Suchergebnisse

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2017 Arctic Report Card, while 2017 did not shatter as many records as 2016, the Arctic shows no sign of returning to the reliably frozen region it was decades ago. Arctic temperatures continue to increase at double the global rate. 2017 marked the end of the United States' chairmanship of the Arctic Council and the beginning of another term for Finland. At the May 11, 2017 Fairbanks Ministerial hosted by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson–the first ministerial in which all eight member states were represented by their Foreign Ministers–the Arctic Council member states adopted the Fairbanks Declaration and the Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation, the council's third legally binding agreement. The purpose of the Agreement is "to enhance cooperation in Scientific Activities in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the development of scientific knowledge about the Arctic." During its two-year chairmanship Finland intends to emphasize the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) while working to strengthen Arctic cooperation and its continuity at the highest political level.

Technology is essential for economic growth and job creation. Ensuring Washington has 21st century digital infrastructure, such as high-speed broadband Internet access, fourth-generation (4G) wireless networks, new healthcare information technology and a modernized electrical grid, is critical to the long-term prosperity and competitiveness of our state. The Internet is a global platform for communication, commerce and individual expression, and now promises to support breakthroughs in important national priorities such as healthcare, education and energy. Additionally, the Internet and information technology can be applied to make government more effective, transparent and accessible to all Americans. For Washington, improvement of broadband access will open up ways for our state's innovators and entrepreneurs to reassert and extend national and global leadership. It will unlock doors of opportunity long closed by geography, income, and race. It can enable education beyond the classroom, healthcare beyond the clinic, and participation beyond the town square. Directed to the Washington State Legislature, Technology and Economic Development Committee and the Uniform Law Commission. ; https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1014/thumbnail.jpg

Clean energy technologies have begun to transform the national economy. Growth in this sector is expected to be as high as four-fold, generating more than $2 trillion per year by 2020. Washington State has historically been a leader in the field by pursuing low-carbon energy policies, such as renewable portfolio standards and green building codes. But as competition increases, Washington needs to continue to improve to stay on top. Increasing investment in distributed generation, energy efficiency, and conservation has been identified as the future for Washington State by the Legislature, two Governors (both Gregoire and Inslee), the Washington Department of Commerce, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and the people themselves (in passing I-937, the Energy Independence Act). To this chorus of supporting voices, we add our own. Investments in clean energy technologies promotes energy independence, creates clean tech jobs, safeguards our natural resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, protects against environmental degradation, and maintains low energy costs throughout the state. Consequently, the State should consider all manner of policies to support these investments. We have identified several policy and technical barriers to developing Washington State's clean energy economy. The following is a series of recommendations on eight policy areas that are critical to this issue: Distributed generation Energy efficient buildings Cogeneration Increasing affordability Net Metering Plug-in electric vehicles Amendments to the EIA Decoupling ; https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1010/thumbnail.jpg

At head of title: Institute of Governmental Research, University of Washington. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Mode of access: Internet.