Insurance Losses , I've written about the insurance industry's concerns about climate change several times before , see "Insurance Industry" here for instance. See also the webpage on climate change for Lloyd's of London. Here's an article from "Forbes" that hits the point home further. "Natural disasters wrought by climate change have a staggering price […]
Quick hitter: Try this podcast from the excellent folks at Renewable Energy Access. China's surge as a renewable energy equipment manufacturer and rapidly growing consumer is one of a number of upbeat insights here. Also, here's a story on the growth of investment activity internationally from "Business Week." From the article: "Around the world, investment in […]
Energy , The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has a concise summary of the new energy legislation here. As I've said a number of times, there's a whole truckful of good stuff in this package. One big part of the pie is geothermal and the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has a summary here […]
Green Building , I've written about the fascinating subject of Green Building a number of times here, including this special article I did for the FPA website. The "Financial Times" had a useful update the other day, Greener bricks on the old block, focused on the retrofitting of existing buildings. JPMorgan Chase, for instance, one […]
As we come down to decision time for the caucus voters in Iowa (January 3), the primary voters in New Hampshire (January 8), and big contests to follow later in the month in Michigan, South Carolina and Florida, it's crucial to remember that the next President of the United States is going to have a […]
A story from the "NY Times" , Plan on Airline Emissions Hints at U.S.-Europe Rift , is a window onto an interesting bigger story: how global warming is impacted by aviation. I've written on one aspect of this recently in a story I did for "Planning" on Sustainability at the Airports. I also blogged on […]
as they say in the movie biz. POTUS has signed the energy bill. Bush signs bill boosting fuel standards reports the A.P.'s H. Josef Hebert, the writer who's been on this story all along. (As have I , see any number of items on the energy bill under Governments and Politics going back to the […]
Andrew Revkin had a sobering article in the "NY Times" on Sunday – As China Goes, So Goes Global Warming. First of all, with all of the hoopla surrounding the meetings in Bali, Revkin puts it nicely in perspective: "The Bali achievement? Two more years of talks." More to the point, though, is the fact […]
Energy Bill – “You can’t always get what you want,” quoth the Stones. “But if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” Well I think the U.S. needs more than what we’ll get out of Washington in the energy bill, but it just might be a good down payment. See U.S. […]
The Democrats in the Senate have failed again to surmount Republican obstruction on getting even a scaled-down energy package moved along. Last week, the Democratic leadership was forced to give up the ghost on the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Today Harry Reid had to give up the package of tax cut rescissions that the oil and […]
It appears as if the entire constellation of those who've got a stake in addressing the climate change crisis have descended on Bali over the course of the last ten days. The conference wraps up tomorrow. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the U.S. has reiterated the Bush administration's adamant opposition to mandatory GHG reductions. (See No […]
As of Friday, December 7, a day which will live in infamy because of the Senate Republicans' unwillingness to overcome the undue influence of the special interests of the electric utility and oil & gas industries (in cahoots with three Democrats), the renewable portfolio standard of 15% and the tax revisions providing $21 billion in […]
As reported in October at The Envelope, Please , former U.S. Vice President Al Gore shared the Nobel Peace Prize this year with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. They were awarded the prizes today in Oslo. Go here for the speech given by the Chairman of The Norwegian Nobel Committee, Ole Danbolt Mjös, and […]
Senate cloture bid on energy bill fails is the story this morning from "The Hill." With 60 votes necessary to close debate and proceed to a vote on the superb energy package that came over from the House yesterday, only 53 votes could be mustered. Three Democrats, Byrd, Landrieu and Bayh voted against closure. Byrd […]
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi referenced this famous line from Emerson's "The Concord Hymn" in talking about the energy bill being passed out of the House today. Her idea is that Congress can start a new American Revolution with passage of this legislation. It's called the "Energy Independence and Security Act" and we've talked […]