Kyoto
Liberals Shouldn't Fear Chuck Hagel's Environmental Record
Steve Jobs Is A Ninja
File this under "news stories I did not see coming": READ MORE >>
Non-STARTer
Byrd's Late Coal Conversion
I didn't get a chance to mention this yesterday, but Robert Byrd's death definitely jumbles the political landscape for climate/energy legislation—though maybe not in the way most people would assume. For a long time, Byrd had been a staunch coal guy (it's West Virginia, after all) who was firmly opposed to doing anything about global warming. He was one of the Kyoto Protocol's biggest critics, and in 2008 he was the only Democrat who voted against even starting debate about a cap on carbon emissions. READ MORE >>
Controversy in Paris Makes Regionalism Newsworthy
If you live in a city or suburb, chances are your regional government has tried to get your attention. Did you notice? Many of the issues your regional government is grappling with are actually important to you: the quality of the air you breathe, the quality of public transportation, the availability of green open space, and more. READ MORE >>
Is The Real Action On Climate Policy In The States?
Did Obama Really Sidestep The U.N. At Copenhagen?
Was Copenhagen A Disaster Or Decent First Step?
Among environmentalists, there seem to be two emerging schools of thought on the tentative deal that was just struck in Copenhagen. And the rift is pretty similar to the liberal divide we're seeing on the health care bill. On the left, you have folks like Bill McKibben arguing that the weak agreement Obama just cobbled together, with its vague targets, lack of binding commitments, and blanks aplenty, is grossly inadequate to the problems facing the planet and probably worse than nothing. READ MORE >>
Momentum Grows For A Shipping Tax--But Will It Work?
Here's one of the slightly-under-the-radar stories at Copenhagen: The Wall Street Journal has a piece about how any eventual climate agreement will likely include a modest tax on "bunker fuel," the low-grade oil that ships use for fuel. Much like airlines, the shipping industry was exempt from the original Kyoto Protocol, but since shipping now accounts for 3 percent to 5 percent of the world's carbon emissions, that won't last. READ MORE >>
