Climate Climate & Energy
All Stories
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Why are American coal plants still so dirty?
Yesterday I published a brief overview of the U.S. power sector. Aging coal plants are responsible for the vast bulk of the its pollution -- greenhouse gases, SOX and NOX, particulates (smog), mercury, combustion ash, you name it. The power sector's pollution problem is largely the problem of old coal plants. What's the deal with that? Why are those plants still so filthy?
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2010's extreme heat: A window on our future
According to a new National Wildlife Federation report, the sweltering summer of 2010 could be considered mild compared to the typical summers of the future.
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Obama administration sued over secrecy surrounding nuclear power subsidies
After President Obama announced back in February that his administration would provide $8.3 billion in taxpayer-financed loan guarantees to the Southern Company to build two new nuclear reactors at its Plant Vogtle in Georgia, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy sought details about the deal under the Freedom of Information Act. The watchdog group submitted […]
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The U.S. power sector: where the power plants are, when they were built, what they pollute
A broad look at the power industry -- where the power plants are, what they burn, and which ones pollute.
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Does one bad-ass summer prove climate change?
Hellish smog in Russia. Apocalyptic floods in Pakistan. The hottest May through July on record in the parts of the US. Is a "we told you so" in order?
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Burning Coal + Hot Days = Unhealthy Air Warnings
Yesterday and today are code orange unhealthy air alert days in the Washington, DC, region where I live. The 95+ degree temperatures and excessive ground-level ozone create extremely unhealthy air – especially for kids, senior citizens, and people with pre-existing health conditions. These aren’t the first days this summer where we’ve had these warnings, and […]
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Rising Temperatures Raise Food Prices
Around midnight on Wednesday, August 11th, a group of commodity analysts will gather at a meeting site in the massive South Building of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Once they are assembled, the door will be locked. Cell phones will be collected. Phone and Internet lines will be disconnected. Short of […]
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My Lexus debate
I was part of a live debate in Chicago this past Thursday, facing off against Steve Everley of American Solutions at an event sponsored by Lexus and Patron and moderated by Mark McGrath, who you may remember as the frost-tipped lead singer of the band Sugar Ray, beloved to millions for their 1997 hit "Fly." Yes, that's all as weird as it sounds.
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How will you celebrate global warming's 35th birthday?
Global warming will get a whopping 35 candles on its birthday cake on Aug. 8. It was in 1975 that the phrase first appeared in scientific literature.
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The Climate Premium: Russian Fires Cause Wheat Prices to Skyrocket
The world’s breakfast eaters are about to get a hot, steaming serving of climate change with their bagels and croissants. In response to the climate change-fueled fires sweeping the Russian bread basket, Russia on Thursday banned grain exports, driving global prices to $7.83 a bushel, almost double their June low. This is the real climate […]
