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Pew report shows Americans poised to take global climate crisis seriously

The State of the Union address may be just a lot of talk. But considering that each word in these national speeches is painstakingly choreographed, a small phrase for a president can be a giant step for mankind.

That's why, when Bush uttered the words "global climate change" before a TV audience of 45.5 million, I nearly jumped out of my seat. He said it! He said it for the first time in any of his seven State of the Union addresses.

This is huge. Especially in light of the results from a Pew Research Center poll on global warming that was released Wednesday. Even those few words, when spoken by Bush, may signal a tipping point for Americans who remain on the fence about the reality of climate change and what can be done about it.

Check out these numbers:

Yeah, yeah, it’s not about the celebrities. Only it is.

I spent most of my time in Utah almost seeing stars. Hung out with a biofuels enthusiast that Ed Begley Jr. had hung out with the day before. Rode in a car that chauffeured Bradley Whitford the previous two days. Touched a poster that Justin Timberlake would touch just the next day. Sigh. An update […]

The music video

OK, it won't win any Oscars or snag a screening at Sundance, but this little clip only asks for three minutes of your time:

Nice Perc if You Can Get It

California to phase out toxic dry-cleaning chemical Continuing its quest to show the rest of the country up, California has notched another first: the state’s Air Resources Board has voted unanimously to phase out perchloroethylene, or perc, a toxic chemical commonly used in dry cleaning. Some 3,400 California cleaners who use the solvent — a […]

But I’m a Cheerleader

Renewable energy could power half the world by 2050, says new report Renewables could satisfy half the world’s energy demand by 2050, says a new report by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council. But — and there’s always a but — only if world governments encourage efficiency and crack down on fossil-fuel use. Well, […]

The Best Defense is a Good … Defense

Two-year exemption allows U.S. Navy to continue sonar trainings In a saga lasting longer than Moby Dick, the U.S. Navy will be allowed to train with sonar for two more years, despite evidence that the technology’s use has injured and killed whales and other creatures of the deep. The Defense Department has provided an exemption […]

Yes

A few years ago, Nordhaus and Shellenberger made the case that because the environmental community hadn't been able to make progress on climate change -- which to them defined almost all of environmentalism -- the environmental movement was a failure (and should die). I argued then that given the scale of climate change, the uncertainties, and how deep it cuts across all sectors of the economy, it was unrealistic and silly to expect immediate action. I also argued that traditional forms of environmental activism were alive and well and there was no need for a new paradigm.

Well, I think with this past election cycle we should lay the "death of environmentalism" to rest once and for all.

Mmm … oranges

David Roberts strongly objected to a critique of offsets and especially of credits for tree planting. The critique was originally made in the comments section of a post on a "carbon neutral" Super Bowl.

Bruce Sterling chimed in, noting that nobody can compete for purity with the dead. This is first rate irony, but unless the intention is that no one should ever criticize false solutions, no matter how wrongheaded, it only has bite if the solutions critiqued actually work. Tree planting may do all sorts of good things, but outside the tropics, it is not a significant way to fight global warming.

Borneo is disappearing for biofuels

Rhett Butler (of Mongabay) has returned from his recent travels. This photo of a poison dart frog is from that trip. Go here to see a slide show of Panama (highly recommended). One of his first posts tells us:

China has agreed to invest in a $5.5 billion biofuels project on the islands of New Guinea and Borneo ... According to The Wall Street Journal, one million hectares [3,861 square miles, which would take 4 hours to drive around at 60 MPH] have been reserved for the eight-year plan, which would convert tropical forest for oil palm, sugar, and cassava plantations.

The article goes on to say that these governments have promised to spare 84,000 square miles of mountainous rainforest in the center of Borneo (to get the environmentalists off their back). Go to this WWF site for a graphic demonstration of how fast Borneo is being consumed.

You know any?

The longest-serving member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is retiring. Here’s what he has to say about Yucca Mountain: Ed McGaffigan, a veteran member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Monday that the Yucca Mountain program is deeply flawed and that the Nevada nuclear waste site should be scrapped. "It may be time to stop […]