Latest Articles

Should you freak out at the lack of airtime for climate change in Denver — or Minneapolis?

Andrew Jones — former Rocky Mountain Institute colleague and systems-dynamic modeler extraordinaire at the Sustainability Institute — asks if I could write something “from a D.C. insider perspective” about why we shouldn’t be freaking out that climate change is getting so little airtime at the Democratic National Convention? Actually, Drew, getting people to freak out […]

Campaign calls on Brita to recycle water filters

With so many tons of disposable plastic being sent to landfills these days, six ounces doesn’t seem like a lot. Especially when you’ve bailed on bottled water in favor of a Brita pitcher and reusable bottle. But don’t you still hate throwing out that filter every three months? Beth Terry does. She wrote in her […]

Grist talks to the authors of a parody hailing the end of Bush’s reign

Many people are familiar with the children’s book Goodnight Moon. They might not be familiar with Goodnight Bush, the unauthorized parody hailing the coming end of the Bush presidency. In it, authors Erich Origen and Gan Golan, both of California, ponder the many things the Bush administration’s rule could have said “goodnight” to. “Good night […]

To solve global warming, we need to support every alternative transportation pathway

The following is a guest essay from Bob Rose, executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council. This essay responds to Joseph Romm’s Gristmill post, “Flush! Department of Energy flushes $15 million down the hydrogen toilet.” —– Joe Romm’s recent post, “Flush!” disparages the Department of Energy’s award of a number of projects aimed at […]

Umbra on hybrid myths

Dear Umbra, Could you help me clear up a rumor about cars? I’ve heard that although hybrids reduce your carbon footprint because they use less gas, the process for mining the nickel in the hybrid batteries produces far more pollution than the process for regular car batteries. So are we really making a difference by […]

Energy efficiency alone is not sufficient

China’s power plant emissions have surpassed the U.S. for the first time and are slated to double in the next decade, despite efficiency improvements. Without major technological innovation it will be impossible to decrease the absolute quantities of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is why government involvement is so important; we need massive R&D and […]

Grist talks to Google.org climate and energy head Dan Reicher about geothermal

At a reception sponsored by the “Clean Tech for Obama” group yesterday, we had a chance to talk to Dan Reicher, director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for Google.org, who filled us in on the company’s big investment in geothermal energy, and other renewable initiatives they have underway.

Snippets from the news

• Summer Arctic sea-ice drops to second lowest level on record. • China’s carbon emissions from power plants to increase by a third this year, report says. • Japan publishes “research” on 4,500 whales it’s killed. • German study finds going veg can cut carbon emissions. • Massive flooding in India incites food riots. • […]

Grist asks Howard Dean about how the Democrats are doing on energy issues

I caught one question on energy policy with Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean yesterday at a barbecue. Dean touted Democratic plans to support renewable energy, and cheered the inclusion of corporations like WalMart in the renewables sector. “The new American economy is IT, it’s finance, and it’s renewable energy,” said Dean. He first responds to […]

Consumers express renewed interest in natural-gas vehicles

High oil prices, increased domestic natural-gas production, and a well-publicized push from a former oil man have all boosted interest in natural-gas vehicles in the United States lately. This spring, the natural-gas equivalent of a gallon of gasoline was selling for about $1.50 less than gasoline on average nationwide. And in some places like Utah, […]