Latest Articles

Myth: Waxman-Markey gives away 85 percent of allowances to polluters

As the Waxman-Markey climate/energy bill nears a make-or-break vote in the House, those who work to improve it need more than ever to understand it first. Smart strategy is based on sound information. On that note: one of the central critiques of the bill is a red herring at best and at worst simply false. […]

New Repower America ad aims to rally support for climate bill

The Alliance for Climate Protection on Monday rolled out a new TV ad calling for a shift away from oil and toward a clean-energy economy.  The ad will be airing nationally on cable channels just as the House is preparing to vote on the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill; a floor vote could come as […]

To reach a climate agreement in the near future, countries must look into the past

The second round of this year’s climate negotiations have wrapped up in Bonn, Germany, and government negotiators are digging in to their positions, making the chances of signing any global climate deal in Copenhagen this December – let alone a fair deal – increasingly slim. A snapshot at the midpoint on the road to Copenhagen […]

EPA refuses to reveal dangerous coal ash waste sites

Around the United States today, there are 44 coal ash waste disposal sites so hazardous that — were they to fail like the one at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston plant did last December — they could kill untold numbers of nearby residents. In fact, the sites are so dangerous that last week the federal […]

Greenland ice sheet could raise East Coast sea levels 20 inches by 2100 – to over 6 feet

The eastern United States must plan on the very real possibility that total sea level rise by 2100 will exceed 6 feet on our current emissions path. Sadly, the Washington Post got the story only half right. This week I’ll focus on our best understanding of the impacts that Americans face from human-caused climate change. […]

Robert F. Kennedy first challenged our Ponzi scheme pursuit of growth for growth’s sake

Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated 41 years ago last week. He challenged our monomaniacal pursuit of GDP in “one of the most beautiful of his speeches,” as Obama described it an August 2008 NYT profile of his economic thinking. Obama is one of the few major politicians who constantly challenges our unsustainable economic worldview today […]

Food safety: How local can you go?

Photo: Beth RankinThe Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (FSEA) draft, was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Waxman on May 26, 2009 and is expected to move quickly through the House.  Consumers, farmers, and manufacturers alike all appear to be for a food safety bill, so the question is not whether a […]

Labor teams up with enviros to pass climate bill and promote green jobs

After working for the United Steelworkers International Union for 30 years, Lauren Horne left in January to take on a new role within the labor movement — rallying union members to help fight climate change. Union members call for a cleaner, greener economy.Photo: Step It UpHorne, a Pittsburgh native, is now coordinating an education campaign […]

Ask Umbra on food disposal

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I’ve been trying to convince a friend to compost her food waste, now that she has a back yard. She claims that she plans to do so, but in the meantime, she’s sending all her food through the garbage disposal and says that it’s just as good, […]

House GOP unveils energy bill heavy on fossil fuels and nuclear power

Reps. Darrell Issa (left), John Boehner, and Mike Pence introduce the American Energy Act.Photo: Republican ConferenceHouse Republicans have rolled out their own energy plan, the American Energy Act, intended to compete with the American Clean Energy and Security Act put forward by Democrats. Like the energy bill they released last year, Republicans are calling this […]