Japan for extensive field research. “One of the guiding principles in my career has been preserving the environment, as well as improving human health. Enzymes as change agents have many more uses than we even suspect, and I am glad that my research has been able to help improve both the environment and health for adults and infants,” says Basheer. “With proper use of enzymes, we can develop many products more cheaply and safely - as well as develop products that would be impossible any other way, such as artificial mothers’ milk fat.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 27th, 2008 From Green Chip Review <gcr-eletter@angelnexus.com> The “Rockefeller Shareholder Stipulation” … One that would require an independent chairman oversee Exxon’s operations, so that the company could “better maximize long-term shareholder value in a rapidly changing energy environment.” The Rockefellers, no strangers to money, are demanding Exxon’s future include a stake in renewable energy. *** So, Green Chip comes on strong: and declares in Green Letters - $20 Trillion Up For Grabs. You read that right - $20 Trillion! Here’s the situation… According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)… The world’s primary energy needs are projected to grow by 55% between 2005 and 2030. Coal demand will rise by 73% between 2005 and 2030. And where will a big chunk of this money go? And what about the investment growth rate for exploration and development in oil and gas? Nothing. Zilch. So, if the world is so desperate for more energy (especially oil… with Chinese and Indian imports expected to quadruple by 2030), why was so much poured into alternatives, and so little poured into oil and gas? Because the smart money always piles into a sure thing. And no matter how you slice it, the basic fundamentals of supply and demand favor the long-term success of alternative energy. That’s why Big Oil, the big institutional investors, and all those hot shot venture capital firms are injecting hundreds of billions of dollars into the alternative energy sector. And if you don’t believe it, take a look at these findings from a 2008 UN report on global trends in alternative energy investment. In 2007… Early-stage venture capital investment surged 112% to $2 billion. New clean energy investment in China, India, and Brazil grew from $1.8 billion in 2004 to $26 billion in 2007. That’s a growth rate of more than 1,300% in only 3 years… at the same time spending remains flat for oil and gas exploration and development. Of course, the total investment that’ll be plowed into alternative energy by 2030 won’t even come close to the $20 trillion the IEA expects we’ll need. Truth is, most analysts believe alternative energy will only cover about 5% of that total investment. But that still comes in at $1 trillion. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 27th, 2008 From: Jerusalem Center-ICA / Jerusalem Viewpoints <briefmail@list-jcpa.org> Jerusalem Issue Brief - Institute for Contemporary Affairs - founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation. Vol. 8, No. 13 26 October 2008 Energy as an Element of Israel’s National Security Brig.-Gen. (res.) Binyamin Ben-Eliezer Israel today is at the height of a revolution whose main focus is the integration of natural gas into the electricity and industrial sectors. The desalination plant in Ashkelon, which is one of the largest in the world, is using natural gas, as is the paper mill in Hadera. Israel is in contact with the government of Turkey regarding the construction of an infrastructure corridor called the Med Stream, which is planned to contain three pipelines. One is for crude oil, meaning that what arrives through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline or the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline will continue on to Israel. The second pipeline will be for natural gas. The third pipeline could be used for water, electricity, or even fiber optic communications. Israel is one of the leading countries in the world in developing technologies to produce electricity through renewable energy, mostly in the solar field. The National Infrastructures Ministry envisions a plan up to the year 2020 that will guarantee energy in the coming decades based on 40 percent natural gas, 40 percent coal, and up to 20 percent renewable energy. If Europe and America want to guarantee their security, then they have to respond to Iran. It doesn’t have to be a military response. It’s enough that a decision be taken to totally isolate Iran - no import, no export. If this is done, then it will be enough.
Energy security is a component of national security. In the world, energy consumption is still based on fossil resources whose reserves are diminishing, which means crude oil and natural gas prices will keep going up. In the current geo-political situation, Israel is like an island. In a world with irrational leaders such as Hugo Chavez and Mohammed Ahmadinejad, Israel must do its utmost to secure its energy supply in order to preserve its security and way of life. The Ministry of National Infrastructures is acting in a number of arenas in parallel to assure Israel’s long-term energy security.
This Jerusalem Issue Brief is available online at: Dore Gold, Publisher; Yaacov Amidror, ICA Chairman; Dan Diker, ICA Director; Mark Ami-El, Managing Editor. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (Registered Amuta), 13 Tel-Hai St., Jerusalem, Israel; Tel. 972-2-561-9281, Fax. 972-2-561-9112, Email: jcpa at netvision.net.il. In U.S.A.: Center for Jewish Community Studies, 5800 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, MD 21215; Tel. 410-664-5222; Fax 410-664-1228. Website: www.jcpa.org ———— After we published the above, we got from Marvin Belsky a better copy of General Binjamin Ben- Eliezer’s paper and we decided to attach it to our previous posting. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 27th, 2008 Marina Silva: We must slash emissions to prevent destruction of the rainforest.
