Climate Politics
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Congress is the problem
Felix Salmon blogs at Reuters about the seeming exhaustion of Obama’s political capital — on both climate change and financial regulations, he just can’t seem to get what he wants out of Congress. I think Matt Yglesias and Ryan Avent both have the appropriate response: the problem here is not Obama, but Congress. Indeed, the […]
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The faint silver lining of the Waxman-Markey clean-energy-mandates cloud
The Waxman-Markey bill would require that 20% of the nation’s power supply come from clean energy (15%) and efficiency (5%) by 2020. But wouldn’t the U.S. have reached those mild targets without any government intervention, through natural market growth? Would the bill’s mandates have any effect at all? A spate of recent analyses have argued […]
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Do as Heartland says, not as it does
If you’re a green blogger who wants to cover a Heartland Institute event, you better pony up hundreds of dollars in entrance fees or you’re not allowed inside. But if you’re a Congressman holding a hearing on global warming and you don’t invite a spokesman from the Heartland Institute to testify, you’re a fascist who […]
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UPDATED: A roundup of news coverage on the climate change impacts report
We’ll be reporting all day on the U.S. climate change impacts report released by the White House and a team of 13 federal agencies today. We’re also tracking good coverage of the report elsewhere—check back for updates, post your own in the comments below, or post them to Twitter with @grist in the text. UPDATE: […]
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Myth: Waxman-Markey gives away 85 percent of allowances to polluters
As the Waxman-Markey climate/energy bill nears a make-or-break vote in the House, those who work to improve it need more than ever to understand it first. Smart strategy is based on sound information. On that note: one of the central critiques of the bill is a red herring at best and at worst simply false. […]
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New Repower America ad aims to rally support for climate bill
The Alliance for Climate Protection on Monday rolled out a new TV ad calling for a shift away from oil and toward a clean-energy economy. The ad will be airing nationally on cable channels just as the House is preparing to vote on the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill; a floor vote could come as […]
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To reach a climate agreement in the near future, countries must look into the past
The second round of this year’s climate negotiations have wrapped up in Bonn, Germany, and government negotiators are digging in to their positions, making the chances of signing any global climate deal in Copenhagen this December – let alone a fair deal – increasingly slim. A snapshot at the midpoint on the road to Copenhagen […]
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Labor teams up with enviros to pass climate bill and promote green jobs
After working for the United Steelworkers International Union for 30 years, Lauren Horne left in January to take on a new role within the labor movement — rallying union members to help fight climate change. Union members call for a cleaner, greener economy.Photo: Step It UpHorne, a Pittsburgh native, is now coordinating an education campaign […]
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House GOP unveils energy bill heavy on fossil fuels and nuclear power
Reps. Darrell Issa (left), John Boehner, and Mike Pence introduce the American Energy Act.Photo: Republican ConferenceHouse Republicans have rolled out their own energy plan, the American Energy Act, intended to compete with the American Clean Energy and Security Act put forward by Democrats. Like the energy bill they released last year, Republicans are calling this […]
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Fixing food isn’t only about agriculture. Just ask Europe.
Michael Pollan spoke to Newsweek about the new documentary on our industrial food system Food, Inc. In his comments, he made some crucial points about differences between US and Europe that go beyond “food culture”: [T]hey have a better safety net [in Europe]. You can afford to spend 15 to 17 percent of your income […]
