Latest Articles
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Alexis Madrigal chats about energy forecasts and nuclear PR
This is the third in a series from my conversation with Atlantic tech channel editor Alexis Madrigal about themes and stories from his new book, Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology. DR: Let’s talk about energy forecasts. They seem to have substantial sway over what we do on energy policy despite […]
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Drinking game for big Obama energy speech today
President Obama is delivering today what is being billed as a very big speech on “energy security.” You can watch it live around 11:20 am here. I propose the following drinking game: The first time the President uses the phrase “climate change” or “global warming,” down the drink of your choice. The second time, empty […]
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Tearing down the highways that choke our cities [VIDEO]
The power of an elevated freeway to dominate and degrade a city’s streets is overwhelming. So much so that if you live near one it can be almost impossible to envision what the place might look like if it were gone, and the old patterns of the streets restored. But in places where that has […]
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Nuclear Reactor May Kill 192,000 Annually
Oh, wait a minute. I got that wrong. I meant ethanol reactor, not nuclear reactor. From a paper published in the spring 2011 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons–the official journal of the AAPS (Association of American Physicians and Surgeons): Research by the World Bank indicates that the increase in biofuels […]
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While the rich get richer, the rest of us pay more for less at the supermarket
The New York Times reports that food companies are embarked on a “stealth” strategy to hike prices by significantly shrinking packages without changing the price. For example, canned vegetables are down to thirteen from sixteen ounces (one shopper observed that she found an eleven ounce can of corn recently). Sugar is now sometimes sold in […]
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WattsUpWithThat attack on Berkeley temperature findings was pure fabrication
UPDATE: Watts has posted two comments below that contain a disingenuous admission of error and several more outrageous falsehoods. While Watts asserts below, “I was not aware of the issue until Dr. Muller communicated with me,” the truth is that Watts has known for six days that his post was in grave error — but […]
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NASA’s James Hansen: ‘This decade will be the warmest’ on record
The country’s leading climatologist has a fascinating analysis on “Perceptions of Climate Change: Can people recognize changing climate?” Hansen had predicted as part of his famous 1988 testimony “that the perceptive person would notice that climate was changing by the early 21st century.” He revisits that subject in this paper with his coauthor, Makiko Sato. […]
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Smize! You’re on America’s Next Top Energy Innovator
Sure, we’ve learned to harness the power of the sun and the wind for renewable energy, but have we harnessed the awesome power of reality TV? That may be what Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is going for with “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator.” Okay, you don’t get coaching from Solar Tim Gunn, or critique […]
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I’m coming out — as a farmer
Steph Larsen down on the farm. Or not?Last spring, our sheep had six lambs. Now five of them have taken a one-way trip to the meat locker, bound for not only our freezer but those of five other families, too. The chickens are laying eggs moderately well, and we might actually be turning a small […]
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Chile crisis of 2011 reveals need for more resilience and diversity on the farm
Chile crops just couldn’t take the heat from the February cold snap.Photo: Demetri MouratisWhat a difference a few days of aberrant weather can mean to our food security, our pocket books, and our penchant for hot sauce. The record freeze that hit the U.S. Southwest and Northern Mexico in early February is still affecting vegetable […]
