Eco Notes
No Free Rides
The average household in the Houston region spends 22 percent of its income on transportation - more than any other metropolitan area in the United States, according to Driven to Spend, a report produced by the Surface Transportation Policy Project. Houstonians pay more money to get around than they do on housing, food, health care, or education.

Why does it cost so much to go from here to there? The report analyzed socio-economic, land use, and transportation factors and says sprawl is to blame. The most sprawling of the 28 cities studied spent 20 percent more on transportation than the metro areas with the most compact development patterns. Highly expansive development forces families to rely on automobiles, an expensive mode of transportation. In fact, the average household in the Houston area spends $8,740 of its $8,840 annual transportation budget on buying, operating, and maintaining vehicles. The full Driven to Spend report can be viewed at www.transact.org. (Surface Transportation Policy Project, 11/30/00)

Economy and Environment Linked
Many states with the best environmental records also offer the best job opportunities and climate for long-term economic development, according to Gold and Green 2000, a report released by the Institute for Southern Studies. The study used two separate lists of indicators to evaluate each state’s economic performance and stresses on the natural environment. Economic indicators included annual pay, job opportunities, business start-ups, and workplace injury rates; environmental measures ranged from toxic emissions and pesticide use to energy consumption and urban sprawl.

Seven states were in the top 15 for both economic and environmental health. Vermont, Rhode Island, and Minnesota made the top six on both lists. Other states with high marks on both scales were Colorado, Maryland, Maine, and Wisconsin. Ten states, including Texas, were among the worst 15 on both lists. Texas came in 43rd in economic ranking and 46th in environmental ranking. For complete results of the study, visit www.southernstudies.org. (Institute for Southern Studies, 11/16/00)

Ironing Out Global Warming
Fertilizing expansive dead zones in the ocean with iron may help curb global warming, according to a report in Wired Magazine. These desolate areas lack phytoplankton, the tiny, floating surface algae that perform 50 percent of earth’s photosynthesis. Many of these seemingly lifeless zones have all the ingredients to support algae growth, except the element iron. Preliminary experiments have shown that dumping iron into the water encourages the rapid sprouting of phytoplankton. Subsequent photosynthesis absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for the greenhouse effect. Experimenters who poured 1,000 pounds of granular iron sulfate into the ocean calculate that they created biomass equivalent to 100 full-grown redwoods in two weeks. Some scientists are concerned, however, that this strategy could have unintended effects. (Wired, 8/11/00)

Ozone Hole Closing
The hole in the Southern Hemisphere’s ozone layer should begin to shrink within a decade and close completely in the next 50 years, according to an international panel of scientists in Argentina. Levels of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the lower atmosphere are dropping for the first time since scientists discovered the ozone hole in 1985, suggesting that worldwide measures to reduce the use of these ozone-destroying chemicals have been successful. The scientists warn, however, that ozone hole recovery could be slowed by global warming or severe volcanic eruptions. It also depends on continued efforts to curb CFC use. (ENN 12/4/00)

Global Warming Equals Bankruptcy
Damage to property due to global warming could bankrupt the planet, warned Dr. Andrew Dlugolecki, director of general insurance development at CGNU, the sixth largest insurance company in the world. Some scientists believe extreme weather events will become more frequent as the world warms. Dlugolecki’s report, presented at the recent climate change talks in The Hague, indicates that damages caused by such events are growing at a rate of close to 10 percent a year, and their price tag will exceed the Gross Domestic Product by 2065. (ENS 11/24/00)