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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Bailout vs. bull market
New data: Green investment would produce about twice the jobs of Wall Street bailout |
Glenn Hurowitz |
29 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| There's been a bit of extremely stupid chatter in D.C. lately suggesting that somehow the financial storm could get in the way of action to combat the climate crisis. So I picked up my phone at Greenpeace and asked Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier of the University of Massachusetts to compare the economic effects of bailing out Wall Street to investing in the green economy (they wrote a 'Green Recovery' report for the Center for American Progress), and th ... |
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| Topics: renewable energy, politics, climate, economy, green jobs, Wall Street (all these topics) |
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As dirty as Inhofe
John McCain's environmental record is as bad as climate change denier James Inhofe |
Joseph Romm |
22 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is an avowed climate science believer who comes from a state with enough solar resource to power the entire nation. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is an avowed climate science denier who comes from a major oil patch state. So why has McCain voted with Inhofe and against clean energy and the environment a staggering 42 out of 44 times since the mid-1990s? And that doesn't even include eight straight votes on extending the renewable energy tax c ... |
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| Topics: renewable energy, energy, politics, climate, John McCain, lying liars, James Inhofe (all these topics) |
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What is this, a TE party?
The one clean-tech breakthrough that could lead to a core climate solution: Thermoelectricity |
Joseph Romm |
19 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The buzzwords of the day: TE with high TZ. The world doesn't need a major technology breakthrough to cost-effectively cut carbon emissions in half by mid-century. Indeed, most such breakthroughs would be difficult to deploy fast enough and on a large enough scale to make a large difference in that time frame. Other key medium-term technologies, like low-cost solar photovoltaics, don't require breakthroughs so much as they need steady technological advances, econ ... |
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| Topics: energy, renewable energy, scientific research, tech, climate science, climate (all these topics) |
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Hot, flat, and badly reviewed
Gregg Easterbrook still knows nothing about global warming -- and less about clean energy |
Joseph Romm |
15 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Slate magazine is seen as liberal, but is in fact just another status quo publication promoting a do-nothing policy on clean energy and global warming. Why else ask for a review of Tom Friedman's new call to action, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, from the American Bjørn Lomborg? And I don't mean that in a good way. I'm speaking about Gregg Easterbrook, well-known fountain of climate and energy misinformation. I've already commented on Friedman's must-read book here. T ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, climate change impacts, energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy, tax incentives (all these topics) |
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The Cost Tic
Big emissions gains require big investments; get over it |
David Roberts |
12 Sep 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I'm not particularly invested in white roofs -- the subject of several stories yesterday, reporting research showing that painting roofs white in several major urban areas would have a surprisingly large effect on warming -- but Keith Johnson's response on Environmental Capital makes me grind my teeth: The scale and cost of any program that would re-top all the roofs and paved surfaces in cities the size of Los Angeles, Mexico City, New Delhi, and Tokyo simultane ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, investing, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Is Obama's energy plan change we can believe in?
Toward a sensible energy plan |
Jon Rynn |
20 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest post by Ted Glick, the policy director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network/U.S. Climate Emergency Council. He can be reached at usajointheworld@igc.org. He is author of 'Past Future Hope' columns. ----- On August 4, the Barack Obama presidential campaign released a comprehensive program for reform of the U.S. energy system. In the words of Obama supporter, climate blogger, and author Joe Romm, it was 'easily the best energy plan ever put forward by a ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, carbon sequestration, climate, climate science, energy, nuclear power, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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How would you spend $10 billion?
