Climate Climate & Energy

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  • The rising tide of environmental refugees

    Desertification of formerly productive farm land is one of the many reasons for a growing number of environmental refugees around the world.Photo: pizzodisevo via FlickrOur early twenty-first century civilization is being squeezed between advancing deserts and rising seas. Measured by the biologically productive land area that can support human habitation, the earth is shrinking. Mounting […]

    Lester Brown Climate & Energy

  • Renewables are inevitable, transmission is optional

    Editor’s Note: This post was written in response to a comment by Gar Lipow in his post on 10/20. We all agree that a 100 percent renewable energy system is preferable.  But we don’t need a new, high-voltage transmission network now to reach that goal, and it’s far from clear that we’ll need it in […]

    John Farrell Climate & Energy

  • Get psyched for the Day of Climate Action — with videos!

    This Saturday, Oct. 24, is the International Day of Climate Action.  You’re all geared up to join an event in your hometown or ‘hood, right?  Here are a few videos to get you even more pumped up. 350.org, which is sponsoring the day, gives us a sneak preview of the animations that will splash across Times Square […]

    Grist staff Climate & Energy

  • Blockbuster new book exposes anatomy of denial

    James Hoggan and his DeSmogBlog.com posse might be our nation’s most important sleuths — and they ain’t even from the United States. Not that climate destabilization knows any boundaries. Not that climate change deniers and public relation firms hired by dirty energy corporations pledge allegiance to any country’s well-being. Drawing on their brilliant muckraking and […]

    Jeff Biggers Climate & Energy

  • London gathering gives boost to climate talks

    British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has committed his politically battered government to sealing a climate deal in Copenhagen this year. Above, Brown speaks at the Major Economies Forum, held this past weekend in London.UK Dept. of Energy & Climate Change It certainly caught the eye. “The world’s future is being decided this weekend” ran the […]

    Geoffrey Lean Climate & Energy

  • We need transmission to solve global warming

    The new version of Energy Self-Reliant States manages to duplicate the fallacies of their previous reports, and adds new ones. Their takeaway: “… 3 in 5 states could get all of their electricity from in-state renewable resources.” Their statistics actually support the need for transmissions. Some states can produce surplus power. Some states can’t meet […]

    Gar Lipow Climate & Energy

  • 1Sky looks to Twitter for climate movement’s next rallying cry

    Here at Grist we’re fans of (at least) two things: Climate action A snappy call to get people’s bums off the couch to make that happen Lucky for us, our buddies at 1Sky are working to bring about these two things with their 1Climate, 1Tweet contest. It’s a campaign to purge Twitter of annoying climate […]

    Ashley Braun Climate & Energy

  • Report finds massive hidden energy costs, mostly from coal

    A new report from the National Research Council on the “hidden costs of energy” is, frankly, stunning.  In a sane world, it would be headline news. Producing and using energy imposes all sorts of costs on public health, crop yields, ecosystems, recreation, educational performance … the list goes on. Many of these costs don’t end […]

    David Roberts Climate & Energy

  • Day of Climate Action shows power of web organizing. Join us!

    Bill McKibben and Chip Giller want you to get pumped up for the International Day of Climate Action.   When Grist was launched 10 years ago, a key idea behind it was that the web could be used to spread the news about what’s really happening across the planet. Turned out to be true. Now […]

    Chip Giller & Bill McKibben Climate & Energy

  • Will EPA veto or regulate the plunder of Appalachia?

    Big News: In a historic move, Lisa Jackson’s EPA threw down the gauntlet on mountaintop removal mining last Friday — after they had just compromised on another massively destructive mountaintop removal operation. Is this the beginning of the end of the plunder of Appalachia — or is the EPA moving sideways to regulate what its […]

    Jeff Biggers Climate & Energy