Reason To Believe

Those still hoping global leaders will band together in the face of climate change have found little justification for their optimism lately. First, the Copenhagen negotiations were, by most accounts, a spectacular failure. Now the leader of those negotiations, Yvo de Boer, has resigned as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For the time being, an......read more

Clearing the Air at American Ports

(via The Wall Street Journal) Photos: Bryan Derballa/The Wall Street Journal...read more

The Case for Cap and Trade

The cover story of this week's New York Times Magazine is a piece by Paul Krugman on the economics of climate change. In it, the Nobel Prize-winning economist makes a compelling case for the use of market-based tools to limit greenhouse emissions. Crucially, Krugman addresses the economic effects of installing a cap and trade model, presenting a persuasive argument against the idea that......read more

The Electric Car Dilemma

In the age of global climate change, people are becoming more and more aware of their carbon footprints and taking measures to reduce them. Hybrid cars have become extremely popular, and some cars claim to be 'zero emission vehicles.' However, even if a vehicle does not create pollution, it is very likely that the source of the energy that is powering the vehicle does. The Nissan Leaf......read more

Phasing out Coal in Canada

The Canadian Minister of the Environment has announced that coal burning power plants must drastically cut emissions or face closure by 2025. The pronouncement signals a national shift towards more efficient, less polluting natural gas plants. The measure is expected to reduce Canadian emissions by approximately 15 megatonnes, which equates to taking 3.2 million vehicles off the road. The exact......read more

Global Carbon Emissions Down in 2009

Last year, global carbon dioxide emissions fell slightly, as economic production in industrial countries sputtered under the weight of a recession. The Earth Policy Institute research shows that emissions in the United States fell nearly ten percent from 2007-2009 due to a sharp decline in oil and coal demand. However, emissions continued to rise in populous developing countries. In China -- the......read more

Cool Roofs

The global fight against climate change is an overwhelming challenge, so it makes sense to start pick the lowest hangng fruit first. While the slow wheels of politics and legislation creep forward, we can do the simple things that make a difference today. A new study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that using roofs that are white or light instead of black or dark significantly......read more

Climate Bill Fail

Well, it's all but official. According to every major news outlet, the attempt to pass federal climate and energy legislation has failed. Democrats announced Friday they were abandoning the bill, effectively snuffing out any possibility of it passing. But why? After so much hope early in Obama's term, how did the effort to address global warming and reduce our oil addiction die before......read more

Western Climate Initiative

With a federal climate change bill apparently dead, it seems logical that more progressive pockets of the continent can pursue their own regional climate change strategies. The Western Climate Initiative is doing just that. On Tuesday, California, New Mexico, and three Canadian provinces announced a plan to commence a regional cap and trade system by 2012. According to California Governor Arnold......read more

Cars to Receive Environmental Grades

Under a proposal from the EPA and Transportation Department, cars could get environmental grades visible to consumers on showroom floors starting in 2012. The grades will account for the vehicles' overall fuel economy as well as its level of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the plan, the average vehicle would receive a B-. On the high-scoring end would be electric vehicles (A+) and......read more