Year: 2010

The Indian Style of Climate Policy

If India ever does something about its growing carbon emissions, this is the book that tells you how it will happen.  Rob Jenkins’ Democratic Politics and Economic Reform in India is the best source I have seen so far that really gets into the guts of how the country’s political economy works.   And that’s what …

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US-India Climate Dialogue Agenda I: A TRIPS Protocol

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away — well, no, actually two months ago in Washington, DC, President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Singh inked something called the US-India Climate Dialogue.  It was a pretty transparent attempt to salvage something from the fact that India would never agree to binding emissions cuts (and …

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A Smart Grid Requires Smart Planning

Two-way instant communication, ever-changing electricity prices, lightning-fast micro-switches – the smart grid is all the rage.  In fact, a report just issued by a firm called Pike Research contains the prediction that worldwide expenditure on smart grid stuff will exceed $200 billion over the next five years.  The hope is that a smarter grid will …

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A new forest planning rule blog

Sharon Friedman, Director of Strategic Planning for the Rocky Mountain Region, USDA Forest Service, and Martin Nie, Professor of Natural Resource Policy, University of Montana, have launched a blog called A New Century of Forest Planning. It’s intended as a discussion forum for issues around the new forest planning rule, which the Forest Service recently …

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Mapping EPA Enforcement

EPA has posted a new google map of its enforcement efforts.  It’s pretty easy to use — for example, with a few clicks, I found a $117,000 fine against California Waste Solutions in Berkeley for a water pollution violation.  Check it out, and learn what’s happening in your neighborhood.

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EPA Announces Action Plans for Four Existing Chemicals

EPA closed out 2009 by issuing “chemical action plans” for four chemicals: phthalates, long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in products, and short-chain chlorinated paraffins.  For each chemical, the action plan provides a summary of existing hazard, exposure, and use information, an outline the risks that the chemical may present, and a description …

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NYT editorial: right headline, half-right story

The New York Times has an editorial today urging Congress to “build on [local and state] actions to fashion a national response to climate change.” That sentiment is welcome, but the Times still doesn’t quite get it. The editorial rightly lauds widespread state planning and emission reduction efforts, citing as particular examples renewable energy requirements, …

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Salmon woes continue

The Sacramento Bee reports this morning that contrary to expectations the Central Valley fall-run chinook salmon had another weak run this year, probably no better than the record-low return a year ago. That’s bad news because the hatchery-boosted fall Chinook is the main target of the commercial salmon fishery off the California and Oregon coasts. …

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Climate Models Still on Track

As this graph from RealClimate shows, temperature trends are well within the envelope of model predictions, and not too far off the average of the predictions.   Even during the recent temperature dip that has received so much attention, temperatures stayed inside the envelope.  No evidence that the models are missing something fundamental at this …

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A look at the interim federal Delta plan

As I pointed out three months ago, the federal government has awakened from its 8-year Bush administration slumber to notice that the SF Bay-Delta is an important environmental and economic resource whose management requires federal input. On December 22, the Obama administration issued an Interim Federal Action Plan for the California Bay-Delta. The best news …

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