Climate Politics
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The Kerry-Boxer bill is not “more ambitious” than Waxman-Markey
I’m sure Steve Mufson and Juliet Eilperin didn’t choose the headline, but whoever did, I think it’s a real mistake to refer to the Kerry-Boxer bill as “a bit more ambitious” than its Waxman-Markey counterpart in the House. This became conventional wisdom almost immediately, but it seems to me both wrong and pernicious — the […]
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Climate action in the shadow of the White House
[vodpod id=Video.16192487&w=425&h=350&fv=offsite%3Dtrue%26amp%3Boffsite%3Dtrue%26amp%3Blang%3Den-us%26amp%3Bpage_show_url%3D%252Fphotos%252Fgrist%252Fsets%252F72157622530059301%252Fshow%252F%26amp%3Bpage_show_back_url%3D%252Fphotos%252Fgrist%252Fsets%252F72157622530059301%252F%26amp%3Bset_id%3D72157622530059301%26amp%3Bjump_to%3D] Carrie Madren, a freelance journalist, filed this dispatch from the International Climate Action Day event in Washington, D.C. You had to be pretty dedicated to complete the 350.org march climate action march in Washington, D.C. That’s because participants had to slog down the streets of the nation’s capital in a deluge. Participants in […]
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Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill: Chairman’s mark and EPA analysis released
Sen. Boxer speaking at a CEJAPA rally at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy The Sierra Club via Flickr At close to 11pm Eastern, Boxer’s office has finally released the chairman’s mark of the Kerry-Boxer bill. This is the version of the bill that will be debated in hearings next week. Concurrently, the […]
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White House loads policy initiatives into a few hours of fun at Healthy Kids Fair
Cross-posted from Obama Foodorama. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack watches Mrs. Obama make remarks at the opening of the Fair.Photo: Obama FoodoramaA challenge for change, and White House Chefs demo’ing delicious, nutritious recipes… The autumn sunshine was very bright, the weather unseasonably warm, and there was a party atmosphere at the White House for Wednesday’s […]
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Obama says ‘It’s hard to say’ why critics of clean energy accuse him of socialism
Cross-posted from the Wonk Room This afternoon at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, President Obama challenged the nation to explore the “new frontiers” of the “clean energy economy of tomorrow.” He praised Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for working on legislation to make our energy system “more […]
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Confusion in the Senate regarding allowance allocation
According to an October 22nd story in Environment & Energy Daily (“Climate: GOP Fence Sitters Voice Concerns Over Allocations” by Darren Samuelson), several key swing-vote Senate Republicans — including Senator Lisa Murkowski, ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee — are voicing skepticism about the Senate’s Boxer-Kerry climate bill’s cap-and-trade system because of […]
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Obama energy speech contained few policy specifics, but shaped forward-looking narrative
Obama speaking on clean energy in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. Photo: Dominick ReuterObama delivered a speech on energy at MIT on Friday, marking the kick-off for what is likely to be a protracted effort by the administration and Democrats in the Senate to pass the Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill. Those hoping for policy substance or firm […]
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What does the Pew poll mean?
The big news yesterday was a Pew poll showing a precipitous decline in the number of people who believe there is strong scientific evidence for anthropocentric climate change. Jon covered the details pretty well, including some reasons it should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s peculiar that these polls are often taken as […]
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Poll finds sharp rise in global warming skepticism
There are good reasons not to get too worked up about public-opinion polling on issues like climate change and energy. Polls confirm, over and over, that the public opinion is malleable—so much rides on the wording of questions. And most people don’t analyze policy in their spare time, so why ask them about cap and […]
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Put a cap on it, America!
Tim Flannery says the U.S. Senate absolutely must pass some form of carbon cap before the Copenhagen talks in December.Mark Coulson, 5th World Conference of Science JournalistsDon’t let the perfect be the enemy of the absolutely essential. That’s the message author and climate campaigner Tim Flannery brought to Grist’s Seattle office today. By that, he […]