Grab your coffee, spin the wheel and see where you land. No, this isn’t a game. The above illustration from MIT represents the planet’s warming potential given two scenarios: world leaders enact major policy changes, and world leaders don’t. Read on for this and more Cool Green news.

1. MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Climate Change has not only come up with some interesting data about the future if no major climate action is taken (clue: it’ll be hot), they’ve produced a handy graphic that illustrates the situation. (Hat-tip: Dot Earth.)
2. Here’s further proof that a slow economy is good for the planet: The Washington Post reports that U.S. carbon emissions fell 2.8 percent last year due to high oil prices and the economic downturn. (Hat-tip: Environmental Capital.)
3. Ever heard of a “green gotcha” before? We hadn’t either, until Blogfish laid out his case. Read his post and tell him what you think.
4. One effort to green technology is the EPA’s new plan to give Energy Star ratings to computer servers. The project could improve average efficiency by 30 percent and save server owners $800 million annually.
5. What do you think about cap-and-trade? Environmentalists Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger think it’s a flawed approach that won’t work.

(Image: climate change illustration. Source: Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Climate Change.)

Posted: May 21st, 2009 under Carbon Markets, Climate Change, Climate Science & Research, Cool Green Morning, Energy, Green Living, Green Technology, Science, United States.
Tags: Blogfish, cap-and-trade, carbon emissions, Climate Change, EPA, green gotcha, Michael Shellenberger, MIT, Ted Nordhaus, Washington Post