Global warming, climate change, activism
Posted in Activism, Old King Coal, Politics, USA on May 1st, 2009
The Lung Association brought forward astonishing statistics this week — that in the world’s richest country, more than 186 million people live and work in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution. In fact. the air quality results in 2008* were much worse than 2007, according to the advocacy group’s State of the Air report. [...]
Posted in Housekeeping, USA on May 1st, 2009
A friend of mine, author Erica Kirov, is launching The Magickeepers — The Eternal Hourglass today, so we’re taking a brief moment out of saving the planet to tell people about it. Of course, Canadian readers can also get it at Chapters or their favorite independent. The plot: What would you do for an hourglass [...]
Posted in Activism, Astroturfing, Politics, USA on Apr 28th, 2009
Avaaz is raising money to run an ad about Exxon and the oil companies on CNN. You can help.
Posted in Climate Change Solutions, Politics, USA on Apr 27th, 2009
Diplomats from the world’s biggest GHG polluters are meeting at the US State Department this week trying to make progress on the Road to Copenhagen. The two-day meeting of major economies is meant to jump-start climate talks, and hopefully lead to a new international understanding in advance of the December deadline, when a new climate [...]
Posted in Climate Change Consequences, Climate Change Science, USA on Apr 23rd, 2009
Anthropogenic climate change and a naturally occurring drought are imperiling one of the western world’s most vital water sources, the Colorado River, according to a new scientific study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In fact, the study supports another released earlier this week — to be published in the Journal [...]
Posted in Climate Change Consequences, UK, USA on Apr 10th, 2009
President Obama understands, but judging by recent coverage the America media is still in the dark. Very few seem to realize that North Dakota’s devastating floods are just the opening salvo in what will become a steady stream of severe weather stories. After two relatively cool years thanks to a strong La Niña event — [...]
Posted in Climate Change Science, Climate Change Solutions, Energy Efficiency, Politics, USA on Apr 1st, 2009
On global warming and energy independence, President Obama’s team continues to make exceptional moves. This week, Rep Henry Waxman and Rep Edward Markey released a draft of a comprehensive energy bill that hits as many high notes as a Pavarotti opera. Joe Romm has an excellent analysis. Here’s the nitty gritty: The early version of [...]
Posted in Canada, Climate Change Solutions, Energy Efficiency, Politics, USA on Mar 22nd, 2009
It’s easy to grow weary of the excuses and the bullshit. In Canada, we pretend that nation is singular and unique, that it’s somehow harder for Canadians to cut their greenhouse gas emissions because of our special circumstances. The Great White North, so cold and vast and unforgiving. It’s easy for the British to cut [...]
Posted in Canada, Climate Change Consequences, Climate Change Science, Politics, UK, USA on Mar 16th, 2009
We have to change the terminology; according to scientists who attended the International Climate Change Congress in Copenhagen, the phrases “climate change” and “global warming” need to be retooled to better represent the stark reality that we are now facing. A climate catastrophe — or climate breakdown — would seem to be better choices for [...]
Posted in Old King Coal, Politics, USA on Mar 3rd, 2009
The number of climate change lobbyists in Washington, DC has tripled in five years, according to a new report from the Center for Public Integrity. The study says that in 2008, 770 companies and industry groups spent $90 million US on 2,340 lobbyists — about five for every member of Congress. In 2003, slightly more [...]