Category Archives: Global warming

Gaius Publius: Did the “Clean Natural Gas” (Methane) Lobby Help Write the EPA “Clean Power Plan”?

Obama’s energy plan ignores methane as a greenhouse gas. That reflects the Administration and EPA buying into Big Oil and “clean energy” propaganda so as to permit more fracking.

Obama’s Climate Plan is Leaking Methane

Obama’s climate plan encourages electrical plants to convert from coal to natural gas, completely ignoring methane as a potent greenhouse gas.

Gaius Publius: Obama’s Flawed Cap-and-Trade, Um, Pay-to-Pollute, Emissions Plan

There’s little force in most market-based systems for carbon emissions. Cap-and-trade works better (depending on the implementation) if the goal is to reduce pollution (like sulphur) by an industry you want to preserve (like coal-burning energy facilities). Cap-and-trade works terribly for an industry you want to destroy — like coal-burning energy facilities. But Obama wants the public to believe that this sort of “market-based approach” is a great solution.

Michael Klare: Energy Companies Persuade Emerging Economies To Embrace Environmental Destruction, Erm, Growth

How major energy companies are selling their former first world product, fossil fuels, to the third world, replaying Big Tobacco’s ploy.

Gaius Publius: “Erring on the Side of Least Drama” — Why Climate Scientists are Inherently Conservative

Climate scientists are understating their findings to a significant degree. “Least drama” might be too kind a characterization. “Self censorship” might be closer to the mark.

Texas Family Awarded $3 Million in America’s First Fracking Trial

How they won and lessons for activists. (I am so happy Maine has no oil curse.)

Ilargi: What is the Earth Worth (6 Years Later)?

Yves here. This is a day-late Earth Day post, but the proper stewardship of this planet is a 365-day-a-year duty. Ilargi focuses on one of my pet issues, that too many of the remedies for climate change (and environmental protection generally) rely on the illusion of new technology eliminating or blunting the need for lifestyle changes.

Gaius Publius: Climate Scientist Michael Mann – If We Don’t Stop Now, We’ll Surpass 2°C Global Warming

When will the global warming process, and all the damage it does, get out of control?

A New Wall Street Looting Scheme: Disaster Savings Accounts

As famed short seller David Einhorn says, no matter how bad you think it is, it’s worse. We’ve got proof of his dictum in the form of a new looting scheme, the Disaster Savings Account Act. Since the financiers haven’t yet gotten their hands on Social Security, they are looking for new worlds to plunder.

Rent in a Warming World

What’s rent got to do with climate change? More than you might think.

Gaius Publius: Neoliberalism, “Just Desserts,” and the Post-Climate-Crisis Economy

Gaius examines the connections between neoliberalism and the convulsions that climate change will bring to the world.

Determined Ignorance on Climate Change: Still Impervious to Facts

Climate change is a hard policy question to address because it pits those who believe in evidence against those committed to knowing as little as possible.

Michael Klare: In the Carbon Wars, Big Oil Is Winning

Listening to President Obama’s State of the Union address, it would have been easy to conclude that we were slowly but surely gaining in the war on climate change. Of course, by now, you should know that when Obama claims to have made progress, a reality check is very much in order.

The Embattled Climate Scientist Who Fought Back

Real News Network interviewed climate scientist Michael Mann, who has come under vicious and persistent attack by right-wing groups who decided to play a reductivist game and focus their attack on one chart Mann developed which became important in popular discussions of climate change.