Climate News and Resources

Aided by global warming and globalization, Italy suffered the first outbreak of a tropical disease in modern Europe.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal, courtesy of the New York Times

The United States did not lead at this past weekend's diplomatic gathering in Bali to decide what to do next about climate change, but in the end the Bush administration "got out of the way" to allow for a Bali mandate.

By Kit Batten, courtesy of The Center for American Progress

In its rush to recreate the industrial revolution that made the West rich, China has absorbed most of the major industries that once made the West dirty.

By Joseph Kahn and Mark Landler, courtesy of the New York Times

The E.P.A. said the proposed California rules were made moot by the energy bill signed into law by President Bush on Wednesday.

By John M. Broder and Felicity Barringer, courtesy of the New York Times

Climate Change Conference Success
Strong emotions and some surprises at the U.N. climate change conference in Bali. CNN's Dan Rivers reports

I still don’t know what the Bali climate agreement was about, but I do know that it was incremental, not transformational.

A New York Times Editorial by Thomas L. Friedman

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved final passage of a major energy bill that sets higher vehicle fuel economy standards for the first time in three decades and aims to fundamentally change the way the country uses energy. The bill passed on a vote of 314-100.

Courtesy of the Dow Jones NewsWire

David Sandalow notes that the road from climate change negotiations in Bali will be filled with challenges. Work must proceed immediately on dozens of complex topics. Yet a key player in the final negotiations – the next U.S. President – is not yet at the table and obviously cannot be for more than a year.

Courtesy of the Brookings Institute

For years, cheap food and feed were taken for granted in the United States. Now the price of some foods is rising sharply, and a blame alert is under way.

By Andrew Martin, courtesy of the New York Times

Congress is on the verge of telling American business to create a huge new industry capable of converting agricultural wastes and other plant material into automotive fuel.

By Clifford Crause, courtesy of the New York Times

Post Global: A Debate Blog on Foreign Policy & International Affairs features six creative proposals for how to move forward on climate change after the Bali Conference. The proposals were initailly presented by the Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements.
Which is most promising, and why? Read them here, then cast your vote or post a comment.
Courtesy of the Washington Post

If there is one change in global consciousness on climate change that seems to have settled in the past couple of years, it is the notion that later is over.

A New York Times Editorial by Thomas L. Friedman

While a binding global agreement would be the best way to cut back on carbon emissions, a more limited approach is wending its way through Congress.

By Judith Chevaliar, courtesy of the New York Times

An agreement reached Saturday pushes debates on U.S. participation into the administration of a new president.

By Thomas Fuller and Andrew C. Revkin, courtesy of the New York Times

The oil industry and utilities succeeded in stripping out provisions that would have cost them billions of dollars.

By John M. Broder, courtesy of the New York Times

Amid growing frustration with the United States over deadlocked negotiations at a United Nations conference on global warming, the European Union threatened Thursday to boycott separate talks proposed by the Bush administration in Hawaii next month.

By Thomas Fuller and Elisabeth Rosenthal, courtesy of the New York Times

With little progress on the primary goal of United Nations climate talks here — preventing further climate change — a secondary quest to help poor countries cope with the effects of a warming world has now become a central theme of the gathering.

By Peter Gelling, courtesy of the New York Times

Nobel laureate Al Gore said Thursday the United States is ''principally responsible'' for blocking progress at the U.N. climate conference, and European nations threatened to boycott U.S.-led climate talks next month unless Washington compromises on emissions reductions.

From the AP, courtesy of the New York Times

After 32 years of hunting ducks in the wetlands of Missouri, Chuck Geier knows when temperatures will drop and waters will freeze. That means he also knows when the birds will fly and hunting will be best.

By William Yardley, courtesy of the New York Times

The Senate should ignore an incredibly mischievous last-minute veto threat from the White House and vote resoundingly in favor of an energy bill that could come before it as early as today.

An Editorial, courtesy of the New York Times

Nobel laureate Al Gore said Thursday the United States is "principally responsible" for blocking progress at the U.N. climate conference, and European nations threatened to boycott U.S.-led climate talks next month unless Washington compromises on emissions reductions.

By Chris Brummit of the AP, courtesy of the Washington Post

For the series "Primary Questions: Character, Leadership & The Candidates," CBS News anchor Katie Couric asked the 10 leading presidential candidates 10 questions designed to go beyond politics and show what really makes them tick.

Courtesy of CBSNews.com

The United States will come up with its own plan to cut global-warming gases by mid-2008 and won’t commit to mandatory caps at the U.N. climate conference.

From the AP, courtesy of the New York Times

Receiving his Nobel Peace Prize today, Al Gore emphasized the responsibility of the U.S. and China, the world’s biggest carbon emitters.

From the AP, courtesy of the New York Times

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo of New York wants to close the Indian Point nuclear power plant. But doing so raises some vexing questions.

By Peter Applebome, courtesy of the New York Times

Several nations that are large suppliers may start importing oil within a decade, adding strains to the global market.

By Clifford Krausse, courtesy of the New York Times

In the coastal Northwest, the dispute over plans to use waves to generate electricity has become intense before the first megawatt has been transmitted to shore.

By William Yardley, courtesy of the New York Times

China insisted Friday the U.S. and other wealthy nations should bear the burden of curbing global warming, saying the problem was created by their lavish way of life. It rejected mandatory emission cuts for its own developing industries.

By Micheal Casey of the AP, courtesy of the Washington Post

Legislation aimed at fighting climate change by capping greenhouse gas emissions was approved on Wednesday by a Senate committee and is headed for debate in the full Senate.

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent; Reuters
Courtesy of the Washington Post

Senate Democrats failed to muster enough votes this morning to close debate on the energy bill passed by the House yesterday, setting the scene for a vote Tuesday on a new version of the bill that would strip it of a requirement for electric utilities to use renewable energy for 15 percent of their generation.

By Steven Mufson and Jonathan Weisman, courtesy of the Washington Post

The impact of climate change plus deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60 percent of the Amazon forest by 2030 -- making it impossible to keep global temperatures from reaching catastrophic levels, an environmental group said Thursday.

From the AP, courtesy of the New York Times

he chance that developing countries would accept firm emissions-cutting targets receded on Friday, as U.N.-led talks to launch negotiations on a climate pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol inched forwards.

From Reuters, courtesy of the New York Times

A bill in Congress to raise fuel economy standards by 40 percent has the official backing of automakers, but the industry remains divided.

By Micheline Maynard, courtesy of the New York Times

The bill would be a major step toward passage of a measure that would for the first time slow and then reverse emissions of the gases that scientists blame for the warming of the planet.

By John M. Broder, courtesy of the New York Times

For Immediate Release

New ACEEE Study Finds RES Cuts Consumer Energy Bills and Carbon Dioxide While Stimulating Job Growth

Washington, D.C. (December 5, 2007): A new comprehensive analysis of the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) in the pending House and Senate energy legislation shows that, if adopted, the RES would cut consumer energy bills and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as well as stimulate job growth.

Courtesy of The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Storms with heavy rainfall are now 24 percent more frequent in the U.S. than they were 60 years ago, according to a new Environment America report released today. The report makes it clear that the United States is already experiencing extreme downpours much more frequently, consistent with scientists’ predictions about global warming.

Courtesy of www.environmentamerica.org

While the Bush team will leave office having done nothing significant to mitigate climate change, I’m heartened that our country is increasingly alive on this challenge.

A New York Times Editorial by Thomas L. Friedman