Peter Fairley

European Efforts to Verify GHG Emissions Reporting

Cropped image of an emissions report. Growing awareness of the deficiencies of today’s greenhouse gas inventories is inspiring innovation by scientists, policymakers and activists. There is growing hope for “top-down” schemes based on rapid and even real-time measurement of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Now the push is on to install ground and satellite-based instruments.

Peter Fairley, posted on July 18th, 2012
Articles, Atmospheric Chemistry, Climate, Earth Observation, GEOSS/ICEO News

Sorting Out India’s Soot Situation: A Conversation with Jayaraman Srinivasan

image of Jayaraman SrinivasanEarthzine speaks with Jayaraman Srinivasan, the climate modeler tapped to lead India's Black Carbon Research Initiative, on the scientific and political context for research on soot and its role in glacial melting and climate change.

Peter Fairley, posted on September 6th, 2011
Featured Person, Urban Monitoring

Getting a Handle on Global Carbon: A plan to scale up carbon observation needs financial backing

Cropped image of research station in HelsinkiThe GEO Carbon Strategy is a sweeping plan to multiply measurements of carbon flows and facilitate their conversion into analysis and model-building. The goal is to determine carbon’s fluxes through the environment with enough accuracy to pin-point the regions that are carbon sinks and sources. But the plan needs to secure the resources required to address under-observed regions and ecosystems.

Peter Fairley, posted on January 31st, 2011
Articles, Climate, Earth Observation

Power Potential and Pitfalls on the Congo: Developing Africa’s Cleanest and Largest Hydropower Opportunity

Cropped image of folks boating by water hyacinth on the Congo river near MalukuThe erratic progress made by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in capitalizing on the power of the Congo River for development of its economy is charted in this news analysis by writer Peter Fairley. Read his analysis here. NEW DEVELOPMENT: A Reuters news story confirms that the DRC government is pulling out of Westcor in favor of the Billiton-financed project.

Peter Fairley, posted on March 8th, 2010
Articles, Economy, Energy, Politics, Water

South Africa’s Polar-Orbiting Ploughshares – A National Space Agency could help it become a regional powerhouse in Earth observation

Image of SALT stars making circular trails around it. South Africa, having proven its satellite capacity in the design, build out, and launch of SunSat and SumbandilaSat, is preparing to take its space program into higher orbit with the launch of a space agency. Twelve months ago President Kgalema Motlanthe signed legislation to create the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), and nominations for a board were approved in the fall. Its mandate is to promote the peaceful use of space, accelerate the industrial development of space technology, and foster research and international cooperation space science and engineering.

Peter Fairley, posted on January 18th, 2010
Articles, Earth Observation, Politics, Technology

Space-bound in South Africa: A Down-to-Earth Conversation With Dr. Phil Mjwara

Closeup of Dr. Phil MjwaraA month after South Africa succesfully launched it's second Earth observation satellite, Sumbandila, Earthzine contributor Peter Fairley talks with Dr. Philemon Mjwara, Director General of South Africa's Department of Science and Technology, about the launch, the benefits South Africa expects to reap from the satellite, and what's in store for the future of developing countries' involvement in Earth observation and sustainability.

Peter Fairley, posted on January 11th, 2010
Articles, Earth Observation, People, Technology

Sniffing Out Geothermal Energy Resources from the Surface, Sky and Space

Cropped image of Peter Fairley with Didier Sainte Marie, Cofor’s site manager.In Sniffing out Geothermal Energy Resources from the Surface, Sky and Space, energy writer Peter Fairley travels to Paris to do on-the-scene reporting about the progress of geothermal energy in France and elsewhere. Fairley, the editor of the energy web journal Carbon-Nation, shows that geothermal is enjoying a renaissance among experts in many parts of the world as an effective alternative to fossil fuels that also reduces CO2 emissions.

Peter Fairley, posted on May 7th, 2009
Articles, Earth Observation, Energy, Sustainability, Technology

Halting Biodiversity Loss: An Earthzine Conversation with Kalemani Joseph Mulongoy

Cropped image of Kalemani Joseph MulongoyFor perspective on biodiversity loss and the data management challenges facing the CBD, Earthzine contributor Peter Fairley interviewed Kalemani Joseph Mulongoy by telephone at the CBD Secretariat in Montreal. Since 1999, Mr. Mulongoy has served as Principal Officer in charge of the Secretariat’s Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters Division.

Peter Fairley, posted on December 5th, 2008
Biodiversity, Featured Person, People, Politics

The Globally-Aware Island: An Earthzine Conversation With Japan’s Shin Aoyama

Cropped image of Deputy Director-General of Japan’s MEXT, Mr. AoyamaEarthzine speaks with Japan’s Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Mr. Aoyama, who represents Japan within GEO.

Peter Fairley, posted on July 15th, 2008
Earth Observation, Featured Person, GEOSS/ICEO News, People

An Earthzine Conversation With Michael H. Freilich

Cropped image of Michael Freilich"It’s almost a golden age of Earth observation because these many missions which are flying at the same time are all measuring different aspects of the system at the same time, and most with global extent. This is giving us, for the first time, the fodder for assembling an integrated view of the Earth."

Peter Fairley, posted on May 29th, 2008
Earth Observation, People