Latest Articles

Water for a Wife

In parts of the West African nation of Ghana, water has become so scarce that young women ask suitors about the distance to sources of clean water in their communities before accepting marriage proposals. Where water is hard to find, food is also often scarce, so girls are interrogating potential husbands about their ability to […]

Senators renew efforts to rein in EPA on regulating greenhouse gases

Well, that didn't take long. Congress is barely back in town and already there's talk of yet another attempt to rein in the EPA.

Does climate change cause storms and civil wars?

There's a long history of disputes over whether climate change causes this or that unpleasantness. These disputes tend to be conceptually muddled.

A Portland group pulverizes pavement to make way for green space

Have you ever gotten so sick of the sight of asphalt that you just wanted to take a sledgehammer to it and start smashing? Meet Depave, the Portland, Ore., group that lives the dream. Since 2007, this all-volunteer squad of pavement-bashers has ripped the asphalt and concrete from 14 sites in the Portland area, making way for community gardens, sustainable schoolyards, and green space.

'High-fructose corn syrup'? Never heard of it

Consumers turning against your product? Change its name on ingredient lists! Buh-bye, much-maligned HFCS, and hello, sweetly natural "corn sugar."

Is global warming frying conservative brains in Alaska and Delaware?

A prediction: The next senator from Delaware will know that global warming is real and will support a cap on carbon emissions. That description fits the Democratic nominee Chris Coons, who is running unopposed in tomorrow’s primary, and GOP Rep. Mike Castle. It does not fit Castle’s primary opponent, the Tea Party Express-funded Christine O’Donnell. […]

Nearly all GOP Senate candidates deny global warming

Nearly all of the Republican candidates for Senate dispute the scientific consensus that the United States must act to fight global warming pollution.

Feed-in tariffs saved French ratepayers money they would have otherwise spent

The cost of French feed-in tariffs for renewable energy over and above the cost of conventional fuels was negative in 2008.

Illinois governor's race: Quinn vs. Brady

Tell us what you know about the governor's race in Illinois. What's at stake? What are candidates saying about climate change and other green issues?

A chat with Dan Kammen about his new job at the World Bank

Last Thursday brought the intriguing news that the World Bank would be bringing on energy expert Dan Kammen to coordinate its efforts on energy efficiency and renewables. Kammen is among the world's leading authorities on those subjects. He runs the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC-Berkeley, where he is a professor of both energy and public policy, was a coordinating lead author on the IPCC reports, and serves as a frequent advisor to political and NGO leaders. As of Oct. 4, he will be the bank's Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. I called on Friday to ask him about the new gig.