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Gore: no more coal plants without sequestration

Mayor Mark Stodola of Little Rock, Ark., asked Gore squarely about coal. He said that his city’s electrical rates had been rising, but that a new coal plant opening soon was going to lower the bills. Naturally, my ears perked up. Gore said coal is where "the rubber meets the road." We have enough coal […]

Bill Clinton partners with Wal-Mart to create green-tech buying club for cities

At a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Seattle yesterday, former President Bill Clinton announced that his foundation’s Clinton Climate Initiative is pursuing new green plans to help curb climate change. CCI is partnering with low-price expert Wal-Mart to create a many-city bulk-buying club to lower prices on greener building materials and energy-efficient […]

Gore: It’s not Kyoto but its successor that needs political support

Tallahassee Mayor John Marks stood to introduce himself and Gore said dryly, "I spent a lot of time there." Marks: "I wasn’t mayor then!" He asked Gore how to influence Congress to adopt Kyoto. Gore’s answer was, I think, fairly savvy. In essence, he said that the Kyoto "brand" is tarnished, probably beyond rehabilitation, and […]

Gore: carbon credits and offsets a good thing if used responsibly

Joy Miller of Hallandale Beach asked Gore about carbon credits and offsets — "buying our way out of the problem." You won’t be surprised to hear that Gore’s answer was wonky and careful and came in parts. He said credits are a “good thing” if the standards and information are in place to validate their […]

America’s Climate Security Act passes first legislative hurdle

A climate bill that would require mandatory cuts to U.S. carbon emissions has passed its first legislative hurdle, successfully enduring a hearing of a congressional subcommittee. America’s Climate Security Act made it through the Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection (or, as we say around the office, SubPSCSGWWP) […]

Step It Up climate rallies to be held around the country on Saturday

Sixty-nine members of Congress and seven presidential candidates have committed to attend Step It Up rallies on Saturday and talk about their plans to fight climate change. Will you be there to hear what they have to say? Events are planned for dozens of communities all around the U.S. — come on out and make […]

Gore addresses mayors via satellite

Sorry I wasn’t able to do my signature live-blogging today — there was no wi-fi at the Edgewater, or rather, they had wi-fi you had to pay for, and I’m cheap. Plus we left mid-day to go see Clinton’s address, and there wasn’t wi-fi at Benaroya Hall either. When oh when will Seattle get municipal […]

An unseasonably warm night and a doomed-to-melt dessert

November is the new September. — Aladdin Ossorio I’ve been itching to make a Baked Alaska. In 1989, the year the Exxon Valdez spilled oil all over Prince William Sound, my friends and I had several Baked Alaska parties featuring a whiskey-laced “Exxon Valdez Fudge Sauce” that I concocted to recreate the oil slick — […]

Grist to appear on the ‘Today’ show

We're pleased as punch to let you know that NBC's Today show has invited Grist to be part of its special "Ends of the Earth" environmental coverage the week of Nov. 5. While Matt, Al, and Ann venture to exotic locales like Antarctica, the Arctic, and the equator, we'll be hangin' with Meredith in Rockefeller Plaza, offering up green-living hints from our new book, Wake Up and Smell the Planet. Keep an eye out for us on Monday, Nov. 5, and Tuesday, Nov. 6, between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., on NBC.

And hey, while we're allowing ourselves to preen a little: did you happen to notice our recent appearances in Time and Newsweek? Yep, we're blushing, but we're also really excited that our site and our book are making a splash.

Haven't gotten yourself a copy of that book yet? Buy it today. It makes a good read, a great holiday gift, and a fantastic doorstop.

The efficient alternative to coal power in China

China's rapacious coal plant building is neither moral nor sustainable, as discussed in Part I. Yet many supply-side alternatives, like nuclear and hydro, are problematic for the country.

What should China do to satisfy its insatiable thirst for energy? Go back to their amazing energy efficiency policies of the 1980s and early 1990s.

China's energy history can be divided into several phases, as we learn from Dr. Mark Levine, cofounder of the Beijing Energy Efficiency Center (see terrific video here).

The first phase (1949-1980) was a "Soviet Style" energy policy during which there were subsidized energy prices, no concern for the environment, and energy usage that rose faster than economic growth (GDP).

The second phase (1981-1999) was "California on steroids," when the country embraced an aggressive push on energy management and energy efficiency, surpassing the efficiency efforts California achieved since the mid-1970s. This came about as a result of Deng Xiaoping heeding the advice of a group of leading academic experts who suggested a new approach to energy. Chinese strategies included: