" Roadsters set sail for from California to Yokohama
Responding to growing demand, Tesla Motors the Silicon Valley-based automaker of the world’s fastest highway-capable electric vehicle today shipped a dozen Japan Signature Series Roadsters from Port Hueneme, California. The well-appointed right-hand drive Roadsters will arrive in Yokohama in early May for delivery to select customers throughout Japan.
The hand-built, carbon fiber electric Roadster accelerates from 0-100 km in 3.7 seconds. In January, Tesla announced a partnership with Panasonic to accelerate the development of next generation EV cells.
.......... Japan also offers perks for energy-efficient vehicles including zero or lower taxes and green subsidies. It hopes to reduce carbon emissions 25% by 2020.
Faster than nearly any other supercar yet twice as energy efficient as a hybrid, the Tesla Roadster is the only car that delivers guilt-free supercar performance with zero tailpipe emissions and a carbon footprint dramatically lower than any comparable car. The Roadster can travel more than 380km per charge. It can be fully or partially recharged by solar or wind power.
The Roadster requires less routine maintenance than conventional cars. It does not need regular oil changes or exhaust system work. Roadsters have no spark plugs, pistons, hoses, belts or clutches to replace.
Visit www.teslamotors.com/japan for more information. "
・Panasonic Presents First Electric Vehicle Battery to Tesla-----Tesla Motors,April 22, 2010
-----image（”Panasonic Energy Company President Naoto Noguchi hands Tesla CTO JB Straubel an 18650 Lithium-ion cell at the Suminoe factory”） : 上記リリースより
Oxfam Americaは、昨年の10月に「Exposed - Social vulnerability and climate change in the US Southeast」と題した、アメリカの気候変動による影響とその適応策のための提言をまとめたリポートを発表し、同時にわかりやすいインタラクティブマップなどを公開しました。
同リポートは、気候変動によりアメリカ人が安住の地を追われかねない可能性を指摘しました。アメリカが抱える貧困という問題がさらに被害を深刻化させ、2050年に先進国アメリカで気候難民化する可能性のある人口は約1億5000万人に及ぶというのですから、深刻な内容です。
タイトルの”Exposed”は無防備な人々とアメリカの現状を一言で表現して、それだけでショッキングです。特に被害が大きい地域は、アーカンサスからバージニア州にいたる13州が属するサウスウェストと呼ばれる地域です。
このリポートが詳細にマッピングし描きだした懸念される気候変動の影響は、洪水 flooding、乾燥（干ばつ） drought、ハリケーンによる風 hurricane force winds、海面上昇 sea-level rise などです。それぞれの脅威を個別に地図で表示し、さらに総合的な評価を「Regional patterns」としてまとめています。
" Publication Summary
The effects of natural disasters and climate change vary widely by state, county, and community. Although social variables such as income and age do not determine who will be hit by a natural disaster, they do determine a population's ability to prepare, respond, and recover when disaster does strike.
Historically, studies about climate hazards and social vulnerability have been conducted in separate silos. The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) is the first study of its kind to examine both the potential impact of natural hazards and which populations are most likely to be negatively affected. The SoVI statistically examines the underlying social and demographic characteristics of the population and how they impact certain segments of the population in disabling ways when it comes to climate change-related hazards.
This research, commissioned by Oxfam America, includes a series of layered maps that depict social and climate change-related hazard vulnerability. The maps assist in identifying hotspots in the US Southeast, which are at significant risk in the face of four particular climate change-related hazards: drought, flooding, hurricane force winds, and sea-level rise.
The specific region of focus is the 13-state region of the US Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Roughly 80 percent of all US counties that experience persistent poverty (defined as a county in which at least 20 percent of the population experiences poverty for three decades or more) lie in this region.
