Latest Articles

Summer 2010 is breaking heat records [VIDEO]

More than five weeks remain of summer, and already it's a record-breaker. A climatologist looks at what's behind the heat and extreme weather so far.

Renewable energy: the power of positive feedback loops

When you design a national green energy system, the benefits of each part are increased and reverberate through the economy, creating a virtuous cycle

Texas oil vs. California clean tech: the battle over Proposition 23

Out-of-state petro dollars have been fueling the effort to suspend California's landmark climate change law. Now the opposition to Proposition 23 is fighting back. The No on 23 campaign has forged a surprising new coalition of green groups looking to save the planet and the Silicon Valley tech firms, venture capitalists, and old-line corporations looking to profit from decarbonizing California.

Feds say deepwater wells can no longer dodge environmental reviews

For decades, oil and gas companies pretty much called the shots in the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, the Interior Department made it clear its rubber stamp days are over.

West Virginia politician: Compared to drug overdoses, coal isn't so bad

At an exclusive coal industry retreat this month, a top West Virginia politician bemoaned the negative image of the state’s coal industry in the wake of this year’s Upper Big Branch disaster that killed 29 miners. Looking for a silver lining, Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick (D-W.Va.) contrasted the death toll from mining coal to the deaths from drug overdoses in McDowell County, West Virginia’s poorest.

Big Coal to Congress: Save us from EPA!

Utilities now face an EPA that is taking its responsibilities seriously. So they're forecasting doom, filling legislators' heads with scare stories, and planning lawsuits.

Seattle’s new urban-ag models are sprouting in friendly soil

Seattle's urban ag scene is flourishing, with innovative startup farms and organizations putting down roots alongside established ones. And with new legislation just passed Aug. 16, they will have even more room and resources with which to grow.

The county fair: Less country every year, even in Nebraska

When the tomatoes turn red and the corn is so tall I can't even reach the top by jumping, I get a hankering for funnel cake, sno-cones, and the tilt-a-whirl. It must be county fair season in the Midwest! But while those things are still on offer, other traditions are disappearing.

What climate activists need to learn from the NRA and the gun-control wars

The gun lobby has won battles by energizing its small membership base, influencing the outcome of elections, and employing bare-knuckled tactics.

How Obama could make housing policy greener

On Tuesday, the Obama administration is holding a large summit on how to reshape federal housing policy and eventually offload mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the government bailed out in 2008. It'll be a Very Serious event in which the health of the economy gets top billing and the health of the planet will be lucky to get even a passing mention.