Author Archives: Susie Quan

8 Lesser-Known Medicinal Herbs You Should Add to Your Garden

Are you looking for something different to plant in your herb patch this year? Many lesser-known medicinal herbs make easy-to-grow, attractive additions to any herb garden or container. They also come with a variety of unique uses and health benefits.

The following are some under-used herbs that deserve recognition. You can generally find seeds or starter plants for these herbs at your local garden center or online.


Photo credit: Salicyna, from Wikimedia Commons

1. Ashwagandha

Scientific Name: Withania somnifera

Uses: Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to increase vitality, reduce stress and inflammation, and improve quality of sleep. Ashwagandha is what?s known as an adaptogen, a type of plant that?s said to help your body deal with stress and maintain physiological balance. The roots are typically harvested at the end of the growing season, dried, then added to food. You can also make tea out of the leaves or roots.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 9. It can be grown as an annual or indoor plant in colder climates.

Growing Tips: A mature ashwagandha plant is a small shrub that grows about 3 feet (1 meter) tall in one growing season. It can reach 6 feet (2 meters) over time in hotter climates. Ashwagandha grows well in hot and dry conditions and makes red berries you can collect for seeds to grow new plants.


Photo credit: Forest & Kim Starr, via Wikimedia Commons

2. Brahmi

Scientific Name: Bacopa monnieri

Uses: Brahmi is a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to ?that which gives knowledge of Brahmin, or supreme reality?. Traditionally, it?s used in its native India to assist with meditation, concentration, memory and overall brain health. Modern research has also proven that brahmi improves cognitive function. The plant is completely edible and can be steeped into a tea or added fresh to salad, pesto or other dishes.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 8. It can be grown as an annual or indoor plant in colder climates.

Growing Tips: Brahmi is a creeping, succulent plant that only grows up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) tall. It?s easy to care for and prefers full sun and moist conditions. A healthy plant tends to grow quickly, which means you can regularly harvest branches to eat.

3. Gotu Kola

Scientific Name: Centella asiatica

Uses: Gotu kola is used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to help heal wounds, improve circulation, enhance longevity and promote mental clarity, focus and calmness. You can add the leaves to smoothies, salads, soups, sauces or even juices. Gotu kola tastes similar to parsley, so it goes well in many different dishes.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 7. It can be grown as an annual or indoor plant in colder climates.

Growing Tips: Gotu kola is an easy-to-grow creeping plant. If growing it indoors, give it a fairly shallow, wide pot to allow it some growing space. Outdoors, it can simply be left to ramble. It prefers a location with some shade and evenly moist soil. Avoid letting it dry out, as it can wilt quickly.

4. Heal-All

Scientific Name: Prunella vulgaris

Uses: Also known as self-heal, this herb has been used for a wide variety of issues for centuries. It can be applied externally to help heal cold sores and other herpes outbreaks, as well as wounds, ulcers and toe fungus. It can also be taken internally to assist with allergies, digestive disorders and even diabetes. The entire plant is edible and you can add it to foods or make it into tea. To use it on cold sores or wounds, simply crush fresh leaves and apply directly to your skin.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3.

Growing Tips: Heal-all grows best in cool to moderate temperatures and partial shade. It can spread vigorously, so plant it along an edge of concrete or in a pot to help contain it. Heal-all blooms with attractive white or lavender spikes during summer. Keeping it deadheaded will help encourage blooming and prevent self-seeding.

5. Horehound

Scientific Name: Marrubium vulgare

Uses: Since ancient Roman times, horehound has been used as an expectorant to treat coughs, colds and other respiratory ailments, as well as a digestive aid. Today, horehound is what gives many cough candies and syrups their distinctive flavor. The leaves and stems can be dried and kept year-round to make your own teas for respiratory and digestive support.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4.

Growing Tips: Horehound grows wild throughout most of the world. You can grow it at home from either seed or plant divisions. Horehound spreads vigorously, so make sure you plant it somewhere with lots of room, or plant it in a pot to keep it contained. Trimming off the flowers before they set seed will also prevent its spread.

6. Rhodiola

Scientific Name: Rhodiola rosea

Uses: This adaptogenic herb is native to northern regions of the world, including Tibet, Russia and China. Rhodiola is known to help combat anxiety by promoting calmness and mental stamina. It can also be used to improve sleep and boost your immune system. The roots of rhodiola are harvested for medicinal use and eaten fresh or dried, or brewed into tea.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 2.

