Climate Politics

Circuit Breaker

Senators clash over proposal to split green-friendly 9th Circuit Court For years, Republicans have loathed the San Francisco-based U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation’s largest federal appeals court and most left-leaning. Its long record of upholding environmental laws is but one of its sins in the eyes of conservatives. Now, for the umpteenth […]

I Know What You Did With That Last Hummer

Schwarzenegger sells his Hummers, pals around with NYC Mayor Bloomberg [See correction below.] Had your doubts that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was walking his green talk? Oh, he’s walking all right — the guv has sold his eight Hummers. It was Schwarzenegger who originally convinced then-manufacturer AM General to make a version of the […]

Bush’s climate plan will kick-start a new era of bargaining over the planet’s future

On your mark … Get set … Go? Photo: iStockphoto And so the bargaining has begun. After almost two decades of inaction, at long last America seems ready to start considering some kind of action to address global warming. With states setting conflicting standards, with the scientists announcing weekly updates on the speed and size […]

The New Nuisance Thing

California sues automakers over greenhouse-gas emissions California sued the six largest auto manufacturers yesterday, saying that vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions are a public nuisance and seeking compensation for damage to the state’s air, water supplies, coast, forests, wildlife, and people. “Basically, what we are saying is, it’s old-fashioned economics. You should pay for the damage you […]

Tech-alekahi Tech-aheiny Ho

Bush admin. releases plan to fight global warming with technology As part of its 2002 plan to fight global warming (what, you never heard about that one?), the Bush administration promised a technology-development plan. A mere four years later, it has arrived! To the surprise of absolutely no one, the “Climate Change Technology Program Strategic […]

Ignorance is Remiss

U.S. EPA not conducting environmental-justice reviews In a sharp break with the rest of the Bush administration’s focus — no, obsession — with social and economic justice, the U.S. EPA has failed to conduct environmental-justice reviews to make sure low-income and minority neighborhoods get equal eco-protection to other communities. The reviews have been required since […]

Rhymes With “Kulongoski”

West Coast governors band together to defend Pacific Ocean Governors of the three West Coast states announced yesterday that by their powers combined, they will strive to improve the health of the Pacific Ocean. “We know that isolated local efforts cannot adequately address the breadth of degradation to our oceans,” said Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire […]

Gore calls for carbon freeze in major speech on climate solutions

It is “time for a national oil change,” said Al Gore with a sly wink in his voice. “That is apparent to anyone who has looked at our national dipstick.” “Freeze right there!” says Gore. Photo: David Lodge/WireImage This was one of the few moments of comedy in what was billed as a “major policy […]

The most noteworthy features

Just to follow up a bit on Amanda's post, it seems to me that there are three particularly newsworthy features of Gore's speech:

• A "carbon freeze"? I've never even heard of that. But if we took it seriously -- if we really halted, immediately, the growth of our collective GHG emissions -- it would functionally amount to huge cuts. Those new coal-fired power plants in Texas would certainly be off the table. In fact, the coal industry would be forced to shift entirely to IGCC/sequestration. Needless to say, coal barons aren't going to like that.
• With Gore's backing, a revenue-neutral carbon tax -- the best immediate policy available to us -- is now squarely in the mainstream. Thanks, Al!
• He conspicuously failed to endorse nukes. He didn't oppose them, he just dismissed them as unworkable. That's just the right stance to take.

More later, maybe, after I look at the speech more closely.

Here, for your reading pleasure, is the speech in its entirety:

After months of gloom and doom, Gore’s all about solutions

Against a backdrop of eight American flags -- ceremoniously arranged behind a podium emblazoned with the scales of justice -- Al Gore took the stage at the New York University Law School early this afternoon to deliver what was billed in press releases as a "major policy address on global warming."

Major it was -- in terms of the media turnout, anyway. There were nearly a half-dozen cameras rolling and most major publications represented.

It was also major in terms of length (over an hour of factually dense commentary, sans visual aids) and gravitas (a more somber, more serious, dare I say more presidential Gore than the one we've seen pumping his fists and cracking jokes as he roars across the country on his climate lecture circuit). And major enough to have elicited rumors, as reported in the Independent yesterday, that the White House is hoping to steal Gore's climate thunder.

As with most policy addresses billed as "major," the rhetorical flourishes were legion. Take, for instance, the way Gore framed the address: