Republicans have been whining about the Obama administration’s liberty-squashing decision to phase out inefficient incandescent bulbs in favor of CFLs, LEDs, and (surprise!) more efficient incandescent bulbs. But (double surprise!) the idea of requiring efficient lightbulbs sprang fully formed from the head of a Republican, Michigan Rep. Fred Upton. Not only did Republicans come up with the idea, but back in 2007, President Bush signed into law a bill mandating the new standards. But none of that matters, because Michele Bachamann doesn't like saving money on her electric bill. So blame the Democrats!

  The Las Vegas strip likes to pretend it’s flush in all manner of luxuries, including water -- even though Lake Mead, which provides the city with water, could disappear within the next decade. Running a giant fountain or indoor canal in the middle of the desert is the hydrological equivalent of flashing fat stacks of cash. But while casinos aren't exactly down with water conservation (that’s for poor people!), the Las Vegas government is. The city nixed grassy lawns, empowered water waste enforcers, and made water really, really expensive for anyone who uses more than they need for basic …

What do you do with a suspected man-eating crocodile the size of a small aircraft? Make it the highlight of an eco-tourism park. At least, that's what wildlife authorities in the Philippines are doing with a 21-foot crocodile they caught this weekend. Lord, if only Steve Irwin were here to see this.

In our nation's breadbasket, adaptation to climate change is very much already in progress -- the attitudes of those who represent farmers in our nation's capital notwithstanding. Higher minimum temperatures are reducing yields for corn, which likes hot days but cool nights. So whatever their political leanings, farmers have to adapt or face disaster. And the stakes are even higher than that. The U.S. accounts for half of all corn exports, 40 percent of soybeans, and a third of wheat. Entire nations that are hugely dependent on imported food -- e.g. Egypt -- depend on us for their survival.  The …

A complete audio transcript of the Koch brothers' annual super-secret gathering of hard-right bazillionaires just leaked, and it's full of all the usual invective you'd expect to hear out of America's favorite pro-business libertarian climate change deniers. The Koch brothers are apparently really getting into their supervillain roles. Not only did they lay out their evil plan to their minions (sort of), but they had all kinds of elaborate security in their lair. Measures taken to prevent a leak like this were almost comically over-the-top, including outward-facing speakers blasting static in order to fool remote eavesdroppers.  Charles Koch opened the …

PumpTire has developed the world's first self-inflating bike tire, which actually takes in air and inflates to ideal pressure as you ride. This won't keep you from ever getting a flat or anything, but it could spare you a lot of tedious adjusting and checking of tire pressure. The company is raising money on Kickstarter to make the tires commercially available. You can pledge $45 to get one self-inflating tire, plus a pressure control valve and an inner tube, or $75 for two -- not too bad as long as they last a reasonably long time. 

Ten million people live in Bangkok -- a metropolis more populous even than New York City -- and the ground beneath their feet is literally sinking into the ocean. Sea level rise due to climate change is presently only a bit player in this environmental catastrophe. Worse is the fact that the land is subsiding due to groundwater pumping, compression under the weight of enormous skyscrapers, and the destruction of an ages-old complex of canals and fields that used to soak up floodwaters, but have largely been supplanted by development. As a result, Bangkok is sinking between 0.6 and 2 …

Mitt Romney, in a desperate attempt to fit in, says he wants to burn more coal. Iran's making nuclear power. There’s no way that could go wrong! But worldwide, renewables are beating out nuclear in terms of installed capacity. Two people have died already in the more than 60 wildfires ravaging Texas. A Vermont company thinks it can expand the capacity of the grid by more accurately measuring the heat of power lines and letting utility companies know, based on those measurements, whether they can run more power through their lines. Students, don't buy an iPad if you're only going …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has an idiosyncratic (and tasty) way of determining the damage caused by a hurricane: the Waffle House Index. The iconic Southern chain is so widespread -- and so stalwart -- that you can gauge a storm's severity based on whether the local Waffle Houses closed. Green means the restaurant is serving a full menu, a signal that damage in an area is limited and the lights are on. Yellow means a limited menu, indicating power from a generator, at best, and low food supplies. Red means the restaurant is closed, a sign of severe damage …

The last time Texas created a long-term water plan, in 2007, it conspicuously and controversially left out any mention of the effects of climate change on the state's water resources. In the midst of a drought of biblical proportions, one line from that report in particular stands out: When considering the uncertainties of population and water demand projections, the effect of climate change on the state’s water resources over the next 50 years is probably small enough that it is unnecessary to plan for it specifically. KAPOW. Seriously, does it get any more defiantly ignorant? "Dear Earth, your planetary metabolism …