A coalition of 183 social justice and civil society groups, including 76 U.S.-based organizations and 107 international groups from 29 countries, signed a letter appealing to President Obama and the U.S. Congress to re-regulate the commodities market as a means of preventing continued food price speculation – a practice food poliocy experts claim was a […]
Quote of the Week – From Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: “To change the world’s energy model is the most significant challenge facing humanity in this generation, not only for the impact on climate change but also for its effects on the economic model.” I think he’s got it. By George, he’s got […]
In a rare admission of China’s strategic petroleum reserve capacity, a senior industry executive acknowledged that all four state-owned emergency oil reserve tanks – holding a total 100 million barrels – are filled to the brim. Revealing that China’s current stockpiles have already exceeded the capacity of the first phase of facilities, which the government […]
Over the next year, the Obama Administration and Congress will debate how to address a wide variety of energy tax and fee issues. This comes on the heels of last year’s high oil and gas prices and record profits for companies in the industry which had Congress deliberating windfall taxes and more drastic action. Now […]
Mountaintop Removal Mining – The Beginning of the End? – I have written here a number of times about the crime of mountaintop removal mining, most recently in “Appalachia’s Agony”. Now the EPA has responded, finally, to the SOS of the residents of West Virginia, Kentucky and the other states where the mining companies have […]
Last year Earth Hour was a hugely visible event. This year, on March 28, it’s going to be an even bigger global phenomenon. As of now, they are saying that 2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries are on board. See the website for more information and how you can participate in your part […]
The New York Times published an article highlighting the schism in the environmental movement between those who choose to fight development of alternative energy programs which may cause some environmental harm and others willing to cede some ground for progress in broader environmental goals. For example, strict environmentalists are fighting against the development of wind […]
Maldives – This island nation, about a thousand miles southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, has declared its intention to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country. President Mohamed Nasheed made the announcement after a screening of the new climate change film, “The Age of Stupid.” President Nasheed has also said that he will […]
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a hearing today aimed at asking what the U.S. can do to address the current global food crisis. A bill co-sponsored by Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (PA) and Senator Richard Lugar (IN) has been introduced to Congress to improve US and global efforts to increase crop yields, create […]
On Monday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced plans for a summit on the global food crisis at the 36th Session of the Conference of the Organization in Rome this November. The proposal for the meeting had already received support from the heads of State and Government of the League of Arab States […]
There is an absolutely fabulous story in today’s “NY Times” called Is a Food Revolution Now in Season? There is also a great story on the new White House vegetable, fruit and herb garden from Thursday by the veteran food reporter, Marian Burros, and a “Room for Debate” page on it. Check out the “Week […]
China and Trade – Steven Chu suggested at a recent hearing in the House, as Reuters reported here, that “…once Washington develops a system limiting carbon emissions, if other countries do not impose a cost on carbon emissions the United States will be at a disadvantage.” Chu said that one idea in the mix is […]
The New York Times published an article on the falling price of domestic natural gas, which, in part, it attributes to an increase in imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). A lower price of natural gas may spur additional use of it in the transportation sector, reducing net CO2 emissions — a positive development not just […]
The Kenya Food Security Steering Group – a consortium of Kenyan government officials, UN agencies, foreign aid officials, and NGOs – stated in a new report that the food security of 2.5 million Kenyans is threatened by an extended drought period in certain parts of the country. There are also more than 7 million Kenyans […]
I got back about an hour ago from walking my daughter to school. We live in a big city with a big park through which my wife or I walk the kid. It was snowing this morning – one of those intense squalls that come to us here in late winter and early spring. It […]