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Nobel Peace Prize update

The first Nobel Peace Prize given to an environmental activist, Kenyan Wangari Maathai, was officially awarded Friday night in Oslo. Professor Maathai laid out her case for an integrated understanding of the fights for the environment, democracy, and equitable natural resource management in a New York Times op-ed. Her acceptance speech is available on the Nobel site.

As earlier posts discussed, this particular award was not without its critics.

Four green strategies

Via New Donkey, I see that the Progressive Policy Institute has released a fairly substantial report outlining four strategies the environmental movement can use to move forward in coming years. (The DLC summarizes them here.) It says state-level changes are where the action is, and offers copious case studies. Worthwhile reading.

Putting the “Pact” in “No Impact”

Tony Blair trying to entice U.S. into “Kyoto-lite” climate treaty With much of the industrialized world heaping scorn on the U.S. for spurning the recently ratified Kyoto Protocol, the Bush administration may soon get a chance to regain a smidgeon of international cred on the climate-change issue. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in an effort […]

Royally Screwed

Oil production takes heavy toll on Nigerian villagers In the oil-rich Niger Delta, an area that produces nearly all of Nigeria’s 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, environmental degradation and political and class conflict are the prices of development. While a booming oil business has generated billions of dollars each year for the Nigerian […]

What in the Sam Hill?

Bush nominates little-known official to be energy secretary President Bush surprised D.C. insiders today by nominating a virtually unknown Treasury Department official, Sam Bodman, to serve as secretary of energy. “Sam who? I’ve never heard of this guy,” said one energy-industry lobbyist, echoing what most everyone else inside the Beltway seemed to be thinking. A […]

Downright Unalaskan

Shipwreck oil spill in Alaskan waters threatens wildlife refuge A cargo ship that ran aground Wednesday on the shore of Unalaska Island, 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, has begun to leak fuel into sensitive wildlife habitat. After an unsuccessful search for lost crew members, officials have begun to survey the damage from the wreck; the […]

Climate Wars III: Return of the Scientists

Legitimate climate scientists are at something of a disadvantage. They do careful research and publish peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals. Then a squadron of industry-funded pseudo-scientist hacks descends on the popular media to stir up doubt and confusion. By the time the scientists can defend their work in, say, Science, popular attention has moved on. Thus the false sense in the American public that there is real scientific uncertainty about the basic fact of anthropocentric climate change (when there really isn't).

Enter RealClimate.org, a new blog written by a group of bona fide climate scientists.  "We aim," they say, "to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary." Already they've got invaluable entries on the recent Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, the "hockey stick" kerfuffle, and the recent study showing that the stratosphere is cooling.

This is an essential resource -- one wishes experts in more areas would start similar blogs -- one that we'll be returning to frequently. Bookmark it.

Sweet ‘n’ Low-Down

Sugar is causing environmental catastrophes A high-sugar diet is slowly fattening and sickening American people, but we’re getting off easy. Turns out the sweet stuff is outright killing endangered Florida panthers, not to mention the ecosystem in which they live. Almost 700,000 acres of the Florida Everglades have been drained to create the Everglades Agricultural […]

Low Income, High Concept

Low-income housing starts going eco-friendly Low-income housing, built in part with money from a special program of federal tax credits, has traditionally been low-cost, low-quality, and low-appeal. But the Enterprise Foundation is trying to change that with its Green Communities Initiative, investing $550 million over five years toward 8,500 units of affordable housing built to […]

The Vinyl Countdown

Anti-PVC campaign gets rolling A coalition of environmental and public-health groups this week kicked off a new campaign to discourage the purchase of products containing polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which they argue is harmful to health and the environment. A report compiled by two of the groups concluded there is no safe way to dispose […]