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Car mileage testing will catch up with reality, EPA declares After years of criticism from greens and independent testing groups, the U.S. EPA announced on Friday that its rules for testing automobile fuel economy will finally be updated and revised. New standards should be in place for testing 2008 model year cars. It’s a move […]

FOX in thrall to Kennedy and Clinton?

Good grief, FOX's decision to run a special on global warming that accurately reflects the scientific consensus is really driving righties around the bend.

In the course of ranting about FOX's inexplicable capitulation to science radical lefties, Cliff Kincaid floats this theory:

Some observers think FNC turned its airtime over to [Robert] Kennedy [Jr.] because he may be in a position to help or hurt them. It has been reported that Kennedy wants to run for high office in New York, where FNC parent News Corporation is based. FNC is said to be cozying up to New York Senator Hillary Clinton for the same reason. 

Who, I wonder, are these "some observers," and why are they not named? And why must Hillary Clinton play a role in every single right-wing conspiracy theory, no matter what the subject?

Ah well. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to contemplate the full ramifications of this wingnuttery.

How did the comedy special on global warming do?

As discussed in Grist's interview with Larry David, last night TBS aired a comedy special about global warming titled "Earth to America!"

As I don't get TBS, I was wondering if any of you happened to watch. If so, how was it?

Based on the posts over on TBS's community forums, some people were disappointed and claim that the comedians focused more on politics than on the issue of global warming. Any truth to that?

One-stop shopping

Lots of good stuff stuff in Mike Millikin's week in sustainable transportation.

Chavez will sell oil to U.S. poor

Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, has harshly criticized George W. Bush for his indifference to poverty in the U.S. Now it looks like Chavez planning to rub his face in it:

Venezuela will soon begin selling heating oil at discount prices to poor communities in Boston and New York, following up on a promise by President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's state oil company announced.

Suffice to say, this is unlikely to warm their already-frosty relations.

New fuel-economy tests at EPA

The U.S. EPA will replace its much-criticized tests for fuel-economy by the end of the year. The current tests are said to dramatically overstate fuel efficiency. The new ones will take into account "faster driving, more idling in traffic, and more abrupt acceleration and braking."

Sierra Club Chronicles

From a Sierra Club press release, we learn:

"Sierra Club Chronicles," a new monthly television series produced by [Robert] Greenwald, captures the dramatic efforts of committed individuals across the country working every day to protect the health of their environment and their communities.

"All over America, there are inspirational, real life stories of women and men defending their homes, health and families from environmental hazards and threats," explained Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "'Sierra Club Chronicles' will take viewers directly into those communities and provide a first hand look at these profiles in environmental courage."

The people and stories profiled in "Sierra Club Chronicles" come from diverse backgrounds: ranchers in New Mexico, emergency medical technicians in New York City, fishermen in Alaska, neighbors of a chemical plant in Mississippi, but all are united in a common cause: the fight to protect their families, communities and the lands and livelihoods they love from pollution, corporate greed and short-sighted government policies.

"Sierra Club Chronicles" consists of seven half-hour episodes that will launch on Link TV on January 12, 2006 immediately following the ACLU's original half hour program, "Freedom Files." One new program will premiere the second Thursday of each month at 8:30 PM Eastern and Pacific through July 2006. Link Satellite TV is on DirecTV channel 375 and Dish Network channel 9410. (www.linktv.org).

For more information, visit www.sierraclubtv.org.

[editor's note, by David Roberts] For those who don't know, Robert Greenwald is the director of Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, and most recently, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices.

Readers talk back about big-box stores, hot water, peak oil, and more

  Re: The Wrong Target Dear Editor: It’s laudable that Grist would strive to include diverse viewpoints. However, I am disappointed that the editors would accept such a shoddy piece of journalism. Having a minority opinion (at least among environmentalists) is one thing. Failing to include and address crucial facts about one’s subject is another. […]

Are gas prices and gas consumption connected?

It may come as a bit of a surprise: Despite rising gas prices over the past few years, total consumption of highway fuels in the U.S. has actually increased rather than fallen. Some have seized on this phenomenon -- prices and consumption rising in tandem -- to suggest that changes in gas prices have no discernible effect on how much gas we actually use.

The idea that gas prices have no effect on consumption doesn't square with economic theory, to put it mildly. And this Excel spreadsheet (courtesy of Charles Komanoff and the ever-informative Todd Litman) sheds some light on what's really going on. Apparently, even as U.S. gas prices have risen, so have population and GDP. And GDP growth tends to push consumption levels up -- in fact, over the short term, gas consumption seems to be far more responsive to changes in GDP than to changes in prices.

Forests Forever

Ok, it's Friday, so give yourself a little break and head on over to what I've found to be one of the most spectacular photo essays on the web. Forests Forever combines stunning photography, serene music, and Flash animation to create a fascinating virtual tour of some of our planet's most beautiful forests. Each photo gallery is accompanied by supplemental educational information and a photographer profile.

I haven't watched them all yet, but my favorite thus far is the one about the forests in Baobab Avenue, Madagascar. Additionally, there is a cool interactive piece titled "Consciousness," which provides a history of plant life on the planet, a review of the different types of vegetation, and more.

Seriously, after you've read Daily Grist, head directly to www.forests-forever.com, which was developed by Fujifilm.