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Global meltdown. NOW goes inside the battle over global warming.

A little birdie forwarded this week's NOW newsletter which contained the following:

HOT WORLD, COLD COMFORT

Scientists say that over the last century, almost every glacier on earth has gotten smaller and that the Arctic, which serves as the "air conditioner" for the world, is warming twice as fast as anywhere else. It's part of the body of evidence, they say, that proves humans are changing the atmosphere and causing global climate change, which has enormous implications for the health of the planet and its inhabitants. So why are some in government still claiming that global warming is a hoax? On Earth Day, NOW analyzes the latest from the scientific and political fronts on climate change. The report looks at recent scientific evidence that has set off alarms about the implications of melting glaciers for rising ocean levels and talks to one coal-burning energy company that has voluntarily pledged to stabilize its greenhouse gas emissions.

To find out when NOW airs in your area, click here.

Also, right, um, now, the NOW home page is all about the environment. Aw, just in time for Earth Day.

Michael Shellenberger for the prosecution

So I'm reading this American Prospect essay by Michael Shellenberger (yes, he of Death fame/infamy) -- which is quite good, but not about anything environmental -- when I stumble across this other essay he did for the same pub, in 2002. It's about Cradle to Cradle author Bill McDonough, and how his politics aren't quite as sophisticated as his design ideas.

I flag it only because it -- particularly the latter half -- makes some good points that serve as a counterbalance to my recent corporate whoredom.

For the seeds of the next industrial revolution to survive and thrive, positive incentives won't be enough. For McDonough's innovations to be broadly adopted by industry he will need to start seeing government regulators and campaigning NGOs as useful allies to prepare the terrain.

Distributed generation

Next American City has an informative piece about what cities like San Francisco and Chicago are doing to encourage distributed generation and solar power. I'm a little more skeptical than author Jeff Perlman about whether photovoltaics are indeed ready for prime time, but that's no reason not to experiment.

Bumper Sticker and Grind

This is what counts as tangible these days?

Another essay on the Death Stuff, by Mike Lee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It's a reasonable summation, without much new. This bit is amusing, though:

But Grist.org recently reported one of the most tangible results of all the questions. The online magazine said several national environmental groups are paying for a high-level political strategist to help them rethink their message and methods.

If Mike had read the piece itself, I'm not sure he would have used the phrase "tangible results."

Two articles on Slate, one substantive, one funny — read the funny one.

Slate is running a piece by Paul Sabin on the Death Stuff. There's not much new there, but it links to us, so I'm linkin' back.

Much juicier is their hilarious article up about the celeb/green/media stuff we covered here, particularly Cameron Diaz's Trippin'. I must say, mocking celebrities is cheap and easy and kind of pointless.

But it's still pretty fun:

Indigenous British Columbia activists battle Weyerhaeuser

A note from Gristmill reader Japhet has prodded me to write about something that's been on my to-do list for weeks: There's a pretty amazing fight going down in a far-off corner of British Columbia. On the north coast, native residents of Haida Gwaii have been battling the provincial government over the old-growth forests on the islands -- blockading roads, seizing wood, and the like. It is, as Japhet says, a "collision of big business [namely Weyerhaeuser], indigenous people and government. Not much space left in that room." Indeed.

For background, read this story and this story. For the latest details, check the Rainforest Action Network blog (which Japhet runs), and also read these three posts by Eric on the Cascadia Scorecard blog. And there's always the Queen Charlotte Islands Observer, which is covering this quite a bit.

Go, Go, Gadgets

Green gadgets and a hydrogen-powered rock band are getting noticed In the past 35 years, there’s been no shortage of inventive inventions aimed at reducing eco-footprints; we’ve come a long way from the old brick-in-the-toilet trick. Today’s new refrigerators use about a third of the power as ones sold 30 years ago, and the U.S. […]

Is That a Fat Lady We Hear Singing?

The era of cheap oil is coming to an end soon; duck! Cheap oil is running out. A report from the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves puts the problem in stark terms: “The disparity between increasing production and declining discoveries can only have one outcome: a practical supply limit […]

Former journalist Stephanie Roth is battling against a gold mine in Romania

Stephanie Danielle Roth. Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize. The Apuseni Mountains of west-central Romania are rich in gold, iron, and history. The area’s gold once supplied the Roman Empire, and it is home to Rosia Montana, the country’s oldest documented mining settlement. But this past is threatened by the present: five years ago, the Romanian government […]