Growing Tips: Rhodiola is an attractive, low-growing plant similar to sedum. It requires freezing temperatures during winter, so it will not grow over USDA zone 8. Rhodiola prefers full to partial sun and well-draining soil. It grows well from seed, although the seeds will need a cold period before germinating. Check the seed package for detailed germination instructions.

7. Valerian

Scientific Name: Valerian officinalis

Uses: Valerian is a traditional sleep aid and pain killer, as well as helping to calm nerves during stressful times. Also, valerian is not known to be habit-forming like many modern pharmaceutical medications for sleep and pain control. The roots are used medicinally and are typically dug up after at least two years of growth. They can be used fresh or dried in foods or tea.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4.

Growing Tips: Valerian has tall, white flowers with a beautiful scent. They also make great cut flowers. Keeping your plants deadheaded will prevent them from spreading too much by seed. Valerian is also much-loved by dogs and cats, so you may want to put a barrier around small plants to protect them until they?re big enough to withstand your pets? attention.

8. Winter Savory

Scientific Name: Satureja montana

Uses: Winter savory has natural antiseptic properties that can help stop infections from bug bites and other wounds. Crushing the fresh leaves into a poultice and applying this to bug bites will help them heal as well as reduce itching. Winter savory tea can help sooth a sore throat or ease indigestion. Winter savory has a nice peppery flavor and goes well in cream soups, bean and vegetable dishes, and herb butters.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5.

Growing Tips: Winter savory is a semi-evergreen perennial that grows up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall. It has white blossoms in summer that bees and other pollinating insects love. Winter savory can handle a variety of conditions, but does best in full sun and well-drained soil.

Before adding these or any other herbs to your diet, consult with your doctor first to make sure they do not interact with your current medications or health conditions.

Related on Care2

Benefits of Growing and Eating Lovage
6 Less Common Herbs and Spices for the Kitchen
9 Plants to Grow That Help Your Brain and Memory

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Why Scotland’s Independence Vote Matters for Climate Change

Mother Jones

As you’ve no doubt seen by now, Scottish voters are heading to the polls to decide whether to break free from the United Kingdom and chart an independent course for the first time in 307 years. A record number of voters are expected to turn out—97 percent of the adult population, or more than 4.2 million people, are registered. Rugged, remote and sparsely populated as the country is, the actual ballots will take some time to be trucked, boated, helicoptered and fully counted: Results are likely to come in early Friday morning, US time.

One of the big unknowns if Scotland votes “Yes” is what will happen to the UK’s climate and energy goals. The countries are interconnected and interdependent, relying on each other’s infrastructure (the wires, the interchanges, everything) and resources (oil, gas and wind) to power their economies. How that pie gets carved up remains a source of debate and confusion.

Here’s what we know (and what we don’t know) about what will happen to Scotland and the UK’s energy mix and their ability to reach renewable energy targets and to combat climate change if the two go their separate ways.

Will the UK still be able to get 15 percent of its energy from renewables if Scotland leaves?

Scotland produces a lot of green energy. It generates over a third of the UK’s renewable electricity, according to the latest government numbers. Carbon Brief, a London group that tracks climate policy, says that Scotland provides 43 percent of the UK’s wind capacity and 92 percent of its hydroelectric power. So, in theory, losing Scottish energy sources would make the power supply for the rest of the UK “less green,” the group says. That could be especially problematic given that European Union rules will require the UK to get 15 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020.

“Without the windier onshore and offshore conditions in Scotland, the rest of the UK’s ability to meet the target might diminish significantly,” says Simon Moore, a senior research fellow at Policy Exchange, a think tank in London. But that may not actually happen. Moore thinks it’s likely that even if Scotland becomes independent, its energy market will remain tied to the UK’s. “Odds are that an independent Scotland and the remainder England and Wales would continue to operate an integrated electricity market—similar to the ‘Single Electricity Market‘ that is shared by the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland,” he explains.

Still, Moore warns that it’s far too early to know how this issue will be ultimately decided. “No decision has been made—and I doubt any more than preliminary thinking has begun—on how the target might be divided up if Scotland leaves,” he says.

