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Buying hybrid SUVs allows car companies to sell gas-guzzlers

Oy. I used to think the introduction of hybrid SUVs was generally a good thing -- with perhaps even greater potential for saving fuel than hybrid cars. But this New York Times article brings up a point I simply hadn't considered: Buying a fuel-efficient SUV makes it possible for car companies to sell big gas guzzlers without incurring any penalties under federal CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards. From the article:

[E]very Toyota Highlander hybrid S.U.V. begets a hulking Lexus S.U.V., and every Ford Escape -- the hybrid S.U.V. that Kermit the Frog hawked during the Super Bowl -- makes room for a Lincoln Navigator, which gets all of 12 miles a gallon. Instead of simply saving gas when you buy a hybrid, you're giving somebody else the right to use it.

This is vexing, to say the least.

Mustache v. Cheney

I can't very well let a Tom Friedman column go by without comment, now can I?

Today the Mustache grasps the rear end of our Vice President, carefully aligns it, and then gives it a swift kick.

Well done.

Umbra on bamboo flooring

Dear Umbra, We will be putting in new flooring in the very near future. My first choice was hardwood, but I have recently read a lot about bamboo. Because it is renewable, it seems to be a better option. But how is it grown? Who is harvesting it? Are the people in the industry fair […]

The Present Future

Glimpsing the predicament of our moment, of "a human world newly and suddenly vulnerable to the forces of a changed planet," writer and artist team up to question the fantasy of human control over destiny.

That's the tag line for "The Present Future: Paintings for a very hot planet," a showcase of paintings by Alexis Rockman, accompanied by an essay from Bill McKibben, in the latest issue of Orion Magazine. Check it out.

WTO rules that Europe must accept gene-modified food

In other big news today, the WTO ruled that the European Union has to accept genetically modified food, like it or not. More specifically, it ruled that countries that have banned the import of GMOs have broken international trade laws, since such bans have insufficient "scientific basis." This is glorious news for the Bush administration, which is eager to pry open EU markets for America's copious output of GM crops.

I don't know all the ins and outs of the ruling; it's an incredibly complex issue. I believe/hope our resident food expert will be chiming in soon with some more informed commentary.

But on first blush, I tend to think Roger Pielke Jr. has it exactly right:

Obama and Inslee propose to save the American auto industry by paying it to do the smart thing

Don't miss "Salvaging the Auto Industry," a Boston Globe op-ed from Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), two of the Dems' brightest lights on energy issues. (Inslee wrote a piece in Grist on his New Apollo Energy Act.)

Obama and Inslee propose a piece of legislation called the "Health Care for Hybrids" Act. The idea is that the feds would help American auto companies pay some of their enormous healthcare costs; in return, the companies would commit to using the money to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.

I'm a little dubious about the bill on the merits.

Just can’t quit

Three guesses who said this:

Americans depend upon [oil] imports to fill the gap. No combination of conservation measures, alternative energy sources and technological advances could realistically and economically provide a way to completely replace those imports in the short or medium term.

The answer will shock you.

Oh, wait, no it won't.

(via TP)

Me and Lester Brown

Early tomorrow morning, I'm interviewing Lester Brown. What should I ask him?

Brown founded the Worldwatch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute, where he now serves as president. He's the author of the recently released Plan B 2.0, which is, as I said yesterday, the best big-picture summary of our environmental situation -- both the problems and the solutions -- I've ever read. (All in a slim 266 pages, not including the copious footnotes.)

The entire book is online in both HTML and PDF form. But you should buy it anyway, just to toss a couple bucks EPI's way.

Anyway, Brown is a legend in environmental circles; the Washington Post called him "one of the world's most influential thinkers." And I'm just some blogger.

So what should I ask him?

Paradise Found

Researchers discover treasure trove of new tropical species in Indonesia Just when we thought we’d colonized it all: Scientists have discovered a jungle in New Guinea’s Foja mountains that is home to hundreds of rare and dozens of previously unknown species of flora and fauna. Researchers were helicoptered into the Rhode Island-sized area and spent […]

Bodies, Asbestos, and Motion

Controversial bill to create asbestos trust fund moves ahead in Senate An epic drama is playing out in the U.S. Capitol over … asbestos. Seriously. A bill — which, after a 98 to 1 vote in the Senate yesterday, will now move to the floor for debate — would create a $140 billion industry-financed trust […]