Climate Politics
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Note to Environmentalists: Economists are on your side
There is a tendency among some environmental writers to dismiss “classical”, “traditional”, “neoliberal”, or “mainstream” economics as somehow inimical to environmental interests. The problem is that more often than not these writers get the facts wrong. It’s almost as if the knee-jerk aversion to economics that exists among many environmentalists prevents them from […]
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What the John Paul Stevens retirement means for energy progress
Stevens (center) with President Obama and Justice Anthony Kennedy last September.Collection of the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his long-expected retirement Friday, meaning we can expect another testy/goofy/”contentious” confirmation process in the Senate this summer. Stevens’ retirement means a few other things too: 1. The court loses an […]
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Offshore drilling most popular among Republicans, elderly, white, and wealthy
When President Obama announced recently that he’d open new coastal areas to offshore drilling, there was considerable speculation as to what the political fallout might be. Most progressive pundits were baffled by the decision, and the general consensus seemed to be that it was a political move designed to influence key decision makers. The immediate […]
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Carbon cap would deny Iran precious petrodollars: Over $100 million a day
Cross-posted from Wonk Room. A strong cap on carbon would significantly cut the flow of petrodollars to Iran’s hostile regime, a Wonk Room analysis shows. The economic and political strength of Iran’s dictatorship is a threat to the national security of the United States and the world, and its nuclear ambitions threaten to destabilize the […]
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Coal barons to (finally) testify before Congress
Well now isn’t this interesting. Throughout the seemingly endless battle over climate-change legislation, not once have the folks behind the biggest source of climate pollution — coal executives — been asked to publicly account for their industry’s role. Now it looks like they will. On Wed. April 14 at 9:30am, the House Select Committee on […]
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Nuclear arms reduction is better than nuclear warfare
Today President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a nuclear arms reduction pact that slightly limits each country’s stockpile, reinstates inspections, and restores relations between the two countries. This is good news. Nuclear warfare is not sustainable. The New York Times explains how it works. Money quote: While the treaty will mandate only modest […]
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Krugman says what political media won’t: economists agree climate action is necessary, affordable
Paul Krugman has a fantastic piece on the cover of the upcoming issue of the New York Times Magazine: “Building a Green Economy.” With his typical patience, cogence, and clarity, Krugman walks through the mainstream economics take on climate change: its cost, the best way to respond, the cost of responding, and the proper scale […]
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Sarah Palin recounts recent Mensa meeting
“I knew that we’d be buddies when I met her when she said, ‘Drill here, drill now.’ And then I replied, ‘Drill, baby, drill’ and then we both said, ‘You betcha!'” — former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, on meeting Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)
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Senate Energy spox responds; more on fossil-fuel safety and our energy future
Yesterday I took issue with this quote from Senate Energy Committee spokesperson Bill Wicker, about the mine accident in West Virginia: “This is a mining accident,” says Bill Wicker, communications director for the Senate Energy Committee. “This issue involves the health and safety of our miners, not our energy future.” As I wrote, it seems […]
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World Bank vote gives billions to coal
It's bad news for clean energy and our planet today, as the United States failed to follow its own global warming guidelines. The World Bank today approved a $3.75 billion loan to South African power utility Eskom to help build a 4,800 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Medupi. The funding would also facilitate plans for a second large coal plant in Kusile. The coal plants will be among the largest and most polluting worldwide.
