Latest Articles

Obama to tout clean coal, nuclear, and renewables in his big speech

David and I are in Invesco Field, among tens of thousands of delegates, reporters, and Denver residents awaiting Barack Obama’s acceptance speech tonight. We’re glad to be inside — outside the line snakes more than a mile out from the stadium. They’re expecting more than 75,000 attendees tonight, and the security line is a giant […]

Brookings calls for action on climate change in WaPo op-ed

The uber-centrist Brookings Institution joins the climate alarmist realist crowd. President Strobe Talbott and VP for foreign policy studies Carlos Pascual explain in a Washington Post op-ed: The world may have only seven years to start reducing the annual buildup in greenhouse gas emissions that otherwise threatens global catastrophe within several decades. The politics are […]

Former Energy Secretary Federico Pena talks to Grist about energy, climate, and security

[vodpod id=Video.16318322&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26] We interviewed former Energy Secretary Federico Peña shortly after his Tuesday night convention speech on energy, the economy, and security. Peña was secretary of transportation from 1993 to 1997, then secretary of energy from 1997 to 1998, under President Bill Clinton:

T. Boone Pickens embraces progressive policies but not progressive politicians

I interviewed the billionaire conservative oilman for Salon. My article and the interview are now online here. My goal was not to trip him up with the flaws in his plan, but just to explore some of the key issues, especially the role of government in making it happen. Talking to him it is clear […]

Grist tries (unsuccessfully) to find out Rep. John Dingell’s climate and energy plans

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) spoke yesterday at an event sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation — “I Fish, I Hunt, I Vote Conservation” — where he talked up conservation efforts and the common ground Democrats have with sportsmen. We tried to get Dingell, who is notoriously tight-lipped, to tell us […]

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 […]