Who will pay for Scotland’s green energy sector if the UK stops subsidizing it?

Scotland’s renewable energy development is subsidized by the entire United Kingdom—to the tune of £560 million (nearly $913 million) in the most recent tax year, according to Bloomberg. If the UK puts a stop to those subsidies—as it appears to be threatening to do—Scotland would have to get that money from somewhere else.

According to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, Scotland would need to spend £1.8 billion (nearly $3 billion) to meet it’s goal of getting 100 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Without the UK subsidies, the British government warns that the additional burden could be partly carried by Scottish rate payers. “Our analysis shows that Scottish consumers are up to £189 ($309) better off in the UK as the broad shoulders of the Union allow us to spread energy costs more evenly,” a department spokesperson said, as quoted by the BBC.

DECC Secretary Ed Davey said in April that the rest of the UK would not have to “support an independent Scottish state’s energy costs to ensure its own security of supply.”

The Scottish “Yes” campaign counters that they’ll be able to work out a deal that benefits both countries, with the UK continuing to fund renewable energy north of the border and, in return, importing some of that low-carbon electricity, according to Carbon Brief. Again, we’ll have to wait and see.

Is North Sea oil and gas really the key to Scotland’s economic independence?

The North Sea has been a source of oil and gas for the UK for four decades. The “Yes” movement argues that those resources will help ensure the financial security of an independent Scotland. According to Carbon Brief, the Scottish government says it would be entitled to 90 percent of future North Sea oil and gas tax revenue, and this has been a central feature of the “Yes” campaign.

“The reality is North Sea oil and gas will be with us way beyond 2050,” Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister and the face of the “Yes” campaign, said during a televised debate. “Every other country in Europe would give its eye teeth to have North Sea oil and gas. It cannot be regarded as anything other than a substantial asset for Scotland.”

But the amount of money Scotland can get from the sea is highly disputed. “The ‘Yes’ campaign estimates revenues from the North Sea in 2018 to be twice as large as the UK government does,” Moore said. And what’s more, he adds, the oil and gas field is in “sharp decline.”

“The UK has gone from 100 percent self-sufficient to around 50 percent domestic gas production in less than a decade,” Moore said. “There may be some scope to develop new fields or scrape a few more drops out of old ones here and there as technology improves, but the broad trend is one of declining production volumes.”

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Why Scotland’s Independence Vote Matters for Climate Change

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U.N. lists air pollution as carcinogen

U.N. lists air pollution as carcinogen

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If you want to avoid lung cancer, the United Nation’s cancer-research body has some advice for you: Don’t breathe.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer on Thursday added air pollution, and the particulate matter that it contains, to its list of carcinogens.

The airborne poisons were classified as “Group 1″ carcinogens, meaning there is “sufficient evidence” that they cause cancer in humans. They are mostly produced through the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants, and stoves.

And it’s not just lung cancer that can be triggered by air pollution. In a statement [PDF], the agency noted “a positive association” between polluted air and bladder cancer.

“Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants,” agency official Dana Loomis told Reuters. “The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution.”

The decision follows findings that air pollution killed 3.2 million people in 2010, including 233,000 cancer-related deaths. Most of the deaths occurred in India, China, and other developing countries with large populations. The Clean Air Act helped dramatically clean up the air that Americans breathe, but anybody who has visited Los Angeles or California’s Central Valley knows that problems persist in the West.

Air pollution and particulate matter now join a list [PDF], nicknamed the encyclopedia of carcinogens, that also contains such nasties as asbestos, plutonium, hepatitis, and tobacco smoke. Oh, and sun rays, estrogen therapy, Chinese-style salted fish, and booze.


Source
Outdoor air pollution a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths, IARC
UN agency calls outdoor air pollution leading cause of cancer, Reuters

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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A Budget Deal Finally Starts to Take Shape

Mother Jones

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I’ve deliberately avoided posting about all the dueling proposals and counterproposals in the Great Budget Showdown of 2013 because (a) it’s too damn depressing, and (b) you all know where to find Politico if you want to. However, it now appears that we’re getting close to a deal that might actually make it through the Senate:

The latest proposal would reopen the government at current spending levels until Jan. 15 and extend the federal borrowing limit until early February, according to aides familiar with the talks. Lawmakers also would begin longer-term negotiations on the budget, with the task of reaching an agreement by Dec. 13.

