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

  • Is “we’re going to burn the coal anyway” an argument for carbon sequestration?

    I’m involved in an ongoing email debate over the wisdom of “clean coal” — that is, coal power plants that capture and sequester their carbon dioxide emissions. It will eventually be published on a State Dept. website, and then in Grist. In the meantime, a preview of sorts. A frequent argument one hears in favor […]

    David Roberts Climate & Energy

  • How 7.4% of Americans can block humanity’s efforts to save itself

    A couple weeks ago I wrote a piece on what’s really killing climate legislation: the absurd procedural chokepoints in the U.S. Senate, coupled with an unprincipled minority devoted to obstruction. I’m happy to report there’s been an uptick lately in people trying to draw attention to this problem. From the last week or two: Univ. […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Lester Brown and I, diavlogging

    I recently recorded my first BloggingHeads TV … episode? diavlog? not sure what they’re called … with Lester Brown, focused on the latest edition of his book: Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. My main takeaway from the experience is that I need a much better microphone on my laptop. The sound is pretty […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Can EPA regulations on CO2 be blocked?

    It’s widely assumed that if Congress fails to pass a clean energy bill, the EPA will step in with regulations on CO2 under the Clean Air Act. The Supreme Court ruled in 2007’s Mass. v EPA that it must do so if it finds CO2 to be a dangerous air pollutant — and sure enough, […]

    David Roberts Politics