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Host a viewing party for the must-see new film “Coal Country”

This week’s post was co-written by Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign “My hope is this superb documentary will shock Americans and create a surge of urgency that stops the atrocity of mountaintop removal coal mining immediately.” — actress Ashley Judd That’s the trailer for the powerful new documentary […]

Methane leakage runs up a $50 billion bill

Methane is a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, so when it’s leaking by the ton, it’s a $50 billion problem. The New York Times described the phenomenon of methane leakage in a recent article which raised questions about the true costs of this waste.  The EPA estimates that 3 trillion cubic […]

In Seattle, rallying ’round the needle

Scott Cooper, sustainability coordinator for EOS Alliance in Seattle, wants all his fellow Emerald City denizens to join him at the Space Needle this Saturday for International Climate Action Day. 350.orgWhy? Cooper offers up a top ten reasons: 10. Hang out at the fountain with family, friends, and neighbors 9. Show the world that Seattle […]

67 Senators in play on climate bill

Photo courtesy KouK’s via FlickrOkay, it may not exactly be an elephant stampede, but there is real movement on the climate bill by key swing Senators, as E&E Daily makes clear in an excellent new analysis, “On road to 60, Senate swells with fence sitters.” They count 31 “yes” votes, 11 “probably yes,” and 24 […]

The rising tide of environmental refugees

Desertification of formerly productive farm land is one of the many reasons for a growing number of environmental refugees around the world.Photo: pizzodisevo via FlickrOur early twenty-first century civilization is being squeezed between advancing deserts and rising seas. Measured by the biologically productive land area that can support human habitation, the earth is shrinking. Mounting […]

Groups use 350’s big day to fight cap-and-trade

Courtesy 350reasons.org350.org is taking a big-tent approach to activism on its International Day of Climate Action this Saturday, inviting anyone who wants to help to join a climate-change demonstration, or create one of their own. That open invitation means not everyone will be pushing the same message. In fact, a trio of groups will use […]

Climate Cover Up reveals how zombies are made

Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, by James Hoggan with Richard Littlemore (Greystone Books, 2009)Regular readers know that I’ve basically lost the … what is it? cussedness? … required to spend time debunking skeptic arguments about the existence of climate change. It’s like being a zombie hunter, shooting, hacking, and defenestrating talking points […]

Renewables are inevitable, transmission is optional

Editor’s Note: This post was written in response to a comment by Gar Lipow in his post on 10/20. We all agree that a 100 percent renewable energy system is preferable.  But we don’t need a new, high-voltage transmission network now to reach that goal, and it’s far from clear that we’ll need it in […]

Greens have finally got the Big Mo

Paul Krugman had a post the other day on the “aura of inevitability” and how it finally seems to be working for progressives instead of against them. I think he’s on to something. Summer was brutal for greens. “Cap and tax” attacks were bouncing around the Foxosphere. House Dems were getting killed back home for […]

Happy birthday, EMA Awards … and you other groups, too

This weekend marks the twentieth annual occurrence of a vaunted celebration you’ve quite possibly never heard of: the Environmental Media Association awards. The EMAs actually do a pretty good job of attracting A-list stars, or at least A-minus, and are the original “green-carpet” event. Each year, there are a handful of honorary awards (this year’s […]