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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Supreme preemption
Medical device case could impact global warming debate |
Guest author |
06 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest post written by Sean Siperstein, who maintains the blog Warming Law on behalf of the Community Rights Counsel, a public interest law firm in Washington, DC. Warming Law was launched following the Supreme Court's landmark Massachusetts v. EPA ruling, with a focus on the evolving legal landscape impacting the climate movement. ----- In last week's negotiations over the energy bill, one of the most significant victories for propone ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, legislation, litigation, politics (all these topics) |
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Keep it simple, stupid!
How to structure a cap-and-trade program |
Clark Williams-Derry |
05 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| From an awesomely meaty article on cap-and-trade from The San Francisco Chronicle comes this pearl of wisdom (in bold at the bottom of the quote): [T]he lesson of the acid rain program is to keep the plan simple and easy for all parties to understand. "If it starts to employ a lot of special provisions to take care of every party's special needs ... and if it starts to look like the Chicago phone book, then throw it out," [RFF economist Dallas ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Curses, Oil Again
Bold announcement by climate partnership outed as a hoax |
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04 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:59 AM on 04 Dec 2007 Various news outlets breathlessly reported yesterday that the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a consortium of 33 businesses and environmental groups, was calling on the U.S. to slash emissions 90 percent by 2050 and to cease building coal-fired power plants. Ah, if only 'twere true -- but the announcement was an elaborate hoax. Says Matt Leonard of Rising Tide, the loosely knit volunteer ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, funnies, news (all these topics) |
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It Looks Good on Paper
Xerox substantially reduces emissions, pledges to do more |
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03 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:13 AM on 03 Dec 2007 In 2002, Xerox Corp. pledged to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions 10 percent by 2012. With four years to go, the company has in fact reduced emissions by 18 percent, and has boosted its goal to 25 percent by 2012. Xerox says it saved $18 million last year through practices like increasing manufacturing efficiency and reducing employees' job-related driving. Seems like a plan worth ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, greenish companies, news, progress (all these topics) |
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That's So Hot Right Now
Apparel companies hire climatologists to predict consumer trends |
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03 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:15 AM on 03 Dec 2007 In the good old days, the only constant that the fickle fashion industry could rely on was the changing of the seasons -- now, it can't even rely on that anymore. A run of unseasonably warm winters has led some apparel companies to hire staff climatologists who help predict when consumers will be in the market for cold-weather clothes. Because, darling, buying a winter-antic ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change impacts, fashion, green living, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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On a Rolls
Businesses urge policy for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions |
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30 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:01 PM on 30 Nov 2007 More than 150 international companies have signed on to a petition begging diplomats meeting in Bali next week to come up with policy aimed at cutting global greenhouse-gas emissions at least in half by 2050. The companies -- Shell, Coca-Cola, Dupont, British Airways, Rolls Royce, and many, many, more -- "urge world leaders to seize this opportunity" with "strong, early action ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, greenish companies, news (all these topics) |
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Somebody didn't get the environment vs. economy memo
Over 150 companies worldwide sign climate petition in advance of Bali |
David Roberts |
29 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| More than 150 companies worldwide, representing some $4 trillion in market valuation, have signed the Bali Communiqué: As business leaders, it is our belief that the benefits of strong, early action on climate change outweigh the costs of not acting: The economic and geopolitical costs of unabated climate change could be very severe and globally disruptive. All countries and economies will be affected, but it will be the poorest countries that will su ... |
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| Topics: Bali 07, business, climate, economy, energy, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Not-so-great grandfathering
Cap-and-trade vs. a carbon tax |
Clark Williams-Derry |
27 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I don't know what to say about this article, which is largely a critique of a grandfathered "cap-and-trade" system for reducing greenhouse emissions. On the one hand, I shouldn't complain. Any serious discussion in the press of climate policy is welcome. But on the other hand -- jeez, is it so hard to get climate policy right? My problem isn't so much that the article gets things wrong (though it does). It's that it tells, at most, half the stor ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, energy (all these topics) |
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The salty, oily flavor of progress
80% by 2050? Try 2010. |
Adam Stein |
