Climate Culture

The year, alphabetically

When it comes to global warming and the environment, everything seemed to change in 2006 -- at least in terms of public awareness. Here's an A-to-Z accounting of just some of those changes:

A is for An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's scientific but surprisingly human documentary on the threat of climate change, which was expected to take in at most $6-7 million at the box office but went on to gross over $45 million, the biggest documentary of the year and the third-largest of all time.

B is for biofuels, which went from becoming a hippies-only fringe product to a highlight of the State of the Union address. To date, Washington has been focused mostly on ethanol, but other fuels requiring much less fossil energy to produce are coming to the fore and proving surprisingly popular. Or as the bumper sticker says: "Biodiesel: No war required."

C is for California, which set a new standard for pollution control by passing a bipartisan package of bills designed to cut tailpipe greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 percent by 2016 (and many other measures). For this, Iain Murray, a fossil fuel-funded think tank writer for the far-right National Review, declared: "It is hard to escape the conclusion ... that what California has done is to decide to join the Third World."

The top 10 green stories of the year

Photo: iStockphoto 10. A Stern reminder In October, venerable economist and senior U.K. government adviser Sir Nicholas Stern released a major report on global warming. Its claims were explosive. On the grim side, global warming stands to shave up to 20 percent off the world’s annual GDP by the end of the century. On the […]

Bitch’s green issue is definately worth killing trees for

The winter issue of Bitch magazine is all about green issues as they relate to feminism and pop culture. As always, Bitch is dead on in their content and critique, especially the piece "Green and Not Heard: Al Gore, Rachel Carson, and the feminizing of eco-activism." Recommended highly, though it's only available in print.

Wait, there's still print media? And print media that doesn't have the full text of their articles available online? Despite the horror of having to leave your house, travel to a bookstore (preferably a small, local, independent one), and interact with other human creatures, Bitch, particularly this issue, is worth it.

A little holiday guilt for ya

Just in time for your holiday flight back to whence you came, a little news about the environmental effects of your holiday airline travel that will make you feel almost as guilty as your relatives will. Much like your family tree (OK, maybe just mine), your trip will inevitably generate trash.

Umbra on wrapping creatively

Dear Umbra, Due to my procrastinating nature, I once again find myself in the position of having to wrap what seems like hundreds of gifts in wasteful wrapping paper, only to have it torn apart and thrown away the very next day. I’m a proponent of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” philosophy, but during the holidays, […]

Barenaked Ladies vocalist Steven Page lays bare his hopes for a green future

Barenaked Ladies (L to R) are Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Tyler Stewart, and Steven Page. Photo: Nettwerk Records / Chris Woods Steven Page has seen the future. In it, there are walkable cities with plenty of bike paths, cleared for cyclists even in the dead of winter. Whole communities are powered by wind […]

From Winning to Wintering

Summer all year long! Win a bike, win a hike! Win some knickers, a pair of kickers! Win a pod, clothe your bod! Win a bag, win some swag! Summer says: Give to Grist and all your wildest dreams will come true. When a manatee loves a woman If manatees were really this horny, would […]

Monsieur Heat Miser

Europe’s holiday spirit, shopping disrupted by global warming In the worst consequence of global warming yet, European retailers are fretting that consumers may be too warm to do their holiday shopping. “Christmas business lacks impetus as there is no Christmas spirit in warmer weather,” laments Hubertus Pellengahr, a German retail association spokesperson. “Retail sales are […]

Umbra on holiday gifts for young folk

Dear Umbra, I’ve read Grist’s gift guide, but I didn’t see very many ideas for youths and young children. On the other hand, I did like the idea of giving The Lorax, which was mentioned in one of your other responses. Do you have any other eco-friendly gift suggestions for my nieces and nephews for […]

Watch out for scary chemicals in plastic toys for tots

Umbra offered up a number of clever gift ideas for kids in her latest column, focusing particularly on experiences rather than things. But if you still want to do some thing-giving for those wee ones, you might first want to check out "What's Toxic In Toyland," an article by Margot Roosevelt in Time.