Barack Obama
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Obama speaks on climate action from MIT
The naysayers, the folks who would pretend that this is not an issue, they are being marginalized. But I think it’s important to understand that the closer we get, the harder the opposition will fight and the more we’ll hear from those whose interest or ideology run counter to the much needed action that we’re […]
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Obama says ‘It’s hard to say’ why critics of clean energy accuse him of socialism
Cross-posted from the Wonk Room This afternoon at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, President Obama challenged the nation to explore the “new frontiers” of the “clean energy economy of tomorrow.” He praised Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for working on legislation to make our energy system “more […]
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Obama energy speech contained few policy specifics, but shaped forward-looking narrative
Obama speaking on clean energy in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. Photo: Dominick ReuterObama delivered a speech on energy at MIT on Friday, marking the kick-off for what is likely to be a protracted effort by the administration and Democrats in the Senate to pass the Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill. Those hoping for policy substance or firm […]
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Is anyone in charge of food safety?
The fact that there remains no one in charge of food safety at the USDA has become a sick sort of joke among food policy types. It’s true that there is a second in command, Jerold Mande — but he’s a cancer doctor with no food safety background and, at best, a caretaker. He has […]
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From Oslo to Copenhagen: Earning the Peace Prize
Could Barack Obama’s controversial Nobel Prize help bring about an effective global agreement to tackle climate change? Could the American president, by heading straight to Denmark after collecting his prize, actually demonstrate why he was the right pick for the honor within days of delivering his laureate address? It’s just a hop, skip and a […]
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Three faces of hope for climate change
Last week in Congress, I met with three people who represent the three imperatives of our efforts against global warming. One represents the morality of the endeavor, another who received the Nobel Prize represents the science behind the economics, and the third is a well known gym rat who represents the way our democracy will […]
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Obama’s Nobel: What it means for greens
Dip a toe into the Nobel Peace Prize news and next thing you’re drowning in commentary. Here’s an attempt to distill what it means for greens, by which I mean the types of people who rely on air, water, soil, and other naturey elements. Obama’s nuclear disarmament work won him the award. A member of […]
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Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize
UN Photo/Marco Castro In a stunning announcement (full text below), “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Obama won, in part, for reversing the immoral efforts of the Cheney-Bush […]
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On climate, leading from the front (for a change)
Leaders of the world’s richest and fastest-growing economies are pushing for climate action even though their citizens have yet to wake up to the scale of the problem. Above, national leaders pose at the most recent G8 meeting last June in Italy. (White House Photo).Something unusual seems to be happening in the struggle to wake […]
