Should Climate Scientists Fight Back or Press Forward?
Andrew Revkin of the New York Times Dot Earth blog revealed recently leaked email memos and publicly available written pieces that show climate scientists furiously debating the best strategy for reclaiming public support for green initiatives.
It's Official: U.S. Senators Abandon Cap and Trade
"Cap and Trade is dead," said Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) last weekend. Graham, working in a bipartisan effort with Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joe Lieberman (I-Con) confirmed that the group would be abandoning cap and trade in their last effort to pass a climate bill before the midterm election. The new bill will not put a price on carbon emissions with a carbon market or a carbon tax. Rather, the new legislation will ratchet down caps on widely accepted pollutants from power plants and factories, and possibly increase taxes on gasoline.
As record snowfall encases the Washington DC, climate skeptic congressmen and political pundits are using the opportunity to mock climate science. Some climate scientists are responding that global warming is to blame for the unusually cold winter and extreme weather, and point to the abnormally high temperatures on the west coast that are forcing organizers at the Olympic games to truck in tons of snow to cover the bare mountainside. Other climate scientists say that the unusual weather has nothing to do with a shifting climate, but is instead a natural byproduct of an El Nino system.
Discussed at length by both Reuters and The New York Times, the election of Republican Scott Brown to serve as Massachusetts Senator may have even worse implications on the future of greenhouse gas regulation than it does on the healthcare bill. The loss in Massachusetts, a "deep-blue" state that hasn't elected a conservative in over 30 years, is expected to shake moderate lawmakers who may have lent yes votes to cap and trade. "When there's trouble in Massachusetts, rest assured there's trouble everywhere and they know it," said Brown of his unlikely election.
Senators Seek to Strip Regulation Rights from Obama's EPA
Last year, on the first day of the Copenhagen Climate Summit, Obama revealed a way that he could sidestep Congress and use the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gasses. Today, Senate Republicans are moving to block Obama and strip the EPA of this right indefinitely.
Eco Factory first met Nadine Patrice at Miami Goin' Green, where we learned of the horrible environmental plight affecting Haiti and pushing many into crushing poverty. We learned of the corruption that allowed the once-verdant forests of Haiti to give way to barren rock. Today, 98% of Haiti is unfarmable. That's why Operation Green Leaves formed in 1991 with a focus on pushing back the desert and teaching people how to live in ways that would regenerate their depleted environment.
Today, Nadine is fighting for a Haiti that has been imperiled more than ever.
Lobbyists Suggest Cap and Trade be Split Into Smaller Bills
Cap and Trade, now stuck in a Senate log jam, is looking less likely to pass, said renewable energy lobbyist Chris Stimpson. According to Stimpson, faltering public opinion polls, the upcoming mid-term election, and the health care bill are pushing cap and trade farther and farther back on the Congressional calendar. The earliest expected date for Senators to resume discussion on the climate bill in sometime in March. Because this is a congressional election year, some Senators seeking reelection may be wary about voting for a bill that fares poorly in public opinion polls.
Pickens Returns to Capitol Hill to Promote Natural Gas
Billionaire investor and self-proclaimed "oil man" T. Boone Pickens returned to Washington to give a presentation on the virtues of switching a bulk of American commercial fleets to natural gas. Pickens held a joint media event with former White House chief of staff, John Podesta, to advocate a tax break to owners of heavy trucks to switch from diesel to natural gas.
Pickens pointed out that about 20% of imported oil originates from a countries that the State Department deems dangerous for American travelers, "And that does not include Venezuela," added Mr. Podesta.
UN Climate Chief Warns Against Mounting Skepticism Through 2010
Climate change skepticism is likely to surge through 2010, crippling hopes of preventing the worst effects of global warming said UN Climate Chief Rajendra Pachauri. The IPCC Director cited "powerful vested interests" that he says will be working overtime all through the year to confuse the public and manipulate the political systems of major economies.
Copenhagen Climate Treaty Replaced by 3 Page "Gentleman's Agreement"
As negotiations in Copenhagen extended into the small hours of Saturday morning, delegates finally emerged with a final document that some felt could be the only agreeable solution. The so called Copenhagen Accord took form as a three page "gentleman's agreement" that asserts that all countries should develop plans to combat global warming and share their results with the international community.
