Climate & Energy

Offsets: Pissing the earth away 1
Posted 9 Jun 2009 7:29 PM By Gar Lipow
More than 2 and half years ago I wrote:

"Mommy, where do carbon offsets come from?"

"Well, you see sweetheart, when a major polluter and a consultant love money very, very much, they express that love in a special way. Nine months later, the consultant produces an extremely large paper packet."

Offsets -- the idea that big corporations can pay someone else to cut emissions on their behalf -- still fails as badly today as when that was written.
Brookings: Fears that cap and trade will hurt farmers are baseless 4
Posted 9 Jun 2009 2:43 PM By Brad Johnson
A new economic study reveals that concerns a cap on global warming pollution could hurt American agriculture are unfounded. As the Waxman-Markey green economy legislation (H.R. 2454) moves toward passage in the House of Representatives, the farm lobby and rural officials have questioned the bill's costs to farmers.
Dead as Latin?

Imperium CEO can’t take the truth 0
Posted 9 Jun 2009 2:28 PM By Biodiversivist
FRAC Act

Congress introduces twin bills to control drilling and protect drinking water 1
Posted 9 Jun 2009 2:25 PM By ProPublica
In a widely expected move that is sure to draw the ire of the oil and gas industry, Democratic members of Congress on Tuesday introduced twin bills to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and give the Environmental Protection Agency authority over the controversial drilling process called hydraulic fracturing.
Put yer nukes up

As Energy Northwest looks to nuclear power, expert details risks 2
Posted 9 Jun 2009 2:13 PM By Sarah van Schagen
Regional power consortium Energy Northwest may be looking to build a new nuclear reactor in Washington state. Sure, it's carbon-free power, but at what risk? Nuke expert Robert Alvarez weighs in.
Will coal be school vegetable?

West Va. Supreme Court affirms toxic coal silo as wonderful playground 2
Posted 9 Jun 2009 1:37 PM By Jeff Biggers
The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision to allow the construction of another controversial coal silo within yards of the Marsh Fork Elementary School in the town of Sundial.
tech your children well

Clean technology innovation: reaping the rewards 2
Posted 9 Jun 2009 12:53 PM By Michael Moynihan
Clean technology has more potential for wealth creation than information technology. Yet despite numerous breakthroughs, the clean energy and technology space has yet to generate the type of home runs on a company level or growth on an economy-wide level needed to reinvigorate the American economy and get wages moving upwards again. What can be done?
The Elephant in the Living Room

Why do U.S. environmentalists remain irrationally committed to a losing strategy? 32
Posted 9 Jun 2009 11:51 AM By Ken Ward
Waxman-Markey ought to be opposed by U.S. environmentalists for obvious and pragmatic reasons -- street arguments, if you like. In the topsy-turvy world of U.S. climate advocacy however, political lessons wrung from decades of hard experience have been turned inside out, so that down feels like up and wrong is the new right.
Hinting (in the State Controlled News) from China

Coming global warming limits in China? 0
Posted 9 Jun 2009 11:33 AM By Jake Schmidt
News coming out of China provides hints that the country might adopt a domestic limit to reduce their global-warming pollution.
Day 17 in the Sprint to Copenhagen

That status of global warming negotiations in Germany 0
Posted 9 Jun 2009 11:30 AM By Jake Schmidt
The first week of negotiations slowly worked its way through the things that need to be addressed. The pace will need to pick up the rest of the week and, most importantly, the rest of the year if we are to secure a strong agreement in Copenhagen. There's a clock that sits on the front screen of every session that is the “Countdown to Copenhagen,” reminding delegates how little time is left.