Latest Articles
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Who the public trusts on the environment
The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (PDF), ably summarized by Ruy Teixeira, probes the public's confidence in the two parties on a variety of issues.
On the question of "protecting the environment," the Democrats outpoll the Republicans by 39%. (Dems 49%, R's 10%, both about the same 21%, neither 13%, not sure 7%.) The difference was 27% back in 1992 and has risen fitfully ever since. After a small dip in 2002, it is now at its highest ever.
Make of it what you will.
(Interesting -- though not eco-related -- thoughts on the poll from Ed Kilgore and Mark Schmitt.)
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Can we make a power shift without nuclear power?
Yesterday I noted that Judith Lewis' otherwise excellent piece on nuclear power elided what is, from the environmentalist's point of view, the central question: Could we achieve the same power shift away from fossil fuels without nuclear power?
Latter-day green proponents of nuclear power say we couldn't, but that's all they do: say so. Why can't we get some kind of definitive answer? Lewis, in an email, says the question is just too damn vexed:
The thing is, I could find people who could show you the math that says wind and solar could replace coal next year, and an equal number of sane and competent experts who would argue, convincingly, that they aren't. I don't think we'll know who's right until someone actually does it -- someone with huge piles of cash to pour into distributing renewable power on a large scale.
That sounds about right to me. I've seen confident claims that plug-in hybrids alone could solve the energy problem, and equally confident claims that nothing -- no mix of solar, wind, nuclear, whatever -- is going to make up the difference from oil. I've seen a lot of confidence, but nothing that strikes me as dispositive.
So how to puzzle through this question?
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Sustainable-ag legend Joel Salatin can farm — but can he write?
Over the past 20 years, Joel Salatin has emerged as a sort of guru of the sustainable-food movement. His 500-acre Polyface Farm in Swoope, Va., is legendary among a small circle of foodies for its robustly flavored beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. Among farmers, Salatin has won cult status for his innovations in multi-species, pasture-based […]
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Carbon Choppy
Northeast greenhouse-gas pact delayed The long-negotiated and much-anticipated — by us climate geeks anyway — cap-and-trade climate pact among nine Northeast states, originally set to be announced this week, has been delayed. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has extended negotiations, saying that with recent spikes in energy prices, the plan would raise the cost of […]
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Parkinson’s Lot
Evidence grows linking Parkinson’s disease to pesticide exposure Put down the Raid and back away slowly: Scientists are growing more confident that long-term exposure to toxic substances, notably pesticides, is implicated in most cases of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers first made a link between Parkinson’s and paraquat, a weedkiller long popular around the world, in the […]
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See the Forest for the Fees
Tropical nations want payment for protecting carbon-sinking rainforests “Cough up the dough, Mr. West, or the forest gets it!” OK, we’re being a little dramatic. But a group of 10 developing nations has made it clear this week at the U.N. climate summit in Montreal that it wants a little … inducement … to preserve […]
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Indulge Us
Grist comes up with another creative way to ask for money If there’s one thing environmentalists are good at, it’s feeling bad. As 2005 comes to a close, are you fretting about that cruise you took, that car you bought, those plastic bags you tossed? Well, here’s a way to feel better: buy a Grist […]
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Late soul
Some six months after the cool kids did it, the American Prospect gets around to running an excerpt from The Soul of Environmentalism.
I'm not saying. I'm just saying.
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BP gives carbon cutting tips
Oil companies have started to hint in their advertising that easy oil will not last forever. Still, I was a little surprised to find that BP's site has a cheeky little Flash-based household carbon emissions calculator (complete with animated Fisher-Price men), advertised online with a tagline of "Small carbon footprints can make a big difference."
