Latest Articles

FDA draft report downplays mercury risk from fish

A new draft report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration downplays the risks to women, infants, and kids from eating mercury-tainted fish, advising people of all ages to consume more fish due to its health benefits and recommending that the government’s current advisory be scrapped in favor of an all-around pro-fish approach, regardless of […]

U.S. auto bailout bill dies in Congress

The survival of Chrysler and General Motors remains in doubt after Congress adjourned late Thursday night without passing a Senate bailout bill for U.S. automakers. The U.S. House passed a version of the bailout bill Wednesday that included a key green provision requiring automakers to abide by California’s strict fuel-efficiency requirements. However, the Senate’s rescue […]

Bush admin removes independent scientific reviews from Endangered Species Act

The Bush administration this week made a major change to the Endangered Species Act by axing a requirement that federal agencies seek independent scientific reviews of planned projects to determine if they would mess with imperiled plants or animals. “These changes are going to result in more species being put in jeopardy,” said Jamie Rappaport […]

California to slash greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020

California officials this week committed to a comprehensive plan to cut the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 through regulating GHG emissions from vehicles, investing in energy efficiency, and sourcing one-third of the state’s electricity from renewables, among other initiatives.

Obama’s green administration picks signal major shifts in policy

The Green Team. Clockwise from top left: Carol Browner, Lisa Jackson, Nancy Sutley, and Steven Chu. Obama’s green team hasn’t yet been made official (and probably won’t be until next week), but his rumored choices are eliciting passionate reactions nonetheless. Enviros, for the most part, are pleased with the picks, while business-oriented interests are offering […]

Rachel Maddow takes on ‘clean coal’ and its carolers

Good stuff: [vodpod id=ExternalVideo.1011990&w=425&h=350&fv=launch%3D28167243%26width%3D400%26height%3D320]

The moral voice on climate can become policy brokers or enviro activists

[In my effort to highlight other climate bloggers, I’m reprinting this post from Richard Graves, of It’s Getting Hot in Here, since it’s their future we “adults” are destroying.] The world is halfway through the process to create a global climate treaty to respond to Global Warming. In the halls around me, government, NGO, and […]

What I heard on the radio blew me away

I know green has saturated our cultural chatter to the point where it shouldn’t be surprising to hear it mentioned … everywhere. But sometimes I’m still surprised. Like last night: I’m in the car, I’m scanning through the radio, and something catches my ear. And there it is: two DJs shooting the smarmy sh*t about […]

Sussing out some of the criticism of likely EPA head Lisa Jackson

In our post last night on Lisa Jackson, the likely head of EPA under Obama, we noted that the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which advocates for state and federal environmental employees, has been highly critical of her work in New Jersey. The group put out a scathing press release about why she […]

What is a green job?

Green jobs are living-wage, career-track jobs that contribute to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. They have some important characteristics: Green jobs are today’s jobs repurposed and expanded in a low-carbon economy. Diverse localities across the United States are already using green development strategies to make impressive strides in job creation, workforce development, and environmental stewardship. […]