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says he'd invest in clean energy |
Kate Sheppard |
18 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Wall Street Journal asked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) how he would spend $10 billion of the country's monetary resources. He says it should be spent on clean energy: A dramatic investment in clean energy would be the most effective check on aggressive petroregimes from Moscow to Tehran. It would be the best long-term solution to global warming. And energy independence is the most effective step we can take for American families staggering under t ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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A media boon for Pickens
T. Boone Pickens' plan is overexposed and inferior to Gore's |
Joseph Romm |
24 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It's official: T. Boone is overexposed. His monotonous TV ad runs on an endless loop, he has testified in front of Congress, he is now appearing on every cable show, and everybody quotes him even though he doesn't actually agree with anybody but himself. What specifically bugs me: His ads say we can't drill our way out of this problem, but then he says we should drill everywhere -- offshore, Alaska, your backyard. He keeps pushing his absurd idea of switchin ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, cars, climate, energy, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Meet the Blogger
Better questions for Gore |
David Roberts |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In response to my rant about Gore on Meet the Press, a certain boss of my acquaintance asked me what questions I would have asked. Here are a few: High gas prices have created extraordinary pressure for a short-term political response, which Republicans are providing with their drilling campaign. What is a better political and substantive alternative? Why did you do so little to coordinate with other groups and constituencies before giving this speech? Why are ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, climate, mainstream media, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Gore's plan is more than 100 percent feasible
We can do more than he calls for, but I would settle for Gore's objective |
Gar Lipow |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Everyone is talking about Gore's proposal to decarbonize electricity over the course of 10 years. Without considering transmission and storage losses, Gore's estimate of $1.5 to 3 trillion would require capital costs of under 37 to 74 cents per annual kWh. Taking those losses into consideration, cost would have to be more in the 28 to 56 cents per kWh range. (Note again these are not cost per watt of capacity. These are costs per annual kWh. They are levelized cos ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, climate, climate change mitigation, energy, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Mechanism Bull
U.N. clean-energy program criticized for not funding clean energy |
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11 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:32 PM on 11 Jul 2008 The United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, set up under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, issues carbon credits to industrialized nations that pay for renewable-energy projects in developing countries. Last we checked, coal and natural gas weren't renewable -- but the CDM is currently paying out millions of dollars a year to 13 natural-gas-burning plants in China and India, and in Sept. ... |
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| Topics: carbon offsets, carbon trading, climate, coal, energy, fossil fuels, natural gas, news, renewable energy, United Nations (all these topics) |
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'There is no box'
Lester Brown unveils plan for 80 percent cuts by 2020 |
Jon Rynn |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute and author, most recently, of Plan B, Version 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, released a new study today called 'Time for Plan B: Cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2020.' I was invited to participate in a conference call in which Lester explained many of the highlights of the plan; I will do my best to share what he said (any mistakes are my own). First, it appears that the only comprehensive plan to ... |
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| Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, public transportation, renewable energy (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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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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A Cambridge physicist's cooling summer treat
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JMG |
22 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Download 'Sustainable Energy -- Without the hot air' for free. You'll be glad you did. |
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| Topics: energy, climate, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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The Grand Ostrich Party
Conservative heads increasingly buried in sand |
Ryan Avent |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Andrew Sullivan reads this Jim Manzi post (Conservatives are going to win on climate change! By doing nothing!) and says he's on board. He then proceeds to blow my freaking mind: The key will be private and public innovation of non-carbon energy, and possibly carbon capture technology. Frankly, however painful it is for many, the high price of gas is perhaps the best anti-global warming non-policy there is. Now, why is it that the high price of gas is the best an ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, fossil fuels, gas prices, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Google plugs in
Notes from a plug-in hybrid conference |
Michael Moynihan |
