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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
No coal? OK, then what?
Beware the allure of liquefied natural gas |
Kristina & Jason Makansi |
09 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Two years ago, one of us (Jason) was at an energy industry conference planning committee and he made the point that whether or not everyone around the table agreed on global warming, the issue was just about to break out and dominate the public conversation on energy. Because of global warming, he went on to say, getting a new coal-fired power station built was just a 'prudency review waiting to happen.' For those of you that remember, it was, in many wa ... |
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| Topics: international politics, natural gas, renewable energy, politics, coal, energy (all these topics) |
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China ...
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David Roberts |
08 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| ... will not accept binding emissions caps in any international agreement. But according to Guido Sacconi, chairman of the European Parliament's climate change committee, China isn't the real problem: 'The problem is rather that of other superpowers -- other areas of the world -- who may not wish to join in and follow the same course.' Hm ... |
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| Topics: China, climate, climate change mitigation, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Curses, oiled again!
High oil prices reshape the geopolitical landscape |
David Roberts |
08 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Check out Mark Landler on how rising oil prices are changing the geopolitical landscape. Here's the nut: The prospect of triple-digit oil prices has redrawn the economic and political map of the world, challenging some old notions of power. Oil-rich nations are enjoying historic gains and opportunities, while major importers -- including China and India, home to a third of the world's population -- confront rising economic and social costs. Hey, I can think of a ... |
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| Topics: energy, international politics, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate change and Pakistan's priorities
Climate change mitigation is related to building democracy and decreasing poverty |
James Dailey |
07 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| While the climate change "issue" is covered frequently in the press and is implicitly or explicitly part of the U.S. presidential campaign, for developing countries it is just one of many pressing issues. For the man on the street, at least in many of the countries I visit, climate change is important but not urgent. The same could be said of many other issues, of course, but what distinguishes climate change is that it is perceived as "an act o ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, climate equity, energy, international politics, Pakistan, politics (all these topics) |
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'Global Warning: The Security Challenges of Climate Change'
New report examines the impact of climate change on national security |
Joseph Romm |
06 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
| John Podesta and Peter Ogden of the Center for American Progress have written a chapter titled 'Global Warning: The Security Challenges of Climate Change,' for a report called 'The Age of Consequences: The Foreign Policy and National Security Implications of Global Climate Change.' They describe their work as follows: During the course of the past year, a high-level working group of foreign policy experts, climate scientists, historians, and other specialists has met ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate equity, international politics, national security, politics (all these topics) |
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Post-Kyoto international climate policy
Two analysts argue for ditching Kyoto and finding something better |
David Roberts |
30 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is an interesting commentary in Nature, right on many details if, I think, wrong in spirit. Gwyn Prins & Steve Rayner argue that Kyoto has failed and should be abandoned. Its successor policy should: Focus mitigation efforts on the big emitters Allow genuine emissions markets to evolve from the bottom up Put public investment in energy R&D on a wartime footing Increase spending on adaptation Work the problem at appropriate scales I'd sa ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate equity: Saleemul Huq
From citizens of nation states to citizens of the world |
David Roberts |
30 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| ((equity_include)) This is a guest essay by Saleemul Huq, head of the climate change group at the International Institute for Environment and Development and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This essay is part of a series on climate equity. ----- Perceptions of climate change -- and what must be done to tackle the problem -- have evolved over time. With concerns about justice and equity now rising to the surface, it is time for a ne ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate equity, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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A Tip of the ICAP
New partnership hopes to jumpstart global carbon market |
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29 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:24 PM on 29 Oct 2007 A whole slew of countries and states have signed on to a new International Carbon Action Partnership, with a goal of sharing knowledge about and standardizing best practices for what they hope will become a global cap-and-trade system. Participants include members of the Western Climate Initiative and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, as well as various European countries and New Zealand ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, international politics, international treaties, news, politics (all these topics) |
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The International Carbon Action Partnership
A new int'l org works toward a global carbon market, leaves U.S. federal gov't out |
David Roberts |
29 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Interesting. Across the transom comes news of a new treaty, the International Carbon Action Partnership, signed today by a collection of countries and U.S. states that have implemented carbon cap-and-trade systems. The idea is to share knowledge and work to standardize best practices in order to facilitate the growth of a global carbon market. From the press release: The ground-breaking international and interregional agreement was signed today by U.S. and Canadi ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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On climate, Hu's leading whom?
