Monday, 16 May 2005

On a Wing and a Mayor

U.S. mayors form coalition to fight climate change, one city at a time

A bipartisan coalition of 132 U.S. mayors -- led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels (D), and recently joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) -- has issued a high-profile rebuke of Bush administration inaction on climate change. The leaders have committed to reducing their municipalities' greenhouse-gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, in line with Kyoto treaty targets. While the Bush team says Kyoto would devastate the economy, many mayors are signing on precisely for economic reasons. Nickels was jarred by a series of dry winters, threatening Seattle's drinking water and hydropower sources. The mayor of Bellevue, Neb., is worried about the effects of droughts on farms. The mayor of New Orleans is concerned about the effects of rising sea levels on, uh, "the very existence of New Orleans" (economic enough for ya?). And so on. Says Republican Alan Arakawa, mayor of Maui County, Hawaii, "I'm hoping it sends a message [Bush administration officials] really need to start looking at what's really happening in the real world."


Neva Goodwin's work as an ecological economist is motivated by a question that has nagged her for years: How can we change our socio-economic system to reflect our human values -- like the importance of environmental protection? As this week's InterActivist, Goodwin discusses her work, her transformation from aspiring novelist and full-time mom to economist, and more. Send Goodwin a question of your own by noon PDT on Wednesday, May 18; we'll publish her responses to selected questions on Friday.

Subsidy Slickers

Nuke subsidies being added to McCain-Lieberman climate bill

The latest draft of the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act proposes hundreds of millions of dollars in new subsidies for the nuclear power industry, in the form of a cost-splitting arrangement that would have the feds shoulder half the expense of developing and getting regulatory approval for three new nuke-plant designs. The proposal (not yet finalized) is reportedly a bargaining chip to win conservative support for caps on greenhouse-gas emissions. One might expect the idea to run into a brick wall of opposition from environmental groups, but that wall shows signs of cracking. Several high-profile greens have recently argued that given the grim realities of global warming, nuclear power deserves a second look. But Thomas Cochran of the Natural Resources Defense Council urges enviros to keep the focus where it belongs: "The issue isn't: Do you support nuclear? The issue should be: Do you support massive subsidies to the tune of billions of dollars for nuclear power? The answer is no."


A reader's recent switch to all-natural cleaning products has her home sparkling with an eco-friendly sheen, and she wants to send a letter to the makers of her old, toxic cleaning products explaining why she made the switcheroo. Green advice guru Umbra Fisk offers suggestions on how to add oomph to letter-writing campaigns.

All That You Can't Weave Behind

Fashion consumers tending toward greener garb

Increasingly, fashionistas "don't just want to look good in their clothes, they want to feel good in their clothes," says Ali Hewson, co-creator (with her husband, U2's Bono) of eco-sensitive clothing line Edun. With a growing number of ethical and green clothing lines hitting the market and making use of renewable fibers like bamboo, soy, corn, and chitin, conscientious couture-lovers have plenty of choices. And, say the founders of earth-friendly apparel line I Wear Red Shoes, those choices are no longer limited to Birkenstocks and varying shades of beige. Even more mainstream clothiers like Nike, Armani, and British boutique Marks and Spencer are using organic cotton and hemp fibers in some of their apparel lines. People are starting to look at their clothing and ask where it came from and how it was made. Says Hewson, "We are answering a need rather than creating a new concept here."