For more details and to view interactive maps, visit oxfamamerica.org/adapt. "
-----image : 「Exposed - Social vulnerability and climate change in the US Southeast」P.16-17より
地元の国立市の大学通りで上のエントリーでもふれたcargo bike Bullittを見たような気がして、そのことを人に話したら、やはり目撃した人がいました。まあ輸入されているようなので、不思議ではないのですが、なによりももっと近くでみてみたいと思っています。この土日に代々木公園で開催された自転車の試乗会にもカーゴバイクはなかったように思います。
上のエントリーでふれた、LARRY vs HARRY BULLITT Cargo bikeは、日本の道路事情や駐輪スペースを考えるとちょっとつらいような気がします。もう少し、日本の事情にも合いそうなカーゴバイクはないものか？ そんなことを考えていたら、ありました。
" Today the UK Government became the first in the world to publish plans that will set out how every major department will address the challenge of climate change in the UK.
The Carbon Reduction Delivery and Adaptation Plans detail each department’s commitment to minimise the damage of climate change, by reducing emissions and by preparing for inevitable change in the UK climate.
These plans are being published alongside a single overview of what Government is doing: Climate Change: Taking Action ? Delivering the Low Carbon Transition Plan and preparing for a changing climate.
Publishing the plans Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said:
‘These plans demonstrate how each individual department will work to reduce emissions and adapt their own estates, operations and policies.
‘There can be no mistaking that some climate change is inevitable and we will need to adjust the way we live our lives to meet these new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities where possible. These plans are by no means the final word, but are a step towards the low carbon, well-adapted society that we need.’
Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock said:
“The overwhelming scientific evidence shows that human induced climate change poses a huge threat to the world and we must recognise the challenge this presents to all aspects of our economy and daily activities.
..........
Notes to editors
The Climate Change Act 2008 made the UK the first country in the world to introduce long-term legally-binding targets and five year carbon budgets. It requires the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34% below 1990 levels over the third budget period (2018 to 2022) and by at least 80% by 2050. The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, published last July, set out how we would reduce emissions to meet our carbon budgets and announced that we were sharing the UK carbon budget between government departments to ensure that every part of Government is involved in playing its part in reducing emissions. The Act also introduced a framework for adaptation, including a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years from 2012 to assess what a changing climate would mean for society, the economy and the environment and how we might best respond.
The UK Climate Projections were launched in June 2009:.......... "
2012年に世界一周を目指すソーラーインパルス Solar Impulseは、4月7日に試作機（Solar Impulse HB-SIA）によるテスト飛行をスイスのPayerneで行い、約１時間半のテスト飛行を成功させました。テスト機は、2012年で使われる実機とほぼ同じ大きさでカーボンファイバーの機体の重さは約1.6tで、全長21.85m、翼長63.4m。両翼に取り付けられた12000枚の太陽電池とモーターなどのセッティングも確認されたようです。周到な準備期間を経て発表された、地道なプロジェクトの進行と今回の成功を一ファンとしてともに喜びたいと素直に思います。
" This morning at 10:27, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA took off from Payerne (VD) airfield on its maiden flight.
Under the eyes of thousands of spectators from all over Switzerland, Solar Impulse HB-SIA slowly climbed up to 1200 meters. The next 87 minutes Solar Impulse test pilot Markus Scherdel spent familiarizing himself with the prototype’s flight behaviour and performing the initial flight exercises before making the first landing on the Vaudois tarmac. The execution of these various manoeuvres (turns, simulating the approach phase) was designed to get a feel for the aircraft and verify its controllability.
“This first flight was for me a very intense moment!” exclaimed Solar Impulse test pilot Markus Scherdel, still under the emotion of the event, on stepping down from the aircraft. “The HB-SIA behaved just as the flight simulator told us! Despite its immense size and feather weight, the aircraft’s controllability matches our expectations!”
“This first mission was the most risky phase of the entire project. 1h27 of intense emotion after 7 years of research, testing and perseverance. Never has an airplane as large and light ever flown before! The aim was to verify the prototype’s behaviour in flight and to test its reaction to various manoeuvres. The success of this first flight allows us to envisage the further program with greater serenity!” said a delighted Andre Borschberg, CEO and co-founder of the project.
