Articles by David Roberts

A bunch of stuff to read on this increasingly anodyne holiday

I must admit to having mixed feelings about Earth Day. The original was a fantastic, historic event that focused and lent momentum to a growing wave of concern. It erased our reasons not to act.

I fear it has become the opposite these days, a nicely segregated and boxed nod to "Earth stuff" that fades from memory as soon as it's over. It's a time for Joe Citizen to check in -- "yep, everything's still going to hell, maybe I'll plant a tree" -- and then check back out. It separates the "Earth" from our cultural, social, and political lives, casts it as a distinct thing that we must tend like a potted plant.

But whatever, it's here, so let's celebrate it. Yay for Earth Day. Here's a roundup of some stuff you might enjoy:

Kelpie Wilson says the green dream is alive, and gives you 10 things to do. Yahoo ... sorry, Yahoo! also has ten things. Treehugger tells you how to cook an Earth-friendly dinner. Moving Ideas has a whole passel of ways to take action. About.com, trying to be unique, has a 12-item list of things you can do. You can make a difference from the comfort of your couch by joining the Earth Day Virtual March. And of course the Earth Day Network is chockablock with helpful info.

The Boston Globe is glum, but Joan Lowy is hopeful. Brian C. Howard reflects, the Detroit Free Press reflects, and Miguel Llanos reflects. Lotta reflecting.

And finally, in an appropriately ironic turn, President Bush's planned Earth Day visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was cancelled due to bad weather.

That’s what he called Bush’s plan for a hydrogen economy.

I find this story both delightful and disturbing.

Delightful, because Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), one of the House's most virulent, deranged anti-environmentalists, called a major plank of Bush's energy plan "bullshit" and got cold busted for it. The comment came at a press conference where his fellow Californian, Rep. John Doolittle, was touting the mysterious pixie-dust magic of the "hydrogen economy."

Disturbing, because this may be the first time I've ever agreed with Pombo. When asked by the sharp-eared CNN reporter who overheard him to explain himself, he said:

"It's not a short-term solution because we just don't have the technology to produce it," he said, adding that the promised hydrogen-powered vehicles are "multimillion-dollar prototypes that nobody's going to buy."

I'm sure Pombo and I would differ considerably about what is an appropriate short-term solution for our energy woes, but he's right that hydrogen ain't it. A viable hydrogen vehicle is, optimistically, 10 years out, and who knows how long the full-blown "hydrogen economy" would take. And there's the small snag that hydrogen requires quite a bit of energy to produce, which just moves the energy problem back a step. And of course that's the point: It's a pretty bauble to wave around and distract the public from the fact that Bush neither has nor seems particularly interested in developing a serious response to the oncoming end of the oil economy.

So yes, Bush's energy plan is bullshit, in sum and in almost every individual part. To the extent Pombo agrees, well, I'm happy he's saying so. Out loud.

(Via Kevin Drum)

Energy Bill passes House

Per Beltway Bandit, the Energy Bill passed the House on a 249-183 vote. A Democratic amendment to strip out the MTBE-manufacturer protections went down narrowly, 219-213.

The good news is, the MTBE stuff may well be the poison pill that keeps this grotesquerie from getting through the Senate, as with last time. The R's seem to think they have a better shot this time around, but with their recent string of PR and other defeats, prospects don't seem good. But I could be wrong.

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.