Latest Articles
-
Should we be surprised?
This post was written by Kari, the ClimateProgress assistant.
A year and a half overdue, the Bush Administration finally submitted its Climate Action Report -- 2006 (CAR) last Friday afternoon, with hardly any mention by government officials of the report or its shameful findings (like a 15.8 percent increase in U.S. emissions since 1990).
While the mainstream media has been either silent or blind to the report's release, major kudos are due to the blogosphere. The few adept, new media journalists to blog on the report include Kevin Grandia from DeSmogBlog and Rick Piltz at Climate Science Watch.
-
Stupid on smart meters
Southern California Edison wants to distribute smart meters to its customers. That’s a great idea. Consumer group Utility Reform Network is fighting it. That is, as Kevin says, immeasurably stupid. Argh.
-
Now that’s a 12-step program
A hopeful press release touting an even more hopeful (wishful?) report:
-
How many are there in your state?
Via Modeshift, check out the Factory Farm Map, which shows the location of factory farms in the U.S. by state and by county. Here in Washington we have a relatively low eight. Sorry to all you folks in Iowa, where there are 3,876. That’s a lot!
-
The latest from Congress
The Washington Post reports today:
Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) claims to have rounded up about 200 votes for an amendment raising fuel economy standards, while the Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, John D. Dingell (Mich.) and 50 other Democrats have signed on to a weaker version ... But yesterday, Pelosi said the bill was not likely to address fuel economy at all, postponing the issue until a conference committee reconciles House and Senate energy bills in September ...
Pelosi is eager to avoid a breach with the powerful Dingell, who opposes the Markey amendment and whose committee will handle many important pieces of legislation, including health care. The United Auto Workers union and automakers have also lobbied against the Markey measure.Unfortunately for the nation and the planet, Dingell is working to make fuel economy standards and serious action on climate as politically unpalatable as possible with a classic poison pill strategy:
-
-
An interview with Dennis Kucinich about his presidential platform on energy and the environment
This is part of a series of interviews with presidential candidates produced jointly by Grist and Outside. Update: Dennis Kucinich dropped out of the presidential race on Jan. 25, 2008. Dennis Kucinich. Photo: SEIU via flickr He may be eating the front-runners’ dust in the polls, but among deep-green voters, Dennis Kucinich is considered a […]
-
No surprises here, please
The electricity grid doesn't like surprises. Sudden voltage spikes or sags do not a healthy grid make. So proponents of large-scale solar and wind are working to create tools to smooth over volatility issues, so these generating resources can be integrated seamlessly onto the grid. If we're going to be in a position to rely on more solar and wind power and use these to replace significant amounts of power generated from coal, the grid planning and dispatch issues must be addressed.
Which brings us to yesterday's announcement by Tucson Electric Power (TEP) that they have received a $100,000 federal grant to study the problem as it relates specifically to solar power. Under the grant, they will "evaluate how effectively solar energy systems can replace traditional utility generating resources."
TEP will also evaluate "the true costs and benefits" of the almost 400 photovoltaic (PV) systems their customers have already installed in their service area through their SunShare program.
Read more here: "TEP Wins Federal Grant to Evaluate Solar Energy Systems."
-
Having survived Biosphere, she’s ready to enter the offset debate
A summary overview / intro to offsets by a woman who was one of the Biospherians.
-
They might be coming sooner than you think
From a NASA's Earth Observatory:
Hurricanes need two basic ingredients to develop: warm, moist air and a relatively calm atmosphere. Late summer over the Atlantic Ocean provides both things. Ocean waters above about 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit) give rise to the warm, moist air that fuels tropical storms, and winds that could tear a storm apart are light during the summer. Typically, the Atlantic is primed for hurricanes by early August, and the height of the hurricane season comes in September, though the official hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.
They have a great figure showing that the Gulf of Mexico is now warm and hurricane-ready. Get ready. It might be an interesting August.
