Latest Articles

Rep. Ed Markey talks about the Dems’ strategy for energy legislation in the House

Yesterday, I talked to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, about what to expect from the Democrats on energy legislation when Congress goes back into session next month. We also discussed the Dems’ plans for climate and energy legislation next year.

Snippets from the news

• Feds’ rush to weaken workplace safety rules hits the federal register. • Exxon will pay 75 percent of damages. • Lawmakers want E.U. to allow more carbon offsetting. • Nuclear reactor deemed national historic landmark. • Pineapple production harms environment in Costa Rica.

Tigers and elephants applaud expansion of Sumatra park

Sumatra’s Tesso Nilo National Park will be doubled in size in an effort to help out the endangered elephants and tigers that live there. Riau province, which contains the park, houses some 210 elephants (down from 1,250 just a quarter-century ago) and 192 tigers (down from 650 in that same time period). Sixty to 80 […]

Must-have slide No. 1: The narrow temperature window that gave us modern human civilization

I am starting a new feature and a new category for must-have PowerPoint slides. I’ll begin with my favorite new slide, which shows just how stable the climate has been over the 10,000-year period that allowed modern human civilization to develop and flourish (click figure for larger version): The slide is a must-have because it […]

Kansas conversations on utilities and efficiency

Check out this article from Energy Central. A workshop in Topeka, Kansas has been trying to figure out how to incentivize Kansas utilities to embrace conservation. The local regulated utility summarizes the problem: “We are totally committed to energy efficiency,” said Chris Giles of Kansas City Power and Light, “as long as we can have […]

In landmark deal, utility will disclose climate-change risks

In a first-of-its-kind deal, utility Xcel Energy has agreed to give its investors detailed information about the risks that climate change poses to business. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed Xcel and four other utilities in September, asking them to determine whether their plans to build new coal plants posed undisclosed risks to investors […]

With berries and bread, you can make a delectable summer pudding

For years, I’ve drooled over photos of summer pudding — a traditional British dessert that’s the same deep blue and purple color as a serious bruise. Summer pudding features a little bread and a lot of berries, and Massachusetts, where I live, is known for its delicious late-summer harvests of raspberries, blueberries, etc. One of […]

Showcase offers electric vehicle test-drives at DNC; review of an eBox

In the midst of the mayhem that is the Democratic National Convention in Denver, 10 electric vehicles can be found zipping along the streets of Denver or idling at the corner of Speer and Champa. Boulder County, Colo. delegate Nate Vanderschaaf brought them to Denver as part of the Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase — a […]

Right for 27 years: 1981 Hansen study finds warming trend that could raise sea levels

“After all, just 20 years ago scientists were worried about the new Ice Age.” This myth is so potent for deniers from Michael Crichton to George Will to Senator James Inhofe that even word guru and strategist Frank “death tax” Luntz made it a recommended line of attack in his super-slimy 2002 memo to conservatives […]

New York teenagers identify weak link in seafood chain

For anyone who missed it there was a good post in the blog two weeks ago on how to choose sustainable seafood. However, this article from The New York Times (hat tip CC) suggests that about one out of every four fish you eat isn’t the kind of fish you thought it was. It could […]