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Some reservations about global warming policy

As one who advocates a rational and methodologically sound approach to global warming policy, I think that the just-published Stern Report provides a strong case that action should be taken.

Before I continue with why I still have some reservations, let me suggest that Grist readers who are critical of economics take a good look at this report. It is the breadth of the economic analysis, the attention to detail, and the range of policy options (informed by sound economic analysis) that make this report so powerful. It is also endorsed by some of the most prominent economists in the world, which gives it immense credibility. It is because it is the work of good economists that it is being taken seriously and may actually motivate government action. Whether you like it or not, the two most powerful groups of scientists engaged in global warming policy are climatologists and economists.

Now to why I am still wary of the conclusions.

Umbra on dripless candles

Dear Umbra, My family is a big fan of dripless candles. They’re beautiful and don’t provide piles of wax that tempt fingers into creating little messes. Can you tell us how these candles work and if they are environmentally “safe”? Anna Ruth New York, N.Y. Dearest Anna, For me, playing with melted wax was a […]

What if the Midwest stopped trying to feed the world and started focusing on itself?

Is the sun setting on Midwest farming, or can it be saved by the dawn of a new model?In Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a sailor contemplates the paradox of thirst amid a literal sea of water. “Water, water everywhere,” he famously laments, “nor any drop to drink.” Rural Midwesterners can likely identify with […]

Smell some defeat

Since it's currently my second-favorite holiday and my first-favorite holiday is coming up in just one week, I thought I'd post a treat for all those pining for up-to-the-minute interactive maps on poll results around the country, via pollster.com.

Senate, House, and governor.

Look, when you you mouse over the states, the poll results come up! It's sorta like trick-or-treating! Some chocolate bars, some apples with razors in them.

Ignoring climate change could clobber world economy, and more

Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: A Stern Talking-to Slow Down, You Hoover Too Fast Junk in the Trunk Here So Suin’? Eco-friendly Fire Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Beyond the Whopper Ethanomics 101 Pom and Jerry Say It: Don’t Spray It Boo-ty Call You Down […]

Some are better than others

Check out Sightline's clever new ad against Washington's odious initiative 933:

Contrast it to the somewhat less clever ad from the official No On I-933 folks:

Great veggies — and a model for city farming — thrive at Boggy Creek Farm models.

In “Mad Flavor,” the author describes his occasional forays from the farm in search of exceptional culinary experiences from small artisanal producers. Mad Flavor is currently reporting from location in Austin, the author’s hometown. The first thing to say about Austin’s Boggy Creek Farm is that its vegetables have mad flavor. Russian-red kale so bursting […]

Slow Food event in Italy

Slow Food recently wrapped up its biennial event, Terra Madre, in Turin, Italy. The conference gathers food producers from around the world to share information, stories, and food. Slow Food had a running blog of the event, with pictures and audio.

We are the voices of Terra Madre. We believe in good, clean and fair food. These are our stories, our pictures, our questions and answers, our problems, concerns, fears, failures and successes.

So mangiati il fegato (eat your heart out).

Signs of hope in the elephant party

In a week's time, the political climate in America will change -- or so the experts tell us. Pollster Charlie Cook, the "Oracle of Washington," calls this a "wave" election, compares it to 1994, and predicts Republicans will lose "at least 20 to 35 seats, possibly more." In the L.A. Times, conservative historian Niall Ferguson compares this election to 1958. That year, a two-term Republican president found himself stuck with an unpopular war and a sluggish economy. The GOP lost 48 seats, setting the stage for a dynamic new Democratic president in 1960, and Democratic domination of the Congress for the next 20 years.

If the election goes as these pollsters predict, November 7th will be "the end of George W. Bush's presidency as he has known it," reported the Washington Post.

Will prospects improve for environmental protection? Probably. But much will still depend on the Republican Party.

The Texas Supply-chain Massacre

Federal agency says cost-cutting a factor in fatal BP refinery explosion Ooh, what a little belt-tightening can do: a new federal review says cost-cutting by BP contributed to the 2005 refinery explosion in Texas City, Texas, that killed 15 workers and injured 180 others. Carolyn Merritt, chair of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, says the […]