Climate Climate & Energy
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On David Owen and William Jevons
David Owen's latest piece in The New Yorker has attracted much attention and rekindled interest in William Jevons and his paradox, and much ink has been spilled in support of and opposition to the article. Amidst the discussion, I'm struck that two rather obvious points haven't been made: Jevons' arguments wouldn't pass muster in any discipline other than economics, and Owen's arguments fail basic principles of logic.
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California launches compromise small-scale renewable auction
The California Public Utility Commission launched its Renewable Auction Mechanism last week, to spur more development in renewable energy projects.
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Greening up your shiny new iPhone with endangered species ringtones
Download an endangered species ringtone and make every call a cry for help from a Gunnison's prairie dog, a Mexican gray wolf, or a California condor.
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Federal solar incentives cost schools ownership opportunity
This is part of a series on distributed renewable energy. It originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. There’s been a fair amount of news about the spread of solar carports in California, highlighting the Milpitas School District’s 14 distributed solar PV arrays. According to a […]
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Why our economy 'required' the Gulf oil spill
Earlier this month, environmental and clean energy activists, as well as coastal communities breathed a much needed sigh of relief when the Obama administration reversed last spring’s reckless decision to open up new offshore areas to oil drilling. Now, thankfully, the coastlines of the Pacific, Atlantic and the eastern Gulf will be spared the same […]
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EIA projects climate catastrophe
The EIA has projected that the United States will lead the world into catastrophic global warming over the next twenty five years.
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Britain abandons renewable power mandates, embraces feed-in tariffs
In a potentially precedent-setting move for the English-speaking world, the UK proposes abandoning its "market reforms" of the 1990s.
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Texas Needs to Lead the Nation Away From Coal
This week’s post was co-written by Jennifer Powis, Sierra Club Senior Regional Representative in Texas. Texas has the worst air quality in the country and it will take a concrete vision to fix it. Unfortunately, state officials keep permitting coal plants instead of take real steps to clean the air. This week the Texas Commission […]
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Fertilizer prices putting manure in the limelight
I never thought I'd see the day when shit -- the bodily kind -- would make headlines the way it is right now. But with phosphorous and potash prices rising, farmers are starting to get a lot more interested in the older sources for fertilizer.
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Perverse policy makes distributed renewables more expensive
I’ve talked previously about the perversity of using tax credits to incentivize renewable energy production, increasing transaction costs and reducing participation in renewable energy development. But there are other perversities in U.S. state and utility renewable energy policies, especially with upfront rebates and net metering.
