Articles

American Public Wants Climate Policy

After reading earlier this week that only 24 percent of Americans know what cap and trade is (and in the same day, that 88 million votes were cast in last week’s round of American Idol), I needed a little pick-me-up. Luckily, it arrived today in the form of new Pew survey numbers indicating strong public […]

Anna Fahey Politics

A climate-news poem for the week of May 11

Check out last week’s lines. The climate news of this week started rolling fast and hot The papers said a memo showed the White House just was not On board with EPA now putting carbon in its pot. But it was just a spin, one on which you could not bank The sole objection really […]

Katharine Wroth Culture

Iowa City needs bike sharing

CPSC.govKnow what’s awesome? Bike sharing. Know what’s not awesome? Bike sharing programs that get wrecked by theft and general disregard. As many of them seem to do. But let’s hear it for optimism: Check out this editorial in the daily paper of the University of Iowa. It lays out plans for a bike-sharing program based […]

Katharine Wroth Cities

Chamber vs. Chamber

It’s hard to listen to someone complain about getting dumped. “Why won’t she come back? Doesn’t she know I can change? Just give me one more chance!” Lots of difficult questions with painful answers you’d really rather not get into. Which is why it was really hard to sit at the US Chamber of Commerce’s […]

Miles Grant Technology

Why farm-state pols rage against the EPA’s biofuel stance

His Majesty is furiousWhy are farm-state pols howling against recently proposed EPA rules on biofuel and greenhouse gas emissions? As I reported last week — echoed by Time’s Michael Grunwald — the agency made extremely generous assumptions regarding the GHG footprint of crop-based fuel. What’s more, the proposed rules actually enshrine the titanic biofuel mandates […]

Tom Philpott Politics

House Democrat defends OMB memo source

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) On Thursday, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), chair of the House Committee on Small Business, issued a statement responding to the controversy over an interagency memo critical of the EPA’s endangerment finding (see here, here, here): The SBA’s Office of Advocacy plays a vital role in the regulatory process. They are […]

David Roberts Politics

California plans no exit from hydrogen highway

California is planning to invest millions to support the rollout of new hydrogen fueling stations. Pictured here is a station near Los Angeles Int’l Airport that was built by a partnership that included BP, Praxair and LAX.Courtesy Hydrogen Assn. Energy Secretary Steven Chu may want to slam the brakes on future hydrogen funding, but California […]

Janet Wilson Technology

Put the book down and get on your bike

Manifesto: (n) a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives or views of its issuer. See the Communist Manifesto, avoid The Cyclist’s Manifesto. Courtesy Falcon PressOf all the cycling books to read in honor of National Bike Month, The Cyclist’s Manifesto is better left on the bike rack. Though the author believes he is making […]

Sara Barz Culture

From Waddle to Waffle

Snow-down New Zealand’s Penguathalon will see beak-to-beak battles in five events: soccer, Frisbee, surfing, swing ball, and waddle races. But sports analysts are saying the competition won’t really heat up until the penguathletes face climate change. After that, it could be bye, bye birdie. (Click below to see the next item in this week’s Grist […]

Sarah van Schagen Culture

Americans ranked as world’s least green consumers — again

National Geographic GreendexWith NatGeo releasing the results of its annual Greendex survey today, I’d like to point out that polls like this are really an opportunity for America to shine. Take, for example, the question about public transit: Not only did we score the lowest percentage on public transit use every day, but we also […]