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Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein gets climate bill wrong

In a laudable attempt to draw more elite media attention to the Waxman-Markey bill — which, like all things “environmental,” has not exactly been a preoccupation of the political cable/blog/op-ed axis — Washington Post business writer Steven Pearlstein makes a hash of a few important facts. Pearlstein says the Waxman-Markey bill will create “create dozens of […]

What the financial collapse can teach us about the food system

In a recent New Yorker, Nick Paumgarten published a lucid, entertaining essay on the financial collapse. Titled “The Death of Kings,” it focuses on the hedge-fund managers, stock gurus, and private-equity wizards who reaped billions from the credit bubble.Is Big Ag running the food system into the ground the same way Wall Street wrecked the […]

The future of fusion (solar) power

Replacing all of the electricity used in a typical home with photovoltaic panels is presently not cost effective–too expensive. We use too much electricity. The panels cost too much. But there is another way to look at residential solar. Installing just enough panels to offset your refrigerator and dryer can be viewed as a fancy […]

Ban Ki-moon’s speech at World Business Summit on Climate Change

The following is the text of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s May 24 speech at the World Business Summit on Climate Change (as released by the UN). Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening of the World Business Summit on Climate Change.UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSECRETERY-GENERAL BAN: I am delighted to be here. Perhaps more important, I am glad […]

Operation Appalachian Spring grows

In three separate direct actions in the West Virginia coalfields yesterday, nonviolent protestors launched the new phase of Operation Appalachian Spring, a growing national campaign to stop mountaintop removal mining and raise awareness of the catastrophic potential of government regulated blasting near a coal sludge impoundment. “The toxic lake at Brushy Fork dam sits atop […]

Mainstream environmentalists’ enthusiasm for Waxman-Markey ensures it will get worse

Mainstream environmentalists who take the position that the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill “could be worse” help ensure that it will be. Publicly proclaiming willingness to live with the bill in its current firm gives nobody any leverage to strengthen it. It is the same mistake first time buyers make in car lots when they accept an […]

The Daily Show on fuel efficiency standards

Jon Stewart was brilliant as usual on Obama’s new fuel efficiency standards: [vodpod id=Video.1652252&w=425&h=350&fv=autoPlay%3Dfalse]

Critique of auto standards misses how they save consumers money compared to gas taxes

Robert Stavins thinks an increased gasoline tax or cap-and-trade would make Obama’s tougher auto efficiency standards redundant.  This offers an excellent illustration of how even economists who are not market fundamentalists can miss the way well-designed regulation improves economic efficiency. Yes, cap-and-trade or a rising gasoline tax will reduce driving and gasoline use. But because […]

Where’s the Science Committee?

E&E ran a story yesterday on House committee maneuvering in the debate over Waxman-Markey. Some committees plan to waive jurisdiction, some plan to kick up dust (especially Agriculture’s Collin Peterson). On Science, there was only this: House Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) said yesterday he plans to complete work on the Waxman-Markey legislation’s […]

Friday music blogging: Jason Lytle

To tell you the truth I’d like to FMB the new Wilco album again, since it is dominating my brain grape. But that would violate my self-imposed FMB rules, so here’s something new. This is from Jason Lytle, previously the singer for beloved indie stalwarts Grandaddy. That group finally threw in the towel after years […]