Snappy comebacks for the climate do-nothing set who's using China as an excuse |
Anna Fahey |
28 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| On a hot day this summer, Chinese President Hu Jintao and a group of state leaders appeared at a public function wearing short-sleeved shirts, rather than their normal business suits. According to the state press, the casual attire wasn't just a new fashion statement: China's top brass were leading by example, encouraging Chinese workers to dress in light clothing in order to reduce the use of air conditioners in office buildings. Fashions do change. Outright denial of ... |
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| Topics: China, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Everything old is new again
U.S. blocks consensus at international global warming conference ... 17 years ago |
Andrew Dessler |
26 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Does it seem to you like nothing ever changes in the world? Well, you're right, and now I have hard evidence. I was searching through the archive of Bob Park's What's New newsletter when I ran across this snippet, right above an update about the miracle of cold fusion: At the World Climate Conference in Geneva this week, the United States blocked consensus on specific goals for reduction of carbon dioxide emission. As What's New predicted a month ago, the US side ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Big balls, bigger wall
Chertoff lies, wildlife dies |
Glenn Hurowitz |
24 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced yesterday that he's going to just waive the Endangered Species Act, the Toxic Waste Disposal Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (among many others) in order to plough ahead with building a wall along the Arizona-Mexico border in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. He repeated his rationale that the wall could be good for the environment because migrants ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, international politics, jackassery, legislation, Mexico, national security, politics, Texas, wilderness (all these topics) |
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I read PDFs so you don't have to, part kazillion
A new sustainable development report from an international panel -- only sexy and exciting! |
David Roberts |
23 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The InterAcademy Council, a group representing 150 scientific academies around the world, has just issued a new report: "Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future." I know what you're thinking: hot damn, a long-ass new PDF! The report, commissioned by the governments of Brazil and China, "lays out the science, technology and policy roadmap for developing energy resources to drive economic growth in both developed and developing countries ... |
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| Topics: politics, climate, energy, international politics (all these topics) |
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Protecting the Homeland
HSA waives environmental and social laws to keep the Mexicans out |
David Roberts |
23 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Attentive readers of Grist's news feed will know that yesterday Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff waived a few laws in order to get going on the 700-mile border fence between the U.S. and Mexico. A judge ruled a few weeks ago that Chertoff was steamrolling the environmental review process and should halt construction immediately, but since one of those lovely post-9/11 laws gave Chertoff the power to waive whatever the f*ck laws he wants, that didn't have much ... |
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| Topics: international politics, national security, politics (all these topics) |
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Transitions
Soviet-induced water crises push Eastern European nations to consider solutions |
Grist |
23 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest essay from Eric Pallant, professor of environmental science at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., and codirector of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Integrated Water Resources Management. He is reporting from the National Disasters and Water Security conference in Yerevan, Armenia. ----- October 19, 2007 I have to hand it to NATO for dishing out money to sponsor Advanced Research Workshops on environmental security. And I must con ... |
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| Topics: Armenia, Georgia, international politics, politics, water crisis, water pollution (all these topics) |
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One if by land, two if by sea
Overlap in supervision allows sea turtles to slip through the cracks |
Andrew Sharpless |
20 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Ask any number of surfers, divers, and ocean-goers of all stripes what one of their favorite ocean critters is, and chances are a good percentage of them will mention sea turtles. And who can blame them? Sea turtles are easygoing in nature, and no one can deny that people are drawn to them more so than some of the other creatures swimming down there. However, recent reports show that sea turtle populations -- the loggerhead in particular -- are on the decline. ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, international politics, oceans, politics, wildlife (all these topics) |
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The book to read on 'freedom from oil'
Sandalow explains the ins and outs of oil dependency |
Joseph Romm |
19 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| For years, I have been looking for a good, readable book on the oil problem and its solution -- just as I'd been looking for a good book on clean technology. Well, I found the Clean Tech book in August, and now I've found the oil book. It is Freedom from Oil, by Brookings scholar and White House veteran David Sandalow. It is an unqualified success -- cleverly told as a series of policy memos from the cabinet of a near-future President, who begins the book by tellin ... |
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| Topics: books, energy, international politics, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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South Texas: The new environmental heartland?
