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
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Video of the year: Right Wing Radio Duck
I've watched with some trepidation as folks in the energy policy world have laughed off the "energy efficiency is fascism" business bubbling up on the right. The fact that it's outlandish on the merits doesn't mean it can't take off and substantially alter public perception. The country's feeling insecure and anxious, and that means easy prey for demagogues. This mash-up from Jonathan McIntosh makes the point with brilliant, hilarious clarity
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Obama rallies to the defense of what little remains of clean energy policy
Obama says it's "essential" to get moving on clean energy. Because it's so essential, we ... extended some tax breaks. Now even those are in danger.
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Progressives don't screw other progressives. Okay, shouldn't.
Lately, I've been mulling over how climate/energy policy relates to the larger politics of progressivism. Some think Obama has been so bad on environmental issues that environmentalists should try to mount a primary challenge in 2012. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that the environmental critique is valid. Does it therefore follow that greens should work to see him gone?
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No, nuclear power does not belong in the RES
Yesterday's Washington Post editorial pretty well mirrors current centrist conventional wisdom on energy policy: carbon tax would have been best, cap-and-trade would have been second best, and the renewable electricity standard (RES) now before the Senate would be third best. However, say centrists, the RES should be expanded into a "Clean Energy Standard," allowing other low-carbon energy sources like nuclear and natural gas to qualify.
