News | Grist

China blasts U.S. climate bill enabling penalties on trade partners 3
Posted 1 day, 14 hours ago
China said Thursday it was "firmly" opposed to provisions in a new U.S. clean energy bill that will make it easier to impose trade penalties on nations that reject limits to globe-warming pollution.
2 degrees of Earth bakin'

47 groups urge Obama to endorse 2-degree C warming threshold 3
Posted 2 days, 9 hours ago
A broad coalition of environment, science, and faith-based groups sent a letter to President Barack Obama recently asking him to pursue a goal of keeping global warming to less than 2 degrees in upcoming international meetings.
G8 summit to seek 80 percent emissions cut by 2050 0
Posted 2 days, 13 hours ago
The Group of Eight rich nations summit in Italy next week is likely to call on industrialized countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, a report said Wednesday.
G8: Canada worst, Germany best on climate change 1
Posted 2 days, 13 hours ago
Canada ranks last among the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations for tackling climate change while Germany is top, the green group WWF and the German insurance giant Allianz reported on Wednesday.
Al's well that ends well

Franken win means another likely Senate vote for climate action 15
Posted 3 days, 10 hours ago
The end of the long Minnesota Senate recount saga means there will be one more senator who supports action to address climate change. In an interview with Grist last year, Al Franken said he supports a strong domestic cap-and-trade program with pollution permits auctioned off, not given away.
Who knew?

Screwing up environment not so great for economy, studies find 2
Posted 3 days, 11 hours ago
You know all those things we do that screw up the environment but are allegedly necessary for a vibrant economy? Recent studies paint a different picture ...
Waiver hello

EPA affirms California’s right to set tougher automobile emissions standards 0
Posted 3 days, 11 hours ago
The EPA announced on Tuesday that it will grant a waiver for California and 13 other states to set automobile emission standards that are higher than national ones. The move is important symbolically, even though it isn't likely to lead to emission reductions in the next few years.
Environment ministers to meet in Greenland for climate talks 0
Posted 3 days, 13 hours ago
Around 30 environment ministers and delegates from the world's biggest polluters are set to meet in the Danish territory of Greenland Tuesday ahead of the larger UN climate summit in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.
US, Indonesia sign debt-for-nature agreement 1
Posted 3 days, 14 hours ago
The United States and Indonesia signed an agreement in which the largest Southeast Asian nation will commit to protect tropical forests in return for reduced debt payments to Washington, officials said Tuesday.
Nigeria’s oil pollution is stark example of resource curse, says Amnesty International 2
Posted 3 days, 14 hours ago
The pollution caused by half a century of oil extraction in Nigeria is one of the world's most disturbing examples of the curse of natural resources, a global rights lobby group said Tuesday.
MoveOn up

MoveOn asks members whether it should launch major campaign to strengthen climate bill 8
Posted 4 days, 7 hours ago
The progressive activist group MoveOn is trying to rally its 5 million members behind an aggressive campaign to strengthen the climate and energy bill that passed the House last week.
Feeling light-headed

Obama announces new efficiency initiatives as part of big clean-energy push 7
Posted 4 days, 9 hours ago
President Barack Obama doesn't think he can solve global warming by changing his f**king light bulbs, but he's going to do it anyway. More importantly, he's going to change the light-bulb industry. Get the scoop on energy-efficiency plans the president outlined on Monday.
Still spinng

EPA ‘suppression’ story grows, despite shoddy science in report 3
Posted 4 days, 10 hours ago
The peculiar story of a "suppressed" report at the Environmental Protection Agency continues to grow, despite the fact that the agency appears to have done nothing worse than holding its employees to professional standards.
Daimler launches first German hybrid car 1
Posted 4 days, 12 hours ago
German luxury car maker Daimler launched its first hybrid model last week, almost 10 years after the market leader, Toyota. The world's best-selling limousine, a favorite of world leaders, the Mercedes Benz S Class, is now available in Europe with two motors, one electric and the other gasoline, to save fuel and cut pollution.
It's a marathon, not a sprint

One hurdle down for climate bill, 60 more to go 10
Posted 1 week ago
The narrow victory for House Democrats' climate and energy bill came only after much coercion by party leaders and the White House. The close vote makes it clear that Waxman-Markey will face many more tough battles in the Senate and again in the House when a final bill comes back for final, final approval.
Angela in America

Germany’s Merkel praises U.S. House climate bill as a ‘sea change’ 0
Posted 1 week ago
The climate bill being debated today in the U.S. House represents a "sea change" and "points to the fact that the United States [is] very serious on climate," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to the White House this morning. "I wish you every success. ... I would not have thought [it] possible a year ago," she continued.
British PM urges $100 billion global green fund 0
Posted 1 week ago
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Friday called for a global fund worth $100 billion a year to tackle climate change in the developing world, ahead of crunch talks later this year.
a whale of a problem

Whaling ban holds as conference ends in disarray 1
Posted 1 week ago
The International Whaling Commission's annual conference ended in disarray Thursday, keeping in place a ban on commercial whaling amid deep rifts between hunters and conservationists.
Climate change deal crucial to greener trade, say WTO and UNEP 0
Posted 1 week ago
A global climate change deal in Copenhagen is crucial to ensure that world trade becomes a catalyst for the greening of the economy rather than an obstacle, trade and environmental chiefs said Friday.
Climate Vote Day Ticker

Update: Pass! Climate bill advances with 219-212 vote 4
Posted 1 week ago
On to the Senate! Nate Silver considers the scene there.