Climate & Energy

News and views on global warming, the impact of coal and other fossil fuels, and alternative energy options

From wreaths to positions

City preps and countries posture ahead of Copenhagen talks 4
Posted 2 days, 19 hours ago by David Turnbull
As Copenhagen prepares for December, a strange combination of Christmas lights, clean energy expos, evergreen wreaths, and security barriers have begun to crop up around the city. It's an exciting time to be in Copenhagen reflecting on a year of intense pressure, activity, and engagement around the world. The last time I wrote, I was convincing myself, and others, that all was not lost for December. Now, on this bright and sunny day, I'm as convinced as ever that world leaders can achieve an ambitious… Read More
The senator formerly known as maverick

John McCain’s troubles are the world’s troubles 7
Posted 3 days, 10 hours ago by Jonathan Hiskes
The U.S. Senate can't do much without senators like John McCain. The United States can't do much without the Senate. The world can't do much with out the U.S. The world needs a mavericky McCain. Read More
Unusual suspects

15 people worth watching in Copenhagen (a slideshow!) 3
Posted 4 days, 8 hours ago by Jonathan Hiskes
Here are 15 people who wield outsize potential to shape the outcome, or to shape the narrative that affects the outcome. And two you can safely ignore. Read More

More Climate & Energy

Capturing the massive social benefits of fuel efficiency requires regulation 0
Posted 10 hours, 24 minutes ago by Michael A. Livermore
This Friday is the deadline for public comments on the stricter vehicle efficiency standards from EPA and the Department of Transportation. The docket is likely to be overrun with statements for and against the regulation that would make cars and light trucks 30 percent more efficient in 5 years. Read More
ROCKET, man

Copenhagen talks ready for take off: 5, 4, 3… 0
Posted 10 hours, 42 minutes ago by Geoffrey Lean
Suddenly -- and just in the nick of time -- next month's Copenhagen climate conference is starting to gain momentum. Read More
just another bill to pay

Treat energy efficiency like a utility 0
Posted 15 hours, 19 minutes ago by Tom Laskawy
Tom Laskawy says we should also make energy efficiency a "utility" like electricity, gas, or water. Read More
A news digest of recent water stories

Bring on all the water news—the good, the bad and the ugly 0
Posted 15 hours, 3 minutes ago by Daniel Moss
It's not so unusual to see water stories topping the news these days. Even when that news is very bad, that's very good news indeed. Read More
Is there a tradeoff between economics and the environment? 0
Posted 14 hours, 1 minute ago by Tom Konrad
In September, California's Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) released their Phase 2A report, which outlined potential transmission corridors to collect renewable energy from Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) that had been identified in previous phases. As part of Phase 2A, they also screened each CREZ for environmental impact, and the potential difficulty of obtaining land for renewable energy development. Read More
Bill McKibben says time is running out on climate delays 0
Posted 14 hours, 22 minutes ago
Bill McKibben warns us that our time is running out to make important changes to guard against disastrous runaway climate change. Read More
Don't Miss Climate Change Ground Zero Showdown

Copenhagen, U.S.A. December 7 0
Posted 15 hours, 42 minutes ago by Jeff Biggers
On Dec. 7, the opening day of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Americans from around the country will converge for a historic protest at climate change ground zero for our nation -- the Appalachian coalfields. Read More
A hot topic for the classroom

Environmental education in Guinea Bissau 0
Posted 16 hours, 45 minutes ago by Tim Bromfield
In Guinea Bissau, which ranks 10th from the bottom on the U.N.'s Human Development Index and where life expectancy is 47, there are perhaps more pressing concerns than educating people about climate change. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is doing just that. Read More
Of price and men

Making buildings more efficient: looking beyond price 2
Posted 1 day, 1 hour ago by David Roberts
The market for building efficiency is snarled with market and behavioral failures that prevent price signals from getting translated into action. Instead of merely raising prices further, policymakers ought to look into ways to correct some of those failures. Read More
Carbon fixated

Newtongate: the final nail in the coffin of Enlightenment thinking 0
Posted 1 day, 11 hours ago by Gar Lipow
Carbon Fixated has now a exposed a far greater scandal than "Carbongate." It is time to expose the fraudulent religion that worships Issac Newton, who was even fatter than Al Gore, and his silly assertions about gravity, not to mention the meaningless babble of incantations called calculus. Read More
Jobs we can believe in

Merkley wants Senate jobs bill to help finance building efficiency retrofits 5
Posted 3 days, 3 hours ago by David Roberts
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with the chairs of six committees that might have some hand in developing the clean energy bill. The question at hand was whether the bill should be pushed back in favor of a short-term focus on finance reform, jobs, and the deficit. Though John Kerry argued vigorously that the clean energy is a jobs bill that won't grow the deficit, it looks like he lost out and there will be some kind of standalone jobs bill in the interim. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)… Read More
ClimateGate alert!

FOX News and TrollCat agree: Global warming is BUNK! 13
Posted 3 days, 13 hours ago by Brad Johnson
Right-wing bloggers reacting to trumped up denier story have become indistinguishable from TrollCat. Read More
Skeptics claim global warming is fake after top scientists’ emails hacked at CRU 32
Posted 3 days, 10 hours ago by Ashley Braun
‘Heretic’ battles straw man 3
Posted 3 days, 13 hours ago by Tom Konrad
New photography project provides stark proof of melting glaciers on the roof of the world 1
Posted 3 days, 14 hours ago by Joseph Romm
Cast your vote for the best climate journalism 0
Posted 3 days, 15 hours ago
The tar sands blow 0
Posted 3 days, 16 hours ago
Eugene Mirman is doing what in Copenhagen? 0
Posted 3 days, 16 hours ago
Climate talks timeline: From 350 to Kyoto to Copenhagen and beyond 0
Posted 4 days, 8 hours ago
Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change 26
Posted 4 days, 8 hours ago
Copenhagen 101: The essentials on the climate talks 2
Posted 4 days, 9 hours ago by Jonathan Hiskes
Inferno on Earth: Wildfires spreading as temperatures rise 1
Posted 4 days, 10 hours ago by Lester Brown