Climate Politics
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How to be as persuasive as Lincoln, Part 3
Metaphors are the Rolls Royce of figures. Or, to put it more aptly, metaphors are the Toyota Prius of figures because a metaphor is a hybrid, connecting two dissimilar things to achieve a unique turn of phrase. Metaphor, like verbal irony discussed in the previous post, is a trope, because it alters or enhances a […]
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Rush Limbaugh opens his fat mouth about Michelle Obama’s fat butt
Photo: Stefan KlooIf you look under “irony” in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Rush Limbaugh calling Michelle Obama fat. But that’s just what he did on Monday on his colonic irrigation of a radio show. Let’s take this piece by piece, because there is too much stupid to swallow without chewing. “The problem is, […]
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BP’s oil: still causing trouble in the Gulf
BP’s vast oil spill may be out of the headlines, but its oil isn’t out of the Gulf. Reports the Associated Press: Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a scientist’s video and slides that demonstrate the oil isn’t degrading as hoped and has decimated […]
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The shaky foundations of free-market environmentalism
Photo: Steve RhodesCross-posted from Sightline Daily. [CORRECTION: As mentioned in the comments under this post on Sightline, this discussion of the “Coase theorem” contains several errors — most notably, that Coase himself did not present his arguments mathematically. In fact, according to a number of sources, there really is no single “Coase theorem” — instead, […]
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Climate reformists challenge old economic models
A few weeks ago I wrote about the seemingly different futures foretold by climate science and climate economics. The former is filled with peril and haunted by the unthinkable, the latter blithely assured of continued prosperity. Most economic modeling, you’ll recall, forecasts the continued rise of global gross domestic product (GDP) — people in the […]
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Plotting the food revolution at TEDx in New York City
Laurie David delivers inconvenient truths on the food system at TEDx Manhattan.Photo: Jason Houston, via FlickerAttending the TEDx Manhattan event on the future of food and farming was a day-long drink from a fire hose of cutting-edge ideas, sobering realities, and sincere enthusiasm about how America can eat better and farm more sustainably. Since Time’s […]
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Jeff Bingaman retiring; Senate to get even dumber on clean energy
New Mexico Sen. Jeff BingamanBig news today: Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is retiring. He won’t run for reelection in 2012. All political pundits are required by law to write something about What This Means, so here goes. First, it means Senate Dems are not very optimistic about […]
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GOP would rather shut down the government than protect your air and water
Photo: Nathan ColquhounHouse Republicans, who have been spending much of the term so far creating jobs via strict regulation of women’s uteruses, are now doing their damnedest to create jobs via destroying the EPA. The plan is basically “1) thwart progressive ideals; 2) step 2; 3) jobs for everyone!” What if you don’t want a […]
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For once, developments in Washington could make things better on the farm
The outlook for small farms could be getting a bit sunnier.Photo: andyrobeI write on Grist about my small farm, but my day job is different. I’m an organizer for the Nebraska-based Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA). One of the things we do at CFRA is try to tweak federal farm policies in ways that help […]
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Republican governors just love saying no to rail
Photo: Tim GilliamTurning down federal money for rail projects looks like it’s turning into a badge of honor for Republican governors. Chris Christie has done it in New Jersey. Scott Walker has done it in Wisconsin. John Kasich has done it in Ohio. Now Florida’s Rick Scott, a Tea Party favorite, has jumped on the […]
