Climate Technology

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  • Fred Upton’s EPA-blocking bill will put more of your money in oil industry pockets

    Rep. Upton wants to raise your gas bill.Photo: Mike SchmidCross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Some politicians will say anything to gain from the pain Americans are feeling at the pump. Anyone watching the news knows that pump prices are rising because world-wide demand is recovering after the recession, oil traders are speculating over […]

    David Doniger Technology

  • Sen. Rand Paul, I can find you a good toilet!

    Sen. Paul has been having toilet nightmares ever since he watched The Conversation back in 1974. Last Thursday, I learned that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) hasn’t had a functioning toilet in his home for 20 years. He seems to believe the federal government is not allowing him to own a functioning toilet. I found this […]

    Bill Scher Technology

  • Nicholas Stern: We need a new industrial revolution

    Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. This is the second in a three-part interview with economist Lord Nicholas Stern on climate policy. You can watch part one here. Lord Nicholas Stern, one of the world’s most prominent climate economists, believes that the fight against global warming will lead to the next industrial revolution. In the second […]

    Brad Johnson Technology

  • Sustainable Apparel Coalition delivers the eco-skinny on your skinny jeans

    Wheredja get those jeans?I spend a lot of time shining a light on murky areas of the food system, but what about the industrial-apparel complex? Just as the food we eat has a material basis and a history, so do our clothes. It turns out that I know a lot more about the (grass-fed, local) […]

    Tom Philpott Technology

  • Solar: It’s not just a California thing anymore

    Texas installed 22.6 megawatts of photovoltaics last year.Photo: Duke EnergyThe United States solar businesses boomed, as usual, in 2010, growing 67 percent to $6 billion, according to an annual report [PDF] released Thursday by an industry trade group. That’s been the story for the past several years, but what’s notable is that solar is no […]

    Todd Woody Technology

  • Meet the zero-energy transparent TV

    A zero-energy TV you can see through? I know what you’re thinking: “That’s called a pane of glass.” But this transparent screen, which Samsung unveiled at an expo in Germany, isn’t just glass, it’s FUTURE GLASS. For starters, the screen uses so little energy that it can be run by solar panels that feed off […]

    Jess Zimmerman Technology

  • Watch Jon Stewart give Rand Paul a logic spanking on environmental regulations

    Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul went on Jon Stewart’s show armed with talking points about environmental regulations. Bad move, Rand. Watch (starting around 1:50) as Jon Stewart gets him to admit that government regulations have made a huge positive difference for the environment: The Daily Show – Exclusive – Rand Paul Extended Interview Pt. 3Tags: Daily […]

    Jess Zimmerman Technology

  • What if you updated your electronics like you update your wardrobe?

    Photo: George MacklinDesigner and TED fellow Dominic Muren wants you to update your electronics like you update your wardrobe. In other words, he thinks you should be able to replace or update only what gets worn out, instead of tossing and re-purchasing everything you own at one whack just because one part is busted or […]

    Jess Zimmerman Technology

  • MIT geeks pull energy solutions out of their pocket protectors

    Photo: Jon PariseHarvard hasn’t cornered the market on inventing the future, starting businesses, and all the other Zuckerbergian things people do when they’re not getting laid. At this year’s MIT Energy Conference, students and grads came out of their nerd caves to serve up a Jabba-sized heap of tech: personal turbines, wind-collecting balloons, bathysphere batteries, […]

    Jess Zimmerman Technology

  • California utilities (just) miss renewable energy deadline

    Time’s up.Photo: elfonThe California Legislature is moving to put into law a regulation requiring the state’s utilities to obtain a third of their electricity from renewable energy by 2020. But how did California’s three big investor-owned utilities do in meeting a previous mandate to secure 20 percent of their electricity supplies from carbon-free sources by […]

    Todd Woody Technology