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Wendell Berry’s statement of facts

Poet, essayist, novelist and “local-ist” Wendell Berry kicked off the final panel of the Slow Food Nation “Food for Thought” series on Saturday by reading a short statement describing the current food crisis. For too long, humans have been spared, mainly by the cheapness of the fossil fuels, from the universal necessity of local adaptation. […]

Sen. Blanche Lincoln on energy and climate legislation

Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln spoke about conservation at the National Wildlife Federation event in Denver this week. Since Lincoln is one of the cosponsors of the “Gang of 10” energy bill — a compromise that includes both investment in renewables and some offshore drilling — we caught up with her afterward to talk about […]

Grist talks to enviro leaders about what the next administration needs to do on climate

Van Jones was at the Democratic National Convention this week to talk about green jobs, justice, and the economic growth potential in a new, green economy. I caught him for a few minutes to talk about the message he’s bringing to the convention, and about whether he’d take a job in an Obama administration. Green […]

Will Gustav be the next Katrina?

On August 23, 2005, a tropical depression formed 175 miles southeast of Nassau. By the next day, it had grown into tropical storm Katrina and was intensifying rapidly. Early in the evening on August 25, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near North Miami Beach. Even though it was only a Category 1 storm, with sustained wind […]

Rove on hurricanes in August: ‘The Republicans can’t seem to get a break’

I reprint this post from TPM election central (a must-read blog for political junkies): Priorities, priorities. Check out this Karl Rove quote buried in a Fox News article about the threat Hurricane Gustav poses to the GOP’s convention plans: “The Republicans can’t seem to get a break when it comes to August and when it […]

London mayor releases plan for adapting to climate change

London Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled a draft plan Friday to help the city mitigate and adapt to climate change. Johnson put special attention to water conservation, calling for mandatory metering, increased efficiency, improved drainage, and rainwater harvesting. He also envisions more trees and green space. Environmentalists said the adaptation strategy was a good step, but […]

McCain’s veep pick talks energy, ANWR, and the improbability of being tapped for VP

During a June 25, 2008, appearance on CNBC’s Kudlow & Company, Sarah Palin said, "Sen. McCain is wrong" on the issue of oil drilling.  She said, "I think he’s going to evolve into eventually supporting ANWR opening also …  I’d like the opportunity to change his mind about ANWR."  She was also asked about the […]

Industry groups sue Interior over polar bear

The U.S. Interior Department has been sued yet again over polar bears, this time by five industry groups that say the agency’s regulations for protecting bears unfairly single out Alaska businesses’ contribution to climate change. When the polar bear was declared a threatened species because of climate change, Interior went to great lengths to note […]

Snippets from the news

• Alaskans choose mining over fish. • California moves forward with anti-sprawl bill. • Ozone hole expected to be normal this year. • U.N. climate talks still running into roadblocks. • Walruses still in trouble.

Slow foodies unveil declaration of sustainability

Copies of the Slow Food Declaration at San Francisco City Hall. Some of the leading voices in the movement for a sustainable agriculture system stood together Thursday to unveil the “Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture,” a 12-point set of principles for reorienting American food away from corporate farms and long-haul delivery to local producers […]