Latest Articles

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 […]

Will the new climate bill damage U.S. energy security?

This piece was co-authored by Michael A. Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations. Few groups have been more strident in their opposition to cap-and-trade legislation than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Last year, four prominent members of the powerful business lobby, including Exelon Corp. and Pacific Gas & Electric, quit on account of its […]

The great carbon market crash of '09

As 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 Finance and Ecosystem Marketplace. […]

Obama BP speech should signal shift in energy future

Photo: The White HouseTonight, President Obama addresses the nation to talk about how his administration will hold BP accountable for the damages incurred by what has become the worst oil spill in U.S. history, and how he plans to reregulate the oil industry. The American public will be looking for bold action. Obama has a […]

Daniel Dancer’s ‘sky art,’ climate change choreography

Imagine if your job was to work with a couple of thousand elementary school kids at the same time — to keep them on task, doing the same project, where everyone needed to be exactly in place for it all to work. “The teachers are always worried that it’s going to be chaos, that kids […]

‘Top Chef’ flunks school-food math

First Lady Michelle Obama and assistant chef Sam Kass in the White House garden. (White House photo)Bravo’s new season of “Top Chef,” set in D.C. and billed as “from the White House to your house,” debuts tomorrow with a big wet kiss for Michelle Obama and her campaign to end childhood obesity. Even the White […]