….The proposed agreement’s framework included no major alterations to the 2010 health-care law that Mr. Obama championed and congressional Republicans have tried to curtail.

However, lawmakers appeared to be weighing some minor changes, including new procedures to verify the incomes of some people receiving government subsidies for health-insurance costs. Lawmakers also appeared to be considering delaying for a year a fee of $63 per insured person levied on those who offer policies, including employers, unions and insurance carriers.

The way this fig leaf seems to work is that Republicans get the income verification provision and Democrats get a delay of the “belly button tax.” Since this is a genuine deal, not a demand for Democratic concessions in return for nothing, we can all pretend that it’s a completely independent barnacle that just happens to be attached to the rest of the deal. This means that President Obama can sign it while sticking to his promise not to negotiate anything in return for a debt ceiling increase. Everyone wins!

There are, of course, several reasons to remain cautious:

Ted Cruz might decide to filibuster the deal. The odds are probably against it, but you never know.
The House might refuse to vote on it.
Even if it passes, all it does it set everyone up for (appropriately) a Groundhog Day rerun of the whole mess next year. But then again, maybe not. The evidence this time around has been pretty resounding that the public isn’t on the GOP’s side in this fight, and that might convince lot of Republican fence-sitters to nip things in the bud if the tea partiers try to start another hopeless war in February. Right now, public irritation with the budget fight probably hasn’t had any real effect on next year’s midterm elections, but if Republicans do it again and again, it might.

So….that’s where we are. Stay tuned.

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A Budget Deal Finally Starts to Take Shape

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HHS Tells Congressional Republicans to Grow Up

Mother Jones

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Today brings a shot across the bow from the Obama administration. Not against Syria, though. It’s against congressional Republicans, who sent a letter last week to all the organizations that had won grants to become Obamacare “Navigators.” The letter demanded that the grantees answer a long list of questions just as they’re ramping up for the October 1 rollout of the exchanges and preparing for their primary task of helping people navigate the various Obamacare websites, explaining the subsidies and benefits, and assisting with signups.

It was pretty plain from the start that Republicans didn’t actually have any serious questions for these folks. They just wanted to put yet another roadblock in the way of a successful rollout of Obamacare—and while they’re at it, perhaps do a favor for their insurance agent friends who are afraid that navigators might actually provide good advice and allow people to shop around more effectively. So today, Sarah Kliff reports, HHS pre-empted the whole thing with a letter to Republicans answering their questions on behalf of navigators everywhere.

“We are concerned about the timing of your inquiry given its potential to interfere with the Navigators’ ability to carry out their crucial efforts in assisting Americans who lack health insurance,” wrote Jim Esquea, assistant secretary for legislation at HHS, making it clear that he understood perfectly well that the “potential to interfere” was the whole point of the questionnaire in the first place. He finished off the letter with yet another not-so-subtle fuck you: “We trust that our response fully addresses your questions,” he wrote, knowing that Republicans don’t actually care about the substance of his answers even an iota. They just thought they were being clever.

Poor Esquea probably had to work the weekend to put all this together, but I suppose that’s the life of an assistant secretary for you. What’s more interesting, perhaps, is that it’s increasingly clear that Republicans have settled on long questionnaires as yet another obstructionist strategy more generally. It began earlier this year in the Senate with a series of insanely long questionnaires for a variety of President Obama’s nominees, culminating with the spectacular list of 1,000 questions they had for Gina McCarthy, Obama’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Apparently everyone was so pleased with how this worked that the House decided to get in on the action too. Thus the smug questionnaire they sent to all the Navigator organizations.

The ball is now back in the Republicans’ court, and I have no doubt that we’re going to hear plenty of yelps today about how Obama is dissing Congress and is betraying the constitutional separation of powers, etc. etc. The usual. But it won’t do any good. They were caught being too clever by half, and they know it.

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HHS Tells Congressional Republicans to Grow Up

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What Happens to Animals During a Forest Fire?

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What Happens to Animals During a Forest Fire?

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Read These Tips To Understand How To Find A Great Solar Panel Contractor

There are so many choices when searching for a solar panel installation contractor. So where do you start? Use these tips to guide you in the right direction.

