Whenever the current state of climate climate change policy seems particularly frustrating, I like to imagine that our generation will handle things differently once we have more power and influence. There are a number of new climate lawsuits popping up around the country arguing the “public trust doctrine,” and, according to the New York [...]
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The NYT has an article on the status of California’s cap and trade systems, set to start Jan 1, 2012, here. The article discusses the recent court case against the initiative: What is surprising is that the most serious legal challenge to the market so far has come from the left. A group of [...] A new report was just issued by the Global Legislators Organization assessing climate change policies in the world’s largest economies. The report can be downloaded here. The study revealed that: Legislation is being advanced, to varying degrees, in all of the study countries Most of the legislative activity has taken place over the last [...] This is an interesting article showing how developed countries are hiding their carbon footprint. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110426071143.htm Introduction: When trying to pass laws that will mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, one of the biggest constraints against these laws is that they will have negative impacts to the United State’s and the World’s economies. The argument basically goes, regardless of whether climate change is anthropogenic or not, society [...] The suit, filed by California and others, seeks limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. Justices say the EPA, not the courts, should regulate greenhouse gases. This article discusses the outcome of one of the California court cases we were discussing in class last Tuesday. That is, the lawsuit brought by California [...] Todd Stern, the State Department official who heads the U.S. delegation in UN climate negotiations, doesn’t think it’s necessary that there be internationally binding emission caps as long as you’ve got national laws and regulations. The full article is here. Is this another attempt at diplomatic delay? Justification to move away from the UNFCCC [...] Bolivian President Evo Morales – Copenhagen. Source: Sabinabecker.com Bolivia is about to pass a “radical” new law that grants nature equal rights to humans. The law “has been heavily influenced by a resurgent indigenous Andean spiritual world view which places the environment and the earth deity known as the Pachamama at the centre of [...] This article discusses the Upton-Inhofe bill that came before the U.S. House of Representatives early last week. If passed, the bill would bar the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California from regulating tailpipe emissions. The government officials who created the bill claim that by allowing the EPA and California able to regulate emissions in [...] Image: The Moai statues of Rapa Nui – SacredSites.com I think this article goes well with the Orlove article assigned for this week. Although it does not specifically address adaptation, it might still be of interest. It is similar to the Orlove article in many ways, yet different in others. In both [...] Federal agencies have been asked to ensure that they have plans in place to adapt to climate change, according to an Obama Administration Executive Order: The Order’s brief Section 16 will have profound and long lasting effects on how our Federal Government responds to climate change. For here, each agency is required, among other [...] This article gives an insight into the positive relationship between religion and ecology. While he mentions the recent Congressional hearings on Climate Change and how one Congressman says that we do not need to worry about climate change because God has promised he will not destroy the Earth after Noah’s flood, he focuses largely [...] This is an appropriate article relating to the guest speaker we recently had in class and the issue of carbon taxing. The protesters in various states of Australia are upset at the news of a potential tax on carbon and believe that it will cost jobs and ruin the economy. However, Supporters of the [...] This article discusses how the recent republican led talks on climate change ended with the Republicans continuing to deny climate change and work against the EPA. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/15/climate-change-denial-com_n_836219.html This article discusses a study that was done that shows how daily weather impacts people’s belief on whether or not CC is occurring, even though weather is not the same as climate. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wray-herbert/snowmageddon-global-warming_b_833070.html This article explores the rational and irrationality behind American views on climate change, as well as giving suggestions of ways that environmentalists can change (such as using climate change instead of global warming) to help stop the unconscious opposition among many Americans. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2057979,00.html Image: National Geographic Researchers at McGill University have published a new study mapping human vulnerability to climate change. In what is perhaps the cruelest of ironies, researchers found that the major negative impacts of climate change will be experienced by those populations least responsible for increasing carbon dioxide concentrations and also least capable [...] I just thought that this was interesting and what people are willing to say these days http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/20024/ The Senate is unlikely to support the recent House budget for the rest of the FY that strips much funding for climate science and restricts the EPA from taking action on climate change. House members who voted for these restrictions now say they are willing to cut them out of the final deal: Several [...] In addition to cutting funding for the IPCC, the recent budget passed by the House also cut money for other climate related programs: Budgetary measures passed by the House at the weekend would not only withdraw US funding from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - they would also end financing for the office occupied [...] At 2am on Saturday morning, the US House of Representatives voted along party lines to eliminate US funding for the IPCC, which has been around $2 million a year. The amendment’s sponsor, Rep. Luetekmeyer (R-Mo.) stated his reason for the funding cutoff: My constituents should not have to continue to foot the bill for [...] New Hampshire is considering dropping out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (or RGGI – pronounced “Reggie”) that has been operating for the last few years in the Northeast US. The program has raised a considerable amount of money, but is opposed by new leadership in the state skeptical of climate change. This articles gives a brief run down of the potential reasons a large minority of Americans do not believe in climate change. At the end the author offers his opinion as to the largest reasons, as well as a semi-solution. http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/02/climate_change Image: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/SmallBiz/story?id=4941737&page=1 On the surface Gasland fits the cliché of environmental documentaries. The film places the negligent consequences of a goliath industry in the limelight, while also developing emotional ties to the characters most effected. Fortunately Josh Fox, the director of Gasland, captured something more than just another dispiriting reminder of our environmental shortcomings [...] Hi there! I recently came across this interesting article regarding Haitian farmers burning donated seeds from Monsanto this past June. Although a bit outdated, I believe it’s still relative to this course and may fancy your interest. In the article you will find some very interesting perspectives and more general knowledge of Monsanto if [...] The text of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill in the Senate has finally been released. All 987 pages of it can be found HERE. A shorter summary of each section is HERE and a three page summary is HERE. Wonk Room has published a useful side-by-side comparison between the President’s original plan, the House bill [...] I read an interesting article on CNN Opinion by Patrick Doherty, called “US strategy needs to save the Earth”. He believes that sustainability needs to be a main topic on the White House agenda, in order to ensure American security and prosperity. He talks, not only about our contribution to climate change, but how [...] Seeing that a U.S. Climate Bill passing through the Senate in time for Cancun is looking doubtful, could this serve to benefit the climate regime in any way? Perhaps I am being overly optimistic but it seems that without a climate law the international community could direct its focus on getting the U.S. to [...] Pursuant to our US obligations under the UNFCCC, which we are a signatory to, countries have to report every few years on the actions that they are taking to combat climate change. Just because we did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol does not exempt the US from this obligation. As a result, the US [...] Before a meeting of 45 nations held in Bonn, Germany; both President Calderon of Mexico and Chancellor Markel of Germany urged international action on Climate Change: “We need to show the world how serious the threat is,” Mexican President Felipe Calderon said as he opened an international climate change conference in Germany on Sunday. [...] |
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