Climate Politics
All Stories
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‘War on the Poor’ astroturf campaign pushes for increased fossil-fuel production
Van Jones often warns clean energy proponents that anyone they don’t organize into their coalition will be organized against them. Increasing energy prices disproportionately impact the poor, which leaves low-income people and minorities open to demagogic appeals from groups focused on increasing fossil-fuel production. We saw some evidence of that dynamic today at a press […]
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Disappearing owls, threatened forests, and the city-country conflict
"Ghost" is a word field biologists use to describe a species near the end of its time on earth. Often these endangered species are birds, but in a spectacular essay in a newly internet-friendly issue of the English literary journal Granta, Robert MacFarlane slightly expands the meaning of the word. He visits an obscure low-lying […]
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Udall stumps on renewables and more to a crowded room
I had the opportunity to attend a campaign event for Mark Udall Friday afternoon, when he stopped by the Montezuma County Democratic headquarters for a short stump speech and Q&A. Udall is a sitting representative in the House who is running against Republican Bob Schaffer for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Wayne Allard. Udall, […]
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Where climate/energy issues stand in the Democratic Party
Being an "issue" journalist can be frustrating for a number of reasons (most of which I’ll reserve for a future post). One is the persistent temptation to fall into trainspotting mode — waiting around for politicians or pundits to mention your issue. "He said the words ‘climate change’! He mentioned solar power!" This stuff (which […]
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Out-hofe?
Update from the Oklahoma Senate race: With Senate Democrats growing more bullish about their chances of holding 60 seats following the November election, new polling out of Oklahoma suggests that Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) may be in for a serious challenge in the fall.
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Deal to shrink roadless areas in Idaho approved by Bush admin
An Idaho-specific plan meant to replace President Clinton’s national roadless rule in the state was agreed to Friday by the Bush administration, timber interests, and a few environmental groups. If approved by the Secretary of Agriculture after a public-comment period, the revised rule would protect just 3.3 million acres of forestlands in the state, down […]
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Some enviros self-censor, but should progressives?
A friend forwarded me an email titled "Gustav and Hannah" that was written to environmental activists by one of the top environmental leaders in this country. I am going to write on it at length because it is illustrative of the catastrophic messaging failure of the environmental community on issues of climate, government action, and […]
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Palin was for the bridge before she was against it
Remember the Bridge to Nowhere? Last week, in her VP acceptance speech, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told the crowd, “I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere.” Turns out she was for the bridge before she was against it. The bridge (actually called the Gravina Island Bridge) was the mother of […]
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RNC: Through the looking glass
I have dropped into some sort of wormhole in the space-time continuum. In the past hour or so, I ran into some guys from Reason magazine, including Matt Welch (a bit of a hero of mine). Then we were accosted by an incredibly enthusiastic delegate from Mass., who discussed his disappointment about Romney not being […]
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Scaled-back convention kicks off as protesters take to the streets
St. Paul is absolute madness, despite the fact that most of the official proceedings were canceled for today. Nearly 10,000 anti-war protesters marched peacefully on the convention earlier today, the largest rally scheduled for the Republican National Convention. But apparently there was some violence later in afternoon. Someone broke out the window of a police […]
