When it comes to climate change, it sometimes feels as if there are two planets Earth. On one — the one where people watch An Inconvenient Truth and Al Gore wins Nobel Prizes — there is a sense that a true crisis is gathering. On the other, a studied obliviousness prevails, and a 35-miles-per-gallon fuel-economy standard counts as a "bold" step forward. In December, President Bush signed an energy bill that brought the first fuel-economy increase in the United States since 1975, calls for a nearly eight-fold expansion of renewable fuels by 2022, and mandates that most standard ... Read More
States’ Action and Climate Change
February 13, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
It is clear that the Earth is getting warmer. It is also clear that this warming is attributable to greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and vehicles. Rather than taking action to reduce or, at the very least, slow greenhouse gas emissions, the federal government has sought to block and stymie any action that changes the status quo. In the face of such federal inaction, states have taken the initiative to fight climate change. Fortunately, many states have a well-established commitment to reducing greenhouse gases, and they are taking a variety of actions to slow and reduce ... Read More
Reducing Big Problem With Little Hydro Plants
January 23, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
The leading cause of climate change today is the burning of fossil fuels related to energy production. Numerous proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have included implementing cap-and-trade markets, applying carbon taxes and encouraging research and development into promising new energy production technologies such as fuel cells, ocean power and ethanol. We are currently at the vanguard of discovering which of these methods will prove fruitful, politically palatable and cost-effective. As we proceed, it is worthwhile to continue exploring all of our available options, to help ... Read More
