Climate news

I remember the days, not too long ago, when I would eagerly flip through any magazine featuring articles with titles like, “It IS Easy Being Green.” I recall my palpable anticipation for the release of “An Inconvenient Truth” as I realized that society was on the verge of a tipping point. I was witnessing a [...]I remember the days, not too long ago, when I would eagerly flip through any magazine featuring articles with titles like, “It IS Easy Being Green.” I recall my palpable anticipation for the release of “An Inconvenient Truth” as I realized that society was on the verge of a tipping point. I was witnessing a [...]

“No more pollution…or ocean dumpage. FROM NOW ON WE WILL TRAVEL IN TUBES” -Jack Black Jack Black, the modern-day musical genius, once said in response to criticism of his music, “I’m tired of all this nay-saying! Why don’t YOU create something!?” This mantra could be perfectly applied to the global energy economy. Why aren’t we going [...] “No more pollution…or ocean dumpage. FROM NOW ON WE WILL TRAVEL IN TUBES” -Jack Black Jack Black, the modern-day musical genius, once said in response to criticism of his music, “I’m tired of all this nay-saying! Why don’t YOU create something!?” This mantra could be perfectly applied to the global energy economy. Why aren’t we going [...]

An Open Letter Respectfully Submitted to Dr. James Hansen in Response to His Recent Congressional Testimony. Cross Posted from The Breakthrough Blog. Dear Dr. James Hansen, For more than twenty years, your scientific expertise and public statements have helped many (including myself) understand the relationship between human activity and global warming. I felt a sense of urgency [...] An Open Letter Respectfully Submitted to Dr. James Hansen in Response to His Recent Congressional Testimony. Cross Posted from The Breakthrough Blog. Dear Dr. James Hansen, For more than twenty years, your scientific expertise and public statements have helped many (including myself) understand the relationship between human activity and global warming. I felt a sense of urgency [...]

Dr. James Hansen is back in the news this week. It’s been twenty years since his famous 1988 testimony before Congress on the “greenhouse effect.” His message today could not be more clear: We’re toast if we don’t get on a very different path. This is the last chance. We see a tipping point occurring right [...]Dr. James Hansen is back in the news this week. It’s been twenty years since his famous 1988 testimony before Congress on the “greenhouse effect.” His message today could not be more clear: We’re toast if we don’t get on a very different path. This is the last chance. We see a tipping point occurring right [...]

20 Years ago, top NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen testified in front of the United States congress on the need to reduce our CO2 emissions and stop the march towards potentially catastrophic climate change. Yesterday — on the 20th anniversary of that testimony — he spoke again, this time pointing to the fact that not [...]20 Years ago, top NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen testified in front of the United States congress on the need to reduce our CO2 emissions and stop the march towards potentially catastrophic climate change. Yesterday — on the 20th anniversary of that testimony — he spoke again, this time pointing to the fact that not [...]

For decades, Cleveland, Ohio, has been the perfect symbol of a greying US economy. Consistently ranking as one of the poorest cities in the country, Cleveland has been home to massive manufacturing shut downs, declining population, and a brain drain, not to mention one of the most infamous environmental disasters in US history, the burning [...] For decades, Cleveland, Ohio, has been the perfect symbol of a greying US economy. Consistently ranking as one of the poorest cities in the country, Cleveland has been home to massive manufacturing shut downs, declining population, and a brain drain, not to mention one of the most infamous environmental disasters in US history, the burning [...]

Focus the Nation is hiring four full-time organizers for FTN 2009. Achieving the prosperous clean energy future we all want demands sustained, innovative pressure. Come join the Focus team in coordinating a nation-wide day of education and civic engagement on global warming solutions this February. Building on impressive organizing efforts from 2008 which yielded participation from [...]Focus the Nation is hiring four full-time organizers for FTN 2009. Achieving the prosperous clean energy future we all want demands sustained, innovative pressure. Come join the Focus team in coordinating a nation-wide day of education and civic engagement on global warming solutions this February. Building on impressive organizing efforts from 2008 which yielded participation from [...]

As activists challenging corporate power, Michael Clayton has nothing on us. A couple of months ago, Mother Jones posted an article about former cops and Secret Service digging through Greenpeace’s trash. Today’s Washington Post reveals more about the firm’s activities as one of their former investigators has been sharing files. “Beckett Brown International, had an [...] As activists challenging corporate power, Michael Clayton has nothing on us. A couple of months ago, Mother Jones posted an article about former cops and Secret Service digging through Greenpeace’s trash. Today’s Washington Post reveals more about the firm’s activities as one of their former investigators has been sharing files. “Beckett Brown International, had an [...]

You’ve heard it before - we are running out of stuff. Peak oil, peak food, peak water, peak xyz. Scientists have found that resource consumption generally follows a bell curve, where a resource will get increasingly consumed until we can’t consume it any faster, and then we start to run out of it and its [...]You’ve heard it before - we are running out of stuff. Peak oil, peak food, peak water, peak xyz. Scientists have found that resource consumption generally follows a bell curve, where a resource will get increasingly consumed until we can’t consume it any faster, and then we start to run out of it and its [...]

No sooner than I started to put my thoughts about the environment and markets onto paper, did I stumble upon a concrete example of one of the main things I was thinking about. I got out of bed this morning, went downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee, went outside to the end of the driveway, and grabbed the morning paper. As I was pulling the paper out of the box, a small headline indicating an article at the center of the paper caught my eye: “Utility finds foes to renewable energy line plan.” The problem the article talked about was straightforward. We desperately need a green energy revolution – that goes without saying. San Diego Gas & Electric Co. wants to build a $1.5 billion solar power plant in the California desert which would provide clean power to half of the utility’s population, almost 750,000 people. Fair enough. So here’s the problem: power plants need power lines and they want those power lines to cut through 23 miles of pristine desert parklands. Many people, quite understandably, aren’t too fond of the idea.No sooner than I started to put my thoughts about the environment and markets onto paper, did I stumble upon a concrete example of one of the main things I was thinking about. I got out of bed this morning, went downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee, went outside to the end of the driveway, and grabbed the morning paper. As I was pulling the paper out of the box, a small headline indicating an article at the center of the paper caught my eye: “Utility finds foes to renewable energy line plan.” The problem the article talked about was straightforward. We desperately need a green energy revolution – that goes without saying. San Diego Gas & Electric Co. wants to build a $1.5 billion solar power plant in the California desert which would provide clean power to half of the utility’s population, almost 750,000 people. Fair enough. So here’s the problem: power plants need power lines and they want those power lines to cut through 23 miles of pristine desert parklands. Many people, quite understandably, aren’t too fond of the idea.