Latest Articles
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Making things out of wood sequesters carbon, turns out
One telling point that carbon tax advocates make against cap-and-trade systems is that they create an enormous incentive for rent-seeking. Now it seems the timber industry is getting in on the game. Via Greenwire (sub rqd), this has my BS alarm all a-ringin’: [Timber] Industry groups are lobbying Congress and making a public relations push […]
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Virgin Festival ‘near-zero waste’ for first time
The two-day Virgin music festival next weekend at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will feature performances by The Police, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the Beastie Boys, as well as some bettin’ on the ponies (!) — but organizers are also gambling on concert-goers to "green it like they mean it" as they plan for a […]
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Solar has arrived
Pacific Gas & Electric is buying 550 MW of concentrated solar. It’s one of the biggest solar purchases ever, from what will be the world’s biggest concentrated solar plant. The company is trying to conform to California’s mandate that it get 20% of its power from renewables by 2010. According to Mr. [Fong] Wan [VP […]
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Traveling toilet warns us about sewage pollution
Um, ew. American Rivers has a new campaign to raise awareness about sewage contamination in our rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans. It involves a talking toilet named “Flushie”:
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Walkable town centers are hip
In "Center points: Urban lifestyle gains foothold in growing list of suburbs," a Chicago Tribune journalist describes the beginnings of a new phenomenon that could have a bigger impact than better CAFE standards, carbon taxes, or cap-and-trade of emissions, in my humble opinion: walkable town centers.
If people could actually walk from their residence to a store, train station, or even work, perhaps the constant rise in miles driven in automobiles would start to come down:
At opposite ends of the generational spectrum, Baby Boomers and buyers in their 20s are getting credit for supporting the emergence of suburban centers where people live close to restaurants, stores, theaters and even boutique hotels and spas. The key is to find housing that is an integral part of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.
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Borrowing and banking carbon — the new black
So you want to have greenhouse gas standards with teeth, but you want to minimize the risk they take too big a bite from the economy. And, of course, like me, you don't like the safety valve idea. What do you do? Banking and borrowing, of course.
With "banking," the right to emit carbon can be saved for future use. With "borrowing," current emissions are extended against future abatement.
What is fascinating is that today a detailed banking and borrowing proposal, "Cost-Containment for the Carbon Market," was put forward by four moderate senators -- Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and John Warner (R-Va.) -- with the help of Duke University's environmental program.
A Greenwire piece (sub. req) notes "a top environmental group also didn't shy away from the latest idea":
"This is an interesting proposal to help address cost concerns while maintaining the integrity of the emissions cap," said David Doniger, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Borrowing and repayment is far preferable to the safety valve, which breaks the cap by allowing firms to increase emissions with no payback requirement.
I agree. Kudos to the Senators for moving the debate forward. Here are more excerpts from the piece:
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Marching for climate action in the Granite State
Remember all that hubbub about Step it Up? Though we haven’t heard much about it since the successful event back in April, in many communities across America, the momentum continues. As part of the fallout, groups are working to “reenergize” communities with more actions and events, especially in states that will play a big role […]
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For reducing the climate crisis
There are ongoing debates about the best way to address global warming, with most centering on whether a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade scheme is best (or some combination of the two). There are also some lively, though less extensive, debates about the extent to which we should balance our attempts to reduce global warming with mitigating its effects.
I would like to shift the focus a little and ask the question: which policies will best promote technological innovation? Simple demographics and economic trends make it impossible to significantly curtail greenhouse gas emissions without major technological advances.
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How coal CO2 is different from oil CO2
Our top climate scientist has sent out a really, really long email (where does he find the time?), mostly discussing comments on his recent essay on coal. I think Hansen is the clearest thinker on climate among the top scientists in the field, so I will reprint the email, breaking it up into several postings. The first one addresses "Coal-CO2 versus Oil-CO2":
