Latest Articles
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Los Angeles without traffic—in pictures
Courtesy Tom BakerToday in happy urban eye candy (previous installations here and here), photographer Tom Baker gives us a look at what some Los Angeles thoroughfares would look like without traffic. Point being, L.A.’s built environment is one manner of placemaking — one that uses a lot of cement, takes up a lot of space, […]
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Whales bring up the rear in the fight against oceanic acidification
Photo courtesy nestor galina via FlickrAnti-whaling advocates can take a giant load off their shoulders. An article on Treehugger shares yet another reason not to whale on whales: They crap ecosystem gold. Ocean acidification, caused by seawater absorbing too much carbon dioxide, is a major problem facing marine ecosystems. As water’s pH drops, so does aquatic […]
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What is the social cost of carbon?
The social cost of carbon may be the most important number you’ve never heard of. U.S. climate legislation is stalled in Congress, but in the meantime, the Obama administration is trying to fill the gap by considering climate impacts in the regulatory process: from the tailpipe emissions limits and gas mileage standards unveiled April 1, […]
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Federal climate policy should preempt state and regional initiatives
In just a few days, Sens. John Kerry, Lindsey Graham, and Joe Lieberman will release their much-anticipated proposal for comprehensive climate and energy legislation — the best remaining shot at forging a bipartisan consensus on this issue in 2010. Their proposal has many strengths, but there’s an issue brewing that could undermine its effectiveness and […]
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Astute climate bill analysis from DJ Biz Markie
Everything you need to know: Via Repower America.
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TED talk on building a greener house
Robotics engineer Catherine Mohr is tired of enviros “long on moral authority and short on data.” She’s got a smart TED talk clip about the greenest options for (a) wiping up a yogurt spill and (b) building a house. The point in each case is that the best option is often not what you’d expect. […]
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Watch out, Kerry–Big Ag’s not done with your climate bill
The agribiz lobby: plenty of horsepower. With the support of three big oil companies in hand, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is now tailoring his climate bill to please the folks over at the Chamber of Commerce, Mother Jones‘ Kate Sheppard reports. What about agribiz? The good senator seems intent on bringing that greenhouse-gas-spewing industry into […]
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The good news about the very bad news (about climate change)
Cross-posted from TomDispatch. These days, I see how optimistic and positive disaster and apocalypse movies were. Remember how, when those giant asteroids or alien space ships headed directly for Earth, everyone rallied and acted as one while our leaders led? We’re in a movie like that now, except that there’s not a lot of rallying or […]
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NYPD trashes hundreds of bikes in security response
Well, so much for Earth Day. Since yesterday morning, the blogosphere and Twitter have been in a tizzy over the disposal of hundreds of bikes by the NYPD due to President Barack Obama’s visit to New York City yesterday. The story, accompanied by a photo, was initially sent in to the blog This Is Fyf: […]
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More lessons from Wales for moving beyond coal
Guardian columnist George Monbiot reported recently on the unlikely groundswell of environmental progress in Wales, the Appalachia of the U.K. Its national Plaid Cymru party is more progressive and more ambitious than Britain’s three leading parties when it comes to building a low-carbon economy. Monbiot argues that it’s the unusually flexible and open political climate […]
