Climate Politics
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Nobel Prize in economics a big boost to commons and blow to corporate control
You’ll be hearing a lot about the “commons” for the next few days. It’s about time. There are celebrations taking place around the world — and not just by people, but maybe in the plant and animal kingdoms as well — for Oslo’s award of the Nobel Prize for Economics to Elinor Ostrom. Not only […]
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Robert Casey (D-Penn.)
Robert CaseySen. Robert Casey sent this letter to a Grist reader in early October in response to questions about his stance on climate legislation. He affirms that climate change is a serious problem and that he intends to work toward legislation to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. He also talks up “clean coal” and touts his efforts […]
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Can Jamie Oliver cooking lessons cure obesity?
Jamie OliverPhoto: Downing Street via Flickr What struck me most about the profile of celebrity chef and food activist Jamie Oliver in the NYT Magazine’s Food Issue was not his valiant attempts to re-educate Americans on the importance of scratch cooking. It’s that the poor man could have used some serious therapy as a child. […]
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Three faces of hope for climate change
Last week in Congress, I met with three people who represent the three imperatives of our efforts against global warming. One represents the morality of the endeavor, another who received the Nobel Prize represents the science behind the economics, and the third is a well known gym rat who represents the way our democracy will […]
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Kerry-Graham op-ed dramatically enhances prospects for Senate climate bill this year
Sunday’s New York Times op-ed by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) begins: CONVENTIONAL wisdom suggests that the prospect of Congress passing a comprehensive climate change bill soon is rapidly approaching zero. … However, we refuse to accept the argument that the United States cannot lead the world in addressing global climate change. […]
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Seven reasons for optimism about the Senate climate bill
Conventional wisdom says that the Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill faces a long uphill slog against unlikely odds. Many Senators, especially those in the “center,” think it’s unpopular. They think it will raise prices during a recession. They think it will unfairly hurt their states. They see little political upside and lots of possible downside. Here’s […]
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The Spanish solar collapse
There has been a lot of talk in the U.S. about the collapse of the Spanish solar market this year, commonly held to have been a solar bubble. However, few U.S. commentators seem to understand the Spanish market enough to go beyond the standard quip that the Spanish were simply throwing too much money at […]
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Sen. Lindsey Graham crosses the climate rubicon
Last week, I struck a hopeful note after GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham expressed interest in a climate bill compromise that included a carbon cap in exchange for support for some nuclear power and coastal drilling. But my expectations it would really happen remained low. Today, Graham made a deal all but inevitable. Final compromise language […]
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Looking beyond Copenhagen, with no Plan B
MADISON, Wisc. — President Obama’s lieutenants put on their game faces as they fielded journalists’ questions Friday, but there was a palpable sense that they know the game is already over going into the global talks on climate change in December. I wish I could say something different, but that’s the sense I got as […]
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Obama’s Nobel: What it means for greens
Dip a toe into the Nobel Peace Prize news and next thing you’re drowning in commentary. Here’s an attempt to distill what it means for greens, by which I mean the types of people who rely on air, water, soil, and other naturey elements. Obama’s nuclear disarmament work won him the award. A member of […]
