Stephen Moss: Snowfall is a matter of life and death for garden birds | Environment | guardian.co.uk

So how does this cold spell – and the winter as a whole – compare with previous ones? I'm (just) too young to remember the legendary Big Freeze of 1962-63, which holds the record (and probably always will) for the coldest and harshest winter ever. When the thaw finally came, after almost four solid months of sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow, ornithologist James Fisher declared, "it seems likely that at least half the wild birds living in this country before last Christmas are now dead".

Renewable Energy Jobs Will Have To Wait | OpenMarket.org

The porcine stimulus bill passed by the House contains $15 billion in capital investments and loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and new electric transmission lines. But the billions of dollars targeted toward renewable energy aren’t likely to generate many “green collar” jobs anytime soon. That’s because the environmental and permitting regulations for these types of projects typically take years. This is particularly true for new transmission lines. And without the new transmission lines, new solar or wind power stations won’t bring many benefits.

Lightning strikes, turbine collapse, and brake problems: Wind power a disappointment across the border in Canada | APRN

In Canada, wind energy would seem a natural fit for northern, windy coastal communities. But it’s never lived up to its promise, even at a wind energy project in Rankin Inlet.

Jackie Sharkey, CBC - Whitehorse

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