Former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis (R – SC) once again provoked organized climate change denialists with his recent essay, “Conservative Means Standing With Science on Climate” (Bloomberg Businessweek; a similar essay appeared in USAToday). Responses to his essay have been surprisingly muted; energy lobbyist Mark McKenna offered a superficial riposte, ClimateProgress simply re-posted the piece [...]
Each year, starting in 1989, an annual report titled, “Our Changing Planet” has been produced by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and submitted to Congress. The USGCRP also conducts the National Climate Assessment (NCA), which has been previously completed in 2000 and 2009. The assessment serves as a “status report” on the latest [...]
When Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) tossed his hat in the ring seeking the GOP presidential nomination he made quite a splash. During his first week on the campaign trail, Perry shared his thoughts on evolution vs. creationism, called Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernake’s financial strategy ‘treasonous‘ and made it clear he’s skeptical of climate [...]
This blog was co-authored by Amy Vaden. It certainly seems that extreme weather events are becoming more commonplace. Scientific American recently reported that 2011 saw the sixth-highest number of tornado-related deaths ever recorded, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a big hurricane season as well. This week, Hurricane Irene threatens the eastern [...]
Two years ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congress’ first-ever climate legislation to reduce carbon pollution by implementing a market-based trading mechanism known as “cap and trade.” Despite the support of the President and a majority of American people, this climate policy became hopelessly stalled in the U.S. Senate and today we seem further [...]
Just last week we blogged about the climate of denial – how the media, politicians and executives with a vested interest in our energy status-quo have effectively confused and even halted the debate on climate change, diverting our society and our economy from moving toward the solutions we need. So perhaps it’s not that remarkable [...]
This week I spent time in the Florida Keys SCUBA diving the coral reefs. As I glided over Sombrero Reef near Marathon, marveling at the biologically rich rainbow of tropical sea life, a sad thought filled my mind. Would my youngest son Warren or my grandchildren ever get to experience this magic of Earth’s diversity? Are [...]
Over the past year, industrialists Charles and David Koch have garnered considerable media attention for their extensive funding of conservative infrastructure. In August of 2010, The New Yorker magazine published an in-depth profile of the brothers, “Covert Operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.” The article drew considerable attention to their [...]
This blog was co-authored by Katie Stokes, Simon Mahan and Glenn Mauney There’s wind in the North Carolina desert! OK, it’s not really a desert. An area in Perquimans and Pasquotank counties in northeastern N.C., locally referred to as ‘the Desert’, may soon be home to N.C.’s first wind farm. Iberdrola Renewables recently announced they [...]
Post-Vote Update: On Wednesday, April 6, the Senate rejected all 4 amendments to a Small Business Bill (S. 493) that would have blocked the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to control carbon pollution through the Clean Air Act. On Thursday, April 7, the House voted on the “Dirty Air Act,” H.R. 910, which would have done [...]
