Latest Articles

Squabbling threatens E.U.’s climate goals

The European Union’s climate goals emerged intact but shaky from a squabble-y summit held this week. The bloc is still aiming for a December deadline to finalize a specific action plan to reduce emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. But under pressure from seven Eastern European nations and Italy, which fear the cost […]

Energy adviser says Obama would regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act

In an interview with Bloomberg, Obama energy adviser Jason Grumet said that Obama would regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. Grumet said Obama “would initiate those rulemakings,” authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency to use the Clean Air Act to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and manufacturers. This would, […]

League of Conservation Voters releases 2008 scorecard

The League of Conservation Voters released its 2008 scorecard Friday which rates members of Congress on their environmental votes this year. Most of the 11 scored votes in the Senate and 13 scored votes in the House were related to energy issues, but the league also looked at how congressfolk voted on climate, public lands, […]

Town forests gaining popularity

Living in Switzerland after college, I was amazed by the way communities both revered and used the landscape. Every facet of efficiency was enthusiastically explored, small farms abounded (growing grains on plots as small as an acre or less), and mountain trails were thick with orchids, green woodpeckers, and bell-toting cows. But my favorite thing […]

Arctic region sees record-high autumn air temps, other changes

Autumn air temperatures in the Arctic have hit record levels — some 9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal — according to a new assessment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Researchers took a close look at the Arctic’s atmosphere, biology, land, ocean, and sea ice and concluded that “There continues to be widespread and, in […]

LCV endorses Republican Susan Collins in Maine Senate race

The League of Conservation Voters has announced that it’s endorsing Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her bid for reelection. “Sen. Collins is a leader and a champion for the environment, reaching across party lines to introduce and support bipartisan pieces of legislation that hold oil companies accountable for their high profits, invest in clean […]

Take a fun quiz on energy

Friends at West Virginia University have just compiled a 20 question energy quiz that provides some rather interesting “a ha” moments. (There is no coherence to the abbreviated list of questions below other than the fact that I find the answers interesting and/or counterintuitive.) See how you do: If all of the CO2 produced in […]

Nobelist Paul Crutzen suggests that a slowdown in the economy could be good for the climate

A: Of course not. Only efforts to sharply cut CO2 emissions starting immediately would be good for the climate. If proof were ever needed that winning a Nobel Prize does not make you a genius on every subject, consider what atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen told Reuters: It’s a cruel thing to say … but if […]

Former funnyman Al Franken talks to Grist about Minnesota’s hotly contested Senate race

Al Franken. Back in April, Democrat Al Franken’s chances of pulling out a win in the Minnesota Senate race looked dismal. Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman had a big lead the polls, and Franken was dogged by controversies over income-tax errors and off-color sketches from his comedic past. The underdog spent the summer traveling the state, […]

Snippets from the news

• European Union sticks to climate timeline amid inter-bloc grumbling; Britain wants to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050, and 15 E.U. countries are on track to meet Kyoto targets. • Council on Foreign Relations releases crisis guide to climate change. • FDA wants to identify medical devices that might contain bisphenol A. • Nevada […]