Articles by David Roberts
David Roberts was a staff writer for Grist. You can follow him on Twitter, if you're into that sort of thing.
All Articles
-
Isn’t it oxymoronic
Elizabeth McCarthy investigates and comes away unimpressed with "clean coal."
-
Starbucks tokens
Next year, coffee mega-super-behemoth Starbucks will begin stocking its stores with partially recycled coffee cups -- 10 percent recycled, to be precise. Ten percent is no great shakes, of course, but even if this is a largely symbolic gesture, perhaps enviros should consider for once hailing the symbolism rather than immediately bashing the company for not doing more. Just a suggestion.
-
It’s all about oil
Yesterday we pointed to a story about China's alliance-making with global bad actors, part of its efforts to quench its growing thirst for oil. In today's Washington Post, Robin Wright follows up, focusing on Iran. Readers of James Fallows' seminal article on Iran in the new Atlantic Monthly know that our options around that country's nuclear ambitions are already few and grim -- an alliance with China is certainly not going to help that situation.
-
Hope springs delusional
On Monday we wrote about Oregon voters' rather ... what's the word? ... shortsighted approval of Measure 37, which many folks felt would eviscerate the state's largely successful (if slightly bloated and overly complex) land-use planning rules. Today, Ore. Gov. Ted Kulongoski said that voters didn't actually mean to eviscerate the program, and that he would pay out Measure 37 claims to landowners rather than abandon the rules.
Good luck with that, Ted.
David Hunnicutt, head of the property-rights group that pushed the measure, promptly replied: "Ninety-nine out of a hundred people who've had their rights taken from them don't want a check. They just want the ability to use their land the way they could when they purchased it." Why, it's almost like he did want to eviscerate the rules!
Not wanting to commit political suicide, Kulongoski rushed to assure voters that he wouldn't do anything crazy, like raising taxes. Instead, he'd pay out the claims by taking money from other programs -- say, "health programs, programs for senior citizens, and help for low-income children and families." Lovely.
