Latest Articles

Study: Common pollutant may lead to obesity

Ever heard of tributyltin? Probably not, but odds are you’ve been exposed to it. The chemical is used as a biocide in industrial water systems, breweries (gulp), and in wood preservatives; and as a pesticide on so-called "high-value" food crops (think fruits and vegetables). Its residues are also found in fish and shellfish. And … […]

From Carols to Condoms

Jingle bells, clean coal smells Click here. Discover wintry-clothed, googly-eyed coal carolers. Hear frosty lyrics like “There must have been some magic in clean coal technology, for when they looked for pollutants there was nearly none to see.” Vomit. Repeat. Buckling under pressure On the heels of the economic downturn, seems NatPo’s vegan Mary Janes […]

Al Gore calls for 350 ppm goal at Poznan climate summit

In a speech at the U.N. climate summit in Poland today, Al Gore argued that older targets for reducing global-warming pollution are out of date, and that world leaders should aim to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million. “Even a goal of 450 parts per million, which […]

Enviro coalition offers up green recovery plan

A coalition of 17 environmental groups on Thursday offered their plan for an economic-recovery package, one that would direct nearly $171 billion to green programs over the next two years. The plan covers a variety of sectors, calling for investments of nearly $12 billion for energy efficiency, $47.5 billion for renewable energy, $59 billion for […]

Inhofe recycles long-debunked denier talking points

Who will the media believe this time: The Senate’s leading climate denier, James Inhofe (R-Okla.), or their own lying eyes? Deniers like Inhofe have a serious media problem — an ever growing number of studies, real-world observations, and credible scientific bodies all point to human-caused emissions as the increasingly dominant cause of planetary warming and […]

The light-related news keeps flooding in

On Thursday GE launched a line of CFLs that look like … wait for it … regular incandescent bulbs! At least one other company (competitor Philips) has tried the clever disguise, but GE says, “No, for real, this one is really small and it really does look like a normal bulb.” Or words to that […]

Food should be controlled by farmers, not corporations

Food is an important part of most Holiday celebrations, not just because we need food to live, but food connects us to our culture, our past, and whether we know it or not, our future. Food Is Different: Why the WTO Should Get Out of Agriculture is a great book by Peter Rosset — one […]

Create jobs, cut emissions, and reduce oil imports by investing in renewables and energy efficiency

Originally posted at earthpolicy.org —– At a time when major U.S. companies are announcing job layoffs almost daily, the renewable energy industry is hiring new workers every day to build wind farms, install rooftop solar arrays, and build solar thermal and geothermal power plants. The output of industrial firms that manufacture the equipment for these […]

Climate website combines economics with climate change realities

Who says economists don’t have a sense of humor?  Actually we don’t, but we have a new website intended to make economics serve environmental objectives far better than it has in the past: ClimateChangeEcon.net. The site provides regulators, legislators, and policy analysts — and anyone else who’s interested — access to a comprehensive clearinghouse of […]

New EPA pick Lisa Jackson on Katrina and the failures of government

“The shameful failures of government that the world witnessed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have given me a special appreciation for the importance of public service. Those failures have galvanized my commitment to working tirelessly to protect the health and safety of the people of New Jersey and to enhancing our quality of life.” […]