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Category Archives: Energy

Energy-related CO2 emissions for first six months of 2016 are lowest since 1991

EIA – “U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions totaled 2,530 million metric tons in the first six months of 2016. This was the lowest emissions level for the first six months of the year since 1991, as mild weather and changes in the fuels used to generate electricity contributed to the decline in energy-related emissions.… Continue Reading

UNESCO – Water, Megacities and Global Change: Challenges and Solutions

Water, Megacities and Global Change: Portraits of 15 Emblematic Cities of the World “Each of the megacities in this publication has specific local conditions characterizing their geographic, climatic, hydrogeologic, demographic and economic situations. However, they also share similar water governance challenges with multiple actors focused on their own duties and concerns. As such, they can work together to… Continue Reading

CRS – Iran Sanctions

Iran Sanctions, Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. September 21, 2016. “The comprehensive nuclear accord (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA), finalized on July 14, 2015, provides Iran broad relief from U.S., U.N., and multilateral sanctions on Iran’s energy, financial, shipping, automotive, and other sectors. Sanctions were suspended or lifted upon the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certification on… Continue Reading

NISO Releases Altmetrics Recommended Practice

“The National Information Standards Organization has published NISO RP-25-2016, Outputs of the NISO Alternative Assessment Project. This recommended practice on altmetrics, an expansion of the tools available for measuring the scholarly impact of research in the knowledge environment, was developed by working groups that were part of NISO’s Altmetrics Initiative, a project funded by the… Continue Reading

US traffic fatalities up sharply in 2015 to 35,092

“The nation lost 35,092 people in traffic crashes in 2015, ending a 5-decade trend of declining fatalities with a 7.2% increase in deaths from 2014. The final data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed traffic deaths rising across nearly every segment of the population. The last single-year… Continue Reading

American landfills and waste production – landfills over time, size and location

How Much Trash in Near Your Home?: “The average American tosses 4.4 pounds of trash every single day. It may not seem all that astonishing on the surface, but with 323.7 million people living in the United States, that is roughly 728,000 tons of daily garbage – enough to fill 63,000 garbage trucks. That is… Continue Reading

New Pilot Study on Measuring OECD Countries’ Starting Positions on Sustainable Development Goals

“On July 14 2016 the OECD presented its Pilot Study on Measuring OECD Countries’ Starting Positions on the SDGs in the margins of the UN High-Level Political Forum on the SDGs in New York.  The Study, Measuring the Distance to the SDGs Targets, piloted on selected OECD countries, leverages on the OECD work on well-being… Continue Reading

EPA and DOT Finalize Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks

“Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution, while bolstering energy security and spurring manufacturing innovation. The final phase two standards were called for by President Obama’s… Continue Reading

2016 Online Journalism Awards finalists announced

“Finalists for the 2016 Online Journalism Awards, representing a wide range of nonprofit, public, academic, major media and emerging technology organizations from around the globe, were announced today by the Online News Association. Twelve of the awards now come with $53,500 in prize money, courtesy of Knight Foundation, the Gannett Foundation and the University of… Continue Reading

GAO Reports – Antidumping and Countervailing Duties, Post-Katrina Communications, EPA Grants Management, National Guard and Reserves

Antidumping and Countervailing Duties: CBP Action Needed to Reduce Duty Processing Errors and Mitigate Nonpayment Risk, GAO-16-542: Published: Jul 14, 2016. Publicly Released: Aug 15, 2016. Emergency Communications: Effectiveness of the Post-Katrina Interagency Coordination Group Could Be Enhanced, GAO-16-681: Published: Jul 14, 2016. Publicly Released: Aug 15, 2016. Federal Workforce: Opportunities Exist to Improve Data… Continue Reading

Explore ongoing history of human civilization through research and data visualization

“OurWorldInData is an online publication that shows how living conditions around the world are changing. It communicates this empirical knowledge through interactive data visualisations (charts and maps) and by presenting the research findings on global development that explain what drives the changes that we see and what the consequences of these changes are. The publication… Continue Reading