News | Grist

Who’s who on the EPW: Senate committee begins landmark climate hearings 0
Posted 4 weeks, 1 day ago This week, hearings begin in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The committee members can be sorted by their degree of support for clean energy, progressive reform, and strong climate action.
The whole world is watching

U.N. chief will pressure senators on climate bill 1
Posted 1 month ago Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, said Monday that he plans to contact senators to urge them to pass a bill before December.
Simple lifestyle tweaks key in climate change fight 47
Posted 1 month ago The United States could cut greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of France's total annual emissions by getting Americans to make simple lifestyle changes, like regularly maintaining their cars or insulating their attics.
a climactic day

Thousands gather worldwide on day of climate protests 4
Posted 1 month ago Kicking off with thousands gathering on the steps of Sydney's iconic Opera House, global warming protests took place around the world Saturday to mark 50 days before the UN climate summit. Here's a round-up of the events.
Mountains look best with their tops on

Coal River Mountain, a symbol of hope, is slated for destruction 37
Posted 1 month ago Mountaintop removal mining is starting on an iconic peak in West Virginia, which has tons of potential for wind energy. A wind farm versus a mountaintop removal coal mine -- there could be no better symbol for the crossroads of America’s energy future. Whichever way it goes, the fate of Coal River Mountain is America’s energy future.
Pretty words

Obama energy speech contained few policy specifics, but shaped forward-looking narrative 1
Posted 1 month ago Obama delivered a speech on energy at MIT on Friday, marking the kick-off for what is likely to be a protracted effort by the administration and Democrats in the Senate to pass the Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill.
Don't pewk, but...

Poll finds sharp rise in global warming skepticism 31
Posted 1 month ago A new Pew poll finds a significant drop in the number of Americans who believe global warming is happening, is human-caused, and is a serious problem. Some possible explanations.
Cap-but-don't-trade

Groups use 350’s big day to fight cap-and-trade 12
Posted 1 month ago The open-door policy for the International Day of Climate Action this Saturday means not every group will be on-message.
India and China sign pre-Copenhagen climate change pact 0
Posted 1 month ago India and China put aside a diplomatic spat to sign a five-year agreement Wednesday to cooperate on climate change leading up to crucial talks in Copenhagen.
Could climate change spark the first worldwide grassroots movement? 2
Posted 1 month ago Even as politicians dial down expectations for the December 7-18 U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen, analysts and activists detect a groundswell of anger, channeled through the Internet and voiced especially by the young, demanding action on global warming.
let's bounce

Yes Men chase Specter in Survivaball suits 1
Posted 1 month ago More fun Tuesday from the Yes Men, the climate-minded pranksters who are still riding high after punking the Chamber of Commerce with a fake press announcement.
Climate law update

A victory for Katrina victims; a defeat for Alaskan villagers 0
Posted 1 month ago A federal appeals court has reversed the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by victims of Hurricane Katrina seeking damages related to global warming, while a federal district court in California has dismissed a similar lawsuit brought by an Alaskan village allegedly disappearing beneath rising sea levels.
The enemy of the human wallet

Report finds massive hidden energy costs, mostly from coal 5
Posted 1 month ago A new report from the National Research Council on the "hidden costs of energy" is, frankly, stunning. In a sane world, it would be headline news.
Not-so-great expectations

U.N. official expects no climate treaty at Copenhagen 2
Posted 1 month ago U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen in December are unlikely to produce a new global treaty on cutting emissions but should establish the political framework, Yvo de Boer said Tuesday.
Chamber plays the fool in Yes Men hoax 3
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago Another brilliant stunt from the Yes Men: the New York pranksters faked both a press release and a press conference on Monday, pretending to be from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and reversing its position on the Senate climate bill.
Is the Congressional Budget Office trying to kill humanity? 1
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago Although director Doug Elmendorf recognized that his estimates do not take into account the economic impacts of climate change, he testified that the changes that scientists call "catastrophic" would be barely noticeable in the U.S. economy.
Bye-bye Arctic ice cap 3
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago Polar researchers predict that the Arctic ice cap will vanish completely in the summer months within 20-30 years, sounding the alarm just two months before the critical climate change summit in Copenhagen.
Corrections Dept.

WSJ reporter knocks own editorial page for Chamber defense 4
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago It shouldn’t be surprising that Journal editorialists find themselves challenged by their own news staff.
Climate roulette

A scary new climate study will have you saying ‘Oh, shit!’ 16
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago They say that everyone who finally gets it about climate change has an "Oh, shit" moment -- an instant when the full scientific implications become clear and they suddenly realize what a horrifically dangerous situation humanity has created for itself.
Brazil’s Lula vows to slow rate of Amazon deforestation 0
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday he will offer to reduce the pace of deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rain forest by 80 percent by 2020 when he attends December's global climate talks in Copenhagen.