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PAYD in full

Right now, most of us -- at least those of us with cars -- pay for our car insurance in big lump sums, just a few times a year. And how much we pay for our coverage has very little to do with how much we drive.

Sure, many insurance companies offer lower rates for low-mileage drivers. But the discounts are piddling. According to this article, for example, if you drive 5,000 miles a year or less, you might be able to cut your premiums by a paltry 10 percent -- that is, you drive one third as much as a typical policyholder, but still pay 90 percent of the insurance premiums. People who drive a lot pay less than they should, while people who drive only a little subsidize the policies of high-mileage drivers.

As my daughter would say, "No fair."

Congress to tackle climate change and peak oil

Only not:

With only a few months left on the legislative calendar, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has decided to abandon any efforts at bipartisanship in favor of using his chamber to hold a series of highly partisan, mostly symbolic votes on conservative causes, including amendments banning gay marriage and flag burning, and fully repealing the estate tax.

Although Frist has peppered the Senate schedule with a handful of substantive issues -- including likely votes this week on a new U.S. trade representative, a Native Hawaiian-rights bill and a new mine-safety czar -- the chamber will put off work on major legislation such as the fiscal 2007 Defense authorization bill in order for Frist to pursue items of special interest to his party's conservative base.

(via WM)

A five part journey to protect the oceans

Mother Jones just launched a unique website that highlights the threats facing our oceans. What's noteworthy about the site is that it doesn't focus on the work of one organization, but rather highlights the best of the best of what a multitude of nonprofits are doing to conserve our oceans. Oceana's mercury pollution work, Greenpeace's pirate fishing work, and World Wildlife Fund's polar bear work all live in perfect harmony. It's refreshing to find journalists that are more interested in the big picture than playing favorites. Check it out.

If a tree falls in a desert …

Speaking of desertification, we learn of this depressing story via Boing Boing:

The Ténéré wastelands of northeastern Niger were once populated by a forest of trees. By the 20th century, desertification had wiped out all but one solitary acacia. The Tree of Ténéré, as it came to be called, had no companions for 400 km in every direction. Its roots reached nearly 40 m deep into the sand. In 1973, the tree was knocked over by a drunken Libyan truck driver. It has been replaced by a simple metal sculpture.

Global warming and the courts

We all know about climate skeptics getting funding from corporate entities with an interest in preventing the U.S. from taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But did you know they are influencing the courts as well? Check out Eric Schaeffer's piece from Sunday's Washington Post to learn the sad truth.

And to learn more about the case in question and why the Supreme Court should take it up, read this piece (PDF) by two smart lawyers, Jennifer Bradley and Timothy J. Dowling, at the Community Rights Counsel.

Americans and Climate Change: Setting goals I

"Americans and Climate Change: Closing the Gap Between Science and Action" (PDF) is a report synthesizing the insights of 110 leading thinkers on how to educate and motivate the American public on the subject of global warming. Background on the report here. I'll be posting a series of excerpts (citations have been removed; see original report). If you'd like to be involved in implementing the report's recommendations, or learn more, visit the Yale Project on Climate Change website.

Today we get into one of the biggest and meatiest chapters, about the process and substance of setting concrete goals for fighting global warming. A variety of strategic concerns, and psychological and institutional impediments, are discussed. There are great insights aplenty. I'll start today with the brief intro.

Immigration scuffles threaten wildlands along the U.S.-Mexico border

In the three-way struggle between the U.S. Border Patrol, illegal border crossers, and the natural environment, it’s never clear who’s winning. A U.S. Border Patrol truck on the move near […]

Register now for Global Green’s New Orleans Sustainable Design Competition

Go register for Global Green's New Orleans Sustainable Design Competition. Seriously. Go now! Would you register if Brad Pitt asked you? Well, I can pull some strings and make that happen. Ha ha. No, not really. Seems Pitt has joined up with Global Green of his own accord. (Apparently he's very much into architecture these days. Is sustainable design the new Black? Man, I'm good.)

Perhaps what's holding you back is that you don't know anything about the competition besides the fact that Brad Pitt is involved? (Hello, what more do you need to know?) Well, read on, my friend.

Ugh

Apologies for the strictly local story, but this is deeply depressing.

The Great Pall of China

Despite cleanup efforts, China’s environment just keeps getting worse China’s efforts toward environmental protection in the last five years have … how do we say this nicely? … totally flopped. […]