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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
NASA's Hansen on Live Earth, Gore, and coal
It's all about coal |
Joseph Romm |
25 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| More from James Hansen's email: I was invited to go on stage at "Live Earth" at the Meadowlands, between Jon Bon Jovi and Smashing Pumpkins performances. I agreed to this, on the condition that I could bring my grandchildren, Sophie and Connor. I assumed it would be like last year when I appeared with Al Gore before a young audience, with a rather impromptu discussion of global warming. Bad assumption. When I asked "Where's Al?", I was told th ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, climate, climate change mitigation, coal, energy, green living, James Hansen, music (all these topics) |
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Bad news for coal, lessons for enviros
New coal-fired plants are unlikely |
Sean Casten |
25 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This from the Wall Street Journal today: From coast to coast, plans for a new generation of coal-fired power plants are falling by the wayside as states conclude that conventional coal plants are too dirty to build and the cost of cleaner plants is too high. If significant numbers of new coal plants don't get built in the U.S. in coming years, it will put pressure on officials to clear the path for other power sources, including nuclear power, or trim the nation' ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy (all these topics) |
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More of NASA's James Hansen on Old King Coal
How coal CO2 is different from oil CO2 |
Joseph Romm |
24 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Our top climate scientist has sent out a really, really long email (where does he find the time?), mostly discussing comments on his recent essay on coal. I think Hansen is the clearest thinker on climate among the top scientists in the field, so I will reprint the email, breaking it up into several postings. The first one addresses "Coal-CO2 versus Oil-CO2": My statement that releasing a coal-CO2 molecule into the air is more harmful than setting ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, James Hansen, oil (all these topics) |
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Coal is the enemy of the human race: Gloating edition
In which I rejoice |
David Roberts |
23 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Count me among those rejoicing: Citigroup analyst John Hill downgraded coal company stocks across the board in a report this week, saying that expected U.S. greenhouse gas regulations on coal, which emits more of the main heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide than any other fuel, paint a bleak outlook for the sector. Downward pressure on stock prices by a current U.S. coal oversupply could last for more than a year, he wrote. If that happens it could coincide with 200 ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, elections, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Glenn Beck is an ass
And he argues that cow farts produce more greenhouse gases than cars |
Adam Browning |
20 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Check out this clip (via RAN) of the insufferable Glenn Beck running through asinine talking points while disparaging Live Earth: I'm not the first to note this, but it is really remarkable that CNN, a formerly respected former news network, stoops to this egregious low. Mike Brune of the Rainforest Action Network does an admirable job of keeping his dignity, not committing any felonies no matter how justified, and calling him on his bull. If, in the unlik ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, energy, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, jackassery (all these topics) |
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Some good news about coal
For once |
Sean Casten |
19 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| It's typically held that the market will price in all current information. To avowed economists, this means markets can virtually predict the future. If you buy that logic, the market may be signaling something environmentally positive about coal and carbon legislation. This from Greenwire ($ub. rqd): Citing high input costs, weather and environmental concerns, the global bank Citigroup yesterday downgraded coal stocks across the board and shaved earnings estimates ... |
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| Topics: energy, coal (all these topics) |
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Coal bashing: good, and good for you
This week's coal-sucks update |
David Roberts |
18 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I just realized it's been almost a week since I've published a coal-bashing post! This cannot stand. I'll have to dig back a bit ... ah, here we go: a new study from the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center (CEIC) concludes that investing in plug-in hybrids would be much more sensible, in terms of both GHG emissions and energy security, than commensurate investments in liquid coal. Notes the study, "duh." No, wait, that was me. Here's a juicy pull qu ... |
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| Topics: energy, coal, cars, electric vehicles (all these topics) |
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Replacing Oil With, Uh, More Oil
National Petroleum Council pictures life after conventional crude |
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17 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Replacing Oil With, Uh, More Oil National Petroleum Council pictures life after conventional crude There's a new voice in the crowd shrieking about waning oil supplies: the National Petroleum Council. OK, they're not actually shrieking. But in a draft report released this week, the group -- headed by former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond -- confirms that conventional crude oil supplies ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, biofuels, coal, energy, energy efficiency, natural gas, news, oil (all these topics) |
