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Oct 24, 2009 – Not just a global day of action; a historic turning point
Sarah Rifaat via 350.org Flickr Creative CommonsIf you’re still looking for a good reason to venture out and take part in an International Day of Climate Action event on Saturday, try this on for size: the day of action won’t simply be a landmark moment for the global climate movement; it could very well turn […]
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How the Little Ice Age Reveals Our Climate Control
This month Harper’s magazine turns its lead essay over to Stephen Stoll, a historian, who in “The Cold We Caused,” delves into the history of climate to show how “nearly incoherent” are the arguments of the likes of climate change denier James Inhofe, Senator from Oklahoma, who continues to insist against the facts that we […]
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Corn-based meat and ethanol: burning the planet to a crisp
Corn harvest in Iowa. Would you like that in your Big Mac, your gas tank, or both?Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS. What do industrially produced meat and corn-based ethanol have in common? Well, they both thrive on the assumption that it’s good idea to devote vast swaths of land to an incredibly resource-intensive crop–corn–and then […]
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2-way connections between electric cars and grid have amazing potential that needs no exaggeration
One of the many tasks of running an electric utility is maintaining operating reserves and spinning reserves to handle seasonal peaks, and occasional generation failures. Between peak demand that only occurs a few times a year, and the occasional shutdown for routine maintenance and response maintenance, utilities have to keep operating reserves — backup equipment […]
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New interactive map shows devastating effects of global temperature rise
No need to waste your money on the new apocalyptic thrillers coming soon to theaters. A new world map released Thursday by the British government, and unveiled at the Science Museum in London, provides plenty of real life doom and gloom — and it’s free! The slick and colorful interactive graphic shows what a 4 […]
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Student solar homes shining light toward the future
The public tours the international U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, featuring energy-efficient, solar-powered houses built by 20 university teams from North American and Europe, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 13.Photo: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar DecathlonI wanted to congratulate all the students who competed in the Solar Decathlon on […]
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Find an action. Shout 350. Tell us about it!
Will getting to 350 ppm be the great barrier to saving the Great Barrier Reef? Poppy and Jarrah via 350.org Flickr Creative CommonsIn parts of the world, today is already the first-ever International Day of Climate Action in places like New Zealand, but it’s not too late for millions of you to find the biggest, […]
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Fixing the bioenergy accounting loophole
A group of prominent ecologists and climate scientists have an important article coming out in tomorrow’s issue of Science, in which they call for “fixing a critical climate accounting error.” The error is ignoring a significant source of global warming pollution related to using biomass for energy (“bioenergy”). I know that most people’s eyes glaze […]
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Host a viewing party for the must-see new film “Coal Country”
This week’s post was co-written by Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign “My hope is this superb documentary will shock Americans and create a surge of urgency that stops the atrocity of mountaintop removal coal mining immediately.” — actress Ashley Judd That’s the trailer for the powerful new documentary […]
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Methane leakage runs up a $50 billion bill
Methane is a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, so when it’s leaking by the ton, it’s a $50 billion problem. The New York Times described the phenomenon of methane leakage in a recent article which raised questions about the true costs of this waste. The EPA estimates that 3 trillion cubic […]
