Climate Politics
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2030 Challenge Stimulus Plan: Emission reductions, jobs, and economic benefits across the country
President-elect Obama has committed to economic recovery, energy independence, carbon-neutral buildings by 2030, and an 80 percent reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Architecture 2030 has developed a groundbreaking economic stimulus plan [PDF] that simultaneously addresses all of these issues, with a single investment. Kristina Kershner and I presented the 2030 Challenge Stimulus […]
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Brushing aside pressure, Obama taps a big-ag man as USDA chief
"Tom Vilsack was one of the first governors to see the promise of biotechnology. He has a very balanced view of agriculture and understands its potential." — Ted Crosbie, vice president of global plant breeding and director of Monsanto’s Iowa operations "Governor Vilsack would be an outstanding choice for Secretary of Agriculture. He would bring […]
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Carter to Obama: Don’t chip a tooth!
“It was like gnawing on a rock.” — Former president Jimmy Carter, on his efforts to change America’s energy habits
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Post-Kyoto international climate negotiations will depend on China’s cooperation
[Given the importance of China to the fate of the climate, I am happy to introduce a new guest blogger, Robert Collier [PDF]. He is a visiting scholar at U.C. Berkeley, writing a book about China and global warming. He is a former senior foreign-affairs correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle who reported “from a […]
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Where does Interior pick Salazar stand on key environmental issues?
What does Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar’s likely appointment to head the Department of Interior mean for environmental and energy policy? A few episodes from his congressional career may shed some light. Salazar has only been in the Senate since 2005, so he hasn’t racked up a lengthy voting record. His lifetime score from the League […]
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The lead environmental negotiator should be …
The Reality-Based Community blog proposes that Obama appoint a U.S. lead climate negotiator who is based in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Interesting.
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I still heart Seth Borenstein
One of the first blog posts I ever wrote bore the headline "I heart Seth Borenstein." Back then, Borenstein was the environment writer for Knight Ridder, and he distinguished himself by cutting through the typical he-said she-said haze to describe environmental dangers directly and forthrightly. Now he’s a science writer for AP, and he’s still […]
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Steven Chu is a progressive environmentalist because he’s a good scientist
I’ve been reading the discussion sparked by Chris Hayes’ latest piece in The Nation — "The Pragmatist," about Obama’s much-discussed pragmatism — with interest. Pragmatism is a subject dear to my heart, something I studied in grad school, though the kind you study there and what goes by the name in political discussion bear little […]
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Why the much-ballyhooed utility decoupling is inadequate
I meant last week to note the extremely promising fact that Dems are talking about using the stimulus to funnel substantial money to states for energy efficiency projects — and tying that money to utility decoupling. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), in comments to the Northwest Energy Coalition earlier this month, said this is how it […]
