Climate Climate & Energy

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  • A climate policy for agriculture that works

    A proven climate solution. Not since Earl Butz’s famous “hedgerow to hedgerow” comment of the 1970s have America’s farmers been at such a turning point. Food and farming policy in the United States is largely determined by the Farm Bill, behemoth legislation that comes around once every five years.  Yet, the current climate legislation–The American […]

    Meredith Niles Climate & Energy

  • Breaking: Obama says mountain crimes can be regulated

    “Mountaintop removal is a crime–and ought to be treated as a crime.” — Al Gore “Mountaintop removal is a crime against local people, nature, our children, and our planet.” — Dr. James Hansen, NASA The Washington Post headline this morning cut to this chase: “Obama is Right to Allow Mountaintop Removal Mining.” Only two days […]

    Jeff Biggers Climate & Energy

  • Do dirty coal plants make us more vulnerable to swine flu?

    Scientists have discovered that exposure to a common pollutant may make people more likely to experience severe symptoms from swine flu — and it’s a pollutant emitted in large quantities by coal-burning power plants and other industrial facilities. The culprit is arsenic, a highly poisonous semi-metal which, according to a new study by researchers at […]

    Sue Sturgis Climate & Energy

  • Imperium CEO can’t take the truth

    Michael Kanellos said the following in his Greentech Innovations Report last week: “A tour of its portfolio shows it has made some pretty good bets, and also nabbed some major clunkers. …On the other hand, it also put money into Imperium Renewables, the dead-as-Latin biofuel maker.” … Down in the comment field, the CEO of […]

    Biodiversivist Climate & Energy

  • As Energy Northwest looks to nuclear power, expert details risks

    Last week, news broke that regional power consortium Energy Northwest may be looking to build another nuclear reactor in Washington state. The last time Energy Northwest went after nuclear power, they were known as Washington Public Power Supply System — or WPPSS, which eventually came to be pronounced as “whoops” when only one of five […]

    Sarah van Schagen Climate & Energy

  • West Va. Supreme Court affirms toxic coal silo as wonderful playground

    While coal may now be the official rock of West Virginia, it might soon become the official school vegetable, too. Call it organic clean coal. On the heels of being reprimanded by the US Supreme Court this week for allowing one of its Massey coal company-bankrolled justices to refuse to recuse himself on Massey coal-related […]

    Jeff Biggers Climate & Energy

  • Coming global warming limits in China?

    News coming out of China provides some hints that they might adopt a domestic limit to reduce their global warming.  As China Daily is reporting: “China will put in place carbon dioxide emissions targets for its economic and social development programs, the central government has promised.It also signals that China may be considering national goals […]

    Jake Schmidt Climate & Energy

  • That status of global warming negotiations in Germany

    I’ve been participating since last Monday in the global warming negotiations in Bonn, Germany.  This is the second session of the year. There are 53 days of official negotiations before Copenhagen and Monday was day 17 (the first 10 days were held in the first session in Bonn in March — as I discussed here […]

    Jake Schmidt Climate & Energy

  • Jane Lubchenco: “Ocean acidity has increased by 30%” thanks to human emissions

    Global warming is a major threat to life in the oceans – and humans who depend on that life (see Ocean dead zones to expand, “remain for thousands of years”). As one recent study found: Global warming may create “dead zones” in the ocean that would be devoid of fish and seafood and endure for […]

    Joseph Romm Climate & Energy

  • A warming world means more destructive storms

    Elevated global temperatures bring a number of threats, including rising seas and more crop-withering heat waves. Higher surface water temperatures in the tropical oceans also provide more energy to drive tropical storm systems, leading to more-destructive hurricanes and typhoons. The combination of rising seas, more powerful storms, and stronger storm surges can be devastating. As […]

    Lester Brown Climate & Energy