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Coal is the enemy of the human race: James Hansen edition
A guest essay |
David Roberts |
12 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| A week or so back, climate scientist James Hansen passed this essay along to a few folks. It's about the need to rein in coal, and the puzzling lack of involvement from young people on the issue. I thought I'd pass it along. ----- Scientific data reveal that the Earth is close to dangerous climate change, to tipping points that could produce irreversible effects. Global warming of 0.6°C in the past 30 years has brought the Earth's temperature back to about the ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, James Hansen (all these topics) |
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Daily Kos founder misfires on 'clean coal'
For shame |
Erik Hoffner |
05 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga is interviewed in the spring issue of Terrain, the publication of the excellent Ecology Center in Berkeley, Calif. He has some interesting views to share about the green movement, including his disappointment that the top six environmental groups have more cash assets than the 'vast right wing conspiracy,' yet they keep their pet issues so siloed that they cancel their collective clout, keeping a national green agenda effectivel ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, politics (all these topics) |
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Why economics (and coal) matter
Parsing 15 years of electric data |
Sean Casten |
02 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Environmental pressures have forced us to generate more of our power from natural gas, and this focus on gas has caused power prices to increase ... right? Wrong, conventional wisdom notwithstanding. And the lessons from the last 15 years indicate the importance of considering how markets will respond when mandating new technologies and fuels.Consider: In 1990, the U.S. had 184 GW of natural-gas fired generation, from which we produced 373 million MWh of electricity. ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, politics (all these topics) |
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Coal is the enemy of the human race: Robert Murray can kiss my ass edition
Coal exec whines about regulations on his ability to destroy the earth and his workers |
David Roberts |
28 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is not helping me keep my blood pressure down. Poor, poor coal executive feels persecuted: A senior coal company executive on Wednesday lambasted U.S. lawmakers for proposing caps on emissions blamed for global warming, saying the Democrats were out to destroy America's coal industry. Robert Murray, chairman, president and chief executive of Murray Energy Corp., also blasted the federal government's mine safety agency for 'outrageous' new fines that he war ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Greenpeace mischief
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David Roberts |
28 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Big Gav pointed me to this, which is awesome: |
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| Topics: energy, climate, coal (all these topics) |
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Liquid coal op-ed
Come and read it |
David Roberts |
27 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I've got an op-ed on the Guardian's opinion site about -- what else? -- liquid coal. Here's how it starts: They say the first thing you should do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging. But if there's one thing the coal industry loves, it's digging. Generating electricity by burning coal has ravaged the climate, but it's made coal barons in the US rich. They worried for a while that global warming would mean the end of the gravy train - they're the o ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, coal, coal-to-liquid fuel, energy (all these topics) |
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Obama's attempt to [your metaphor here] on liquid coal
It ain't working |
David Roberts |
25 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Washington Post has a piece about Obama's attempts to split the difference (thread the needle? straddle the fence?) on the subject of liquid coal. Y'all are probably sick of hearing me talk about this (watch for an op-ed soon!), so I'll outsource the making of the basic point to Brian Beutler and Brad Plumer, namely: this is a difference that cannot be split / needle that cannot be threaded / fence that cannot be straddled.Time to pick a side: coal industry or plan ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, coal-to-liquid fuel, energy (all these topics) |
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Random observation of the day
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David Roberts |
24 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I read a lot of arguments about coal in a carbon-constrained world, given my, um, obsession with it, and I frequently run across these two claims, sometimes in the very same article:There's so much coal, and renewables are so far from competitive, that it's not realistic to think we could live without it.Coal gasification is awesome, but it needs tons of subsidies. Coal liquefication is awesome, but it needs tons of subsidies. Carbon sequestration is awesome, but i ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy (all these topics) |
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National Academy of Sciences on coal
Turns out we don't know how much there is |
David Roberts |
21 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Yesterday, the National Academy of Sciences released a Congressionally mandated report on coal-related R&D challenges. Coal-state senators Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) requested a report on possible impediments to future coal production, and areas that need to be researched to keep the coal coming. Given that essentially coal-positive mandate, naturally NAS introduced the resultant report in its press release thusly: Because coal will con ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy (all these topics) |
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What role coal?