15 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Silicon Valley came to Washington this week to talk about plug-in hybrids at a great conference organized by Google.org with Brookings. The combination of tech visionaries, electric cars on display, Washington heavy hitters such as John Dingell, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and even a couple of film stars, Peter Horton and Anne Sexton of Who Killed the Electric Car?, made for a great meeting. Here are my notes from the standing room o ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate, electric vehicles, hybrids, placemaking, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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GHG policy thoughts, economics edition
The goal of climate policy is not high GHG prices |
Sean Casten |
15 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| There's an implicit assumption in much of the climate policy debate that to meaningfully lower greenhouse-gas emissions, we need a high price on carbon. The assumption is wrong. Economics 101 In a market setting, price is a function of supply and demand. For a given commodity, prices will be high when demand outpaces supply and low when supply outpaces demand. Thus oil, for instance, is expensive. And autographed copies of my pen and ink cartoons are cheap ( ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, economy, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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The cowardly lion
McCain to skip another crucial climate vote |
David Roberts |
29 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Unbelievable. Sen. John McCain -- who just weeks ago said of the Climate Security Act, "I hope it will pass, and I hope the entire Congress will join in supporting it and the President of the United States would sign it" -- now says he won't show up to vote on it. He won't vote against it, mind you. Won't go on record. Won't take a stand. He just won't show. 'I have not been there for a number of votes. The same thing happened in the campaign of ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy, jackassery, legislation, nuclear power, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Call to service
Obama calls for clean energy activists in commencement speech |
David Roberts |
27 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| From Barack Obama's commencement speech at Wesleyan University, 25 May 2008 (he was standing in for Ted Kennedy): At a time when our ice caps are melting and our oceans are rising, we need you to help lead a green revolution. We still have time to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change if we get serious about investing in renewable sources of energy, and if we get a generation of volunteers to work on renewable energy projects, and teach folks about ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, climate, climate change mitigation, education, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Full text drops
Full text of the substitute amendment to Lieberman-Warner now available |
Kate Sheppard |
21 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The full-text of the amendment [PDF] to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act is now available, which answers some of the outstanding questions stemming from the outline Sen. Boxer has been circulating. A few important areas to look at in the new version: Cost containment: This is the mechanism, also called an 'emergency off-ramp,' that will automatically release additional emission allowances onto the market to lower the price of carbon credits, should prices r ... |
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| Topics: Barbara Boxer, climate, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Town meeting fun
Small-town politics meets big-time energy crisis |
Katharine Wroth |
21 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Last night I went to the town meeting where I live, which -- well, if you've never lived anywhere podunk enough to have a town meeting, you're missing out. This one was just as I remember them from my childhood, though PowerPoint has replaced mimeographed pages: ambition, exhaustion, confusion, and the one crusty, bearded guy who has to argue every point. After a presentation by the head of the municipally owned utility, a tall, thin audience member in a tan suit an ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, energy at home, green living, oil, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Deloitte survey of consumers and utility regulators
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David Roberts |
20 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On Monday, consultant firm Deloitte released two new surveys, one of consumers and one of utility regulators. There's some fairly interesting stuff in there. First off, some 87 percent of utility regulators expect the cost of producing electricity to rise next year. Why? Here's what they attribute it to: Fuel prices (35 percent). Environmental compliance (23 percent). Capital costs (21 percent). Inflation (11 percent). Asked to rate options by thei ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy, energy at home, greenhouse-gas emissions, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Green pay day
Green-collar jobs are real |
Anna Fahey |
27 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| There's lots of buzz about green-collar jobs these days (sort of like blue-collar jobs, but with a sustainable edge) -- whether you're listening to Obama, McCain, or Clinton; Gregoire, Kulongoski, or Schwarzenegger. You hear this kind of thing a lot: A study conducted by the RAND Corporation and the University of Tennessee found that producing 25 percent of all American energy fuel and electricity from renewables by the year 2025 would produce the following: '$700 billio ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, economy, green jobs, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Is 450 ppm (or less) politically possible? Part 2
The 14 wedges needed to stabilize emissions |
Joseph Romm |
23 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In this post I will lay out 'the solution' to global warming, focusing primarily on the 14 'stabilization wedges.' Part 1 argued that stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide at 450 ppm is not politically possible today, but that it is certainly achievable from an economic and technological perspective. It would require some 14 of Princeton's 'stabilization wedges' -- strategies and/or technologies that over a period of a few decades each reduce glo ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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