Make sure all warranties as well as contact information for those covering the warranties are provided for any materials that fall into this category. This could include items such as refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, or other large appliances.

It’s not a bad thing to be a little apprehensive while finalizing a solar panel installation contractor. You can even share your doubts with them so that they know your thought process and who knows – many seasoned contractors can allay your fears with subsequent communications.

A solar panel installation contractor must have a contractor license in most states and local municipalities. Before allowing a contractor on your site make sure the contractor and all of this employees are properly licensed for the job you are hiring them to do.

If a solar panel installation contractor offers a bid that is significantly lower than competitors, ask why. Inquire as to what type of materials are used and why the labor is so much cheaper. If the contractor cannot answer, be suspicious.

You can get recommendations for solar panel installation contractors by visiting a contractor’s desk available at many large hardware stores. Many times, the store employees are familiar with local contractors and can give you an experienced recommendation.

You will want to set up a contract outlining all the details about your expectations of the project such as the deadlines and all project requirements with the solar panel installation contractor. Even with a contract in place, you will not want to fully trust that the contractor is performing correctly; show up at the worksite to inspect all work being performed.

In the case that you will have to interview several probable solar panel installation contractors at ago, it is advisable that you do not plan giving each of them a visit but rather opt to give each of them a call and by asking some questions lower that number to a more manageable one. From this remaining number, decide the best way to contact them.

Consider having your solar panel installation contractor collaborate with you when you’re designing your own project plans. They may give you valuable insight to help you in your project. Also, involving them will surely make them feel more invested in the job.

Ask for references from friends and family for a solar panel installation contractor. Many times word of mouth can be important in finding a reputable contractor. Call the numbers on the contractor’s business card to make sure the contact information is legitimate.

Looking for ways to enhance your insight regarding the information discussed above? Just type in go green energy today when searching online. You might find some great helpful suggestions about solar heating options.

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60 Years Later, CIA Admits Role in Iran Coup Everyone Knows It Orchestrated

Mother Jones

The Central Intelligence Agency, via declassified documents, has acknowledged its central role in the subversion of democracy in Iran. The coup took places six decades ago, so better late than never:

The newly declassified material is believed to contain the CIA’s first public acknowledgment of its role in deposing democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after he nationalized the country’s oil industry. The move—and Iran’s broader lurch to the left under Mossadegh—infuriated Great Britain and the United States, which pressed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to depose him in 1953.

Mossadegh was sentenced to three years of solitary confinement in 1953 and remained under house arrest until his death in 1967. The U.S.-British plot to overthrow him served as a rallying point for the 1979 revolution that ousted the Shah, and Mossadegh remains a popular figure in Iran today despite his secularist politics.

For decades, it’s been no secret—nor has it been at all ambiguous—that the CIA helped orchestrate the coup d’état. In fact, President Obama talked publicly about the CIA-backed coup during his widely covered 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt: “For many years, Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is indeed a tumultuous history between us,” Obama said. “In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically-elected Iranian government. Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians. This history is well known.”

Part of this well-known history includes CIA operatives bribing Iranian street thugs to riot against the elected government. Following the victory of coup leaders, a lot of pro-Mossadegh citizens were detained, tortured, and/or murdered. This was merely one episode in the long-running series of “CIA Does Messed-Up Thing Around The World.”

The declassified material (you can read key excerpts here) were made available thanks to the efforts of the National Security Archive at George Washington University. The Archive also recently published, as a result of their public records request, CIA history on Area 51.

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60 Years Later, CIA Admits Role in Iran Coup Everyone Knows It Orchestrated

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JPMorgan Chase Accused of Manipulating Electricity Prices, Pays Record-Breaking Penalties

Mother Jones

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Just one day after US regulators formally accused it of manipulating energy prices, America’s largest bank, JPMorgan Chase, has agreed to pay a record $410 million in penalties.

Specifically, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) accused Chase traders in Houston of devising elaborate schemes that essentially forced electricity grid operators—organizations that manage the flow of electricity—in California and the Midwest to pay for plants to sit idle, causing them to pay more than 80 times the cost of prevailing electricity prices for ten months between 2010 and 2011. Chase’s alleged price-gouging echoes the infamous 2001 Enron scheme, in which the company constricted electricity supply in California in order to jack up prices.

