Climate Politics

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  • Sorry, but the U.S. isn’t about to wean itself off of nuclear

    The reality is, the United States doesn’t have the option to walk away from nuclear power, which supplies almost 9% of the nation’s energy and about 20% of its electricity. […] Nuclear energy’s drawbacks are glaring at the moment, but it’s worth remembering that no major source of energy the United States is using comes […]

    Christopher Mims Energy

  • Representative warns against ‘overreacting’ to tsunami by saving lives or whatever

    Shorter Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.): “If the GOP cuts tsunami monitoring, people will die.” If you cut on detection of tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, severe weather events, weather buoys, satellite observation and weather patterns, those sorts of things, people will die. Shorter Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa): “Come on, let’s not overreact to a few thousand people dying […]

    Jess Zimmerman Politics

  • Still giving lessons in how not to communicate

    The White House is just lousy at messaging across the board, as I and others have noted many times. Obama also seems to have bad luck.  He endorsed offshore drilling shortly before the biggest offshore oil disaster in history.  He embraced new nuclear power plants in a speech last February, and now we are seeing […]

    Joseph Romm Politics

  • If Rush Limbaugh’s heart fell out of his chest and into a bowl of raisins, you wouldn’t spot it

    [vodpod id=ExternalVideo.1011853&w=620&h=511&fv=config%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fmediamatters.org%2Fembed%2Fcfg3%3Fid%3D201103150020] Rush Limbaugh is laughing at Japan’s earthquake refugees. “They’ve given us the Prius. Even now, refugees are recycling their garbage.” Here, he began to laugh, continuing, “and yet, Gaia levels them! Just wipes them out!” h/t John Rennie for the headline Read more: “Rush Limbaugh Mocks Japan Quake Refugees [VIDEO],” The Huffington Post

    Christopher Mims Politics

  • Polluters have the tech they need to reduce toxic mercury and make Americans healthier

    Listen up, polluters.Photo: sara b.Yesterday, EPA released plans for its long-awaited “utility MACT” rule, which would regulate toxic air pollutants like mercury. I want to address one contested point in particular — the availability of technology to reduce mercury emissions — but first some scene setting. The benefits of making Americans healthier From a health […]

    David Roberts Energy

  • Romney may be the Koch mule of Campaign 2012

    Meet the new boss, whose boss is the same as the old boss’s boss. Looks like David Koch has already hosted a fundraiser for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Romney has in the past acknowledged the existence of global warming, which is pretty good considering, but now we’re waiting for him to cut and paste […]

    Jess Zimmerman Politics

  • Regional cap-and-trade saves jobs and money

    This post originally appeared at Sightline’s Daily Score blog. I’m not big on parroting press releases, but I’m going to make an exception for Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Northeast’s carbon cap-and-trade program. RGGI is quietly demonstrating that carbon markets can work wonderfully. So it’s too bad no one seems to be paying attention any longer. […]

    Eric de Place Energy

  • Popular climate econ model needs major overhaul

    Pay attention to the signs.Photo: WCN 24/7True or false: Risks of a climate catastrophe can be ignored, even as temperatures rise? The economic impact of climate change is no greater than the increased cost of air conditioning in a warmer future? The ideal temperature for agriculture could be 17 degrees C (30 degrees F) above […]

    Frank Ackerman Politics

  • The toilet I’m going to buy Rand Paul

    Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had a bit of an outburst at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee the other day, revealing that he hasn’t had a working toilet for 20 years and, damn it, he blames the gubmint. Bill Scher has already offered the the senator some judicious advice on how […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Con: Nuclear power is expensive, risky, and some of its proponents are kind of annoying

    Today, many outlets report that it’s very likely that the #2 reactor at Daiichi is in full meltdown. There is a strong possibility that rising radiation levels from other sources (such as a pool of spent nuclear fuel rods that is heating up) will force the 50 remaining workers at the plant to evacuate. That […]

    Christopher Mims Energy