Climate
Change
News
– July 28,
2006
Brought
to
you
by
the
Environmental
and
Energy
Study
Institute
Carol
Werner,
Executive
Director
GE
Launches
New
Family
of
Products
That
Cut
CO2
Emissions,
Waste
and
Petrochemical
Use
On
July
27,
GE
Plastics
announced
two
new
plastic
resins
in
its
ecomagination
product
line--Valox
iQ
and
Xenoy
iQ--that
offer
options
to
address
three
major
environmental
concerns:
conserving
energy,
lowering
greenhouse
gas
(GHG)
emissions,
and
reducing
post-consumer
waste.
The
polybutylene
terephthalate
(PBT)-based
polymers
are
derived
from
85
percent
post-consumer
plastic
waste.
Compared
to
traditional
resins,
the
new
resins
reduce
carbon
dioxide
(CO2)
emissions
by
at
least
1.7
kg
CO2
per
kg
of
resin
and
save
up
to
8.5
barrels
of
crude
oil
per
1,000
kg
of
resin.
The
resins,
announced
in
Tokyo,
are
the
essential
elements
of
an
environmentally
progressive
resin
portfolio
developed
as
part
of
GE's
ecomagination
initiative.
Greg
Adams,
vice
president
and
general
manager
of
GE
Plastics'
Automotive
business,
said,
"In
terms
of
both
eco
responsibility
and
high
performance,
Valox
iQ
and
Xenoy
iQ
resins
represent
one
of
the
most
significant
technological
breakthroughs
coming
out
of
GE
Plastics
in
recent
years.
So
it
just
made
sense
to
launch
the
products
in
a
country
known
for
championing
environmental
responsibility,
as
well
as
for
automotive
leadership.
Of
particular
significance,
the
new
products
are
immediately
available
to
global
automotive
and
non-automotive
manufacturers."
According
to
the
GE
press
release,
in
automotive
applications,
the
resins
give
a
competitive
advantage
by
offering
reduced
CO2,
post-consumer
waste,
and
petrochemical
use;
reduced
vehicle
weight
for
greater
fuel
efficiency;
chemical,
thermal,
and
impact
resistance;
enhanced
design
freedom;
and
parts
consolidation.
Other
ecomagination
products
currently
in
development
include
a
thermoplastic
elastomer
utilizing
post-consumer
waste,
and
a
next-generation
Valox
iQ
resin
grade
that
will
combine
post-consumer-waste
feedstock
with
a
bio-based
feedstock
to
eliminate
additional
CO2
emissions
and
replace
petroleum-based
material.
House
Democratic
Leader Pelosi
Cosponsors
Climate
Legislation
On
July
25,
House
Democratic
Leader
Nancy
Pelosi
(D-CA)
announced
that
she
is
co-sponsoring
the
Safe
Climate
Act
of
2006
(H.R.
5642),
introduced
by
Rep.
Henry
Waxman
(D-CA)
and
more
than
30
House
Democrats.
Rep.
Pelosi
said,
“For
decades,
Big
Oil
and
other
polluting
industries
have
undermined
and
obstructed
the
voices
of
scientists
on
global
warming,
just
as
Big
Tobacco
did
for
so
many
years
on
the
issue
of
cigarettes,
spreading
doubt
in
the
minds
of
Americans...
But
the
scientific
evidence
of
global
warming
is
overwhelming,
and
growing
each
day
with
the
release
of
new
studies...The
Safe
Climate
Act
will
harness
free
market
forces
to
ensure
that
our
nation
takes
the
steps
necessary
to
prevent
dangerous,
irreversible
warming
of
our
planet."
Click
on
the
following
link
for
the
full
news
story:
Rep.
Pelosi
Majority
of
Californians
Support
Unilateral
State
Action
on
Climate
On
July
27,
the
Public
Policy
Institute
of
California
(PPIC)
released
results
of
a
poll
on
Californians’
concerns
over
climate
change,
finding
that
65
percent
of
Californians
want
the
state
to
act
on
its
own
to
fight
climate
change.
PPIC
survey
director
Mark
Baldassare
said,
"Californians
now
rank
global
warming
as
more
important
than
at
any
time
since
we
first
started
asking
about
it
in
June
of
2000.
They
are
so
concerned
that
two-thirds
actually
want
the
state
to
address
this
issue
–
completely
independent
of
the
federal
government.”
Support
for
unilateral
state
action
is
up
by
11
points
(65
percent
vs.
54
percent)
since
last
year
at
this
time
and
cuts
across
party
lines:
Democrats
(73
percent),
Independents
(70
percent),
and
Republicans
(62
percent)
all
strongly
support
state
action.
Over
half
(54
percent)
of
Californians
believe
the
federal
government
is
on
the
wrong
track
when
it
comes
to
global
warming;
only
29
percent
believe
the
federal
government
is
on
the
right
track.
As
reported
by
the
Central
Valley
Business
Times,
the
survey
–
conducted
just
before
the
recent
wave
of
record-setting
temperatures
–
finds
that
energy
and
global
warming
have
jumped
to
number
two
and
three,
respectively,
on
residents’
list
of
the
most
important
environmental
issues
facing
the
state.
The
survey
was
conducted
by
telephone,
with
2,501
California
adult
residents
interviewed
between
July
5
and
July
18.
Global
Warming
Threatens
National
Parks
in
the
West
A
report
released
on
July
25
by
the
National
Resources
Defense
Council
(NRDC)
and
the
Rocky
Mountain
Climate
Organization,
says
glaciers,
wildlife,
and
forests
are
threatened
with
disappearance
from
Western
national
parks
as
a
consequence
of
global
warming.
The
report
found
that
high
temperature
increases
would
lead
to
increases
in
fires,
floods,
loss
of
wildlife,
melting
of
glaciers,
and
reduced
river
flows.
Most
climate
scientists
agree
that
the
Earth's
surface
has
been
warming
unusually
over
the
last
century
or
more
due
to
humans
activities.
While
global
average
temperatures
have
risen
by
about
one
degree
Fahrenheit
over
the
last
100
years,
temperatures
in
the
American
West
have
risen
twice
as
fast.
Theo
Spencer,
senior
project
manager
with
NRDC
and
co-author
of
the
report,
said
"Our
Western
national
parks
are
really
our
best
example
of
America's
most
spectacular
natural
resources,….
but
the
threat
of
global
warming
is
going
to
present
many
challenges
to
the
parks."
Stephen
Saunders,
former
Deputy
Assistant
Secretary
of
the
Interior
with
jurisdiction
over
the
National
Park
Service
and
U.S.
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
and
one
of
the
principal
authors
of
the
report,
said
"A
climate
disrupted
by
heat-trapping
pollution
is
the
gravest
threat
our
national
parks
have
ever
faced."
According
to
the
report,
Glacier
National
Park
could
be
glacier-free
by
2030,
grizzly
bears
could
become
extinct
in
Yellowstone
National
Park
and
Joshua
trees
could
disappear
from
Joshua
Tree
National
Park.
In
total,
12
national
parks
in