When I was Environment Minister, I made a great effort to reduce land clearing; concentrating on combating illegal activities we had a 47 per cent drop in deforestation; approximately 1,500 illegal companies were removed from the forest, more than 700 people were imprisoned, and more than 37,000 illegal properties were removed. But deforestation is now increasing and urgent measures must now be taken in order to avoid destroying the forest further. Our big challenge is how we utilise the areas already opened in an intensive way. In the Amazon we have 160,000 square kilometres of cleared land already abandoned or semi-abandoned. Areas are used for five or 10 years, the land is exhausted and people move further into the forest.
*** “Before leaving the government, I put out a plan called “Sustainable Amazon” which is based on five points: developing infrastructure, encouraging innovation, fostering social inclusion – because there are 24 million people living in the Amazon – and combating illegal activities along with conservation, which will result in a reduction of land clearing.” ***
Men and women across the world must bring pressure on their governments and businesses to reduce carbon emissions, deforestation and the loss of our biodiversity.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 26th, 2008
‘I have reported on the Cold War, the breakup of the Soviet Union, the rise of Al Qaeda, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,’ says Smith. ‘But nothing matches climate change in scope and severity.’”
TO SEE THIS PROGRAM PLEASE GO TO: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/heat/ There are 9 Chapters in this two hour long video CHAPTER ONE Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, expanding deserts — the world is changing faster, more dramatically than ever was anticipated. CHAPTER TWO America’s growth, consumption has produced record CO2 levels; India, China are right behind with oil, coal, natural gas demand. Is the planet doomed? CHAPTER THREE With the IPCC issuing ever more urgent reports on climate change, there’s a growing momentum in the U.S and the world for real change. CHAPTER FOUR We get 52 percent of our electricity from coal-fired plants. They emit 2 billion tons of CO2 a year. Can clean coal technology be developed — and in time? CHAPTER FIVE For years, those who pushed for fuel-efficient/zero-emission vehicles have found themselves on a collision course with Detroit and Washington. CHAPTER SIX Oil profits soared in ‘07, but none of the companies are investing in alternatives in a meaningful way. It’s all going toward finding more oil/natural gas. CHAPTER SEVEN While gov’t must lean on business to tackle climate change, recall what happened with Clinton-Detroit’s new car project, and corn-based ethanol. CHAPTER EIGHT Europe’s way ahead and getting gov’t support. But T. Boone Pickens is betting on wind and Washington’s support. And nuclear’s getting a fresh look. CHAPTER NINE Congress fails to pass the landmark bill that would have regulated carbon emissions. Can Americans and the next president reverse course? “Climate change is caused by human actions, and we need to do something about it. The sooner we realize that, the better.” With that sense of urgency in mind, Martin Smith traveled to 12 countries on four continents to investigate whether major corporations and governments are up to the challenge. HEAT features in-depth interviews with top policy-makers and with leading executives from many of the largest carbon emitters from around the world, including Chinese coal companies, Indian SUV makers and American oil giants. The report paints an ominous portrait. Despite increasing talk about “going green,” across the planet, environmental concerns are still taking a back seat to shorter-term economic interests. Smith’s journey begins at the epicenter of new industrial development: China. In the midst of unprecedented growth, the Chinese are clearly moving in the wrong direction. He visits Shenhua Energy, one of the largest and fastest-growing power companies in the world—a coal conglomerate with a huge carbon footprint. But its CEO, Ling Wen, tells Smith that he answers not to the public but to his shareholders. “We must create money, not lose the money,” Ling says. “It’s my responsibility as a CEO of this company.” And when pressed whether he should make climate change a higher priority, Ling says that he would if his shareholders asked him. But, he says, “I’m afraid maybe all the shareholders, they cannot accept that concept.” In the meantime, China continues to build two new coal-fired power plants every week. Smith finds a similar situation in India, where rapidly rising income levels have prompted an explosion in the demand for new cars. Automakers are thriving, pushing out new models, including the Nano, a small car aimed at helping even the poorest citizens get behind the wheel—no small thing, as India stands to overtake China as the world’s most populous country by mid-century. With several hundred million new drivers taking to the streets, India’s carbon emissions will soar. And with new cars, of course, come new roads, linking crowded cities and fueling a construction boom across the developing world that drives emissions ever higher. The manufacture of cement is the third-largest industrial contributor of greenhouse gases in the world. Supplying more cement for buildings, roads and bridges makes big emission reductions impossible. This presents a core dilemma for all large emerging nations, from China to India, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico and Brazil: how to grow without inflicting more damage on the environment. “I think the difficulty we have is that countries that have developed