No war for oil, and no action for climate, says Ron Paul.Photo: Gage SkidmoreRon Paul kicked off his presidential bid on Tuesday, in the customary loosey-goosey exploratory-committee way. As standard-bearer for the libertarian wing of the Republican Party, the U.S. rep from southeast Texas has a small but diehard following. His fans will make some racket in conservative circles, as during his 2008 run, and he still won't have a chance in hell of winning the GOP nomination, as during his 2008 run.  Paul's government-can-do-no-right philosophy leads him to oppose energy and farm subsidies -- something many green-minded people can …

A new study [PDF] released by GLOBE international -- a coalition of legislators from around the world -- found that "climate change is featuring prominently on the legislative agenda across the 16 major economies." The study, conducted by the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at the London School of Economics, documents the kinds of actions that countries are taking at home to reduce their emissions. While it doesn't tell us the impact of those measures, it does show a growing commitment of countries to change their laws, policies, and regulations to address their carbon pollution. This is a focus that …

I'm climbing in my douchecanoe to paddle back into the debate over the green-bashing by the Breakthrough crowd.Last week, Matt Nisbet, an associate professor at American University, released a report called "Climate Shift." It argued that, contrary to what most people think, pro-climate-bill forces spent more than their opponents, media coverage of climate science has been generally fair, and Al Gore is just as responsible as Republicans for politicizing the subject of climate change. It recommends that greens drop their push for cap-and-trade, stop talking about climate science, and focus instead on innovation and economic competitiveness. If those arguments sound …

Chernobyl begs a lot of questions 25 years later.Photo: Pedro Moura PinheiroCross-posted from The Guardian. Containing the elemental forces that rage inside a nuclear reactor is one of the great achievements of science, but losing control, as happened 25 years ago today at Chernobyl, is one of its greatest failures. So what to think of nuclear power? People often ask me if I support or oppose the building of new nuclear power stations, presuming that because of my job, I'll know the answer. If only it were that easy. Until the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant, I would say I was 51 percent …

Mr. Tucker, Your story about transitioning from climate skepticism to climate realism has gotten quite a bit of attention and interest among folks on "my side" of that debate, as you can imagine. I had wondered if it were still possible for people to be "defeated by facts" and change their minds about issues tangled in America's contentious partisan warfare. I don't know your whole story, but if that's what you've done, you're to be commended. Intellectual self-discipline and courage are rare in U.S. politics these days. I write not only to thank you, but to encourage you to keep …

Texas is facing unprecedented droughts and wildfires that have consumed more than a million acres. Combating climate change could mean staving off conditions that would make droughts and fires on this scale much more common. So Rick Perry, the Texas governor, is taking swift action to remediate the climate by ... calling for three days of "prayer for rain." No, he's not a Cure fan. Well, maybe he's a Cure fan. But he means actual prayers for actual rain: WHEREAS, the state of Texas is in the midst of an exceptional drought, with some parts of the state receiving no …

No idea why they got someone's dad to narrate this video, but the information in it is pretty startling. According to this group, the American Security Project, costs racked up by climate change could include: $9.3 billion a year in lost agriculture revenues in the Plains states $3.6-$6.1 billion over 20 years in infrastructure costs in Alaska $60 billion by 2100 in increased energy costs in the Southeast $2.3-$12.1 million in lost revenue in the Northeast just from losses to the maple syrup trade $200 billion in repairs if a catastrophic hurricane flooded lower Manhattan Now, a lot of this …

Boy, the green movement is just racking up the valuable allies these days, isn't it? Apparently cult leader/murderer/#1 Beatles fan Charles Manson has incorporated global warming into his particular brand of crazy, telling Spanish Vanity Fair: "Everyone's God and if we don't wake up to that there's going to be no weather because our polar caps are melting because we're doing bad things to the atmosphere… The automobiles and fossil fuels are destroying the atmosphere and we won't have air to breathe.” If you are, say, the Daily Fail, this is an excuse to get sarcasmic about the merits of …

America was able to convert from a peacetime to a wartime economy at a stunning speed.We need an economy for the 21st century, one that is in sync with the Earth and its natural support systems, not one that is destroying them. The fossil fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy that evolved in Western industrial societies is no longer a viable model -- not for the countries that shaped it or for those that are emulating them. In short, we need to build a new economy, one powered with carbon-free sources of energy -- wind, solar, and geothermal -- one that has a …

This post was coauthored by Matt Pawa. He and I represent the land conservation trusts in American Electric Power vs. Connecticut. Today, the Supreme Court hears oral argument in American Electric Power vs. Connecticut -- a case in which six states and other plaintiffs are trying to put emissions limits on America's five largest greenhouse-gas polluters. The states are invoking their right, recognized by the Supreme Court more than a century ago, to seek relief in federal court when polluters in other jurisdictions send dangerous air or water pollution across state lines. The suit charges five gigantic electric power companies …