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Kyoto one step closer

The lower house of Russia's parliament approved the Kyoto Protocol today.  All that remains for formal Russian ratification is approval by the upper house and the signature of president Vladimir Putin, both widely considered inevitable formalities.  Once Russia signs on, Kyoto will officially take effect.

Suffice to say, Putin's motivations were not altruistic.  His ratification of Kyoto -- and it is entirely his doing, as he has reduced the democratic checks and balances of Russia's government to almost nothing -- is part of a deal with the European Union.  He gives them this bargaining chip against the U.S., and they give him membership in the World Trade Organization.

Without U.S. participation, Kyoto will achieve nothing.  The hope in what Bush calls "the halls of Europe" is that once world consensus settles on the issue, strict emissions limits are imposed by member governments on industries (many based in the U.S.), and a market in carbon credit trading emerges, the U.S. will have no choice but to hop on the bandwagon.  Think it will work?

An interview with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard, world-class mountaineer, diehard surfer, obsessive fly fisher — oh yes, and founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc. — is as famous for his brio and gutsy outdoorsmanship as he is for his visionary business strategy. A Maine-born blacksmith, Chouinard has built Patagonia, a purveyor of top-quality outdoor goods, into a $230 million company […]

Monster slash

I'm not really into these things, but lots of people love them -- witness the popularity of The Meatrix and the JibJab guys -- so if you are so inclined, check out Monster Slash, a Flash animation including a reinterpretation of the old song "Monster Mash," rerecorded by Bobby "Borris" Pickett, the very man who wrote the original.  You can probably figure out what it's about from the picture at left.

Your back yard

The super-wonks over at John Podesta's Center for American Progress have a nifty map on their site -- you can click on your state and find out statistics on environmental, health, and safety issues.  For instance, did you know that 1,160 people die every year due to power plant pollution in Texas?  Me neither!  Go check it out.

Don’t bet on Bush tackling climate change in a second term

RUSSIA MOVES TO RATIFY THE KYOTO PROTOCOL CALIFORNIA IMPOSES GREENHOUSE-GAS STANDARDS ON CARS NORTHEAST STATES TO IMPOSE GREENHOUSE-GAS CAP EASTERBROOK SAYS “SECOND-TERM BUSH WILL BE THE PRESIDENT WHO IMPOSES GLOBAL-WARMING CONTROLS” Could this man be a climate hero? Guess which headline is bogus? The winner gets a free transcript of the portion of the third […]

The Truck Stops Here

New electrical hook-ups at truck stops prevent diesel pollution Long-haul truckers, hardy though they may be, occasionally need rest. Traditionally they have pulled into truck stops and taken naps with their trucks idling, to avoid, you know, freezing to death. Unfortunately, idling diesel trucks produce emissions that likely cause asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart disease, […]

The Traffic is Murder Out There

Traffic causes heart attacks Being stuck in traffic could substantially raise your chances of having a heart attack — and it’s not just the stress. The particulate pollution that hovers over traffic is the likely culprit, says a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, though “we can’t exclude that there is an […]

Startling stats on Bush’s and Kerry’s energy agendas

$13.3 million — amount George W. Bush has received from the energy/natural resources, agribusiness, and transportation sectors during the 2004 presidential campaign1 $1.9 million — amount John Kerry has received from the energy/natural resources, agribusiness, and transportation sectors during the 2004 presidential campaign2 40 — number of recommendations made by Dick Cheney’s energy task force […]

Paper beating scissors

For those who despair about the environment, who wonder, say, whether the world will ever take sufficient action to counter climate change, I give you ... the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

Down 3-0 against their arch-nemeses, the New York Yankees, the Sox rallied tonight to win the seven-game series, becoming the first team in the history of Major League Baseball to overcome such a deficit.

To a lifelong Red Sox fan -- someone conditioned from birth to always dream but never achieve -- someone, um, like myself, coated in the scar tissue of the devastating losses of the past -- a victory like tonight's can't help but give one rose-colored glasses. (At least for a night.) Who says we can't tackle climate change? Maybe the solar revolution is upon us. This is the dawning of the age of Green-arius. I'm only partially joking.

As Tyler Kepner wrote in his piece posted on the New York Times website immediately after the Sox win:

It was actually happening. The nerd was kissing the homecoming queen. Paper was beating scissors; scissors were beating rock. Charlie Brown was kicking the football. The Red Sox were beating the Yankees for the American League pennant.

I heart Corby Kummer

The Atlantic Monthly is my favorite magazine -- every month a thick, satisfying helping of high-minded policy-wonk goodness.  I read it cover to cover, which is the equivalent of a longish novella every month.

Anyhoo, one of many reasons to subscribe -- or at least to subscribe to the website -- is the writing of Corby Kummer.