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Ending fossil-fuel subsidies would help climate and economy, U.N. says

Ending fossil-fuel subsidies around the world could slash greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 6 percent and help the economy at the same time, according to a new United Nations report [PDF]. Globally, governments spend some $300 billion on fuel subsidies that encourage consumption, delay transition to cleaner energy sources, and mainly benefit the already-rich even […]

Energy is a hot topic at the DNC; also, Death Cab

Here it is, almost 3 a.m., I’m at my hotel, and this is the first time I’ve had an internet connection all day. There’s no wireless in the convention hall and no wireless at any of the venues I’ve been to so far. There’s (allegedly spotty, slow) wireless at the Big Tent for bloggers, but […]

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on bringing green to the heartland, and the rest of the country

Sadly, I missed Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius giving her speech Tuesday evening. Here are some excerpts from the full text. “Millions of Americans are proud to make their homes in rural communities, where values are deeply-rooted and passed down, like the family farm, from generation to generation. Too many in Washington are willing to write […]

Clinton, Warner, and Schweitzer cite energy as they stump for Obama and bash McCain

In a rousing speech endorsing Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton said her erstwhile rival would “transform our energy agenda by creating millions of green jobs and building a new, clean energy future.” Virginia Senate candidate Mark Warner also addressed energy and climate (as he told Grist he would): “If […]

Hillary Clinton says lots of good stuff on climate and energy

Hillary Clinton gave her much-anticipated convention speech this evening, to a very excited crowd. Seems everyone in the room had a “Hillary” sign, and the cheers were deafening. She said a lot of good stuff about climate and energy concerns, but I couldn’t quite get all of it. But cheers for these issues making it […]

Montana guv brings the one-liners

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer was all over the energy issue in his speech tonight, ripping on John McCain’s policies and calling for a new energy future. “At a time when American families are struggling to keep their gas tanks full, John McCain voted 25 times against renewable energy, biofuels, solar energy. He even voted against […]

Virginia Senate candidate focuses on energy and climate challenge

As promised, Virginia Senate candidate Mark Warner devoted a portion of his keynote tonight to energy and climate concerns. “Two wars, a warming planet, an energy policy that says let’s borrow money from China to buy oil from countries that don’t like us,” said Warner. “How many people look at these things and wonder what […]

Media focuses on high costs of clean energy, but gives nuclear a free pass

When the media talks about clean energy, it usually deals with the cost issue with a rational, balanced analysis. Something along the lines of, say, “It’s so expensive!“ Yet somehow, in Keith Johnson’s Environmental Capital blog post today slamming greens for not supporting nukes, the cost issue is little more than an afterthought. The nuclear […]

Bill Becker, head of the Presidential Climate Action Project, talks to Grist

Bill Becker, executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, is here at the Democratic convention talking about what the next administration will need to do on climate and energy. Becker is also the Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy at the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs. He was previously […]

NSIDC: Arctic shortcuts open up; decline pace steady

Fresh from its Olympic-record in denier debunking, the National Snow and Ice Data Center has released a new update: Sea ice extent is declining at a fairly brisk and steady pace. Surface melt has mostly ended, but the decline will continue for two to three more weeks because of melt from the bottom and sides […]