Climate Politics
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The BP oil disaster made a major energy bill more likely, but what about a climate bill?
When life gives you lemons … add some lemon dispersant and they’ll disappear from sight. Okay, wrong metaphor. Obama has suggested many times that he aspires to be a transformational leader like President Reagan, the “great communicator.” Tonight, we may well find out whether Obama is a Reagan or a Carter. Does Obama understand that […]
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Study finds American Power Act creates jobs while decreasing household costs
Cross-posted from NRDC’s Switchboard A new analysis of the American Power Act (APA), comprehensive climate and energy legislation released mid-May by Sens. Kerry and Lieberman, points to an economy with healthy growth in GDP and jobs, and significant savings in household energy expenditures. The analysis uses a new and highly innovative tool developed by McKinsey […]
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Carbon trades took a hit in the Great Recession
Photo: James Mitchell via FlickrAs we know, one of the few beneficial side effects of the Great Recession of 2009 was the decline in global greenhouse gas emissions as our consumer-centric economy sputtered. But that also sent the voluntary carbon markets into a tailspin, according to a new report released Tuesday by Bloomberg New Energy […]
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David Roberts, fellow experts, and readers critique Obama’s Oval Office address
Editor’s note: The chat’s now over, but you can replay it in full. Fresh from his fourth — and first overnight — trip to the Gulf, President Barack Obama delivered his first ever Oval Office address to the nation on Tuesday night. The president spoke about a new head for the hapless Minerals Management Service, […]
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EPA analysis of Senate climate bill shows modest costs, omits benefits
Photo: USDA Forest ServiceToday marks the release of the long-awaited EPA analysis of the American Power Act, Kerry and Lieberman’s climate bill. It could not come at a more consequential time: the decision about whether to include a carbon cap in the impending energy bill will be made in the next few days. Along with […]
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Obama BP speech should signal shift in energy future
Photo: The White HouseTonight, President Obama addresses the nation to talk about how his administration will hold BP accountable for the damages incurred by what has become the worst oil spill in U.S. history, and how he plans to reregulate the oil industry. The American public will be looking for bold action. Obama has a […]
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Afghanistan sitting on a motherlode
Mountains in Afghanistan.Photo courtesy Paolo Alfieri via FlickrNothing like the revelation of precious metals in a far off land to get the hyperbole flowing — and stir up the cynics. And so it goes in the wake of James Risen’s New York Times report that the U.S. has identified nearly a trillion dollars in mineral […]
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Time to get tough with BP on dispersants
As of June 9, BP had applied at least 1.1 million gallons of toxic chemical dispersants to address its ongoing oil leak in the Gulf. That’s the most that has been used in one place since 1979, when the Mexican government dropped between 1 million and 2.5 million gallons on a leak off the coast […]
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Retrofitting 75,000 houses would save as much energy as in the Gulf spill
Here’s a visceral way to represent potential energy savings in the built environment: Source: EnergySavvy That’s via the folks at Energy Savvy. If only the Senate had some sort of legislative strategy that could put this information to use … oh, wait, it does! Home Star legislation will spur the retrofit of 3.3 million homes, […]
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Oil, jobs, and the environment — a New Deal solution to the spill?
Cross-posted from New Deal 2.0. Franklin D. RooseveltPhoto: uncgspecial via FlickrIn the wake of recent revelations that far more oil is spilling out into the Gulf than was originally estimated, and as it now appears more and more likely that BP will not be able to completely shut off the flow of oil until perhaps […]