The FERC action comes at a time of increasing scrutiny of banks’ ownership of commodities. Last week, for example, the New York Times questioned whether Goldman Sachs was manipulating the aluminum market through the metal warehouses it controls.

Even though the penalty for Chase’s bad behavior is the largest the FERC has ever slapped on a company, the fine still falls in line with trifling punishments leveled against the bank—and other financial behemoths—for similar egregious behavior. Chase’s $410 million settlement, which was reached on Tuesday and will be divided between ratepayers and the Treasury Department, represents less than two percent of Chase’s record $21.3 billion 2012 profits—or about what it earns in a single week. (FERC has also barred the bank from trading in US energy securities for the next six months.)

Investigators for the agency initially considered holding one Chase executive and a few specific traders individually liable for the allegedly abusive pricing schemes, but ultimately dropped that idea, according to the Times. The bank has denied wrongdoing, and, as Reuters has pointed out, the settlement will put an end to a troublesome “distraction” for Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

The bank has had other distractions in recent years. In May 2012, Chase lost $6 billion on risky trades out of its London office. So far, the banks has escaped penalty for those actions—US banking regulators merely ordered it to fix the risk-management failures that led to the massive loss.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has repeatedly highlighted the discrepancy between the punishments meted out to ordinary Americans for criminal behavior and those big banks receive for wrongdoing—whether it be tricking consumers into paying higher power prices, causing massive trading losses, or laundering drug money: “If you’re caught with an ounce of cocaine, you’re going to go to jail,” she said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing earlier this year, referring to the giant international bank HSBC. “But if you launder nearly a billion dollars for international cartels and violate sanctions you pay a fine and you go home and sleep in your own bed a night.”

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JPMorgan Chase Accused of Manipulating Electricity Prices, Pays Record-Breaking Penalties

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World Bank joins war on coal

World Bank joins war on coal

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There’s a new ally in the fight against the dirtiest of fossil fuels.

The World Bank’s board of directors approved a strategy shift this week that will move the lending body formally away from its longstanding support of coal-fired power plants in favor of cleaner and smarter alternatives.

Following the adoption Tuesday of its Energy Sector Directions Paper [PDF], the World Bank will “provide financial support for greenfield coal power generation projects only in rare circumstances,” such as where there are “no feasible alternatives to coal.”

The bank isn’t morphing from sinner to saint. It will still support new fossil-fuel projects, including those powered by natural gas, along with hydropower projects that wreck rivers and displace communities. But its shift away from coal could be significant, particularly as an example for other international financing groups. In the same vein, President Barack Obama recently called for an end to America’s financing of new coal plants abroad in most circumstances.

The World Bank is a huge financier of infrastructure projects, loaning nearly $53 billion last year to poor and developing countries. Its most recent support for construction of a coal-fired power plant came three years ago, when it approved a $3 billion loan for a coal facility in South Africa.

The shift is being welcomed by environmentalists, but they are anxious to find out how the bank will define the situations in which there are “no feasible alternatives to coal.” From Reuters:

“While it misses an opportunity to close the door for good (on coal lending) it only allows it in narrowly defined cases where there are no feasible alternatives,” Justin Guay, a Washington representative for the Sierra Club, said about the new strategy.

Guay said there had been concerns China would not allow the new language to go through, as had happened with past proposals to cut back on coal funding.

The real test of the strategy may come next year, when the World Bank should decide whether to provide loan guarantees for [a] Kosovo power plant fired by coal.

The strategy paper lays out the World Bank’s new energy priorities:

In countries with low energy access, the priority will be affordable and reliable energy. Grid, mini-grid, and off-grid solutions will all be pursued for electricity. In rural, remote or isolated areas, off-grid solutions based on renewable energy combined with energy efficient technologies could be the most rapid means of providing cost-effective energy services. Engagement in cleaner cooking and heating solutions will grow. …

Efforts to improve energy efficiency — one of the most cost-effective ways to expand supply and reduce environmental impact — will be scaled up according to countries’ needs and opportunities. …

The World Bank Group will continue to support and finance all forms of renewable energy … Rapidly declining costs are making wind and solar power competitive in some settings, while geothermal energy is a relatively low-cost source of renewable energy providing a dependable supply. Biogas and biomass-based energy also play useful roles.

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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