Foreign Policy Blogs

Climate Change

Curbing Fugitive Methane

There’s a great front-page article at the “NY Times” today about how three trillion cubic feet of methane leak into the air every year, much of it from oil and gas operations, and how some companies are attempting to stem the tide of leaks.  The article says “This amount has the warming power of emissions […]

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"Blog Action Day '09: Climate Change"

Every day is action day on climate change for this blog, but the good folks at Change.org and The Alliance for Climate Protection are sponsoring an international event today, Blog Action Day, that hopes to unite the blogosphere to discuss, promote and move folks to action to help avert climate catastrophe.  (Clean and renewable energy, sane […]

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Cap-and-Trade 101

Here’s a very good little video from SmartPlanet.com, a CBS Interactive website. For more, see my posts here on Carbon Markets.

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Bringing It All Back Home – Impacts

I wrote in July on a number of comprehensive reports on how climate change is devastating many parts of the world and many different sectors.  (See Impacts.)  I also referenced a stunning “National Geographic Magazine” article on the drought in Australia. Well, the “Financial Times” has a story on drought right here in the US, […]

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(Much) More Natural Gas

That’s what the overwhelming verdict is because of new extraction methods for accessing natural gas from shale.  I’ve written recently about the rising star of natural gas as a powerful tool in battling the climate crisis:  see  Natural Gas – to Cut GHG Emissions, Natural Gas in the Senate and The Gas Industry at the […]

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"American Power"

"American Power"

There’s a review today in the “NY Times” of what looks like a fabulous book of photographs of how America generates, uses and lives with power.  See also the slide show for a look at Mitch Epstein’s work. This book could be a perfect complement to a book from Ingrid Kelley, Energy in America, that […]

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Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

The big ticket for today is that President Barack Hussein Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  What’s that got to do with climate change?  The press release from the Norwegian Nobel Committee says that, among his other accomplishments:  “Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting […]

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More Bursts of Renewable Energy

Think California and its Governator aren’t dead serious about renewables?  DOE’s weekly newsletter, “EERE Network News,” has this story:  California Accelerates its Pursuit of Clean Energy.  A new executive order requires the Golden State’s utilities to get a third of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.  This is in addition to robust energy efficiency […]

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Money Where Your Mouth Is Department

President Obama signed an executive order today that commits the federal government to massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  The White House press release notes:  “The Federal government occupies nearly 500,000 buildings, operates more than 600,000 vehicles, employs more than 1.8 million civilians, and purchases more than $500 billion per year in goods and services. […]

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The Gas Industry at the "FT"

In yet another useful special report at the “Financial Times” – this one today on the gas industry – there are two articles on the theme of what I was talking about recently in which natural gas is being positioned as a “transition” fuel to the low-carbon future.  (See Natural Gas – to Cut GHG […]

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"Nature" on the "Two-Degree Target"

The editor of Nature Reports Climate Change, Olive Heffernan, went to Lindau this summer to sit in on the 59th annual meeting of Nobel Laureates.  She took three young scientists to hear the scientific panels and to talk with some of the Laureates, including Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, who received their prizes for discerning […]

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The Regulatory Route

Oh, very much not incidentally, the EPA Administrator announced yesterday that they are proposing to require “…large industrial facilities that emit at least 25,000 tons of GHGs a year to obtain construction and operating permits covering these emissions. These permits must demonstrate the use of best available control technologies and energy efficiency measures to minimize […]

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Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act

Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer introduced the Senate’s version of climate change and energy legislation today.  See this for information on the background of the bill and the working draft itself.  I won’t go into an analysis right now.  (I’ll be getting on that soon, along with about 5,000 other commentators.)  You’ll fershur be […]

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Kevin Rudd at the World Leadership Forum

I talked about Australian PM Kevin Rudd’s address at the Foreign Policy Association’s annual World Leadership Forum.  Here is a video of this compelling speech.  Rudd drew a highly convincing picture of how the world can and should reinvigorate multinational organizations.

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The Business Community is Speaking Out – Loud and Clear

Are the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers listening? It’s pretty plain at this late date that many, many leading companies in manufacturing, mining, finance, insurance and other industries recognize the threat of climate change to their businesses and the opportunities for growth with sustainability.  The World Business Council for Sustainable […]

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