Russ Walker’s Posts

• Just Freakin' Read It

  Why the 'SuperFreakonomics' global-warming chapter is worth your time 12

  Posted 1 week agoThere's plenty to jeer about in Superfreakonomics' treatment of global warming, but two ideas presented by the authors deserve greater discussion in the world of climate wonkery.

• Tim Flannery boils it down

  Put a cap on it, America! 4

  Posted 2 weeks, 5 days agoThe U.S. Congress absolutely must pass climate legislation that puts a cap on the country's total carbon emissions, Australian climate activist Tim Flannery says. Failure to do so will undermine the international climate talks.

• Every day is climate action day...

  A Savage way to save the world 3

  Posted 3 weeks, 5 days agoWe can't save the world through keystrokes or oar strokes alone. As Roz Savage's example shows us, we gotta get outside and stand together to save the planet. Stand together, not just on Blog Action Day or on October 24, but every day, in little and big ways. That's how movements become reality.

• Lame theory

  The computer has spoken: Copenhagen will be a failure 2

  Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago

  Game theorist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita has run the numbers and concluded the Copenhagen climate talks will be a failure.

• Clunk You, Detroit!

  Cash-for-Clunkers returns from the dead ... until Labor Day 0

  Posted 3 months ago

  The Senate celebrated the imminent arrival of the annual August recess by confirming Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination and ponying up an additional $2 billion for the highly successful (though dubiously green) cash-for-clunkers program.

All Posts

Russ Walker’s Recent Comments

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  This essay was also posted at rozsavage.com, where it generated several comments, prompting the following additional thoughts from Roz: Thanks for the comments – and it's always very nice to hear reassuring words from people who are doing the right things. But without wanting to sound too pious, this is NOT about me! I had no particular expectations of yesterday – I wasn't involved in the organization – all I had to do was turn up and say a few words – so it was no skin off my nose whether there were 3 million people there or only 3. It makes no difference to me. In theory. But in practice of course I do care whether the message is getting across. I'm very aware that for the last 20 or 30 years the sustainability movement has largely failed in communicating the urgency of the situation to the general public. So this was a genuine question – how DO we get people to care? But on the other hand, it was also a largely rhetorical question. I've spoken with many, many people on this same topic, and although nobody has any easy answers, I think I'm working towards a promising potential approach. I'll probably say more on this subject in my next book – too early yet to go public, as it’s still very much under development. And John, I know you meant the day when you said "it's over" – but everything is far from over. If anything, yesterday was a start. Copenhagen will be another step. And there will be many more steps to take. This will be a long, but exciting and challenging, journey!On Toward the language of excitement, opportunity, and potential posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago 3 Responses

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  Roz Savage is in on the fun too, at http://rozsavage.com/blogOn Bloggers of all stripes grab a piece of the climate pie for Blog Action Day 2009 posted 3 weeks, 5 days ago 7 Responses

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  Well, The Times of London piece you link to says plastic bags don't kill as many birds and marine species as some enviros have claimed.  Fine. The article doesn't dispute the need to get plastic out of the environment. And the Coastal Cleanup is about getting trash of all sorts out of the ocean, not just plastic bags.

  
  Two things to note:  Any plastic in the ocean is bad. Turns out that the stuff breaks down and gets into the food chain causing all sorts of problems for wildlife.

  
  Personally, the most depressing experience I had was 18 months ago on Vieques, P.R., when I toured part of the island restricted from most public access.  The beach was completely covered with plastic garbage -- everything from laundry detergent bottles to plastic bags.  Depressing.

  On Plastic bags are the enemy of the ocean posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago 2 Responses

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  Hello Start Loving ...

  Kudos to you for engaging in the debate with Norris and Jenkins, but c'mon -- the Hitler reference was uncalled for. The day Teryn and Jesse invade Poland and start a World War, you can pull that analogy out of your rhetorical bag of tricks. Until then, let's keep the debate focused on policy and not on personal attacks.

  Critics of The Breakthrough Institute have many great points to make. Why resort to name calling? It accomplishes nothing.

  
  Cheers,

  Russ Walker

  Grist.org

  On Joe Romm's strategy to lose the clean energy race posted 3 months, 1 week ago 30 Responses

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  Thanks for the comment. At no point do I accuse Palin of stealing from other opinion pieces. In fact, I wonder why she didn't borrow from some of the well-researched critiques assembled by various conservative think tanks in Washington. It would have made for a better essay.

  It's not Palin's view about cap-and-trade that I object to, it's that her objection is offered up without any sort of facts to back up her assertions. Shouldn't we expect that from a woman who is still considered to be a leading candidate for the GOP nomination in 2012?

  On Palin eschews facts and economics in blasting cap-and-trade bill posted 3 months, 4 weeks ago 9 Responses