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Sudden Impact

Glacier expert warns that climate is warming abruptly A renowned glacier expert says the earth’s climate has passed a tipping point and entered a period of rapid warming that may threaten human civilization. Other than that, he’s a barrel of laughs. Lonnie Thompson, who has taken core samples from glaciers for 23 years, suggests that […]

At Least the Bugs Are Dead

Pesticide use increases risk of Parkinson’s disease, new study finds Exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, concludes a broad, long-term study. Researchers followed the health of 143,325 people since 1982 and found that those regularly exposed to pesticides had a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson’s. The research, published in the […]

All About EV

Grist talks with the makers of Who Killed the Electric Car? In the 1990s, California required automakers to introduce zero-emission cars. GM put out the electric EV-1, a sporty coupe that inspired head-over-heels devotion among the few people who got their hands on one. Then California backed down, the car leases ran out, and GM […]

Are We There Yet?

Grist thanks donors, pleads for support from the rest of you As Grist gears up to bring you edgier reporting, more green-living advice, and increasingly interactive content, we’re asking for a little help from our friends. We’re two-thirds of the way toward our fundraising goal, thanks to those of you who’ve generously donated already. The […]

Kerry energy speech

John Kerry -- approaching full campaign mode -- delivered a major energy speech yesterday. It blahs on and on toward the beginning, but finishes strong. (Here's an mp3 of the speech.)

Even reading his text, I imagine him delivering it and drift to somnolence. But this 'graph is choice:

For evidence, look no further than the fake energy bill Congress enacted over bipartisan objections -- a monstrosity with no guiding national goal, no tough decisions, no change in priorities -- just a logrolling, back-scratching collection of subsidies for any industry with the clout to get a seat at the table and a share of the pork. A few good ideas, a lot of bad ideas and ugly ideas -- Washington smiled equally upon all of them.

Fun stuff. Almost every speechwriter or rhetorician gets more eloquent when they're gripped with righteous fury. Not sure why that is.

Here's the mission statement:

Can you say misguided?

NYT today reports on the rise? emergence? rediscovery? of geoengineering options to combat global warming.

For me this stuff falls into the category of bad adaptation strategies; wait until we're really SOL and then spend gobs of money on big techy solutions that may not work, but look cool.

There's plenty more critique to be had in the article itself.

A conversation with the makers of Who Killed the Electric Car?

Chris Paine, the director of Who Killed the Electric Car?, looks a little embarrassed as he walks toward his waiting limo. “I should really have them drop us off a block away from the theater,” he says, laughing uneasily. At least he’s carpooling. Dean Devlin and Chris Paine at Sundance. Photo: Fred Hayes/WireImage. With him […]

Kerry energy speech

Here's the big news from John Kerry's energy speech today:

I propose establishing an aggressive economy wide cap and trade program to reverse emissions growth starting in 2010. After that, we will progress to more rapid reductions and end at 65 percent below 2000 emissions by the year 2050.

That's by far the most aggressive proposal for reducing CO2 emissions I've heard from any major politician.

More on the speech later.

(You can listen to an mp3 of the speech here.)

Schadenfreude alert

Rush Limbaugh was busted on his way back from the Dominican Republic with unprescribed Viagra.

Yippee!

Earth's Climate Warming Abruptly, Scientist Says:

The warming around Earth's tropical belt is a signal suggesting that the "climate system has exceeded a critical threshold," which has sent tropical-zone glaciers in full retreat and will melt them completely "in the near future," said Lonnie G. Thompson, a scientist who for 23 years has been taking core samples from the ancient ice of glaciers.

Thompson, writing with eight other researchers in an article published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the ice samples show that the climate can and did cool quickly, and that a similarly abrupt warming change started about 50 years ago. Humans may not have the luxury of adapting to slow changes, he suggests.