Latest Articles

Snippets from the news

• Voluntary programs to cut greenhouse-gas emissions not working, says watchdog. • Judge allows some haying and grazing on conservation land. • California requires ships to cut pollution. • Brooks introduces running shoe with biodegradable midsole. • Motor fuel made from waste gets running. • E.U. says level of BPA in baby bottles poses no […]

McCain spokesfolk say that offshore drilling is ‘the right thing for the environment’

The McCain campaign held a press call this morning with senior policy advisers Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Nancy Pfotenhauer on the candidate’s energy plan. The subjects of yesterday’s tanker spill near New Orleans and McCain’s canceled trip to an offshore rig because of Hurricane Dolly came up during discussion of McCain’s call for more drilling. “This […]

Canada protects B.C. caribou habitat

A giant tract of land in southeastern British Columbia will become protected habitat, the Canadian government and Nature Conservancy Canada announced Thursday. The so-called Darkwoods area, purchased from a private forester, adds up to 550 square kilometers of mountains, valleys, and wetlands (that’s 212 square miles, for metric-system hatas). The area is home to endangered […]

Energy efficiency is the core climate solution, part 1

Energy efficiency is the most important climate solution for several reasons:

1. It is by far the biggest resource.
2. It is by far the cheapest, far cheaper than the current cost of unsustainable energy, so cheap that it helps pay for the other solutions.
3. It is by far the fastest to deploy.
4. It is "renewable" -- the efficiency potential never runs out.

This post focuses on number one -- the tremendous size of the resource.

Republicans are bluffing on drilling

Republicans have mastered a political technique that seems to work on Democrats every time: the projection of strength. No matter the issue, when it comes up for dispute Republicans claim that Americans support their position; they claim that Democrats are out of touch with ordinary folk; they claim that Democrats are on defensive; they put […]

What the Western Climate Initiative does right — and what it could do better

Draft is here [PDF].

Just the major points. First off, the proposal is basically pretty good. We should keep in mind that what WCI is doing represents a big -- gigantic -- step in the right direction for the climate. So I'll raise a glass to everyone who's worked so hard on the WCI proposal so far.

But there's room for improvement. Below, I highlight the core areas of the proposal. These are bedrock issues that make me concerned.

Like Cocoon, only in real life

Caring for the world is good for geezers -- and the world too!

(I can use "geezer" because ... hey, you kids, get off my lawn!)

Declaring an ’emergency,’ EPA allows a restricted pesticide in Florida

If you love starfruit, you may want to consider giving your habit a rest for a while. A friend emailed me this bit from [PDF] from Wednesday’s Federal Register. Declaring an “emergency,” the EPA has established a “time-limited tolerance” for residues of fludioxonil, a pesticide, on starfruit. According to the EPA, Florida starfruit is being […]

LCV President Gene Karpinski on the race for the White House

The League of Conservation Voters announced its endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday, touting his energy and environment plans as the “most comprehensive” ever from a presidential nominee. While LCV President Gene Karpinski credits John McCain — whom LCV endorsed in his 2004 Senate race — for taking the challenge of global […]

Two-pronged strategy to sway energy policy debate

Putting aside the causes of the oil-price rise and what the future holds, I am concerned that progressives are losing the public debate about what to do about it. Like David, I was extremely disappointed with Gore's interview on Meet the Press this past week, both with respect to the ridiculous questions from Brokaw and Gore's complete inability to get the right message across.

And now we have an editorial from The Wall Street Journal (as well as John McCain himself) making the absurd claim that Bush's lifting of the offshore oil drilling ban is responsible for the recent drop in oil prices. Since I am assume both McCain and the op-ed writer are smart enough to know that this is false, one can only assume they are willing to lie because they think that this presents an opening for the rightwing in a season when they look doomed.

Unfortunately, data exists to back up this belief, as the public's support for offshore oil drilling is rising. The simple fact is that when costs of energy go up, most people are willing to put aside environmental concerns, including global warming.

This is why it is crucial that progressives, and especially the Obama campaign (who brilliantly won the gas tax holiday debate during the primaries), need to adopt an aggressive strategy for winning over the public on energy issues.

Here's what I think should be the central message: