Articles by David Roberts

Hirsch on responding to peak oil

For peak oil geeks, the Hirsch Report is a document of near-Biblical significance. It was written by Robert Hirsch at the behest of the Department of Energy, and published in 2005. (You can read a summary here [PDF].)

It's disappointing, then, to hear what Hirsch personally recommends as a response to peak oil. Over at Transition Culture, Rob Hopkins reports on a talk by Hirsch at the (ongoing) International Peak Oil and Gas Conference in Pisa, Italy:

Ooh, Kinky

Faithful Grist List readers know that Kinky Friedman is running for governor of Texas. Wacky but true. And listen to this (sub):

Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman (I) released his energy plan yesterday, calling for the state to increase its renewable portfolio standard to 20 percent of its electricity usage by 2020.

"We have the resources to be self-sufficient. We have enormous solar, wind and biofuel capabilities. What we lack is leadership," Friedman said.

He also wants to create a Texas Dept. of Energy -- not a "traditional agency," he says, but a "bully pulpit" headed by, no shit, Willie Nelson.

Awesome.

More on canvassing

A while back, we ran a story by Nathan Wyeth about the crappiness of progressive canvassing operations. It prompted a long and lively discussion on the blog.

For those interested in the topic, check out Greg Bloom's new story in In These Times. It's about how canvassing operations burn young workers out, fight their attempts to unionize, and generally serve as a sweatshop for the creation of donor rolls. Bloom also blogs at MyDD, and his latest post is a follow-up to the article.

Fighting solutions

First, see the op-ed by a fellow at the hyper-libertarian Atlas Economic Research Foundation: "Global warming foes fight global warming cures."

Second, see Dave's talking point.

Repeat as necessary.

(via deSmog)