Steven Chu
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Critical List: Eating organic makes people judgey; U.S. selling drones to Iraq to protect oil
Eating organic food makes people more judgmental about others’ actions and less altruistic, according to a totally bogus study. The U.S. is selling drones to Iraq to protect oil exports. White-tailed deer are eating so many leaves, they’re keeping migratory birds from being able to build their nests.
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Critical List: Oil sands carbon footprint revised upwards; new frog discovered in NYC
Oil sands have an even higher carbon footprint than previously thought: No one was counting carbon released when the drilling operations destroy peatlands. In 2011, solar installers put in twice as many solar panels as they did in 2010. The transportation bill now includes a natural gas amendment that fulfills energy magnate T. Boone Pickens’ […]
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Critical List: Trader Joe’s signs Fair Food agreement; newborn baby tapir
Trader Joe’s signed a Fair Food agreement with Coalition of Immokalee Workers that increased the price the company pays per pound of tomatoes. Energy Secretary Steven Chu defended the Energy Department’s loan guarantee program, after a independent review outlined possible improvements to the program’s oversight. The White House is pointing out that the review showed […]
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Critical List: Illinois installed the most wind turbines in 2011; Weathercasters aren’t climate scientists
Illinois installed the most new wind turbines in 2011. In five years, there could be 39 million “micro-hybrids” — cars that have a battery to increase cars’ efficiency, but that aren’t quite as awesome as Priuses or other full hybrids. Weather forecasters don’t understand climate science. Don’t believe them when they say climate change doesn’t […]
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Secretary of Energy is a Keystone XL booster
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu hasn't said definitively whether he supports the Keystone XL pipeline. But he's heavily implied that he's a fan, laying out the project's potential benefits in an interview with energyNOW!. "It's not perfect," said Chu of the pipeline, which would increase greenhouse-gas emissions and quite probably leak to boot. But he […]
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Getting more voices into the climate game, starting with Steven Chu
It's easy to overthink the problem of climate skepticism. One answer is sending signals that trusted people and institutions are in agreement on the issue.
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Why selling off the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a good idea
Here's how releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve can lower gas prices and help get the U.S. off of oil.
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When will we see solar panels on the White House?
Bill Mckibben reminds President Barack Obama that he promised to put solar panels on the White House by the end of spring. He only has a week left.
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Obama administration to put $250 million toward smart grid
As exciting as alternative energy is, all the wind turbines in the world are not going to replace dirty energy unless the power they generate can get to consumers. That requires a better, smarter power grid than the U.S. has now. The Obama administration has been reasonably supportive of that goal, packing $4.5 billion for […]