Climate Climate & Energy
All Stories
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One year after Copenhagen, and counting
The first thing to say about the climate negotiations – meeting soon in sunny Mexico – is that they’re teetering at the edge of what, back in the day, we used to call a “legitimation crisis.” On every side, folks are eager to suggest that the negotiations have become a waste of time. It’s gotten […]
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Turkey can be climate friendly; spinach, not so much [AUDIO]
Anna Lapp?, the Farm Sanctuary manager, and others on how our food system effects the climate, and how climate change might impact the food's future.
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Coal drives 2009 global carbon emissions higher than expected
Increased coal use in the developing world, particularly China and India, boosted global greenhouse gas emissions to the 2nd highest level on record.
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Countries aren't sitting on the sidelines waiting for a final international climate agreement
One of key outcomes of international global warming negotiations must be a focus on what actions key countries undertake to reduce their emissions. On that front, there are promising signs. Countries accounting for over 80% of the world’s emissions have now committed to specific actions that they will undertake at home to reduce their global […]
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What is the Call to Action on Climate?
Today I got a call from a rock concert producer. “We care about climate. We want to get the audience to act. What is the call to action?” This is a deceptively simply question, but it’s also THE question of our age. Meanwhile, I’ve been asked “what should I do?” by audience members, by […]
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Climate science rapid response team debunks Bjorn Lomborg
In an op-ed in Washington Post, Bjorn Lomborg argued that efforts to reduce global warming pollution can wait, because "coping with climate change is something we know how to do." To bolster that claim, Lomborg claimed global sea levels are not likely to rise more than about 20 inches by 2100. Because the Post did not bother to fact-check Lomborg's column, the Wonk Room and a group of top climate scientists took on the task.
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Increasing on-site consumption of distributed solar
Germany has developed a tool -- roughly translated as “own consumption” -- to increase the amount of solar electricity used on-site.
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Cancun Climate Negotiators No Match For New Energy Alliances
On November 29 representatives from 190 countries will be in Cancun, Mexico for the 16th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Late last week, following a two-day Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington, the Obama administration’s chief climate negotiator told reporters not to expect too […]
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Indiana coal plant will stop sending soot toward Chicago — in a few years
An especially filthy coal-fired power plant in northwest Indiana will belch its last cloud of soot, carbon, mercury, and other pollutants sometime between 2014 and 2017.
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Live chat with Sierra Club’s Michael Brune
We were all horrified as we watched the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill unfold. So now what? Champion chatter (and Grist staff writer) David Roberts hosted a pre-Thanksgiving chat with Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. Thanks to all who joined us as Michael and David discussed how we, as motivated citizens, can pressure corporations and the government to change their energy priorities.