20 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Got a headache from all the recent back and forth over rhetoric and politics of climate change? Last week, Frito-Lay served up a refreshingly rhetoric-free reminder that the future is coming no matter what we might do to encourage (or stop) it. Under their net zero initiative, the salty snack behemoth will be taking an Arizona potato chip factory almost entirely off the grid, running it on renewable energy and recycled water. The project stands out to me mostly for wha ... |
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| Topics: renewable energy, energy, climate, business, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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To Market, to Market, to Buy a Carbon Offset
Groups announce voluntary carbon standard for offset market |
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19 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:39 PM on 19 Nov 2007 In an attempt to rebut accusations that buying and selling carbon offsets amounts to a whole lotta nothin', a coalition of three groups has announced new voluntary standards for the international offset market. The standard attempts to verify that money spent on carbon offsets goes directly to a project that does indeed help the climate. Says Mark Kenber of L ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon offsets, climate, news (all these topics) |
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Stakes on a Plane
E.U. Parliament approves plan to require airline emissions reductions |
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14 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 6:37 AM on 14 Nov 2007 A European Union plan to bring the airline industry into its carbon-trading market has just passed the E.U. Parliament, angering many airlines, the United States, and other countries. Parliament voted to require steeper emissions cuts than the E.U. Commission's relatively weaker airline plan. Under the amended version, by 2011, all airlines flying within or into the E.U. woul ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change mitigation, European Union, news (all these topics) |
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Work It
Climate change could put millions out of work, says U.N. |
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13 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:15 AM on 13 Nov 2007 Not only is climate change not a hoax manufactured by dirty hippies who hope to put every American out of a job, global warming is real enough to, um, put millions of people out of jobs, United Nations officials said yesterday. At a meeting of the International Labor Organization, the heads of the U.N. climate and weather agencies noted that work in the tourism and fisheries industries could be par ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change impacts, green jobs, news, United Nations (all these topics) |
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A green wave lifts all boats
Van Jones looks to sustainability for pathways out of poverty |
Anna Fahey |
11 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Will the burgeoning 'green' economy have a place in it for everyone? To a packed auditorium in Seattle last Wednesday, Van Jones said: It can. And to be successful, it has to. In the chorus of voices against climate change, his message rings true and clear: 'We have a chance to connect the people who most need work with the work that most needs to be done.' Van Jones is a civil-rights lawyer and founder and executive director of an innovative nonprofit working to ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, environmental justice, green jobs, Van Jones (all these topics) |
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Once You Lop, You Just Can't Stop
Food companies damaging climate through deforestation, says new report |
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08 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:12 AM on 08 Nov 2007 The makers of such familiar products as Pringles, KitKat, and Philadelphia cream cheese are contributing to deforestation and climate change, says a new report from Greenpeace. Companies like Unilever, Kraft, and Nestle use palm oil from Indonesia in their products. And guess what happens in Indonesia when the palm-oil peddlers come calling? Virgin forests ar ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, climate, deforestation, food, greenhouse-gas emissions, Indonesia (all these topics) |
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Climate change direct action
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David Roberts |
07 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| It's beginning. |
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| Topics: business, climate, coal, energy, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Planktos update
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David Roberts |
07 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Remember Planktos, the company that was going to sail into the Atlantic ocean and dump a bunch of iron ore, hoping it would stimulate CO2 absorption and profit the company via carbon offsets? Well, Andy Revkin brings news that the company has set sail. Guess the cat's out of the bag! (Planktos has been criticized on Gristmill here, here, here, here, here, and by a group of Greenpeace scientists here. Planktos CEO Russ George defended the company here.) |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, oceans, climate change mitigation, climate, business, geoengineering (all these topics) |
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Clinton's climate and energy plan
Some reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of Hillary's new proposal |
David Roberts |
05 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Efficiency and permit auctions and R&D, oh my! Hillary Clinton released her comprehensive energy and climate plan today. It is thoughtful, comprehensive, and though disappointingly conventional in a few areas, inspiringly bold in others. With the release of Clinton's plan, all three Democratic frontrunners for the presidency now have visionary, far-reaching energy plans that would fundamentally reorient the country away from carbon-intensive energy ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, business, carbon trading, climate, climate equity, coal, elections, energy, energy efficiency, Hillary Clinton, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics) |
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Bill's Club
Bill Clinton partners with Wal-Mart to create green-tech buying club for cities |
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02 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:17 AM on 02 Nov 2007 At a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Seattle yesterday, former President Bill Clinton announced that his foundation's Clinton Climate Initiative is pursuing new green plans to help curb climate change. CCI is partnering with low-price expert Wal-Mart to create a many-city bulk-buying club to lower prices on greener building materials and energy-efficient techn ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change mitigation, news (all these topics) |
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McKibben on waste-heat recovery
A very promising climate change solution with an image problem |
Erik Hoffner |
01 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Bill McKibben's new column in Orion magazine reports on one of the most effective ways to cut carbon emissions that we've got, a mature technology which stands ready to recycle enormous amounts of waste heat into electricity. It boggles my mind that we're not doing this everywhere, instead of discussing new coal plants or nukes. Talk about low-hanging fruit! The article centers on the fine work of the Chicago company Recycled Energy Development, piloted by frequ ... |
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| Topics: recycling, energy, business, energy efficiency, tech, climate, Bill McKibben (all these topics) |
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Introducing Auden Schendler: Part I
On those quotes in Businessweek's 'Little Green Lies' |
Joseph Romm |
30 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This post is by guest blogger Auden Schendler, executive director for Community and Environmental Responsibility at the Aspen Skiing Company. Named a 'Climate Crusader' in Time magazine's 2006 special issue on climate change, Auden once worked for Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute. You can read his full bio here. Auden has unique insights into the difficulties of corporate sustainability in the absence of government leadership and a price for carbon. - ... |
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| Topics: energy, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, greening biz operations, business (all these topics) |
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Getting All Their Trucks in a Row
California air regulators adopt emissions-tackling rules |
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26 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:41 AM on 26 Oct 2007 As part of its groundbreaking plan to tackle air-polluting, climate-warming emissions, the California Air Resources Board has adopted six new rules for manufacturers, shippers, and truckers. Starting in 2010, vehicles that go in for a tune up or oil change will be required to fully inflate their tires; trucks and trailers must be fitted with fuel-saving devices; cargo ship ... |
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| Topics: business, California, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, regulation (all these topics) |
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Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Reports bring various doomy and gloomy predictions |
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22 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:52 PM on 22 Oct 2007 Indeed, the depressing reports come fast and furious. German-based Energy Watch Group says the world has already reached peak oil, and predicts that production will now fall by 7 percent a year. The Worldwatch Institute suggests that 21 cities that will have populations of 8 million or more by 2015 are highly vulnerable to havoc wreaked by rising seas. The comprehensive &qu ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change impacts, energy, news, oil, severe weather (all these topics) |
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Tricky Lake
Water loss in Great Lakes reduces shipping revenue |
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22 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:49 AM on 22 Oct 2007 Water loss in the Great Lakes is creating a dilemma for shipping companies. Allow Jonathan Daniels, director of a public port agency, to explain: "The more we lose water, the less cargo the ships that travel in the Great Lakes can carry, and each time that happens, shipping companies lose money. Ultimately, it's people like you and I who are going to pay the price." Thanks to higher-than-no ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, news, water conflicts (all these topics) |
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Economics and environmental protection
Nobel winner explains why markets can't replace public goods |
Gar Lipow |
18 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| From Reuters: Societies should not rely on market forces to protect the environment or provide quality health care for all citizens, a winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for economics said on Monday. ... 'The market doesn't work very well when it comes to public goods,' said [Professor Eric] Maskin ... Mechanism Design Theory is one explanation for why even a well-regulated market with external costs priced via Pigovian or green taxes is inadequate in areas like environ ... |
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| Topics: climate, business (all these topics) |
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The meaning of global warming, part two
Stabilizing climate means embracing technology, public investment, and global economic development |
Grist |
11 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest essay by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, the latest in the ongoing conversation about their new book Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility. ----- This week saw a watershed moment for those of us committed to moving environmentalism from a politics of limits to a politics of possibility. Senator Barack Obama proposed a $150 billion investment to develop and deploy clean energy technology on a ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, politics, tech (all these topics) |
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