and have done the polluting part are now asking the countries that are developing, `OK, you can’t pollute,’” says Hameed Bhombal, of Aditya Birla Group, an Indian megaconglomerate. “It has to be done in a way that’s fair.” According to Dr. Pachauri of the IPCC, the onus is on the developed world to lead the way. Now, with the rise in gas prices, there is an additional incentive for American car companies to offer smaller, more efficient vehicles. But will they respond? Their record is discouraging. Smith asks Beth Lowery, head of environmental affairs at General Motors, why Toyota beat GM to the Prius. Lowery replies that GM looked at hybrids from a “business case” and asked, “Can this vehicle make money?” GM banked instead on trucks and SUVs and is now suffering its worst performance in 50 years. GM is now playing catch-up and investing billions in a new hybrid, the Chevy Volt, which is scheduled to be released sometime this year. There is also the problem that while hybrid cars may emit less CO2 than their gas-guzzling cousins, they still require electricity to run. So, making cars like the Volt part of a campaign to seriously reduce emissions will mean finding a new, cleaner power source. Currently, more than half of American power comes from coal. Coal is cheap and reliable, but dirty. The answer, the industry says, will be “clean coal“— a complex process by which the burnt-off carbon will be captured and buried in the earth’s crust. But as Smith investigates, he finds there are serious doubts about whether “clean coal” will ever work. When pressed, utility CEO David Ratcliffe of Southern Company, one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, concedes that “we haven’t even come close to defining what are the legal liabilities and what are the permitting requirements” for removing carbon from coal and burying it underground. Recently, several “clean coal” projects in the U.S. have stalled over these and other uncertainties. As Jeffrey Ball, environmental news editor at The Wall Street Journal, tells Smith, “There was huge, rosy optimism about it. What’s wrong is that reality is intruding.” On the campaign trail, both Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama have announced their plans for a new energy policy that will cut carbon emissions. Optimistically, they suggest that the “greening” of American business heralds a new era of sleek technologies and opportunities for innovation. What they tend not to emphasize is cost and, on the part of every consumer, sacrifice. In his interview with FRONTLINE, California’s attorney general, Jerry Brown, reminds Smith that it won’t be easy. “Our wealth, our society, our being is driven by oil and carbon. It’s intellectually dishonest to somehow say we can get some light bulbs or get a Prius, and then we’re all done. No, this is going to take massive technological innovation. It’s going to take changes in the way we live and work. And it’s going to take cooperation of unprecedented degrees among business and government and among countries. That’s where we are, and that’s why there’s no other word except `daunting.’ I’m hopeful. I’m cautiously optimistic. But I would have to say one has to approach this with great humility.” Author and journalist Jeff Goodell adds, “We seem incapable of grasping what’s at stake here, perhaps because so much is at stake. Addressing this really means reinventing the engine of our lives—which is fossil fuels.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 25th, 2008 http://cmsprod.bgu.ac.il/Eng/Units/bidr/… The Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies. M.Sc./M.A. Program in Desert Studies Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research are acknowledged leaders in desert studies, widely respected in the international scientific community for the quality and creativity of their research and training programs. In light of this global reputation and the worldwide need for expertise in the study of drylands, BGU and the Blaustein Institutes have established the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, which offers a two-year program leading to a Master’s degree in Desert Studies and a Ph.D Program. The faculty includes scientists from the Blaustein Institutes, Ben-Gurion University and leading scholars from the international community. The innovative, multidisciplinary program is structured to provide an integrated approach, offering students exceptional opportunities to pursue a combination of basic and applied research. Students are exposed to a wide range of disciplines complementary to their major areas of specialization. Graduates are qualified to carry our research, take responsible positions in the management of drylands and lead the battle to combat desertification. Until recently, “Desert Studies” did not exist as an academic discipline. This multi-disciplinary research area has emerged in response to the lack of science-based responses to the urgent needs of humanity. Desert Studies, as a discipline, is likely to follow the footsteps of oceanography, which began as a sub-discipline of geography but has rapidly grown into a distinct scientific activity in its own right. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 24th, 2008 From: jf at UDel.Edu A research assistantship is available at the University of Delaware’s The research project will examine the extent to which (and if so, why) Students who work with us typically take courses in international For more information see the attached PDF and/or contact Professor Jeremy **************************** Students who work with us typically take courses in international For more information see the attached PDF and/or contact Professor Jeremy **************************** |