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Tales from Spain: baseload renewable energy means hope in the fight against global warming

Hola, amigos y amigas.  I write to you from Spain.  I’m here courtesy of the Catalan government, who brought me in to explain the California solar market to local solar companies.  Why does Spain care about California?  Spanish solar companies are going through a really difficult time right now.  Briefly, the story goes like this.  […]

George Will hates greens, cartoons … and shopping

Shrewdly waiting until the buzz died down, George Will weighed in today on Mike Judge’s The Goode Family. His verdict: It sorta sucks, but thank god someone’s taking environmentalists down a peg. Let’s take a look at my paragraph-by-paragraph CliffsNotes version of his column: Too many people are asking “us” to save the planet. The […]

Climate action game changer, Part 1: Is there a lot more natural gas than previously thought?

I have been researching what may be the single biggest game changer for climate action in the next two decades — U.S. natural gas supply.  Last week I attended a workshop where some of the country’s leading gas experts presented the remarkable new projections for near- and medium-term supply and then answered questions from some […]

Nancy Sutley: Obama to stake political prestige on climate bill

Barack Obama is prepared to stake his own political prestige on getting climate change legislation through Congress, and would be willing to intervene directly to ensure passage of America’s first law to reduce the carbon emissions that cause global warming. Nancy Sutley, who is pivotal in setting Obama’s green agenda as the chairwoman of the […]

An interview with cellist Ben Sollee, who will bike to Bonnaroo

Nestled into a lush farm in Manchester, Tennessee, the blockbuster Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will roll out an impressive set of sustainability green goals as a backdrop for its amazing slate of shows next weekend, June 11-14. The great lineup notwithstanding—from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to Wilco—acclaimed cellist and crooner Ben […]

Part 3: Draft negotiating text proposed for Copenhagen agreement

I’ve discussed in part 1 — shared vision and developed country emissions reduction commitments — and part 2 — developing country emissions reductions and the incentives to encourage them to go further — key proposals that have now been produced in a new draft negotiating text for the Copenhagen agreement. I’ll now discuss the last […]

Our peak oil future? Electric vehicle startup unveils Chinese-made, $45K ‘economy’ car

Open one of those minimalist black boxes that contain a shiny new iPod and you’re greeted by five words — “Designed by Apple in California.” In much smaller print would be the phrase “Made in China.” Will Americans warm to a Chinese-built car when they can buy a domestic EV like the Chevy Volt for […]

A common person’s guide to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

On May 21, following months of work, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a 946-page piece of climate legislation. There have been mixed reactions from environmental and climate groups, but most groups are in agreement that it needs to be strengthened going forward. For some […]

Former Republican Sen. George ‘Macaca’ Allen shills for dirty energy

Hey, remember George Allen, the former Republican senator from Virginia best known for using the racist slur “macaca” on camera during his failed bid for reelection in 2006? Apparently, he’s making his comeback as the Republican anti-climate bill poster boy, flacking on behalf of the coal and oil lobbies. Allen reemerged this week as the […]

Everything you always wanted to know about the Waxman-Markey energy/climate bill — in bullet points

You keep hearing about the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill — aka the American Clean Energy and Security Act, ACES, H.R. 2454 — but what’s actually in it? We combed through the 946-page beast so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights of the bill, which is sponsored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif) and […]