Climate Politics
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Bill McKibben talks about how to live and organize on a reshaped ‘Eaarth’
Bill McKibben’s new book Eaarth argues that our carbon pollution has already reshaped the planet enough that it deserves a new name. McKibben has been thinking hard about climate change for longer than almost anybody else, both as a writer and as an activist, and he doesn’t sugarcoat the situation. He stopped by Grist’s office […]
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Beyond Petroleum
My friend Dean was mostly drunk rowing his raft down the Grand Canyon. He was also naked most of the time, except for a piece of climbing webbing around his waist, ostensibly to help him if the raft flipped. As he headed into the huge rapids of the Inner Gorge, Dean used to cackle and […]
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Message from America’s heartland: We’re ready for oil independence
Biobutanol, anaerobic digestors, hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel-cell, and plug-in electric vehicles — there’s a seemingly endless list of alternative power sources at all stages of development … in Ohio. Yes, Ohio, where images of rust belts, factory closings, and rising unemployment too often come to mind. The Pew Charitable Trusts have recognized the state as […]
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One thing Graham is right about: Obama
One aspect of the Graham-Reid flustercluck has gone underappreciated. Atrios, Digby, David Dayen, and other lefties think that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is just being a giant douchebag. His intention was always to string Democrats along, water down the climate bill, and bail at the last minute. I’ve heard from some folks in the green […]
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What are conservatives saying about the Gulf oil disaster?
The ongoing oil eruption off the Gulf Coast is shaping up to be one of the worst environmental disasters in American history. It’s now clear that BP had no credible plan in place to deal with a spill of this magnitude at this depth. They thought it couldn’t happen and now they don’t know how […]
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Big Oil continues to see big profits, pollution while Americans get robbed at the pump
This post was co-authored by Susan Lyon. I was out driving/just a taking it slowLooked at my tank/ it was reading lowPulled in a Exxon station/out on Highway OneHeld up without a gunHeld up without a gun – Bruce Springsteen Springsteen’s song could not be more true today. Big Oil is once again riding high […]
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The Climate Post: Mighty winds a-blowin’
First things first: A high-stakes political drama unfolded after the Senate Majority Leader announced the body would consider immigration reform ahead of anticipated climate legislation. The surprise political move caused a key Republican to bolt the tri-partisan effort to craft a federal climate program. The episode has greatly intensified doubts that the U.S. will pass […]
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Something’s wrong when our best option is burning an oil slick
Yesterday was a good day for an energy policy reality check. Because we are in a place where the environmentally responsible choice is lighting a giant oil slick on fire. And that really is the best option available to us right now. That’s how bad the situation in the Gulf of Mexico is. It is […]
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Tragic oil spill = smarter climate bill?
Several weeks before President Obama made the tragic decision to approve expanded offshore drilling, ten costal-state senators wrote a letter [PDF] to their colleagues John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) pressing the trio to keep expanded offshore drilling out of their now floundering climate and energy package. In the letter, the senators […]
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Lindsey Graham says, “yeah,” there’s a chance for climate to move forward this yea
WashPost’s Ezra Klein has posted an interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) about the immigration and climate bills. Since my Monday post, it’s been hard to tell whether the Senator has been principled or petulant — or perhaps a bit of both. I’ll excerpt the parts of his interview with Klein about the climate bill […]
