I took a deep breath after a brisk climb up the soft hill near the border to Sweden. The sun peaked out under the clouds and the light was beautifully reflected by the water of Nesjøen [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesj%C3%B8en], while reindeer was munching away on delicious blueberries a little further down the ridge. The reservoir below contrasted to the barren land on the other side, making it more tranquil and interesting at the same time. No wonder that hydropower has a good reputatio [...]
September 17, 2013, by Edgar HertwichRead More
The tragic extinction of species, from the black r [http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report/index.html] hinoceros [http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report/index.html] to plants remaining undiscovered, is unfortunately one of the hallmarks of humans on the planet. This week, the Trondheim Conference of Biodiversity [http://www.dirnat.no/tk13/] celebrated its 20 year anniversary by gathering 400 scientists and international [...]
June 03, 2013, by Edgar HertwichRead More
I just returned from my weekly trip to the supermarket: in addition to Kenyan roses, Brazilian melons, Israeli oranges, Dutch tomatoes, Kiwis from New Zealand, and potatoes from Saudi Arabia (!), I have, for the first time, found minced beef from Botswana, sold for just over half the price of the Norwegian one. We have over the years become accustomed to the increasing variety and prettiness of food we find on supermarket shelves, regardless of the season. Meanwhile, we are generally obli [...]
March 11, 2013, by Edgar HertwichRead More
Surprisingly, a book co-written by a well-known former German environmental activist presents a strong revisionist story and is able to capture both headlines [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Vahrenholt] and spot on the best-seller list. I read the book [http://www.amazon.de/Die-kalte-Sonne-Klimakatastrophe-stattfindet/dp/3455502504/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344103051&sr=1-1] “The cold sun: why the climate catastrophe is not happen” by Fritz Vahrenholt and Sebastian Lüning (VL) fo [...]
August 08, 2012, by Edgar HertwichRead More
It is a sad result of human civilisation that we are driving other species into extinction. A new study [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v486/n7401/full/nature11145.html] highlights the main driving forces – rich countries’ consumption. Humans have always affected their environment. Environmental history is littered with stories of modifications of the environment to enhance the growth of fruit-bearing plants and the impact of our hunting. In the Americas, the late arrival of humans re [...]
June 13, 2012, by Edgar HertwichRead More
In the development of the international standard for product carbon footprint analysis, there are now forces [http://www.gaia.fi/news/gaia_news_2011/know_your_electricity.html] arguing [http://ostfoldforskning.no/uploads/prosjektsider/publikasjon/Memo_GHG_Power_Accounting_to_TWG_Eligibility_Ostfold_Research_August_2011.pdf] that so-called guarantees of origin [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarantee_of_origin] (GO) should be used to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electr [...]
February 15, 2012, by Edgar HertwichRead More
It seems like we right now are running hard from facing the truths and some associated pain, and that in at least two instances that are striking for their similarities: the global financial crisis and climate change. Let me begin with the financial crisis. The main problem of the financial crisis is that levels of debt have become too large and cannot be repaid by the original debtors. Lenders and many politicians are now desperately searching for others to take on these debts, and throu [...]
December 12, 2011, by Edgar HertwichRead More
The rapid proliferation of electronic entertainment and communication equipment has eclipsed traditional household appliances like washing machines and refrigerators as the equipment with the highest residential carbon footprint; apart from heating, hot water and lighting. The Norwegian state broadcaster sent a wonderful story [http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_sogn_og_fjordane/1.7855911] on our new study [http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es201459c]: a home electronics seller is in [...]
November 04, 2011, by Edgar HertwichRead More
We present now a time series of carbon footprints in the Ranking tab [http://www.carbonfootprintofnations.com/content/emissions_worldwide/]. Our data lets you trace the development of carbon footprints over the period 1990-2008. You need an Adope Flash player installed to see this. This data represents national CO2 emissions corrected for trade and shows that some countries that have had reductions of national emissions have nonetheless increased their carbon footprint, like the UK. You ju [...]
October 28, 2011, by Edgar HertwichRead More
An increasing share of global emissions is from the production of internationally traded goods and services, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Due to current reporting practices, this has allowed some countries to increase their carbon footprints while reporting stabilized emissions. If you buy a sweater or a refrigerator, emissions from the production processes are allocated to the producing country. In the consuming country [...]
April 26, 2011, by Edgar HertwichRead More
