Going Green

(Newser) - One UN study estimates 1.8 billion people will face extreme water shortage by 2025; the US government projects 36 states could face a similar fate by 2013. Doug Cantor, in Esquire, examines potential shortage solutions: PlayPump: A pump attached to a children’s merry-go-round extracts water from the ground as it spins. Expected to provide water for 10 million people by 2010. More »

(Newser) - Worldwide demand for whiskey has prompted Scotland to start building a new eco-friendly distillery, the Guardian reports. The huge, industrial-scale plant will emit only 15% of the usual CO2 and recycle all of its water; its leftover liquids will be used to generate heat. "The important point is that this technology could one day be used at distilleries around Scotland," the plant's designer said. 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 »

(Newser) - California regulators have adopted an ambitious, comprehensive blueprint to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2020, reports the Los Angeles Times. The plan, the first of its kind in the nation, calls for 33% of the state's electric power to come from solar power and wind farms, and includes controversial measures to crack down on carbon dioxide emissions from cars. The plan will be implemented over the next two years. More »

(Newser) - A fifth of the world’s coral reefs have died or been destroyed, says a study released to the UN yesterday. In it, marine scientists warned that the future of marine life and the $30 billion economic value of reefs are increasingly threatened by climate change. The report also zeroed in on other hazards, like pollution, over-fishing and natural disasters, the Guardian reports. More »

(Newser) - In the modern global economy, Thomas Friedman has a simple rule: “ Whatever can be done, will be done ,” and if you’re not the one doing it, someone else is. Detroit’s automakers aren’t exploring new business models, so other companies are. When one of them clicks, this bailout “will be remembered as pouring billions into the CD business on the eve of the birth of the iPod.” More »