Tuesday, 23 Jan 2007

Will January 2007 prove to be a tipping point for U.S. climate-change policy? Already this month we've seen four climate-change bills proposed in the Senate, 10 major corporations calling for mandatory regulations to slash greenhouse gases, and the launch of a national movement that's inspired people in 47 states to plan rallies demanding global-warming action. Climate change will even be sitting primly in the balcony at the State of the Union address tonight, waiting to be acknowledged with a polite smile and nod from President Bush. What does it all mean? Muckraker looks at the shifting sands in Washington, D.C.

The Neverending Tory

Canada's leaders bring back green program, announce rainforest fund

When Canada's Conservative Party took power a year ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper put a variety of environmental programs on hold -- only to find out that, oops, his constituents actually want a livable earth. Under pressure from citizens Canuck, Harper's cabinet is hyping green initiatives both new and recycled. The Tories have pledged to put $25 million USD toward conservation of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, which will be combined with $25 million from the province and $51 million raised by green groups; the cabinet will also invest $1.3 billion USD in renewable energy over the next decade. That same cabinet once scrapped a Liberal plan to put $780 million USD into wind power over 15 years -- weird, eh? "They don't have shoulders big enough to admit when they made a mistake and don't have the candor to simply say to Canadians: 'We were wrong on this issue,'" says Liberal environment spokesperson David McGuinty. And you know what they say about big shoulders.

What's Done is Done, Except When It's Not

Six months after oil spill, cleanup continues in Lebanon

Two weeks ago, the U.S. triumphantly proclaimed that a major oil-spill cleanup along Lebanon's coast was complete. Funny story, though: while the spill affected 93 miles of shoreline, the U.S.-led project gussied up a mere 68 of 'em. Described by Greenpeace as an "underwater nightmare," the slick stems from an Israeli bombing run in July that hit a Lebanese power plant, releasing 16,500 tons of fuel into the Mediterranean. Local and international teams spent months filling 36,000 bags with sludgy waste, and the rest of the work is expected to continue at least until summer. "In some places the ... sludge was [16 to 24 inches] thick," said Ahmed Kojok of the Sea of Lebanon association. "We were slicing it like cheese." Also cheesy: the U.S. press release, which hailed the training of 220 Lebanese by saying they "now possess a valuable skill and will be able to serve as experienced responders for future oil spill operations in Lebanon and internationally." So they've got that going for them.


Every five years, Congress wrassles with a monstrous farm bill that covers everything from food stamps to federal agricultural subsidies. It's about that time again, and as our freshly refurbished leaders climb onto the combine for another go, Tom Philpott takes a look at the economics that drive the whole process. Warning: you may never look at corn the same way again.

Only 2,012 Days to Go

London Olympics striving to be all green, all the time

We were about to write yet another blurb on the current climate-change climate when we remembered: today marks 2,012 days until the London 2012 Olympics! So here's a quick rundown of plans for the "greenest games to date." Organizers say they'll cut Olympic Park carbon emissions 50 percent by 2013 and generate some power on site using wind and solar. They'll also reuse or recycle 90 percent of demolition materials and build 50 miles of new bike and walking paths. That's just a taste of an event that will be, says Prime Minister Tony Blair, "the catalyst for one of the most extensive urban and environmental regeneration programs ever seen in the U.K." It's all quite dreamy, except for a political squabble over the games' mushrooming budget and its reliance on National Lottery funds intended for community sports programs and other "good causes." A Parliament committee was expected to release a report this week telling the ambitious government to "get a grip" on its finances. Fun-stoppers.

This Just (W)in

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth nominated for best-documentary Oscar

Sure, Dreamgirls may be getting all the pre-Oscar press, but a little flick we like to call Dreamy Al has picked up two nominations of its own. There's the Best Documentary Feature nod for An Inconvenient Truth, not all that surprising, and then there's ... Best Song? That means we might get to see Melissa Etheridge belt out "I Need to Wake Up" during the sleep-inducing telecast in late February. Until then, we're left to ponder the most important question raised by the film's success: omg, what's Al gonna wear?