Latest Articles
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And other tips from celebs
Happy Monday, y’all. If your weekend was as awesome as mine (read: not awesome), you’ll need some entertaining celeb goss to get you going this week. So here goes: Leonardo DiCaprio announced this weekend during press for his documentary 11th Hour (which I’ve heard, ps, is not awesome, though I hope I misheard) that he […]
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His new book, about stupid media, is treated stupidly by the media
Al Gore has a new book coming out called The Assault on Reason. It’s about the sickness of our democratic dialogue, the systemic features of our culture and media that lead us to ignore evidence, focus on trivialities, and accept deception after deception. Gore’s going to be out promoting the book, and there’s a certain […]
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On a new McKibben editorial
If this were the daily sunset you had gotten used to growing up, you would understand the hesitancy of even Bill McKibben, a renowned environmentalist, to okay wind turbines on the horizon, interfering with bird migration in order to generate electricity.
However, in an opinion article in which McKibben confesses his sentiment, entitled "One world, one problem," he ultimately resolves:
In this world, the threat to that landscape, and to those birds, comes far more from rapid shifts in temperature than from a few dozen towers.
McKibben goes on to write a testament to the gravity of climate change and its meaning for the environmental movement, which the existential call for action is uniting. No matter your top concern -- clean water, dolphin populations, crop survival, energy consumption -- there is a link to climate change and a bigger picture to keep in mind.
This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
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Three wheels, 40 mph top speed, and 20-mile range I can live with …
… but zebra stripes?!
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All green eyes turn to the West Coast
Popularized by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the term "Californication" actually refers to the surge of Californians migrating up the West Coast following the opening of a major highway. In this context, we're hoping we can Californicate the state's climate change and energy policies to the rest of the Union.
Since the 1970s, California has kept its per capita energy use at a level rate, using primarily energy efficiency programs. Over time and with minimal spending, the cost of electricity under the programs is 1.4 cents per kilowatt-hour. That's an outstanding rate compared to traditional or even carbon-free energy sources.
I discuss California's unique route in Chapter 7 of Hell and High Water, but you can access the information from the California Energy Commission or this PowerPoint with graphics.
When our country gets serious about addressing climate change and energy dependence, we need active national attention and proliferation of California's policies.
A good start is Paul Krugman's editorial in the New York Times from earlier this year. You need a Times Select subscription, but it is included below because it's too good to miss:
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Plus, He Made That Boat Sink
Leonardo DiCaprio brings climate-change film to Cannes A year ago, Al Gore spread the climate-change message at the Cannes Film Festival. Now it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn. The former boy wonder produced, co-wrote, and narrated The 11th Hour, a documentary that explores how industrial society screwed itself and how it can fix the problem. Relying on […]
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Is It Worm in Here?
Deep-water mining could be bad news for seafloor organisms, say experts Pop quiz: Would deep-water mining harm fragile ecosystems? An article in Science gives the shocking answer: Vancouver-based Nautilus Minerals’ pioneering plan to dig out gold, copper, silver, and zinc from hydrothermal vents in the South Pacific would likely create unpleasantness for the hardy organisms […]
