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  • Mitch Daniels has quacky climate views a la Michael Crichton

    Mitch Daniels takes on the “climate change theocracy”Photo: Indiana Public MediaIndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he’ll decide by April 29 whether to run for the Republican presidential nomination. While he’s pondering his prospects, let us ponder his views on climate change. Turns out they’re a lot weirder than you thought. It’s well-known that Daniels has […]

  • Even Osama bin Laden thinks we need to do something about climate change

    You’d think people who are willing to blow themselves up any day now wouldn’t worry too hard about the future of the planet. But as it turns out, it really isn’t possible to get MORE cynical about the future than a congressional Republican — even if you’re an Islamic militant. Last October, Hezbollah guerilla chief […]

  • Climate change kills our buzz, and vice versa

    Grist’s offices are in Seattle, so we take this one really seriously: Climate change is threatening Costa Rica’s coffee crops. Coffee’s a fussy little plant, and it can’t handle extreme temperatures, so yields are going way down as temperature inches up. And if you think that’s a buzzkill, try this: An independent study by a […]

  • Natural gas from fracking is worse for climate than coal, says new study

    Photo: Erland HowdenNatural gas obtained through "fracking" — the increasingly common process of splitting open underground deposits with high pressure chemicals — now has an even bigger strike against it than its potential to contaminate regional water supplies. Fracking, it turns out, yields more global warming per unit of energy than coal — at least […]

  • Nothing will change until greens mount some primary challenges

    Don’t f*ck with us.So, 350.org and 1Sky are uniting. Interesting news! I was particularly struck by this bit from Bill McKibben and Betsy Taylor’s post: We have learned over time that you can’t win simply by explaining the crisis to political leaders; they may intellectually understand that they’re facing the end of the world, but […]

  • Republican overreach may save EPA

    [UPDATE: All four amendments to block EPA went down to defeat in the Senate today. McConnell’s, the one that would block EPA permanently, got only 50 votes — not as many Dem crossovers as expected. This isn’t the end, of course; it was just stage-setting. The big bid is to attach an amendment to a […]

  • Watch a baby eagle hatch on live streaming video

    [vodpod id=ExternalVideo.1011836&w=425&h=350&fv=] A fish hatchery in Decorah, Iowa is streaming a live feed of its bald eagle eggs. The first two hatched over the weekend, but number 3 is likely to go at any minute now (over the next couple of days, anyway). Keep an eye on the webcam for a rare chance to see […]

  • World Bank to the poor: ‘Coal’s good enough for you!’

    The World Bank — famous for funding gobsmackingly huge, planet-killing coal-fired power plants — is changing its tune, sort of. Under a new set of proposed rules, the Bank would only be allowed to fund gobsmackingly huge, planet-killing coal-fired power plants in the world's poorest countries. Progress! Okay, that sounds dastardly, but it’s a little […]

  • Downplaying or remaining silent about climate change was and is a blunder for progressives

    Progressives shouldn’t keep quiet.Photo: Jennifer MooSome of the best pollsters have known for years that progressives can and should talk about climate change. Mark Mellman calls the polling that suggests one shouldn’t talk about global warming, a “politically naïve, methodologically flawed, and factually inaccurate.” Sure, if you talk about any subject in a clumsy fashion […]

  • Why is the conventional wisdom of climate economics so pessimistic?

    Cross-posted from Real Climate Economics. The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing yesterday on climate change science, economics, and policy. It was fascinating to listen to, and will no doubt provide much rich food for thought and discussion (for starters see Andy Revkin, or Chris Mooney, or Steve McIntyre for a […]