The green movement of the Rio Grande |
Glenn Hurowitz |
17 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Yesterday, Grist published my investigation of why the environmental movement has been relatively slow and cautious in fighting the U.S.-Mexico border wall, one of the greatest manmade disasters to ever strike the Western landscape and Western wildlife. Of course, these articles have to be readable, so I wasn't able to delve into all the details of the politics of the border wall. But I wanted to share with Gristmill readers the part of the investigation that didn't m ... |
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| Topics: international politics, Mexico, national security, politics, Texas, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Connecting the dots: Part II
Stopping global warring and global warming |
Jon Rynn |
17 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Ted Glick is on the 44th day of his fast, by my count, as part of his effort to bring awareness to and demand action concerning global warming. On Sunday through Tuesday, October 21 to 23, there will be a series of protests and actions grouped under the name 'No war, no warming.' It is an attempt to bridge the two issues of ending the war in Iraq and global warming by taking immediate action to: Stop the war in Iraq and future resource wars by ending our addiction to fos ... |
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| Topics: climate, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate equity: Andrew Pendleton
On how to divvy up responsibility for climate change |
David Roberts |
17 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| ((equity_include))This is a guest essay by Andrew Pendleton. Pendleton leads the climate change policy work at Christian Aid. The essay is part of a series on climate equity. ----- 1. What would climate equity look like? What's the end state we're aiming for? There are many truths in the climate change debate -- almost all of them inconvenient. Perhaps the least convenient is that it is no longer possible to stay below 2°C without cutting the emissions of nations ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate equity, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Bush swaps debt for nature
Costa Rica and Guatemala deals could point to common ground on climate crisis |
Glenn Hurowitz |
17 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Bush administration, Costa Rica, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy will today announce a 'debt-for-nature' swap that could herald something bigger in the future. The United States will write off $12.6 million in debt owed it by Costa Rica. In exchange, Costa Rica will protect some of the most valuable rainforest wildlife habitat in the world. Photo: obooble This follows the Bush administration's support for an even bigger sw ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, Costa Rica, deforestation, international politics, politics, rainforests (all these topics) |
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Why Al Gore deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
Gore's effort to focus attention on climate change supports the goal of preventing wars |
Grist |
11 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest essay by Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. It was originally published on Salon.com. What's world peace got to do with global warming? Perhaps everything. Or it will if things don't change fast -- if, in 10 or 20 or 40 years devastating floods and droughts displace millions of refugees and spur nations and tribes to desperate bloodletting. At which point, no one will have the slightest doubt why members of the renowned Scandinavian founda ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, climate, energy, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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Climate change and world peace
Three reasons Gore deserves the Nobel Peace Prize |
Joseph Romm |
11 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Conservative carping aside, Al Gore is a perfect candidate for three reasons: The award has always gone to people who have done more than just promote 'peace,' such as Albert Schweitzer, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa. The award has recently (2004) gone to an environmental leader, the great Wangari Maathai, who 'founded the Green Belt Movement, a grassroots environmental nongovernmental organization, which has now planted over 30 m ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, climate, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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A proposal in the making
New developments in WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations |
Andrew Sharpless |
10 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Some new ideas by Brazil and Argentina during the Doha round negotiations at the World Trade Organization have left me feeling rather optimistic about the ability of the WTO to actually help address one of the world's biggest environmental problems: global overfishing. Their proposal is a real attempt by developing countries in the ongoing negotiations about fisheries subsidies to establish some rules to prevent countries from subsidizing their fishing sector w ... |
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| Topics: fishing, international politics, oceans, politics (all these topics) |
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Yang Jiechi on China's response to global warming
Bush-like doubletalk from Chinese foreign minister |
Joseph Romm |
01 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Foreign Minister of China, Yang Jiechi, gave a talk at CGI that would have made President Bush -- or Frank Luntz -- proud. Brian may have liked the rhetoric, but I (and a number of others I spoke to in NY) thought the comments were divorced from reality, pure spin. You can judge for yourself from the entire transcript, which I will excerpt and comment on here because I think the speech is much more important and ominous than Bush's recent climate speech. After al ... |
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| Topics: China, climate, international politics, politics (all these topics) |
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