Climate Politics

Environmentalism and liberalism shouldn’t be joined at the hip.

A couple of quick prefatory remarks -- several readers interpreted my earlier posting as an attack on liberalism. That was not my intent at all: While I am not a liberal, as the saying goes, "Some/most of my best friends are liberals." The only goal of the previous posting, and the one that follows, is to suggest the harm that comes from automatically coupling liberalism with environmentalism.

In my previous post, I discussed our movement's international problems. But back in America, we're not doing much better. When the American environmental movement began, Lake Erie was on fire, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction, and L.A. was choking on its own smog. When environmental regulations seemed to reduce these problems, the public was all for them. But as regulations multiplied, environmentalism became associated in many minds with costly regulatory expenditures, failed Superfund clean-ups, and lots of bureaucratic red tape. Big government enviroliberalism took over a grassroots movement.

Why should liberalism be the Siamese twin of environmentalism? If I am pro-life, against affirmative action, or for private accounts in Social Security, does that mean I don't care about protecting forest ecosystems or saving blue whales?

Bond Ambition

Missouri senator delays small-engine pollution regulation, again Small engines have a big impact — when you use a standard gas-powered lawn mower for an hour, you’ve spewed as much pollution as 50 cars driving 20 miles each. Nevertheless, someone builds those small engines, and that means jobs — specifically, jobs in Missouri, or more specifically […]

Gore is transforming into fiery climate evangelist

Al Gore. Photo: The House Policy Committee. Al Gore, once derided by the right as a stiff, wooden Ozone Man, is now recasting himself as the fiery, headstrong Climate Avenger — a blunt and passionate spokesperson about what he calls “a collision between our civilization and the earth.” He is currently in negotiations to play […]

Nothing to See Here, Folks

White House defends revisions of scientific reports on climate change The White House scrambled into damage-control mode after The New York Times revealed yesterday that a former oil lobbyist had revised scientific government reports on climate change to enhance the appearance of uncertainty. Pushed in a press briefing to respond to charges that the edits […]

The Swamp Bling

Bushies sought to overpay GOP supporters for Everglades mineral rights The Bush administration agreed to grossly overpay Florida’s family-owned Collier Resources Co. for oil and gas rights on 400,000 acres in the Everglades, according to Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney. In 2002, Interior Secretary Gale Norton triumphantly announced the deal as “a win for […]

Get Me Rewrite!

Bush official edited gov’t climate-change reports to play up uncertainty Philip Cooney, a former top oil lobbyist now serving as chief of staff for President Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality, edited scientific government reports on climate change to exaggerate the appearance of uncertainty and doubt, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. Cooney, […]

An interview with geo-green James Woolsey, former head of CIA

James Woolsey. Former Pentagon heavies are not known for their breezy candor, so it’s a rare treat to come across one who voluntarily describes himself as a tree-hugger, do-gooder, sodbuster, and cheap hawk, all rolled into one. There you have R. James “call me Jim” Woolsey, in a nutshell. Sort of. Over the course of […]

Cities on a Hill

Fifty mayors from around world sign environmental accord Marking the culmination of World Environment Day festivities in San Francisco, 50 mayors from cities the world over yesterday signed a set of environmental accords some are calling a “municipal Kyoto.” Among the 21 commitments therein are increasing clean-energy use, reducing waste sent to landfills, adding affordable […]

It’s a Lap Dog’s Life

Blair heads to D.C. to beg for Bush’s support on G8 climate agenda U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair has put his political life on the line to support the Bush administration numerous times, citing the “special relationship” between the two countries. Ha ha, sucka! Next week Blair will fly to Washington, D.C., to beg the […]

Like a Metric Earth Day

Mayors from all over globe gather to celebrate World Environment Day A five-day gathering to mark U.N. World Environment Day kicks off tomorrow in San Francisco and is expected to bring together at least 70 mayors from cities across the globe. San Francisco is the first U.S. city to host the annual event and will […]