Paper Industry Gets Tax Credits for Burning Diesel

Buses in Norway's capital will run on methane distilled from feces

(NEWSER) - Norwegian officials have hit on a novel, if gassy, alternative to carbon-spewing gasoline, Dave Demerjian writes in Wired. Starting in September, Oslo will capture methane, a byproduct of the process at its sewage treatment plants, and use it to power city buses. Norway hopes to use the gaseous human contribution as part of its plan to become carbon-neutral by 2050. More»

(NEWSER) - California passed diesel emission regulations yesterday that will likely save lives and leave truckers footing most of the bill, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The state air board ruling will require trucks in California to filter their exhaust by 2014 and replace engines by 2022. The board plans to give truckers $1 billion of the $5.5 billion it will cost to retrofit and replace their vehicles. More»

Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find

(NEWSER) - Health problems caused by pollution choke $28 billion out of California's economy every year, according to a new study. Most of the cost is linked to 3,000 smog-related deaths each year, along with days of work missed by workers with respiratory problems aggravated by pollution spewed from tailpipes and smokestacks, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

Activist argues for multipronged strategy on climate change

(NEWSER) - The US must overhaul its environmental strategy, alternative-energy advocate Denis Hayes writes in Yale Environment 360, and here's how:

• Cap carbon at its source—coal mines, oil fields, pipelines—not where it leaves the atmosphere.
• Promote renewable energy and buy photovoltaic devices in bulk to drive prices down.

Oil substitute may destroy rainforests, increase food prices

(NEWSER) - Biofuels may actually exacerbate the environmental problems they were meant to allay, reports the Observer, and a UK Parliamentary committee has released a report examining the possible effects. Using fuel made from crops like tallow and rapeseed may actually worsen greenhouse gas emissions, kill rainforests, and drive up food prices due to land competition. More»