Politics

The latest green legislation, lobbying, and activism, from the Hill to the EPA to your hometown

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
Don't eat the hype

Ecological farms: the only real way to feed an increasingly hungry world 6
Posted 3 days, 18 hours ago by Debbie Barker
There are those who would like us to believe that industrialized farming is the only way to feed the earth's growing population. It's simply not true. Read More

More Politics

Capturing the massive social benefits of fuel efficiency requires regulation 0
Posted 10 hours, 28 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, 45 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
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
Plate Tectonics

No to Obama’s agrichemical industry man, yes to Bed-Stuy Farm 1
Posted 4 days, 6 hours ago by Tom Philpott
This post marks the launch of "Plate Tectonics," a new feature that highlights ways that citizen action can move the food system in more sustainable directions. First task: jamming the revolving door between the agrichemical industry and the Obama administration. 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
Timeline goes by so slowly

Climate talks timeline: From 350 to Kyoto to Copenhagen and beyond 0
Posted 4 days, 8 hours ago
Whether you've been hitting snooze each time a global climate conference rolls around or you're looking for a refresher before the Copenhagen climate talks next month, Grist has an interactive timeline to bring you up to speed. Read More
A Walk Through the Week's Climate News

The Climate Post: You heard it here first—Copenhagen a success 0
Posted 4 days, 11 hours ago by Eric Roston
A week of anticlimaxes saw President Barack Obama conducting a less-than-exuberant swing through China, the international community conceding a binding climate treaty at the COP-15 negotiations in Copenhagen, and U.S. lawmakers postponing to the spring of 2010 consideration of climate policy -- even as talk of a legislative "plan B" surfaced. Read More
NYT: U.S. Chamber has not expressed support for any proposals to cap emissions 0
Posted 4 days, 14 hours ago by Peter Altman
John Broder has an illuminating story in today's New York Times, "Storm Over the Chamber" discussing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's climate crisis and how Thomas Donohue's style exacerbates it. Tellingly, the story begins with an anecdote that suggests where the U.S. Chamber gets its tin ear. Read More
Nobody knows nothin'

Reflecting on the lameness of my profession 10
Posted 5 days, 2 hours ago by David Roberts
For the past few weeks there has been a flood of news about the Copenhagen climate talks and the clean energy bill in the U.S. Senate. Standing in that flood it's easy to get caught up in the atmospherics of frantic action and constant crisis. But step out for a while and it becomes clear just how much of the "news" consists of people who don't really know anything guessing: what things mean, who's thinking what, what the future holds. Read More
Copenhagen is not Kyoto 0
Posted 5 days, 11 hours ago by Ned Helme
The most common and widespread criticism of the Kyoto Protocol was that it did not require major developing countries like China and India to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and the burden for reducing emissions fell largely on richer nations, like the United States and the European Union. Those concerns will be alleviated in Copenhagen, where a high-level policy agreement is expected to ensure that developing countries take on more responsibility for cutting emissions and paying for programs… Read More
Hot planet to Obama: What’s your Plan B? 6
Posted 5 days, 15 hours ago by Mike Tidwell
Copenhagen: Getting past the urgency trap 4
Posted 5 days, 14 hours ago by Sara Robinson
Copenhagen panic is premature 4
Posted 5 days, 16 hours ago by Geoffrey Lean
So long and thanks for all the fish 46
Posted 6 days, 10 hours ago by Tom Laskawy
Two senators push to ramp up nuclear energy 2
Posted 6 days, 12 hours ago by Agence France-Presse
U.S. Senate puts off action on climate bill until 2010 0
Posted 6 days, 13 hours ago by Agence France-Presse
Subtle but important shifts in global warming positions announced by U.S. & China 5
Posted 6 days, 13 hours ago by Jake Schmidt
U.S. and China announce plan for collaboration on clean energy and climate change 0
Posted 6 days, 13 hours ago by Andrew Light
George Voinovich (R-Ohio) [UPDATED] 2
Posted 6 days, 18 hours ago
Is Bill McKibben right to be angry with Obama? 35
Posted 1 week ago by David Roberts