Video
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Climate Central takes on Iowa corn
Climate Central bills itself as "a think tank with a production studio." This is what they do:
Using both staff experts and an extended blue ribbon network of scientists, Climate Central assesses and synthesizes the latest science, technology, and policy proposals. Our experienced communications team turns that information into creative, easily understood, and graphically rich pieces for print, television and the web.
They've got some serious names behind the project, including John Holdren and Jane Lubchenco before they were snapped up by the Obama administration. (Full disclosure: Grist board member Ben Strauss is a member of the CC team.)
CC just got up and running recently -- the full site doesn't debut until Spring -- but it's already turning out some great stuff. The latest is "Iowa: Corn and Climate," a video that recently aired on PBS's The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Here it is (starts about a minute in):
The coolest thing, though, is that the video comes with an annotated transcript that takes virtually every sentence and substantiates it with a relevant bit of science, news report, or infographic. You get the public-friendly video and the wonk-friendly reference work, all in one package. Not bad.
CC aims to be an impeccably credible source of information on a highly contested set of subjects. It looks like they're off to a great start.
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Your choice vs. the 'expert' choice in video contest
The following guest post was written by Keith Gaby, communications director for the Environmental Defense Fund's national climate campaign. This was originally posted on Climate 411.
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Who is right when a national environmental group holds a video competition and the public and the "experts" disagree on who should win?
At the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, the jury of film experts chose Forty Shades of Blue as the best dramatic film. The Audience Award went to Hustle & Flow. I don't know which was a better film, but I do know Hustle & Flow went on to earn $20 million in wide release in the U.S., while Forty Shades of Blue topped out at $75,000. I'm sure it doesn't always happen that way, but it goes to show that the experts don't always know what will succeed in the marketplace of ideas.
We at Environmental Defense Fund just finished something a bit like a film festival -- a competition that challenged participants to make a 30-second ad that explains how capping greenhouse gas pollution will help cure our national addition to oil. This week we announced two winners, one selected by our staff and another chosen by thousands of voters online. Like at Sundance, the voters and the judges chose different winners ... in fact, the video chosen by us "experts" came in dead last in the online voting.
I thought it might be interesting to explain our decision and see what others think.
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Peter Barnes chats about cap-and-dividend
Here's Peter Barnes on video talking about his preferred solution to climate change: cap-and-dividend.
Much more on SolveClimate.
I understand the appeal of cap-and-dividend, not just practically but theoretically, as it establishes common ownership rights over the atmosphere. But I still have never heard convincing answers to my two biggest issues with it: one, that it will never pass, despite the evidence-free claims of its supporters that the public would rally around it, and two, that it would squander a major source of revenue that could be invested in clean energy and green infrastructure.
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Finally the truth can be told!
According to Tim Lambert, this video briefly appeared on the Heritage conference site -- before the rocket scientists there discerned that it was parody. In their defense, I'm losing my ability to tell the real from the parody in the fever swamps as well. Like this, for instance. Apparently it's real.
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Ashley Judd and Defenders of Wildlife want you to know that Sarah Palin still hates wolves
Ashley Judd (yes, that Ashley Judd) and Defenders of Wildlife would like you to know that even though Sarah Palin is no longer running for vice president, she still hates critters. They’ve launched a new campaign and website, Eye On Palin, that decries her “anti-wolf, anti-wildlife” agenda. Here’s their new YouTube video:
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'Coal makes no sense in this day and age'
Originally posted at the Wonk Room.
The coal industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to get out the message of "clean coal" through front groups like the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, campaign contributions, and an army of lobbyists. But the devastating Dec. 22, 2008, coal ash slurry spill of the Kingston Fossil Plant in rural Tennessee broke through the cacophony of clean coal carolers. The sludge came from "cleaning" coal of toxic metals like arsenic, mercury, and lead so less went into the air. This ThinkProgress Wonk Room video is a stark reminder that in reality, coal isn't clean.
Watch it:
This week the news of progress away from dirty coal has reached a fever pitch:
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SNL serves up a solution to the great diaper debate
Can't decide between cloth and disposable? Now there's a better way:
