| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Sally 4th Sierra Club prompts voters to call legislators about energy bills over the holiday weekend |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Sierra Club began running radio ads this week in six states whose U.S. senators are key votes for energy legislation. Though both Republicans and Democrats were hoping to have accomplished something so they could go home for the holiday and claim victory, Congress went into recess for the 4th of July holiday this week in a deadlock over energy policy. Sierra Club's ads are intended to prompt voters to call their senators about two pieces of legislation: the Co ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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No shame in our game Climate policy isn't a pill to swallow, it's a way off a sinking ship |
David Roberts |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This Ezra Klein post echoes what has rather rapidly become conventional wisdom among progressives on climate legislation, and it makes me want to tear my hair out. The idea is that climate legislation will inevitably hurt people financially in the short-term, in order to secure environmental benefits in the distant future, so the only way to get it through is with a bunch of obscurantist double-talk to bore or distract people in the hopes that you can sneak something ... |
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| Topics: climate, economy, gas prices, legislation, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Moore rules on greenhouse gas emissions Georgia judge finds that coal plant must obtain emissions permit from state EPA |
Joseph Romm |
30 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The AP has the bombshell news. A judge has finally used the Supreme Court decision that carbon dioxide is a pollutant: The construction of a coal-fired power plant in Georgia was halted Monday when a judge ruled that the plant's builders must first obtain a permit from state regulators that limits the amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Read Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore's ruling [PDF]. What did the judge find? E&E News ($ ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, Georgia, greenhouse-gas emissions, politics (all these topics) |
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White-Out House White House tries to keep EPA from showing how greenhouse gases could be regulated |
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30 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:29 PM on 30 Jun 2008 The White House is trying to block the U.S. EPA from releasing a document that shows how the Clean Air Act could be used to regulate greenhouse gases, reports The Wall Street Journal. The draft document, a formal response to a Supreme Court decision that greenhouse gases are pollutants and can thus be regulated under the Clean Air Act, must be OK'd by the White Hou ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, jackassery, news, politics, regulation, US EPA, White House (all these topics) |
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Is 450 ppm politically possible? Part 6 What the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner bill debate tells us |
Joseph Romm |
30 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| No, 450 is not politically possible today. Okay, that was clear before. But the debate over the Climate Security Act made it clear that it won't be politically possible anytime soon, for two reasons: The vast majority of conservatives have not budged an inch on climate science even in the face of now overwhelming direct scientific observation and a much deeper and broader scientific understanding of the dangerous impact of unrestricted human greenhouse gas emissio ... |
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| Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon trading, climate, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Hill heap A weekly roundup of greenish news from the Capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
27 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Some political news debris from this week: The League of Conservation Voters announced today that they've created the first green bundling site. This allows folks to donate en masse to green candidates around the country. LCV will direct the funds to the candidates it will support this year in Senate and House races. Just off his big Everglades restoration deal, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist hosted a conference on climate change. Crist's friend and Californi ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Dally Affirmation Appeals court won't force EPA to speed up CO2 decision |
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27 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:08 AM on 27 Jun 2008 A federal appeals court has decided not to force the Bush administration to speed up its decision on whether carbon dioxide emissions endanger public health or welfare. The administration's decision on CO2 is a necessary step in the process of regulating U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles and industrial sources. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide is a pollu ... |
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| Topics: climate, litigation, news, politics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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A Stern talking to U.K. economist testifies to House subcommittee on the costs of inaction on climate change |
Kate Sheppard |
26 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| U.K. economist Nicholas Stern, author of the 2006 report, that argued that costs of inaction on climate change far outweigh the costs of acting, said yesterday that the planet is warming faster than previously predicted, which may increase the costs of action. Today he testified before the a House subcommittee on the increasing need for action, and the high economic and social costs of not taking the steps necessary to curb warming. Stern's initial report found th ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, Congress, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Hot zones National Intelligence Assessment finds that climate change poses national security threat |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A National Intelligence Assessment of the security challenges presented by climate change, which Congress requested last year, has been completed, and the intelligence community has come to the same conclusion that many have before: Climate change poses a threat to national security. The report looks at the national security implications of climate change through 2030, and concludes that changing weather patterns could contribute to political instability, dispute ... |
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| Topics: climate, Muckraker, national security, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate change ideas for On Day One Day three of the UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration |
Ideas for On Day One |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration continues today with a discussion of the top user-rated idea on On Day One: 'Eat the View,' by Roger Doiron. This idea was so popular, it even found its way into The New York Times. Here's what he suggests: Announce plans for a food garden on the White House lawn, making one of the White House's eight gardeners responsible for it, with part of produce going to the White House kitchen ... |
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| Topics: climate, food, gardening, local food, politics, White House (all these topics) |
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Revkin interviews Hansen
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David Roberts |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Here, NYT reporter Andrew Revkin interviews climate scientist James Hansen about the 20th anniversary of his seminal Congressional testimony: More on Dot Earth. |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, James Hansen, politics, video (all these topics) |
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Achieving the climate goal Short-term targets key to long-term stabilization |
Tony Kreindler |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Ken Ward takes a worthwhile look at the goalposts for U.S. climate policy in his argument for making 350 parts per million the new bright line for success. We agree that we need to aim lower than 450 ppm -- the world is at roughly 380 ppm now, and we're already witnessing adverse climate impacts. But we part ways when it comes to how we're going to get there. Ward suggests that EDF's support for the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act can't be reconciled with a s ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, climate science, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate change ideas for On Day One Day two of the UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration |
Ideas for On Day One |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Our weeklong collaboration with UN Dispatch rolls on today with a discussion prompted by On Day One user taylorshelton who suggests government subsidies for non-renewable energy should be eliminated. Eliminate all subsidies for traditional fuels (coal, oil and nuclear) and invest all energy-related funds into renewable energy resources like solar, wind and cellulosic ethanol with the goal of completely eliminating dependence on fossil fue ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, climate, coal, energy, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Nibbling the hand that supplies you Saudi Arabia to host summit on high gas prices |
Joseph Romm |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Since when do we deal with our addiction by going to summits hosted by drug suppliers? Yet here is the Washington Post: 'Saudi Arabian Oil Summit Hopes to Isolate Cause of Price Rise' JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia, June 21 -- Leaders from oil-producing and oil-consuming nations will meet here Sunday to try to pinpoint the reasons behind the rise in oil prices, which have doubled over the past year, and to find ways to bring them down. You cannot make this s ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, gas prices, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, Saudi Arabia (all these topics) |
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Checks and the City Tokyo set to pass citywide cap-and-trade bill |
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24 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:32 AM on 24 Jun 2008 Tokyo, Japan, is on track to pass a bill on Wednesday that would limit the amount of greenhouse gases big companies in the city could emit, making it the first such mandatory program in the country. The city's 1,300 largest emitters are responsible for some 20 percent of Tokyo's total greenhouse-gas emissions. The bill aims to cap emissions from factories as well as office buildings starting in 20 ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, Japan, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Notable quotable Hansen on fossil fuels |
Josh Dorner |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On tar sands, oil shale, the like, and global warming: 'If we use unconventional fossil fuels then there's no hope.' On the Bush-McCain plan for offshore oil drilling: 'It's just a crazy thing to do.' -- Dr. James Hansen, speaking at a National Press Club luncheon, which honored him and commemorated the 20th anniversary of the landmark 1988 Senate hearing on global warming. |
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| Topics: climate, James Hansen, politics, quotables (all these topics) |
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A modern-day Cassandra Thoughts on the 20th anniversary of James Hansen's historic Congressional testimony |
