Grist List

How’s it feel to already be living in a post-peak oil apocalypse?

The International Energy Agency says peak oil came and went — in 2006. The only reason we're not already paying $10 a gallon for gas and generally Mad Maxing it up is that there was this thing called a recession. Well, that, and cough cough the tar sands saved our asses cough cough. Unconventional sources […]

Christopher Mims Energy

Superstorm hits Alaska

When the National Weather Service calls a storm "epic," you know something big is going down. (Or that the National Weather Service employs a lot of 20something copywriters, I guess, but in this case it's the former.) The storm currently sweeping over Alaska is going to be one of the most severe Bering Strait storms […]

Jess Zimmerman Climate & Energy

State Dept. might reroute Keystone XL

The State Department seems to be seriously weighing a change in the path that the Keystone XL pipeline would take. A change in the route would be a victory for the pipeline's opponents, but only a partial one. There are two main environmental concerns connected to the pipeline project. One is the potential for spills […]

Sarah Laskow Energy

Oil and gas reps suggest using counterinsurgency tactics on fracking opponents

It's obvious that the natural gas industry has no love for opponents of fracking in places like Pennsylvania. But recordings from an industry meeting reveal that the industry's animosity goes a little deeper than mere irritation — they think of opponents as an "insurgency" that should be handled with techniques developed to fight terrorism in […]

Sarah Laskow Technology

Baby boomers are the worst for the climate

At what age does a person do the most damage to the climate? According to a new study, between about 45 and 80. Starting at birth, a person’s carbon dioxide emissions sprint up and up and up, until they hit their peak at age 65. But by 80, a person's emissions are down to 13.1 […]

Sarah Laskow Culture

Critical List: Humanity is locking in dangerous climate change; California has 1 GW of solar

The International Energy Agency says that within the next five years humanity is likely to fritter away its last chance of avoiding dangerous climate change. Also, the world's still giving more support to fossil fuels than renewable energy—six times as much, when measured in state subsidies. The Obama administration wants to open up offshore areas […]

Sarah Laskow Technology

Ethanol is making crap food more expensive than ever

If you're a fan of Uno's pizza, O'Charley's, White Castle, or, god forbid, P.F. Chang's, you have only our government's stubborn love of ethanol subsidies to blame for the increasing cost of your favorite meals, report the gumshoes at Nation's Restaurant News. If you’re not a fan, though, don’t go celebrating with a delicious home-cooked […]

Christopher Mims Agriculture

Dalai Lama supports nuclear power, disses wind and solar

In a news conference in Tokyo, the Dalai Lama told his increasingly anti-nuclear hosts that nuclear power is an important solution for underdeveloped countries still grappling with basic energy poverty. His talking points were almost identical to those of stateside nuclear advocates, including discussions of the risks of nuclear accidents compared to other everyday risks. […]