Uncategorized

Bush environmental nominations

The New York Times editorial board is not excited about Bush's two latest nominations for important environmental positions: William Wehrum to succeed Jeffrey Holmstead as head of air pollution programs at EPA, and Dirk Kempthorne to succeed Gale Norton as Interior Secretary. Read the editorial for details. I was struck by this passage:

Opposition to [Wehrum's] nomination has been building rapidly in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where the vote could break largely along party lines. If it does, the nomination may hinge on two senators whose views on Mr. Wehrum are not known: James Jeffords, an independent from Vermont and a consistent critic of the administration's clean air policies, and Lincoln Chafee, an environmentally inclined Republican moderate from Rhode Island.

Wow, I hope Chafee sees some political benefit in siding with environmentalists on this one. Ahem.

Silas Siakor put his life on the line to save Liberia’s forests

The forests of the West African nation of Liberia cover almost 12 million acres, and are home to nearly half of Africa’s mammal species — including the region’s largest forest-elephant […]

Meet this year’s winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize

The winners (left to right): Silas Kpanan’Ayoung Siakor, Yu Xiaogang, Tarcísio Feitosa da Silva, Anne Kajir, Olya Melen, and Craig Williams. Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize.  Though the connection between people […]

Bond and Big Lawnmower

Way back in 2003, Daily Grist noted the nefarious doings of Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) on behalf of Big Lawnmower (seriously).

Turns out he's still up to no good.

Global warming consensus

I'm seeing more and more stories like this Bloomberg piece, about the growing consensus around global warming -- and by "growing consensus," I mean "Republicans finally getting on board." (Of course, as always, our very own Amanda was ahead of the curve on this story.)

My favorite part is the increasingly nervous, defensive quotes from dead-enders. Here's White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman James Connaughton:

Connaughton says activists merely are annoyed that Bush isn't talking nonstop about climate change. "We don't need to say it three times in the same 15-minute speech," he said in an interview.

Yeah. That's why they're annoyed.

And this:

"To those out there saying a federal carbon cap is inevitable, we beg to differ," says Bill Holbrook, a spokesman for [Sen. James] Inhofe, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

I guess they're going to go down swinging. History will not be kind.

Where to look for responses to climate change: environmental secession?

Climate reporter Andrew Revkin wrote an essay in the NYT on Sunday wherein he tries to "bring the debate on global warming down to earth."

While I believe global warming is "breaking news" (it's the fate of Earth we're talking about after all), I'm not as interested in taking another shot at the "debate."

What struck me was the story I found in the graphs alongside the article. Several recent surveys show a fairly low level of concern for global warming and the environment generally among Americans. There is a striking disconnect between these survey results and the real, concrete steps being taken at local and state levels. Mark Hertsgaard points out one such example in the recent Vanity Fair green issue:

LCV hearts Barack

The League of Conservation Voters is having its annual Washington Dinner this Wed.

The keynote speaker? Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

The Land of Disenchantment

New Mexico cracks down on its filthy dairy industry Industrial dairy farms deplete groundwater, fill the air with bacteria-laden dust, and, what with the massive lagoons filled with manure (ew), […]

The World Bunk

World Bank report urges cleantech boost in developing countries The World Bank is turning its attention to helping developing countries meet their growing energy needs without, you know, frying the […]

Hydrogen Fidelity

Bush stumps for hydrogen on Earth Day For Earth Day, President Bush visited a California hydrogen fuel-cell project, decrying the danger posed to the planet by … high gas prices. […]