Latest Articles
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Sarah Palin on spreading the oil wealth in Alaska
“We’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.” — Gov. Sarah Palin, speaking to the New Yorker several weeks before she was nominated for vice president, on Alaska’s brand of socialism collective ownership
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Overconsumption will have dire consequences, says WWF report
The World Wildlife Fund released its 2008 Living Planet Report on Wednesday, estimating that to maintain current consumption levels, humans will need two planets’ worth of resources by the mid-2030s. Declares the group’s James Leape, “[T]he ecological credit crunch will require even bolder action than that now being mustered for the financial crisis.”
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Meet the people who might fill top environmental jobs in an Obama administration
How green would Obama’s cabinet be? A few names to file away. So what exactly does change look like? Barack Obama has ambitious energy and environmental plans. If he wins on Nov. 4, who will he recruit to carry them out? Will he rely more heavily on Washington newcomers or on Clinton […]
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Stone Gossard sings of salmon in Seattle
At a recent music-and-food-related gathering in Seattle, Pearl Jam guitarist (and Grist BFF) Stone Gossard sang about salmon. His little ditty was inspired by his work with the Wild Salmon Center and focuses on the issue of hatcheries. He says in the song’s intro that he even went so far as to speak with several […]
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The intellectual bankruptcy of the Cato Institute
“They have learned nothing, and they have forgotten nothing.” So the French statesman Talleyrand supposedly said of the pre-revolution monarchy. The words apply equally well to that bastion of libertarianism, the Cato Institute. Over the years, I have debated one of their senior scholars, Jerry Taylor, many times. He is probably the craftiest debater that […]
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Global biz leaders support push for international climate agreement
Undeterred by the shaky economy, a gathering of global business leaders on Wednesday gave the thumbs-up to the United Nations’ effort to clinch a global climate deal at its December 2009 rendezvous in Copenhagen.
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What mix of ignorance, ego, and incompetence explains Palin’s bizarre energy policy speech?
A few words on Palin’s energy speech, which I finally forced myself to read. I don’t really have words to express how bizarre this is. Where to begin? Why do a policy speech at this late date? Why is this better than a rally? Who is this supposed to be directed to? The base, who […]
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Big Ethanol descends on Africa for land, water, and sympathetic governments
A few weeks ago I was in Mozambique for a conference that brought together NGOs, small-scale farmers, agricultural associations, and local media to discuss the impact of biofuel production in southern Africa. While the United States and other Western countries mandate ethanol quotas to supposedly reduce their consumption of fossil fuels, many farmers in Africa […]
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China to invest $280 billion in rail network ‘as a stimulus measure’
Australian media reports: China will invest nearly $A445 billion (US$ 280 billion) in its overburdened rail system as a stimulus measure aimed at blunting the impact of the global financial crisis. The investment is part of plans to extend the country’s railway network from the current roughly 125,502km to nearly 160,900km by 2010, Shanghai’s Oriental […]
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The Christian Science Monitor will abandon its daily print edition in April 2009
Wow — the Christian Science Monitor is going to bag its print version. This is a very big deal. In 10 years, my guess is that printed papers will be rather rare. The ramifications are huge for the environment.
