Latest Articles
-
![]()
![]()
BP relief ship struck by lightning, bum luck
Photo: MReece via FlickrNot even the Big Guy can saviour BP’s luck.There have been many, many striking things about the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico: the carelessness of BP CEO Tony Hayward’s comments, the ridiculousness of BP’s spill-response plan, the scope and scale of the spill itself, the list of failed attempts to […]
-
![]()
![]()
Oil execs turn against BP in Congress hearing
Lamar McKay, President BP AmericaPhoto: BP The planet’s most powerful oil executives found their well-tailored behinds planted in the Congressional hot seat today, as the House Energy and Commerce Committee grilled the chiefs of ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Shell, and, of course, BP America about the Gulf oil spill and drilling safety. Recaps of the hearing […]
-
![]()
![]()
A return to the land, and fresh food, in the backyards of the Delta
January 2011 update: Many of the photos have been removed from this series so they can be published in a Breaking Through Concrete book, forthcoming this year from UC Press. We drive south down Route 61 (aka The Blues Highway) in Mississippi, finding Dorothy and Owen Gradey-Scarbrough after church and Sunday Supper. Dorothy and Owen […]
-
The BP oil disaster made a major energy bill more likely, but what about a climate bill?
When life gives you lemons … add some lemon dispersant and they’ll disappear from sight. Okay, wrong metaphor. Obama has suggested many times that he aspires to be a transformational leader like President Reagan, the “great communicator.” Tonight, we may well find out whether Obama is a Reagan or a Carter. Does Obama understand that […]
-
Study finds American Power Act creates jobs while decreasing household costs
Cross-posted from NRDC’s Switchboard A new analysis of the American Power Act (APA), comprehensive climate and energy legislation released mid-May by Sens. Kerry and Lieberman, points to an economy with healthy growth in GDP and jobs, and significant savings in household energy expenditures. The analysis uses a new and highly innovative tool developed by McKinsey […]
-
![]()
![]()
Waking America from the BP nightmare
57 days ago, in the dead of night, the worst environmental nightmare in U.S. history began. The spill cam, requested by Congress, has brought the horror into homes across the country, as we watch tens of thousands of barrels of oil billowing into the Gulf every day. For years, the oil industry swore this could […]
-
![]()
![]()
Carbon trades took a hit in the Great Recession
Photo: James Mitchell via FlickrAs we know, one of the few beneficial side effects of the Great Recession of 2009 was the decline in global greenhouse gas emissions as our consumer-centric economy sputtered. But that also sent the voluntary carbon markets into a tailspin, according to a new report released Tuesday by Bloomberg New Energy […]
-
![]()
![]()
David Roberts, fellow experts, and readers critique Obama’s Oval Office address
Editor’s note: The chat’s now over, but you can replay it in full. Fresh from his fourth — and first overnight — trip to the Gulf, President Barack Obama delivered his first ever Oval Office address to the nation on Tuesday night. The president spoke about a new head for the hapless Minerals Management Service, […]
-
![]()
![]()
EPA analysis of Senate climate bill shows modest costs, omits benefits
Photo: USDA Forest ServiceToday marks the release of the long-awaited EPA analysis of the American Power Act, Kerry and Lieberman’s climate bill. It could not come at a more consequential time: the decision about whether to include a carbon cap in the impending energy bill will be made in the next few days. Along with […]
-
![]()
![]()
‘Scary Disease Girl’ Maryn McKenna on antibiotic-resistant staph [PODCAST]
“Scary Disease Girl”: Maryn McKennaMaryn McKenna is arguably the premier U.S. public health journalist. Not many on the beat can boast a bio like this: Maryn McKenna’s newsroom nickname is Scary Disease Girl, and she earned it. She has reported from inside a field hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, a village on Thailand’s […]