“We still have a long way to go until the night flights and an even longer way before flying round the world, but today, thanks to the extraordinary work of an entire team, an essential step towards achieving our vision has been taken”, adds Solar Impulse Chairman and initiator Bertrand Piccard. “Our future depends on our ability to convert rapidly to the use of renewable energies. Solar Impulse is intended to demonstrate what can be done already today by using these energies and applying new technologies that can save natural resources.”
......... "
-----image(”ROS-171 "Maartje Theadora" with SkySails-System”) : 同リリースより
" PARLEVLIET & VAN DER PLAS B.V. AND SKYSAILS BEGIN PRACTICAL TESTS OF SKYSAILS TOWING-KITE PROPULSION FOR FISHING TRAWLERS
The SkySails-System was successfully placed into operation aboard Germany’s largest fishing vessel ? the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora” ? on the North Sea near Ijmuiden, Netherlands on March 8th, 2010. This innovative SkySails wind-propulsion system will henceforth help save large amounts of fuel and emissions. The maiden voyage of the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora” with SkySails propulsion, which will take the ship across the Atlantic to South America and then into the South Pacific, heralds the use of regenerative energy sources in deep-sea fishing.
.......... "
ピューセンター Pew Centerは、気候変動およびエネルギー問題における民間企業の取り組みに関するイベントを開催し、同時に「From Shop Floor to Top Floor : Best Business Practices」と題されたページにおよぶりポートを公開しました。企業におけるエネルギーの効率化の戦略と具体的なプログラム作りに関しての具体的かつ総合的なアプローチが展開されている分厚いリポートです。
ケーススタディには、トヨタやIBMのほかに、Dow Chemical Company、United Technologies Corporation、PepsiCo、Best Buyが取り上げられ、それらの情報だけでも企業における、エネルギーマネージメントと温暖化効果ガス削減プログラムにとて貴重な情報です。トヨタはこのリポートの製作にあたっても支援し、提携関係にあるということです。
" Report Highlights Dramatic Energy Savings through Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Leaders from business, government, and non-profit organizations gathered in Chicago today at a conference hosted by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change to discuss ways to advance energy efficiency in the private sector.
..........
The two-day conference will focus on key takeaways from a newly-launched Pew Center report titled “From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency”. This report documents leading-edge corporate energy efficiency strategies and provides guidance and resources for businesses looking to reduce energy use, save money and shrink their carbon footprints. The report covers efficiency strategies for internal operations, supply chains, products and services, and cross-cutting issues.
“Our report highlights a paradigm shift in how companies view and manage energy,” said Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. “Driven by higher energy prices and concerns about climate change, leading firms are making energy efficiency a top priority, and reporting billions of dollars in savings and millions of tons of avoided greenhouse gas emissions as a result.”
The report is part of a multi-year project led by the Pew Center and funded by a three-year grant from Toyota. The project included a detailed survey of major corporations; in-depth case studies of six companies; workshops on key energy efficiency topics; broader research in the corporate energy field; and development of a web portal to provide a platform for updating key findings from the project and providing tools, resources, and other important information. The Pew Center will follow the conference with additional communications and outreach events to help perpetuate the key findings of the research.
“Toyota is committed to conserving energy in all of our business activities. We know that energy efficiency is a sound business and environmental strategy,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, Toyota Group Vice President, National Philanthropy and the Toyota USA Foundation. “We’re pleased to partner with the Pew Center on this cutting edge project to advance energy efficiency to other companies and the public.”
.......... "
日本では、映画館で見るのはなかなか大変そうです。The Age of Stupidではさまざまな配給方法を模索しているようです。一刻も早くみたいという人は何かトライしてみてください。私は、YouTubeのspannerfilmsで公開されている、ドキュメンタリーなどで当分楽しませてもらいながら、気候変動とエネルギー問題についての彼らの見方に影響されてみたいと思います。映像という仕事、新しい時代に入りましたね。日本でも若いそうした才能がどんどんでてくるといいですね(t_t)
