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We Need a Green New Deal Now
All indications are that Dr. Jill Stein will be the U.S. Green Party’s candidate for President when it has a national convention in Baltimore in a few weeks. She has gathered a healthy majority of delegates pledged to vote for her as a result of Green Party state primaries and conventions. It is a good […]
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Who Has the Most Cost-Effective Solar CLEAN (feed-in tariff) Program?
In a new report on U.S. CLEAN (Clean Local Energy Accessible Now) programs, I provide a comparison of solar CLEAN Contract (feed-in tariff) rates across the United States. Comparing published rates is not particularly helpful, however, because contract lengths vary (from 15 to 25 years) and the solar resource also varies widely. For international comparisons […]
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Rio grand: Scenes from the Earth Summit [SLIDESHOW]
The Earth Summit in Rio may be over, but just like spring break, the triumphs, tragedies, and terrible judgment calls will live on in memory. Here are some of our favorite moments captured in all their photographic glory.
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Lame it on Rio: Youth stage Earth Summit walkout
The listless conference in Rio came spontaneously alive for a few hours Thursday, when a youth-led demonstration turned into a mass walkout.
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In Rio, disappointment, discontent — and a few silver linings
The final Earth Summit agreement, to be signed by world leaders on Friday, isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, according to many critics. But that doesn’t mean it was a waste of time.
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Got $60 worth of coal-in-the-ground? BLM will give you a buck and change for it
Dave Roberts and others have been talking about leaving coal in the ground. That got me thinking: What’s it worth there? The question looms large in light of recent and imminent federal leases to extract a bazillion tons of coal from public land in the Powder River Basin (PRB). Critics of the practice note that […]
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Bye bye bumblebee: Honeybees aren’t the only pollinators in danger
The honeybee calamity has overshadowed the distressing fate of their native cousins, whose disappearance threatens the future of nearly every blooming wild plant.
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First Vehicle to Home Power System in North America
A version of this article originally appeared at Consumer Energy Report Nissan issued a press release earlier this month to announce that Power Stream will be using the V2H system with its fleet of Leafs in Canada. This device acts as a charger and as a power inverter, allowing 4 hour charges instead of 8 […]
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Give Solar Panels a Break
When I helped Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger create the Million Solar Roofs Initiative in California a few years ago, we designed it to stimulate mass production of solar panels to bring down cost. What we didn’t anticipate was that the building industry would crater around the same time and that unemployed roofers and electricians would find […]
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Urgent: Tell Your Senators to Protect Public Health – Don’t Roll Back EPA’s Mercury Standards
A big Senate vote this week will determine the fate of mercury safeguards that continue to garner overwhelming support from Americans nationwide. This past weekend the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution (PDF) supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mercury pollution standards. This comes on the heels of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s letter […]