The chair of the Select Committee on Global Warming weighs in |
Representative Ed Markey |
21 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Congress is about to confront the challenge of coal, and much of what we hope to do to reduce the threat of global warming hinges on these decisions. There's a useful test to use whenever the challenges of fossil fuel dependence and global warming come up: We must reduce the threat of global warming without worsening our dependence on foreign oil; and we must reduce the threat of oil dependence without worsening global warming. When it comes to co ... |
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| Topics: coal, coal-to-liquid fuel, Ed Markey, energy, politics (all these topics) |
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Breaking: Senate fights off liquid coal
More victories |
David Roberts |
19 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Sweet! Here's a press release I just got from Friends of the Earth: ----- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate today voted against two attempts to encourage the use of liquid coal, rejecting a pair of amendments to the energy bill that would have alternately mandated 6 billion gallons of liquid coal use annually by 2022 or provided $10 billion in loan subsidies to produce liquid coal. 'This is a victory for anyone who takes global warming seriously or cares about env ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal-to-liquid fuel, Congress, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, politics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Washington Post v. liquid coal
The paper, like everybody else who doesn't stand to benefit, doesn't like it |
David Roberts |
18 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The lead editorial in the Washington Post today beats liquid coal about the head and shoulders, using all the familiar arguments. Here's a challenge: somebody out there send me a thoughtful defense of liquid coal that doesn't issue from the coal industry, a paid shill of the coal industry, or a legislator from a state that would benefit from coal subsidies. In other words, find me a defense of liquid coal, on the merits, from a non-interested party. Anyone? Bueller? |
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| Topics: coal-to-liquid fuel, energy (all these topics) |
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Dingell and Boucher back off worst elements of Energy Committee proposal
Chalk up a win for Pelosi |
David Roberts |
18 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Well hey, look at that! No sooner do I write a post on the horrible legislative proposal out of Dingell's Energy Committee than I find out that Pelosi has more or less beat it back. A memo Dingell sent to the committee today (PDF) says that he and Boucher are removing most of the controversial elements: the CTL subsidies, the weak fuel-economy standards, and perhaps most significantly, the preemption of state (read: California) tailpipe air quality standards. The me ... |
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| Topics: coal-to-liquid fuel, Congress, energy, John Dingell, legislation, Nancy Pelosi, politics, US House of Representatives, Washington DC ... (all these topics) |
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D.C.
Wherein I chat with House types |
David Roberts |
18 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Hi! I'm back. And -- if you'll indulge me in a little whining -- I'm sick as a dog, woefully behind on the news, buried under work, and just generally frazzled and bedraggled and haggard. And what's with time zones? They're stupid. Woe is me, I tell you. I wanted to do a quick post about my D.C. trip, though, which was a blast. Of course the party was great. Somebody (me?) will probably do a separate post about that later. But aside from that, I ran around town meet ... |
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| Topics: coal-to-liquid fuel, Congress, energy, John Dingell, legislation, Nancy Pelosi, politics, US House of Representatives, Washington DC ... (all these topics) |
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Why geosequestration is another distraction
Always keep the bait dangling just out of reach |
JMG |
18 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The July/August 2007 issue of World Watch magazine (produced by the Worldwatch Institute) includes a concise demolition of carbon geosequestration in the form of a letter to the editor by one Luc Gagnon, 'a senior advisor on climate change for Hydro-Quebec.' I'd quote the letter but the Worldwatch site doesn't have it online yet. So I went searching for more by Gagnon and found this short, powerful PDF making essentially the same point (in almost the same language). An intere ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics) |
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Ready to Barack
Obama qualifies his support for coal-to-liquid fuel |
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13 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Ready to Barack Obama qualifies his support for coal-to-liquid fuel Illinois senator and presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D) has qualified his support for coal -- which is, you may recall, the enemy of the human race. In January, Obama cosponsored legislation to provide incentives for production of coal-to-liquid fuel. He was lambasted by enviros; influential advocacy ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, coal, coal-to-liquid fuel, elections, energy, legislation, politics (all these topics) |
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Obama, CTL, and opportunity costs
Better, but still not great |
David Roberts |
13 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This statement from Obama is a welcome clarification of his position on liquid coal: he says he won't support it unless it demonstrates 'at least 20% less life-cycle carbon than conventional fuels.' The key term, of course, is 'life-cycle.' Unless he's weaseling, that means the whole shebang, from mining to refining to burning. This is a clear line in the sand, and Obama's to be commended for it. But.It still dodges the crux of the issue: opportunity costs. The techno ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, coal, coal-to-liquid fuel, elections, energy, politics (all these topics) |
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