Latest Articles

More than a quarter of U.S. bird species are endangered

It’s not a good time to be a bird in the U.S. The Watch List 2007, published by the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy, finds that 178 bird species in the continental U.S. and 39 in Hawaii are vulnerable to extinction. That’s almost all of Hawaii’s non-migratory native birds and more than a […]

The question for China and India is not whether to make the transition away from coal, but how soon

In part one I made the point that if China and India develop along the same path as the West, we’re all doomed. This fact is becoming increasingly clear to everyone. One way or another, whoever foots the bill, they’ll have to change, and that means shifting to a more expensive-in-the-short-term source of electricity, of […]

Another distraction debunked

Fertilizing the ocean with iron looks to be just so much ... fertilizer.

U.S. could slash emissions at little cost through boosted efficiency, says report

The U.S. could significantly slash its greenhouse-gas emissions “at manageable costs to the economy,” says a new study from consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Assuming no significant change in consumer lifestyle, researchers did an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of various options for reducing GHG emissions. Their conclusions: “clean coal” is expensive and unproven, increasing renewable energy […]

Joe Biden rolls out climate and energy plan

Unless the Democrats manage to blow the '08 elections, or some other calamity strikes, a president who is ready to seriously confront the climate crisis will be sworn into office in January 2009. Following in the footsteps of other Democratic candidates, Joe Biden unveiled his climate and energy plan on November 20, 2007.

Biden's plan looks a little bit generic compared with the offerings we've seen from Edwards, Dodd, Richardson, Obama, and most recently, Hillary Clinton, which are all either more ambitious or more detailed. He sets the right targets, though, albeit with a nod at all of the expected interest groups -- both good (solar and wind) and bad (coal and corn).

Now if we could only get past the whole filibuster problem ...

If you lost money in beans.com, these are for you

If you want to invest in the stock market but have better things to do than read SEC 10Qs, what to do? Invest in mutual funds. If you want to invest in top quality environmental or energy advocacy and want to maximize return while minimizing risk, what to do?

The New Progressive Coalition has a new idea: nonprofit mutual funds. Check out their Energy Independence and Environment offering. Blue chip all the way.

McKinsey & Co. on how to reduce greenhouse gases

McKinsey & Company is a very large, very old, very prestigious consulting company. They’ve just released an ambitious report called "Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost?" Here’s what they did: Starting in early 2007, a research team from McKinsey worked with leading companies, industry experts, academics, and environmental NGOs to develop […]

Delegates of all stripes prepare for the trip to Bali

Post by Kelly Blynn, Step It Up 2007

Around the world, an estimated 10,000 bureaucrats, ministers, activists, climate skeptics, industry lobbyists, and students are packing their bags and making last-minute preparations for their descent upon the small Indonesian island of Bali, for two weeks of hashing it out on what the world's going to do next on the issue of global warming.

Anyone who has anything (good or bad) to do with this problem will be there -- whether it's Greenpeace, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Confederation of European Paper Industries, the World Coal Association, or ... me, a Step It Up organizer.

Kansas Supreme Court to hear case against landmark coal-plant permit denial

In October, Kansas made an important first by denying a construction permit to a coal-fired power plant due to its carbon dioxide emissions, saying such emissions could harm human health and the environment. The companies behind the $3.6 billion project, as well as other business groups, were outraged by the decision. (Enviros rejoiced.) Attack ads […]

Over 150 companies worldwide sign climate petition in advance of Bali

More than 150 companies worldwide, representing some $4 trillion in market valuation, have signed the Bali Communiqué: As business leaders, it is our belief that the benefits of strong, early action on climate change outweigh the costs of not acting: • The economic and geopolitical costs of unabated climate change could be very severe and […]