A blue day for bluefin
Negotiators at the meeting in Qatar of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species have rejected proposals to ban international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna (and in polar bears). (See coverage in the New York Times and Washington Post.) The vote on the bluefin ban was surprisingly lopsided -- only 20 nations in favor, 68 opposed, and 30 abstentions. The United States was the main advocate for the ban, although the proposal was formally...
CONTINUE READINGCO2 may be more than a global problem
So far, all the discussion about how to deal with CO2 pollution has assumed that it is a global problem. It undoubtedly is -- CO2 emissions anywhere in the world contribute to global climate change. But that assumption typically carries another along with it -- that CO2 is not a local problem. It turns out that may not be true. A study just published online in Environmental Science and Technology (subscription required for that link; open access pre-publication draft he...
CONTINUE READINGU.S. Chamber of Commerce adopts “grassroots” organizing tactic, redoubles attacks on climate science and law
The Los Angeles Times reported last week that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - a significant and strident voice in opposition to anything that our government might possibly do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - is using its considerable financial resources to dramatically increase its constituent base through "grass-roots organizing," and that its influence is rising. This development should concern anyone who believes that climate change is a problem worth addressing ...
CONTINUE READINGCalifornia Supreme Court decides in favor of accurate environmental impact analysis (and cleaner air)
The California Supreme Court just issued an important decision interpreting public agencies' obligations under the California Environmental Quality Act. This case will result in cleaner air in southern California. It also establishes that public agencies must measure environmental impacts from a new project against actual existing conditions, rather than against theoretical conditions (based on permits granted for other projects) that would tend to understate the im...
CONTINUE READINGCan California handle high-speed rail?
Count me in as a high speed rail enthusiast. Who wouldn't want to sit in a train car, sipping an ice-cold ginger ale, while traveling at speeds of up to 220 mph through the Central Valley? As Rick described last month, the potential benefits to our quality- and way-of-life, by encouraging more pedestrian-focused neighborhoods and discouraging automobile travel, could be immense. But the current high speed rail plans may create some serious problems for the state. The fi...
CONTINUE READINGTo the left is the famous cardigan worn by Jimmy Carter in the oval office, when he urged Americans to turn down their thermostats to save energy. In reality, the most important ways of saving energy (such as cogeneration by industry, better insulation, etc.) don't involve any discomfort. It turned out that the American people weren't inclined to endure uncomfortable rooms in order to save energy, and the net result was probably to give energy conservation a somewh...
CONTINUE READINGI Love That Dirty Water?
The New York Times supplies another excellent installment on its series about an often-overlooked environmental problem: outdated and overwhelmed municipal water and sewage systems. State and federal studies indicate that thousands of water and sewer systems may be too old to function properly. For decades, these systems — some built around the time of the Civil War — have been ignored by politicians and residents accustomed to paying almost nothing for water delive...
CONTINUE READINGPink Flamingo: Carpetbagger or March Madness?
While Holly Doremus considers the State of the Birds, it might be fair to ask her why she spotted a Greater Flamingo, yesterday, in Northern California. The six Berkeley Law students and this blogger, who accompanied her on a paddle at the Elkhorn Slough and came upon this scene, want to know. Normally, the closest Pink Flamingo to these parts is a casino in Las Vegas. Greater Flamingos like the weather in the Caribbean, and the coast of Africa. Is the curr...
CONTINUE READINGState of the Birds, 2010
Following up on last year's first report, a coalition of government and non-profit agencies has issued a new State of the Birds report. This version concentrates on the effects of climate change. The key conclusions, from the summary: Birds in every terrestrial and aquatic habitat will be affected by climate change, although individual species in each habitat are likely to respond differently. . . [A] majority of birds dependent on oceans, and birds on Hawaiian Islands,...
CONTINUE READINGSettlement marks a step forward on ocean acidification*
Cross-posted at CPRBlog. As Cara and Dan have explained, ocean acidification is the other big climate change problem. As atmospheric CO2 levels rise, more CO2 dissolves in the oceans. That in turn increases ocean acidity, which changes the ecology of the seas, most obviously by reducing the ability of corals and a variety of other marine organisms to build their "skeletons" and protective shells from calcium carbonate. Ocean acidification is a pollution problem, just a...
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