Representative Ed Markey |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In Greek mythology, Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy -- of seeing the future. But she was also cursed to have no one believe her. For far too many years, Dr. James Hansen has been a modern-day Cassandra. Gifted with a scientific training that allowed him to see the forces at work that are warming the planet, for too many years he was also not believed by many who chose to ignore or deny the scientific reality of global warming. Today, it is my pleas ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, climate science, Ed Markey, James Hansen, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Paul Revere rides again Hansen marks 20th anniversary of landmark testimony to Congress with renewed call to action |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| James Hansen. Photo: nasa.govIt was a sweltering June 23 in Washington, D.C., when climatologist James Hansen, head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to testify about his certainty that the record high temperatures were the result of human activity. That was 20 years ago. 'The earth is warmer in 1988 than at any time in the history of instrumental measurements,' Hansen told s ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, James Hansen, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Maximum impact Will California's climate change regulations mandate maximum emission reductions? |
Ken Johnson |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| [This post is follow-up to a David Roberts post from Jan. '08: "What does California's climate bill mandate?"] Sometime later this month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will release its draft 'Scoping Plan' on implementation of the state's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which requires that statewide GHG emissions be reduced to or below 1990-level emissions by 2020. AB 32 also requires that the regulations ... |
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| Topics: California, climate, climate change impacts, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate change ideas for On Day One A UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration |
Ideas for On Day One |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This week marks the twentieth anniversary of NASA Scientist James Hansen's groundbreaking Congressional testimony on global warming, an event that put climate change squarely on the political agenda. In honor of the anniversary, UN Dispatch, On Day One, and Grist are partnering to discuss ideas the next president can adopt to take on climate change. We are joined by a panel of experts who will weigh in on ideas submitted to On Day One by every ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, James Hansen, legislation, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Hill heap A weekly roundup of greenish news from the Capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A few of this week's environmental happenings that I've been meaning to point out: Oilman-turned-clean-energy-evangelist T. Boone Pickens came to town to testify about the country's transmission problems that are preventing wind from becoming a major source of power. Pickens, who is attempting to build the world's largest wind farm in Texas, joined experts from the Department of Energy and wind-energy lobbyists in testifying before the Senate Committee on Energ ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, wind power (all these topics) |
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A huge tax increase? The GOP disinformation machine settles on an angle |
Ryan Avent |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It seems that another way that the GOP will try to win on this issue is by painting carbon pricing as a massive tax increase. This is just dishonest, though politically it's their best bet (assuming a complete lack of regard for actual outcomes). Let's all think back to the Lieberman-Warner debate, when Bush did his best to scare the crap out of everyone by arguing that L-W would increase gas prices 53 cents-per-gallon by 2030. In fact, it's difficult to imagine th ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, energy, gas prices, politics (all these topics) |
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Big bad boom Radioactive deja vu in the American West |
David Roberts |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest essay from Chip Ward, author and board member of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. It was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom's kind permission. ----- In the American West, we take global warming personally. Like those polar bears desperately hunting for dwindling ice flows, we feel we're on the frontlines of the new weather regime. The West is drying up. For example, canyon-hugging conservationists ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, energy, environmental movement, nuclear power, politics, water pollution (all these topics) |
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NOAA: Global warming has damaged our weather Worse heat waves, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and storms to come |
Brad Johnson |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Originally posted at the Wonk Room. The traditional media rarely discusses extreme weather events in the context of global warming. However, as the Wonk Room Global Boiling series has documented, scientists have been warning us for years that climate change will increase catastrophic weather events like the California wildfires, the East Coast heatwave, and the Midwest floods that have been taking lives and causing billions in damage in recent days. Yesterday, th ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, politics (all these topics) |
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D.C.'s newest baseball team: The Washington Exxons Protestors object to a green baseball stadium sponsored by the world's dirtiest corporation |
Mike Tidwell |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Imagine a Major League Baseball stadium constructed to actually fight lung disease. Imagine engineers eschewing asbestos in every form, using only materials approved by the American Lung Association. Imagine emergency inhalers at every seat, with team officials aggressively marketing the 'healthy-lung' park to conscientious fans. Then imagine your surprise, in visiting the park, to see a huge Marlboro cigarettes ad plastered across the left field fence. Ima ... |
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| Topics: politics, green living, climate, climate change impacts (all these topics) |
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