Latest Articles

Court strikes down federal clean-air rule that would have actually cleaned air

One of the rare Bush administration clean-air policies favored by enviros has been struck down by a federal appeals court. The Clean Air Interstate Rule would have required 28 Eastern states to reduce soot-causing, smog-forming emissions that easily spread on the wind. The U.S. EPA estimated that the rule would prevent 17,000 premature deaths per […]

Global warming will worsen storms, says U of Michigan scientist

From ScientificBlogging:

Mathematical Model Says Climate Change Will Make Storms Worse

A new mathematical model developed by University of Michigan atmospheric and planetary scientist Nilton Renno says that dust devils, water spouts, tornadoes, hurricanes, and cyclones are all born of the same mechanism and will intensify as climate change warms the Earth's surface.

Renno hopes the new equation will allow scientists to more accurately calculate the maximum expected intensity of a spiraling storm based on the depth of the troposphere (the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere) and the temperature and humidity of the air in the storm's path.

This equation improves upon current methods, Renno says, because it takes into account the energy feeding the storm system and the full measure of friction slowing it down. Current thermodynamic models make assumptions about these variables, rather than include actual quantities.

EPA says climate change could worsen smog levels, extend smog season

In a draft report released Thursday, the U.S. EPA said smog levels could increase significantly in many areas of the United States due to climate change, especially in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. Smog is mainly a summer phenomenon in most places, caused by sunlight reacting with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. […]

Bush admin gets senior-itis, says it won’t decide on emissions before term ends

EPA head Stephen Johnson. Photo: epa.gov Instead of deciding whether greenhouse-gas emissions endanger human health and welfare and formulating standards to reduce them — as the Supreme Court ordered — the EPA will run out the clock for the next few months soliciting more public comment. The Supreme Court ordered the EPA last year to […]

Netherlands’ response to climate change

Listen Play "Maria," from The Sound of Music Don’t have much time to write — another starting already! — but I just saw an extraordinary presentation from Pavel Kabat, who … well, he’s got a resume longer than my arm, but he’s a scientist and a lead author on both the IPCC report and the […]

Al Franken talks green jobs while Jesse Ventura threatens to bust heads

Minnesota Senate candidate and former funny-man Al Franken (D) recently put out a very, very sincere video on green jobs: Franken is taking on incumbent Norm Coleman (R), and polls so far have shown Coleman ahead by a considerable margin. But now former Reform Party governor, professional wrestler, and actor Jesse Ventura is threatening to […]

The unglamorous work of change at the local level

Listen Play "I Have Confidence," from The Sound of Music I arrived here too late to catch the whole day today, but I did see some people presenting work from Eastern Europe, Sweden, Connecticut, Harvard, and Cambridge, Mass. It was a bit of a random grab bag, but these are all people working close to […]

Observations from a freshly minted Germanic expert

Listen Play "My Favorite Things," from The Sound of Music One of my favorite things to do when I go to other countries is to make wild generalizations about them based on the tiny sliver of exposure I get — like if someone from India flew to, say, Poughkeepsie and reported back, "Americans seem to […]

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius talks to Grist about her fight against coal and her VP potential

Among the many names swirling in the Obama VP buzz is that of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. A second-term Democratic governor in what’s traditionally seen as a bastion of conservatism, Sebelius earned national attention as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2007 and for delivering the Democratic response to this year’s State of […]

Snippets from the news

• Toyota will build Prius in U.S., suspend truck production. • Biggest U.S. photovoltaic plant to be built in Florida. • Delta smelt may go on endangered list. • New federal rules proposed for offshore fish farms. • Eco-nightclub opens in London.