Here is one of my favourite parts of President Obama’s inauguration speech this morning:
“Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women [...]
We know that the west’s relatively new-found love of bottled water comes at a great environmental price. But could this be grounds for banning it?
The Freakonomics guys started some online debate around the subject by questioning a proposed ban on bottled water at a University:
This ban may well simply lead to substitution from bottled water [...]
It’s the environment, stupid. With Obama on the verge of inauguration, despite the global financial crisis, it’s heartening that the environment seems to be remaining an important topic of discussion in the media and amongst pundits. On Thursday last week, House Democrats unveiled the details of their $835-billion economic stimulus plan, with $54-billion slated to [...]
Climate-saving crops. In a climate (ha) where everyone’s looking for a solution to the warming of the earth, The Guardian reports on one possible helper: reflective food crops.
Some scientists say that “by growing plants that can reflect more of the sun’s radiation back into space, parts of Europe and North America could be cooled by [...]
News from planet Earth:
Greening the stimulus. Salon look at Obama’s economic stimulus plan from a green perspective, with comment by Bill McKibben, Joseph Romm and John Whitehead.
Six tips for Bush’s new mansion. Treehugger offers Dubbya six tips inspired by Al Gore’s his new post-White House house. I fully expect to see the Bushes covering their [...]
The latest State of the World report from the globally respected World Watch Institute is one of the highest-profile and credible calls for emergency action on climate change yet released.
The report concludes that the old scientific and environmental target of constraining warming to 2C is now well out of date and that we must do [...]
Nationals Senate leader, Barnaby Joyce, let fly in today’s press and radio with an attack not just on emissions trading but on climate change science, effectively calling it “just a load of rubbish”.
According to Godwin’s Law, Joyce immediately lost his argument by invoking Nazism, referring to “environmental goose-steppers” and coining a new term: “eco-totalitarianism”. He [...]
Green news and views from around the planet:
Barnaby Joyce Godwins the environmental debate. Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce won’t be “goosestepping” along with environmentalists, but denies he’s implying a link between Nazism and what he terms “eco-totalitarianism”. In fairness to Joyce, the Nazis didn’t have a monopoly on goosestepping and could have been referencing any number [...]
Some environmental — and weather — news from the day’s papers.
Gloom of the day. A study has shown that the Sea of Japan just isn’t absorbing the same levels of carbon dioxide as before. Which means the sea’s carbon offset potential is diminished. Global warming, it seems, is a truly vicious cycle, with warmer climates [...]
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