Latest Articles

New report says there’s a ton waiting to be used

From an MIT press release: A comprehensive new MIT-led study of the potential for geothermal energy within the United States has found that mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the Earth’s hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in […]

Do You See What IPCC?

World braces for much-anticipated international climate report Tired of guessing what President Bush will say tomorrow, some have moved on to guessing what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will say Feb. 2. Thanks to leaks from the ranks of more than 2,500 scientists and officials involved in the multi-year creation and review of the […]

All This Progress is Making Us Woozy

Massachusetts to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative after all Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), reversing a decision by predecessor Mitt Romney (R), has announced that his state will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a now eight-state pact that seeks to cut Northeast emissions beginning in 2009. “We want everyone to know that Massachusetts will […]

Capsize Does Matter

Beached British cargo ship leaks oil, shipping containers, motorcycles A damaged British cargo ship beached off the country’s coast is leaking oil, losing containers full of toxic materials, and threatening a World Heritage Site. On a happier note, it’s provided a beachcombing bonanza, with items including BMW motorcycles, exhaust system parts, and wine barrels washing […]

Will Dingell obstruct on climate change?

Apparently, John Dingell is not sitting idly by as Nancy Pelosi sticks a thumb in his eye on global warming.

An editorial in the NYT mentions that he has sent out a "quiet little letter to the members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce ... he said he would put climate change at the top of the committee agenda this year and, for good measure, would invite Al Gore ... to testify first."

The editorial paints Dingell as less of an "obstruction" than others have:

What’s up with that?

In the midst of its unremarkable editorial urging Al Gore to testify to John Dingell if Dingell asks — bold, NYT, bold! — comes this point, which I’ve been wondering about: In recent years, serious discussion of climate change has been largely confined to the Senate. This probably demonstrates some sort of spectacular political naivete […]

Watch

The Energy Star Alliance is running a public service announcement profiling a fictional family powering their house with static electricity.

It's a pretty funny commercial; I wish I knew the ad firm that did it.

Yes Man shakes it at Sundance, talks about next film

Is that … ? Oh Yes, Men. Caught a glimpse of one of the guys famed for convincing the WTO to use recycled human waste to solve global hunger, and other satirical hijinks, as he shook his groove thing at Saturday night’s documentary party. Later, in a conversation powered by the renewable fuel source Stella […]

They’re crumbling

What a pleasant surprise to see Jacques Leslie, a journalist and real expert on dams, with a long op-ed on the hallowed pages of the New York Times. Leslie, author of Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People and the Environment, highlights the threat posed by poorly maintained and increasingly failing dams around the country:

Unlike, say, waterways and sanitation plants, a majority of dams -- 56 percent of those inventoried -- are privately owned, which is one reason dams are among the country's most dangerous structures. Many private owners can't afford to repair aging dams; some owners go so far as to resist paying by tying up official repair demands in court or campaigning to weaken state dam safety laws.

Kinda makes you want to find out what is upstream.

LCV’s seen more stars than I have

The League of Conservation Voters is here at Sundance this week, and they have actually succeeded in meeting famous people and talking to them about climate change. LCV Senior VP for Political Affairs Tony Massaro has been in Park City this weekend for the opening of Everything’s Cool and for some on-the-ground filming with celebs. […]