Latest Articles

Two very un-green candidates compete for South Carolina Senate seat

In the South Carolina Senate race debate over the weekend, the two candidates were asked directly about climate change and energy concerns. Via Think Progress, here’s what Democratic candidate Bob Conley had to say on global warming: Conley: It really is the arrogance of man to think that we are having any effect. I’m an […]

TV queen shows 10 million viewers the dark side of Chicken McNuggets

The chicken industry has had a rough year, its wings clipped by pricey feed, reduced demand, and financial trouble. Even after a recent rally, Pilgrim’s Pride — which slaughters and packs 24 percent of U.S. chicken — has seen its share price plunge nearly 90 percent. As if the industry didn’t have enough to squawk […]

Deregulation and inequality are bad for both the economy and the environment

Now that financial apocalypse has been (possibly) delayed a few weeks, let’s focus on the mortgage crisis and see what it teaches us about financial regulations in general. Mortgages once were great investments. When lenders were highly regulated and careful never to lend more than the underlying value of homes, mortgages provided a higher return […]

Biz aims to offset habitat impact by boosting biodiversity elsewhere

A giant natural-gas operation that Shell Oil is building in Qatar will disrupt birds and rare desert truffles — but the company plans to make amends by protecting antelopes, turtles, and sea cows elsewhere in the emirate. Such “biodiversity offset” schemes are up-and-coming, as companies seeking to burnish their eco-reputations come together with conservation groups […]

Lawmakers use financial crisis as pretext to screw with climate legislation

In a post yesterday I drew attention to an emerging battle over macroeconomics. To put it crudely: does the financial crisis mean the next president will need to trim his ambitions and focus on reducing the deficit? Or does it call for substantial public spending to get the economy moving again (deficit be damned, at […]

Three states appeal directly to companies to avoid BPA in products

The attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, and New Jersey urged 11 U.S. baby-bottle and baby-formula companies to stop using the chemical bisphenol A in their products and packaging in order to protect kids from the chemical’s damaging effects. BPA has been found in the urine of 93 percent of Americans, and recent studies have linked […]

Huge new hydroelectric dam under construction in Brazilian Amazon

A new $5 billion hydroelectric dam now under construction on a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil will seriously mess with the area’s unique environment and wildlife and displace thousands of indigenous residents, critics say. Up to 3,000 families will be displaced when the dam’s reservoir floods, and the project will also likely affect […]

Nestle flexes its muscles at Miami water utility

For months, the bottled-water industry has been losing its grip over people’s pocketbooks. Consumers are realizing that buying purified tap water at pumped-up prices, packaged in little plastic bottles, makes zero sense in economic, ecological, or health terms. Now the industry appears to be losing its grip on reality. From the Miami Herald: In the […]

Notable quotable

“I kind of thought that eco-friendly clothes meant misshapen hemp sweaters — you know, from like 1992 or something.” — actress Maggie Gyllenhaal

Obama’s proposal for an economic ‘rescue plan’ includes green features

In Toledo, Ohio, on Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama unveiled his “Economic Rescue Plan for the Middle-Class” — a new $60 billion economic stimulus package, to be added to an already-proposed $115 billion stimulus proposal. As he introduced his new plan, he made several references to energy issues. “I won’t pretend this will be […]