Climate Politics

Edwards, Canada, and now South Africa

Former Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) -- now a presidential hopeful -- has just published his latest energy plan. One important plank of that plan foresees the nation producing (not just consuming, which would allow for imports) 65 billion gallons a year of ethanol by 2025. ("I'll meet your bid for 2030, Barack, and raise it by five billion!")

If the 51 cents a gallon volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC) is extended beyond the end of 2010 -- as most commentators and even the USDA expect will happen -- here's what the cumulative cost to the U.S. Treasury would be from 2007 through 2025, assuming straight-line growth:

Almost $350 billion (=$0.51 x 19 x [7+(65-7)/2]).

All ten of ’em

If you don’t want to read my whole blow-by-blow of Gore’s testimony to the House, here’s a summary of his ten legislative recommendations. An immediate "carbon freeze" that would cap U.S. CO2 emissions at current levels, followed by a program to generate 90% reductions by 2050. Start a long-term tax shift to reduce payroll taxes […]

It’s popular even in Texas

I take issue with one-issue voters, mostly because I think one-issue candidates make terrible legislators.

But that said, I wouldn't do what I do if didn't believe that transitioning to a renewable energy economy is a critical, keystone challenge facing our country, with profound implications for our future.

And I'm not the only one. I don't think politicians properly appreciate how popular renewable energy is. Take this recent poll (PDF) from Texas, the heart of oil country. Eighty-four percent of Texans said they want the state to invest in solar -- that's broad support. And 81 percent are willing to pay for it -- that speaks to the depth. In the next few weeks we will be seeing some similar numbers out of Arizona and Florida. Both are swing states with bitter partisan divides -- and people unite around one thing: solar. It's a wise politician who hitches her/his wagon to renewable energy's star.

We’ll Miss the Mall

From the campaign trail, John Edwards outlines big energy plans Today we learned something: there are other Democrats running for president besides Hillrack O’Clinton. Surprised? So were we! Seems a charming southerner, name of John Edwards, is on the campaign trail. And though he’s just your run-of-the-mill white fella, the former North Carolina senator is […]

Severe Whether Events

Climate action of all kinds takes Capitol Hill by storm It’s only Wednesday, but it’s already been a full week of rip-roarin’ climate action on Capitol Hill. After a coalition of investors pleaded for emissions cuts on Monday, hundreds of activists gathered Tuesday for “Climate Crisis Action Day.” The group heard from senators John Kerry […]

Livebloggin’!

Well, here I am, against my better judgment, up at 6:30am, gulping down coffee, getting ready to watch Gore testify to the House. How did my life come to this point? Didn’t I used to be cool? If you want to geek out along with me, you can follow along with the webcast here. Let […]

The inspirational story of Aimee C.

Blame It On Rio

In June of 1972, some 35 years ago, a group of future-thinking leaders met in Sweden for the first United Nations Convention on the Human Environment. By the end of a whirlwind week, they had issued the Stockholm Statement, established what is now known as UNEP, and given birth to the modern field of international environmental law.

Twenty years later, in June of 1992, just one month before he would be chosen as Clinton's running mate, Al Gore was scheduled to present as the head of the Congressional Delegation at the NGO "Global Forum" at the Earth Summit, an event that spawned the Convention on Climate Change, the precursor to the Kyoto Protocol.

Unknown to Gore, a group of 30 rabble-rousing teens and 20-somethings were waiting for him the day of his talk. Organizing themselves into "U.S. Youth at Rio" -- in Brazil to push for Bush I to sign the Biodiversity Convention and to call for real leadership on the environment -- they somehow got to Gore's staffers and asked, quite audaciously, to be allowed to introduce him.

One 22-year-old in particular, Aimee Christensen, was up the night before, working with her colleagues to write the statement they hoped to give. By the end of the all-night session, Aimee was chosen to give the speech.

The Gore wants half a million missives sent to Congress

Help Al Gore Send a Message to Congress tomorrow! (Not sure what this actually accomplishes, but hey, do it for Dreamy Al. He wants to reach 500,000.)

Tough new climate targets are all the rage in the Britain and Europe

Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, writes a monthly column for Gristmill on sustainability in the U.K. and Europe.

Things are hotting-up over here on climate change. And I'm not talking about the fact that we're set to have the warmest year on record. The political temperature is rising, too.

The European Union has agreed to a joint CO2 target for its 27 member countries and their 490 million citizens. The leaders committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. But this is just a starter. The E.U. says that if other countries -- such as the U.S. -- agree to do more, we will up our target to 30 percent. So, we have 20 percent on the table unilaterally, with a chunk more if you guys step up to the plate.

Then, the U.K. government published a draft climate-change bill, which will make us the first country in the world to set legally binding carbon targets.

The bill will set U.K.'s targets -- for a 60 percent reduction by 2050 and around a 30 percent reduction by 2020 -- in statute. It will also bring in a new system of legally binding five-year "carbon budgets." These will provide clarity on whether the U.K. is on the right path to meet its commitments. There will be a new independent advisory and scrutiny body, the Committee on Climate Change, annually reporting to Parliament on progress.

Mooney on Waxman hearing

Here’s Chris Mooney’s promised post on the "new revelations" from Waxman’s hearing yesterday. From what I can tell, the big revelation is that NASA press hacks did, indeed, try to block Hansen from giving an interview to NPR. But we mostly knew that, right? And given how spectacularly failed the effort to silence Hansen was […]