Latest Articles
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The one clean-tech breakthrough that could lead to a core climate solution: Thermoelectricity
The buzzwords of the day: TE with high TZ. The world doesn’t need a major technology breakthrough to cost-effectively cut carbon emissions in half by mid-century. Indeed, most such breakthroughs would be difficult to deploy fast enough and on a large enough scale to make a large difference in that time frame. Other key medium-term […]
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A little noted provision of the new Farm Bill
The federal Farm Bill that was passed and signed into law in June contains a little noted provision directing the USDA to establish a framework that would facilitate participation of farmers and landowners in emerging environmental services markets. At a time when the American market system seems to be collapsing all around us, how should […]
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Two reasons climate/energy policy assessments frequently undercount benefits
I forgot two other things I wanted to note about the CARB study showing that California’s climate program will positively benefit the economy and public health. First, and crucially, the press release notes that "the bulk of the economic benefits are the result of investments in energy efficiency that more than pay for themselves over […]
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Hazardous substances still a mainstay for Big Chemical
The good news: some companies are moving toward nontoxic chemicals and products. The bad news: many aren’t. In a 2007 report, consultants hired by Big Chemical concluded that the industry’s eco-initiatives are “reactive, not proactive,” and that it “has a very short-term focus and discounts long-term issues.” There is, wrote the consultants, “a lack of […]
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House holds hearing on MMS scandal; Kempthorne recommends ethics training
On Thursday the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the MMS scandal currently providing humorists with so many drilling puns. Pelosi’s blog has an account of the hearing. (See also E&E News, $ub req’d.) The most amusing part was the righteous performance from Rep. George Miller, particularly this exchange with Interior Secretary Dirk […]
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An interview with Wikia’s Jimmy Wales about his new green venture
Jimmy Wales. Jimmy Wales, best known as a cofounder of Wikipedia, is now channeling some of his energy and ambition into the environmental realm, aiming to build “the world’s handbook for going green.” Wikia, Inc., Wales’ for-profit company (not to be confused with Wikipedia, a project of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation), announced this month that […]
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A weak economy brings a diminished appetite for curbs on carbon emissions
The Freakonomics blog offers up a long-ish but lucid discussion of the ongoing financial crisis. I recommend the whole thing, but in a nutshell: Financial institutions borrow money all the time to fund their investments. When the real estate bubble burst, a lot of those investments lost value rapidly, leaving banks such as Bear Stearns […]
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Time’s Michael Scherer strains unsuccessfully to find equivalence in campaign ads
Time’s Michael Scherer wrote a dopey post trying to tag Obama for misleading ads. The Social Security part was dismantled by Media Matters, with additional notes from Josh Marshall and Atrios. In an update, Scherer is unrepentant, claiming he was attacked because he dared question Obama. Of course, counterintuitively going after Obama for misleading ads […]
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From Eva to Earthquake
Happily Eva after What do you do when Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson want your number? You answer the call. Brother, can you spare me some climate change? Booted from the Arctic by the subprime mortgage crisis global warming, the population of homeless polar bears in D.C. is exploding. And any of them with hopes […]
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CARB shoots down the ‘economy vs. environment’ myth … again
The other day, contemplating an Economist story on geoengineering, Andrew Sullivan said, “I much prefer the idea of developing new non-carbon technologies or experimenting with technology to deflect or arrest warming to throwing the global economy into a permanent slowdown.” Sullivan has no particular knowledge of or expertise on climate legislation (not a dig — […]
