I have flagged the "FT's" stellar coverage on climate change and energy on numerous occasions. I just want to stop to highlight the release this week of the third in their three-part series on climate change this year. The first tranche of stories was on science, the second on politics. This week they look at […]
Obama buzz felt at global climate talks reads the headline from the A.P. John Kerry, the next chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, is quoted. “”America is back,’ says Sen. John Kerry, underscoring that Barack Obama’s election signals a U.S. intent to regain a leadership role on climate change. “After eight years of obstruction […]
UN Climate Negotiations Kick Off in Poznan is the headline from Climate-L.Org, the "knowledge management project" run by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). (I flagged these meetings last month under IGO Update at the blog.) Nearly 11,000 folks "from government, business and industry, environmental groups and research institutions" are gathering in Poland for […]
Federal Efficiency Initiative – As I think I’ve noted before, DOE and EPA have often struggled mightily against political headwinds and still managed to get some heroic work done. (They’ve also, to be sure, caved, on more than a few occasions over the years, to pressure from on high, abdicating their responsibilities. See under “California […]
Coal, obviously, is one of the biggest roadblocks to averting catastrophic climate change. China, the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, gets 75% of its electric power from coal. The US, number two on the carbon dioxide hit parade, gets half of its electricity from coal-fired plants. Worldwide in 2006, coal (and peat) generated 41% […]
I've been so jazzed by the coup d'état in the House of Representatives (see last two posts below plus this from early this month) that I've neglected some other big stories. There are some great ones out there. GHG Cap in the UK , MPs pass landmark climate change bill is the story from AFP. […]
Henry Waxman did it. Waxman beats Dingell to chair energy committee is the story from Reuters. In a secret ballot vote of 137 to 122, the Democratic Caucus in the US House of Representatives voted to install a smart, tough, progressive to the chair of the most significant committee (in the House) by far for […]
House Panel Backs Waxman Over Dingell As Energy Chair is the story from ABC News. This news is not just big. It’s “yooge” as Bernie Sanders would say. Dingell may have finally created more discontent than the Democrats could support. It also may be that Waxman has been perceived as the right man for the […]
This video from President-Elect Barack Obama talking to the attendees at the Governors' Global Climate Summit is unequivocal. (See my post from November 13 below on the summit.) Obama reaffirms his support for a vigorous cap-and-trade regime and for truly robust federal support for renewables. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/hvG2XptIEJk” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Read more about this […]
I'm a big fan of the "Financial Times." I think they have consistently excellent coverage on global issues, very much including energy and the environment. Their top reporter on the environment beat, Fiona Harvey, really seems to get to the heart of things and to find the compelling angles. They have an ongoing "In Depth" […]
I did the right thing today and brought some electronic waste downtown to a Department of Sanitation drop-off site. I can't say that I'm impressed with New York City's program in this. The advertising was poor – you really had to search for it even at their website. Plus, there were far too few locations […]
There are always all sorts of meetings, conferences, conventions and other gatherings ongoing. Here are a few worthy of note. Governors' Global Climate Summit , The Governator, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, will host US governors and some top international policymakers on climate change and energy in LA next week. Governors taking part in this event […]
Poland , The major international climate change meetings of the year are taking place in Poznan, December 1 through 12. This is the last "Conference of the Parties" (COP) to the UNFCCC before the critical COP in Copenhagen in December of 2009. (Here is Poland's website for the conference as well.) In the wake of […]
An item in the "FT" caught my eye recently: Wal-Mart to seek greener supply chain. Fun fact: "In the US alone, Wal-Mart is estimated to sell about $30bn of goods annually that are made by about 30,000 factories in China, or about 10 per cent of all US imports." (I touched on what some retailers […]
John McCain’s Role – Watching John McCain’s concession speech the other night, I was struck by the sincerity in his pledge to help the new President with the work ahead. Here’s an article from AP, via Yahoo, that gives me further food for thought: Democrats say McCain can help mediate standoffs. McCain has a track […]