Latest Articles
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‘Eco-flation’ could hurt sales of consumer goods
The rising cost of doing business in a climate-changed world — aka, “eco-flation” — could hit some companies quite hard in the next decade if they don’t change their business practices to become more sustainable, according to an analysis by green group World Resources Institute. Companies that make consumer goods could see their earnings plummet […]
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Memo to President-elect Barack Obama on democratizing the energy system
Dear President-elect Obama, Congratulations on your historic election. Now the truly heavy lifting begins. You have declared your intention to make "a new energy economy" your "No. 1 priority." We urge you to follow a path that leads not only to changes in the fuels underpinning our energy system but also to changes in the […]
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Praying for a bailout in Detroit
Lordy: Pentecostal Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, who shared the sanctuary’s wide altar with three gleaming sport utility vehicles, closed his sermon by leading the choir and congregants in a boisterous rendition of the gospel singer Myrna Summers’s “We’re Gonna Make It” as hundreds of worshipers who work in the automotive industry — union assemblers, […]
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Stephen Johnson defends Bush as ‘pro-environmental’
“The president is really a very pro-environmental person. When we first talked, he used the phrase which is precisely, philosophically, where I’ve always been at EPA. He said, ‘Steve, I want you to accelerate the pace of environmental protection while maintaining our nation’s economic competitiveness.'” — Stephen Johnson, EPA administrator
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Forest policy is a hot topic at international climate negotiations
The U.S. Secret Service and the press are on higher alert with the arrival of U.S. congressional delegations at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poznan as the second week of the conference gets underway. While the official Bush delegation is remaining low-profile — even evading questions at today’s press conference — most Democratic congressional […]
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If dumping GM’s Wagoner is part of the deal, get rid of Bob Lutz, too
The WSJ reports “Outside Pressure Grows for GM to Oust Wagoner” as part of any bailout deal. Great idea. GM’s Chair and CEO certainly shares of much of the blame for the company’s collapse. But I agree with SolveClimate and DeSmogblog, that Bob Lutz should also go. He is GM’s greenwasher and global warming denier […]
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Draft bailout deal calls for ‘car czar,’ ban on lawsuits challenging emissions standards
Congressional Democrats and the White House appear to have reached a deal on a $15 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, one that includes a ban on lawsuits challenging California’s greenhouse gas emission standards and a call for a “car czar” to oversee the rescue efforts. “The terms of any financial assistance under this […]
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Senate EPW chair calls on Obama to invest in infrastructure and green energy
In a press conference and a letter to Barack Obama, Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer today called for massive investment in public infrastructure to grow the economy and reduce global warming, though she was not specific about amounts of money or a timeline for action. “America pulled itself out of the Great […]
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Higher gasoline taxes to boost efficiency would be ‘a mistake’
I couldn’t agree more with PEBO on Meet the Press Sunday: New gasoline taxes aren’t the way to boost energy efficiency. Remember, European gas taxes have long been more than $2 a gallon higher than ours, and as of 2002, the average fuel economy of European Union vehicles was 37 miles per gallon, which is […]