Climate Climate & Energy

Geologists predict that oil production will decline within a decade

As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, gas prices have fallen back from the phenomenal highs of last summer. The immediate cause has been the economic crisis. When credit markets seized up, some companies that wanted to buy oil simply couldn’t get the cash. And perhaps more importantly, the economic slowdown has decreased projections for […]

CBS looks at the Vatican’s plan to go solar

McCain adviser repeats myths about climate change

Just a few months ago, Steve Forbes, editor of Forbes and an economic adviser to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, was assuring the base that McCain would abandon his call for a cap-and-trade system to regulate carbon emissions once he assumed office. Today, he pens a piece in his own publication rife with debunked climate […]

Home values near transit stations defy the financial crisis

“With the energy [price] increase, it isn’t too much of a surprise that people are saying, ‘Gee, being close to public transportation is something that I value.'” — Byron Koste, director of the real estate center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, commenting on the fact that Denver homes located near light rail stations […]

An ideological breakthrough on feed-in tariffs in Britain

In a startling reversal, Britain’s Labour government has put on the table a feed-in tariff proposal for “microgeneration.” The proposed feed-in tariffs will pay homeowners, farmers, and community groups for the electricity they generate with renewable energy. The move represents an ideological breakthrough. Long an ardent supporter of Renewable Obligation Certificate trading systems and plain […]

On economic desertification through water mismanagement

“Unchecked climate change will mean that some parts of the world will simply not have enough water to sustain settlements, both small and large, because agriculture becomes untenable and industries relying on water can no longer compete or function effectively. This will trigger structural changes in economies right through to the displacement of people as […]

Hansen et al: We must phase-out coal emissions by 2030 and stabilize at or below 350 ppm

In a few days, James Hansen and several other leading climate scientists will release a major new study, "Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?" in the Open Atmospheric Sciences Journal. You can read a first draft of the study and my commentary on it here: Hansen (et al) ultimatum: Get back to 350 ppm […]

Indonesian mud volcano caused by well explosion, geologists say

A faulty natural-gas well was the cause of the Lusi mud volcano in Indonesia that began erupting in May 2006 and hasn’t stopped yet, burbling up hundreds of gallons of mud each day and so far burying four towns and 25 factories, a meeting of geologists has concluded.

Everything you need to know about Berkeley’s innovative rooftop solar program

Many of us could make money by investing in energy efficiency improvements and solar systems for our homes. Yet we stubbornly resist making these improvements. Why? Buying power from your utility is a simple, pay-as-you-go service. Solar and energy efficiency projects, on the other hand, require tens of thousands of dollars up front and a […]

The first commercial solar-powered radio station goes online

This is kind of cool, in a dorky way: More on KGO’s solar project.