Latest Articles
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The New York Times blows the bark beetle story
The so-called paper of record ran a major story Tuesday on the country’s most infamous climate-driven pest, “Bark Beetles Kill Millions of Acres of Trees in West.” Great story, other than neglecting to mention climate change. It’d be like an article on an outbreak of avian flu that left out any discussion of birds. So […]
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Mom’s exposure to hairspray linked to genital defects in baby boys
Women exposed to lots of hairspray in the workplace — hairdressers, beauticians, and the like — are more likely to give birth to boys with genital defects, says a British study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Surprise: Hairspray contains phthalates.
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Pelosi confirms intent to maintain the House global warming committee; Markey stays on
Yesterday, I posted on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plans for the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which is scheduled to dissolve at the end of the year. Signs pointed to her intent to keep the committee going for another session. In a press conference today, she confirmed it: It is my intention […]
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Key senator signals piecemeal approach to climate legislation
David posted on Barbara Boxer’s big global warming announcement yesterday, in which the California senator promised to introduce two climate bills in January. The first would authorize a $15 billion clean-energy grant program, and the second would the EPA to develop a carbon cap-and-trade system by amending the Clean Air Act. The announcement is significant […]
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Europe, pioneering ways to fubar a carbon trading system
For the first years of the European Union’s cap-and-trade program (the EU ETS, for acronym lovers), permits were given away to polluters for free. Not only were they given away, but they were wildly overallocated based on inflated baseline numbers, meaning that the early years of the program produced far less in the way of […]
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Big drop in U.S. electricity consumption confounds utilities
Big drops in electricity consumption across a range of U.S. markets have utilities sweating, scratching their heads, and rethinking their business plans. U.S. electricity consumption, especially household consumption, has typically grown by some 1 to 2 percent a year, but in markets from Colorado to Minnesota, household energy use has dropped anywhere from 3 to […]
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Wal-Mart to purchase a lotta wind power in Texas
Retail behemoth Wal-Mart announced Thursday it will soon purchase up to 226 million kilowatt-hours of wind power each year from a nearly completed wind farm in Notrees, Texas, that will provide about 15 percent of the energy needed to power 360 of its stores and distribution centers in the state.
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The dirt on biodynamic and ‘authentic’ wines
In Checkout Line, Lou Bendrick cooks up answers to reader questions about how to green their food choices and other diet-related quandaries. Lettuce know what food worries keep you up at night. Dear Checkout Line, What the hell is biodynamic wine and does it taste any better than regular wine? JeffColorado Dear Colorado Jeff, […]
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Electric-car infrastructure coming to California’s Bay Area
California’s Bay Area will enjoy an electric-car infrastructure by 2012, startup Better Place announced Thursday. The mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose signed on for the plan, which will cover the region with charging and battery-exchange stations at an estimated cost of $1 billion.
