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Climate change deniers, you should get together with Beatles deniers

Yes, along with those who deny that human action is the primary cause of this century’s global warming, there are people who deny that the Beatles ever existed.  Their basic argument: There was never just one group of 4 individuals calling themselves “The Beatles” who rose to world stardom.There were multiples of each character performing […]

Two Views of Our Future

No previous civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural supports. Nor will ours. Yet economists look at the future through a different lens. Relying heavily on economic data to measure progress, they see the near 10-fold growth in the world economy since 1950 and the associated gains in living standards as the crowning […]

All oil is foreign

…originally posted at GRIP… When the political class focuses on the perils of fossil fuel dependence, they almost always use the word “foreign” before “oil”.  This is redundant.  Oil is inherently foreign.  All of it. Oil is foreign to democracy.  In an election cycle flooded by unrestricted political money, oil money stands out as the […]

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 […]

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 […]

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.

Insane bird’s-eye view of the Colorado wildfires

A National Guard member who was called in to tackle the wildfires currently raging in Colorado shot this amazing aerial view, and a member of the unit posted it on Reddit, where he and some other firefighting experts answered a few questions as well.

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.

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.

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 […]