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Weird Al rocks my socks off

This video has nothing to do with the environment but my white and nerdy husband is insisting that I blog it perpetuates the stereotype that Priuses are white and nerdy. Sigh.

The same implication is made for the Segway, but I can't say I disagree.

Critique is a good thing

I read the Worldwatch/CAP Report on Renewable Energy (PDF) last night and agree with Dave that it is a good document. The biofuels section raised my eyebrows more than it should have. I critique it below.

Here is the bottom line on crop-based biofuels, and I am not alone in this assessment (for once) -- Monbiot and Brown share my concerns. You have to replace on the world market every grain or bean you stop exporting and instead feed to an American car. Regardless of what others were using that grain for, the only way for other farmers on the planet to fill that hole is to grow more crops and the only way to grow more crops is to clear more land and the only land left to clear are rainforest carbon sinks and other assorted ecosystems.

Growing our own just forces others to grow their own. You cannot put the same bean into both your stomach and gas tank. When a biofuel profit taker tells you that biofuels do not compete for food, they are lying through their teeth. 70% of a corn kernel is lost to the human food chain when you use it to make ethanol.

It’s a TKO

Oh, this is delicious. You may recall Sen. James Inhofe's wackadoo speech on global warming and media bias the other day. Well, CNN did a segment on it, pointing out the many flaws and falsehoods. They ended with this: "Inhofe challenged the media to get this story straight in that speech, but when we asked for an interview with him we were told he's just too busy to speak with us this week."

Sweet, sweet schadenfreude.

Update [2006-9-28 16:28:4 by David Roberts]: Inhofe responds.

The Amazing Technicolor Dream Cote

Ivory Coast scandal highlights illegal dumping of toxic waste The recent dumping of toxic oil byproducts and subsequent deaths of eight citizens in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has highlighted the shady world of illegal toxic-waste disposal. The practice of unloading nasties on developing countries was addressed by the U.N.’s Basel Convention in 1989 (you remember that […]

Can’t See the Forest for the Bling

Northern forests worth up to $250 billion a year, research says You thought they were just standing there, but forests in Russia, Canada, and other northern nations provide services worth up to $250 billion a year, say Canadian researchers. Water filtration, erosion control, habitat provision, greenhouse-gas absorption, and tourist attraction are highly lucrative pursuits that […]

Quick, Hide the Mung Beans

Unexpected levels of human-caused methane could mean trouble A rise in human-caused methane emissions — a phrase that certainly does not make us giggle — has been masked by a decline in natural methane releases, says a new report in Nature. Atmospheric concentrations of methane, less abundant than carbon dioxide but 20 times greenhouse-gassier, have […]

Anti-Kelo measures cover for anti-planning measures

There was an odd little story in USA Today on Sunday, covering the raft of so-called "property rights" initiatives on the November ballot throughout the Western U.S.

I say odd, because it almost completely misses the point.

Man-made reef of tires deemed failure

Off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale lies a 36-acre pile of tires -- 2 million of them to be exact. Could it be the final resting place of the infamous Firestone recall of 2000? Not exactly. The area is actually Osbourne Reef -- a man-made reef that's been around since the '70s. At first glance, it looks more like a sea of tires than a marine habitat. But upon closer inspection ... yup, still a sea of tires.

Until you know what

... until the election.

With people like Pombo and Inhofe chairing the most important environment-related committees in Congress, there has never been a more urgent time for change since, well, since the last time we had a chance to throw the bums out.

Seriously, if this were a movie, you'd pan it for being too over the top. "C'mon," you'd say. "Just as time is running out in the fight against apocalyptic global warming, the most important committee chairpersonships are given to anti-science flat-earthers in the pocket of big oil? You expect me to believe that? The situation was too unrealistic for me to emotionally identify with the crisis. Hollywood ... " a rueful shake of the head, "Thumbs down."

It's not essential to defeat them individually, though that would add welcome schadenfraude. We just need to change the balance of power in Congress, and let someone else take the reins. You know the score. We need a net of 15 seats in the House, and 30 plus are well in play. We need 6 in the Senate -- that's a tougher fight. I don't give a flying flip if you want to save the whales, kill the whales, or just use alternative interrogation methods on them -- my idea of an environmentalist is someone who doesn't wake up November 8 thinking: I coulda done more.

Fully built climate satellite left sitting unused in warehouse

This article at Seed is astonishing:

At a time when the Earth's climate is at the top of practically every nation's agenda, it might seem perplexing that there's a $100 million, fully completed climate-sensing satellite stored in a warehouse in Maryland ... Could the decision to kill DSCOVR have anything to do with the politics of climate science?

The shocking answer after the jump!