"American Power"
October 10, 2009 1 min. read

There’s a review today in the “NY Times” of what looks like a fabulous book of photographs of how America generates, uses and lives with power.  See also the slide show for a look at Mitch Epstein’s work. This book could be a perfect complement to a book from Ingrid Kelley, Energy in America, that […]

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Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
October 9, 2009 2 min. read

The big ticket for today is that President Barack Hussein Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  What’s that got to do with climate change?  The press release from the Norwegian Nobel Committee says that, among his other accomplishments:  “Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting […]

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More Bursts of Renewable Energy
October 7, 2009 3 min. read

Think California and its Governator aren’t dead serious about renewables?  DOE’s weekly newsletter, “EERE Network News,” has this story:  California Accelerates its Pursuit of Clean Energy.  A new executive order requires the Golden State’s utilities to get a third of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.  This is in addition to robust energy efficiency […]

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Money Where Your Mouth Is Department
October 5, 2009 1 min. read

President Obama signed an executive order today that commits the federal government to massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  The White House press release notes:  “The Federal government occupies nearly 500,000 buildings, operates more than 600,000 vehicles, employs more than 1.8 million civilians, and purchases more than $500 billion per year in goods and services. […]

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The Gas Industry at the "FT"
October 5, 2009 2 min. read

In yet another useful special report at the “Financial Times” – this one today on the gas industry – there are two articles on the theme of what I was talking about recently in which natural gas is being positioned as a “transition” fuel to the low-carbon future.  (See Natural Gas – to Cut GHG […]

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"Nature" on the "Two-Degree Target"
October 2, 2009 2 min. read

The editor of Nature Reports Climate Change, Olive Heffernan, went to Lindau this summer to sit in on the 59th annual meeting of Nobel Laureates.  She took three young scientists to hear the scientific panels and to talk with some of the Laureates, including Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, who received their prizes for discerning […]

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The Regulatory Route
October 1, 2009 2 min. read

Oh, very much not incidentally, the EPA Administrator announced yesterday that they are proposing to require “…large industrial facilities that emit at least 25,000 tons of GHGs a year to obtain construction and operating permits covering these emissions. These permits must demonstrate the use of best available control technologies and energy efficiency measures to minimize […]

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Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
October 1, 2009 2 min. read

Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer introduced the Senate’s version of climate change and energy legislation today.  See this for information on the background of the bill and the working draft itself.  I won’t go into an analysis right now.  (I’ll be getting on that soon, along with about 5,000 other commentators.)  You’ll fershur be […]

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Kevin Rudd at the World Leadership Forum
September 30, 2009 1 min. read
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I talked about Australian PM Kevin Rudd’s address at the Foreign Policy Association’s annual World Leadership Forum.  Here is a video of this compelling speech.  Rudd drew a highly convincing picture of how the world can and should reinvigorate multinational organizations.

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The Business Community is Speaking Out – Loud and Clear
September 30, 2009 3 min. read

Are the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers listening? It’s pretty plain at this late date that many, many leading companies in manufacturing, mining, finance, insurance and other industries recognize the threat of climate change to their businesses and the opportunities for growth with sustainability.  The World Business Council for Sustainable […]

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Krugman on Climate Change
September 28, 2009 3 min. read

Paul Krugman had a couple of columns, today and Friday, with some complementary posts at his blog, “The Conscience of a Liberal,” on the economics of cap-and-trade as well as the dire situation in which we find ourselves relative to warming and its impacts.  To refute some of the nonsensical – and false – claims […]

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World Leadership Forum 2009
September 26, 2009 4 min. read

This year’s annual World Leadership Forum from the Foreign Policy Association was keynoted by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.  He gave a fascinating speech calling on the US to resume its leadership in the world and to be supported in this by “…a new ‘driving centre’ of global politics and the global economy – a […]

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