Tag Archives: . politics
In Focus: President Obama’s Next-Generation Energy System Plan
Tuesday’s State of the Union (SOTU) speech included much that was music to environmentalists’ ears. The headline, of course, is the commitment to take serious action to address the most significant challenge our generation faces – climate change. And, with it, the extreme weather and public health burdens that are already making life harder for [...]
In Focus: Obama’s SOTU Climate Change Remarks
Those who haven’t seen my writing elsewhere may be surprised to learn that I’m a self-described proud, Liberal progressive Democrat who enthusiastically supports President Obama. Last night’s speech had a lot in it that I liked–and I’m well aware that many of my readers will disagree. But like I say, it takes all kinds… He [...]
U.S Voters Support Carbon Tax
The last-minute fiscal cliff deal offered short-term salvation for important clean energy tax incentives, but critical programs across-the-board still face “sequestered” cuts starting in March if US lawmakers can’t agree on where to trim the budget. The Department of Energy alone faces an 8.2% cut if sequestration takes effect. A new survey suggests that rather than just slashing [...]
It’s Official: Steven Chu Officially Leaving DOE
Last month we reported on the likely departure of Dr. Steven Chu as head of the DOE and we listed some potential replacements. But there have been conflicting statements as to Chu’s current status. Bloomberg reports that Chu’s resignation announcement is imminent. In response two weeks ago, the DOE issued a statement saying that, “Dr. [...]
John Kerry Endorsed by U.S Senate for Secretary of State
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a champion of action on climate change, was approved by the Senate to be Secretary of State. If his nomination is accepted by the House of Representatives, Kerry will replace outgoing Hilary Clinton. At his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 24, Kerry pulled no punches and took a strong position on [...]
How Green Can We Get?
Recently, I’ve been watching Saul Griffith’s “Climate Change Recalculated,” a brilliant talk book about the connection between our individual carbon footprint (he presents his own in precisely measured details) and what it will actually take to power the future with clean energy. I’m coupling that with a read of Amory Lovins’ “Reinventing Fire,” which looks [...]
The Two Faces of China’s Energy Governance
In my attempts to catch up on lots of literature published over the past year that I missed, I finally read the 2012 paper China’s Long Road to a Low-Carbon Economy: An Institutional Analysis by Philip Andrews-Speed, one of the first and foremost international commentators on China’s energy economy. Naturally, its stuff worth reading (otherwise [...]
America Speaks: 57% Want Government to Address Global Warming
Four out of five Americans now believe A recent poll from AP-GFK poll on climate values reveals that four in five Americans believe that “climate change will be a serious problem for the United States if nothing is done about it.” And that’s not all! The poll also found that 57% of Americans think the government should do “a [...]
My Open Letter to Fox & Friends
Those silly kids over at Fox & Friends really went on a rant against solar the other day and capped it off by asserting that the German solar industry does so much better than ours here in the U.S. because, after all, Germany gets so much more sun that we do in the States. Here’s [...]