Climate Climate & Energy
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Four years after Katrina: Lessons from the Gulf Coast
Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. As the Gulf Coast struggled to keep its head above water, the rest of us were glued to the news — astounded at first by the awful destruction, and then by the inadequate response to so much human suffering. In those days, our TV sets became […]
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Climate plus security minus hyperbole still scary
The impact of climate change on national security has finally moved above the fold. And as the December Copenhagen climate change negotiations approach, politicians and experts alike are being forced to examine the complex effects of natural and social change on security. They must also walk a linguistic tightrope between hyperbole and uncertainty, working to […]
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Could we replace the nation’s pavement with solar panels?
Solar Roadways A while back I mentioned Solar Roadways, a clean-energy idea that appears kind of kooky, at least on the surface. (See what I did there?) The notion is to replace paved surfaces with rugged, specially built solar panels. The Solar Road Panels would contain not just solar panels but LED lighting (to enable […]
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Oxfam activists dive into the 100 day countdown to Copenhagen climate talks at the London Aquarium
Living with climate change: a family affair?Zac Macaulay, MMIXI get to do some strange things working for Oxfam. On Wednesday night I watched as an average family — mom, dad and son — sat around with their dinners on their laps staring at the TV. Glasses of soft drinks and wine sat on the lounge […]
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Coalfield uprising and heroes need national defense, green jobs
Now is the time for all good greens, rednecks, social entrepreneurs, hellraisers, Repower America and Al Gore to come to the aid of their fellow citizens in the Appalachian coalfields. While Big Coal Gone Wild continues to unravel in its bizarre P.R. campaigns this summer, coalfield residents and advocates from around the country have been […]
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Post/ABC poll shows oil-and coal-funded efforts to kill clean energy are failing
The Washington Post is reporting this morning that according to joint poll conducted with ABC News, a majority of Americans support Obama’s and Congress’ efforts to overhaul US energy policy, and that support includes passage of comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Says the Post: “Nearly six in 10 of those polled support the proposed changes […]
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100 days before Copenhagen, here are 100 things you didn’t know about Copenhagen
We hope you already know that the most important climate meeting evah will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from Dec. 7 to 18. If all goes according to plan at the gathering — known in wonk-speak as COP15 — world leaders will hash out a new global climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Now, […]
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Persistence stops a train — and global warming slowed
A massive new rail line planned to move millions of tons of low-grade coal from northeastern Wyoming to the Midwest has been stopped. For more than nine years Sierra Club and our allies have been battling plans by Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp. (DM&E) to build this new coal line, and late yesterday DM&E […]
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California proposes new program for 1 GW of renewables
The California Public Utilities Commission issued a new proposal today designed to significantly increase the amount of solar energy installed in the state. It is kind of like a feed-in tariff, but different. Call it a feed-in tariff v2.0. The proposed program would require utilities to purchase electricity from mid-size solar and other renewable energy […]
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The Climate Post: A climate for monkey business
First Things First: The American “century” began 150 years ago today, when a salt water drill slipped into a crevice 69 feet below the surface, essentially striking oil for “Colonel” Edward Drake and the backers of his unlikely expedition. The find made Titusville, Penn., the first global capital of the oil industry. After Drake & […]
