Climate Politics
All Stories
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It’s … medium
The big news today is that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has joined with McCain and Lieberman to re-introduce a bill to cap carbon dioxide emissions. The targets aren’t all that ambitious — it would slow the rise of CO2 emissions, cutting them two-thirds from present levels by 2050 — but the bill is nonetheless expected […]
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With new energy-focused bills, Stevens delights enviros and Obama disappoints
Among the barrage of energy-related bills already unleashed by the 110th Congress, one of the most progressive comes not from the newly empowered Democrats, but from Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, a zealous proponent of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Just as peculiar, one of the bills that most rankles environmentalists comes […]
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Manipulation Nation
U.S. risk-assessment draft completely eviscerated by real live scientists The Bush administration’s quest to make federal-agency evaluations of public-health risks from chemicals and other products even more meaningless has been stymied. A draft risk-assessment policy issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget has been called “fundamentally flawed” by the National Research Council, […]
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Mayor May Not
Report questions whether many U.S. cities will meet Kyoto targets The carbon-reduction blame game isn’t limited to the federal level: nearly 360 U.S. mayors vowed that their cities would meet Kyoto Protocol standards, but a sampling of 10 cities reveals that they are not on track to accomplish their goals, according to a new report. […]
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Flexing His OPECs
Schwarzenegger, E.U. unveil new carbon-cutting schemes California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) may be hobbled by a broken leg, but his mind is still strong. (File that under Sentences We Never Thought We’d Write.) In his State of the State address last night, the green-leaning Governator announced a plan to cut carbon in transportation fuel 10 […]
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Poison Penn
Pennsylvania governor blocked from issuing mercury rule Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) got green plaudits last year when he proposed a plan to scrub 90 percent of mercury pollution from the state’s coal-fired power plants by 2015, but a little-known state agency is now blocking his move. The Legislative Reference Bureau has sided with the […]
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Their Day in Cote
Groundwork begins for Ivory Coast toxic-dumping lawsuit It’s been almost five months since a cargo ship dumped over 400 tons of toxic “slops” in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, leaving at least 10 people dead and more than 40,000 ill. At the time, residents of the African nation responded by blockading streets, burning stuff, and collapsing their […]
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When the Can Comes Around
Canada replaces environment minister, pledges to get greener As part of a major cabinet shakeup, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has replaced oft-criticized Environment Minister Rona Ambrose with former Treasury Board head John Baird, acknowledging that his government needs to greenify. “We’ve clearly determined we need to do more on the environment,” Harper said. “Particularly […]
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An interview with California environmental adviser Terry Tamminen
Terry Tamminen is a compact, affable man. With his bluntness and lack of pretense, it’s easy to see why Arnold Schwarzenegger trusted him. The California governor brought Tamminen on as his environmental adviser in 2003, elevated him to secretary of the state EPA, and then appointed him a senior cabinet adviser in 2004. In part […]
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An interview with Australian politician and rabble-rouser Bob Brown
Bob Brown goes to great heights to protect his homeland. Photo: Rainforest Action Network Bob Brown looks a caricature of an Australian senator: a bit disheveled in a rumpled gray suit, unfashionable glasses, and a goofy grin. But a little rumple goes a long way. In a career that has spanned three decades, Brown has […]
