Grist List
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Making fuel-efficient cars will create hundreds of thousands of jobs
Jobs … who needs 'em? Not Congress, apparently. (The unemployed thank you for that debt deal! Or not.) But it turns out that the new fuel economy standards that President Obama announced last week will create jobs! Somewhere between about 500,000 and 600,000 of them by 2030, according to a report by Ceres, a group that works on sustainability issues:
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Free birth control ruling is preventive care for the Earth
As of yesterday, new and renewed private insurance plans will now have to cover contraception, according to a ruling from the Department of Health and Human Services. Given that population reduction is one of the best things we can do for the planet, this is awesome news -- it removes the biggest financial barrier to people having only the number of kids they want and no more (or having no kids at all).
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Critical List: Debt deal cuts energy programs; solar-powered spacecraft goes to Jupiter
Is Congress passing a bill? Then you can bet it's bad for the environment. The debt deal is no exception.
We're almost out of time to start dealing with climate change, a new report says. Emissions would need to peak in 2020 in order for the planet to escape real damage. So … yeah.
Related: "Expectations are not high at the moment" for the Durban round of climate talks, according to a UN official.
Radiation levels in some parts of the Fukushima plant are still deadly. -
The Onion reports on puzzling behavior among climate scientists
All of a sudden, these normally gentle creatures are becoming agitated and making noises with their mouths! What is it, guys? Is Timmy stuck in a well?
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Republicans voted against environmental protections 110 times in six months
Reps. Henry Waxman (Calif.) and Edward Markey (Mass.), of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, have been keeping tabs on Republican votes to undermine environmental legislation. They say that since taking over the majority in January, Republicans have voted 110 times to block or weaken legislation intended to protect the environment.
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Here come Japan's post-nuclear model solar communities
If you thought Abu Dhabi's uber-green Masdar city was ambitious and/or doomed, just wait until you see what Japan's cooking up. In a pair of nearby cities in Hiroshima prefecture, Fukuyama and Onomichi, a coalition is going to power as much of their grid as possible with solar energy.
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Issa wants cheaper cars, more climate change
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.), whose official role as chairman of the House oversight committee is to be an administrative gadfly, is investigating the new fuel economy standard the Obama administration announced last Friday.
Issa is concerned about how the Obama administration negotiated with car manufacturers over these standards, which will push the average fuel economy of the country's fleet of new cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The problem, according to Issa, is that the standards could make cars cost more money and limit consumer choice. -
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The newest front in green energy: churches
Sure, some religious folks see climate change as anathema to their worldview, but plenty -- probably most -- do not! And with the help of their religious leaders, they're banding together into blocks of citizens who can negotiate for cheaper, cleaner energy, as well as discounts on energy-efficiency retrofits.
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Owning a car is like having a second mortgage
Auckland Transport Blog points out a sobering calculation from the book The Option of Urbanism: The financial cost of owning and maintaining a car is equivalent to the cost of owning a small house. (Well, a small house in a cheap area. But still.) AAA calculated that the average cost of car ownership and maintenance […]
