News on the Political Front
Both the NY Times and the Washington Post had lead stories on the politics of climate change legislation. The Post's story centered on the increasing focus of the debate on the economic impact of climate legislation and on the difficulty of establishing the facts: In anticipation, groups on the left and the right -- as well as government outfits such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Congressional Budget Office -- have issued a spate of analyses projecting the...
CONTINUE READINGOdds Are that Energy Technology Will Advance Faster Than Expected
In a post yesterday, I discussed a point that Sam Savage makes about climate change in his book, The Flaw of Averages. He makes another point that I think is very important: . . . if we continue developing sources of renewable energy at our current average rate, we may indeed be doomed. But we won't continue at this pace because there will be a distribution of success rates, with some technologies evolving faster than others. The technologies that do evolve faster ...
CONTINUE READINGThe Nuisance Suits Heat Up: Fifth Circuit Follows Connecticut v. AEP
Well, I didn't expect this one. The Fifth Circuit, in Comer v. Murphy Oil Co., has agreed to follow the Second Circuit by construing Massachusetts v. EPA's standing holding very broadly. It has allowed a class action by private plaintiffs on a common-law public nuisance claim, for damages occurring from greenhouse gas emissions, to move forward. More to come on this one when I have a chance to finish the opinion. But a couple of points: 1) Comer represents a c...
CONTINUE READINGWhy You Should Worry About Climate Change Even If You Don’t Think It Is Going To Happen
Sam Savage's book, The Flaw of Averages, talks about the ways that we are misled by focusing on averages rather than considering the full range of possible outcomes. It's a fun read that makes some very important points. One of his illustrations is climate change, which is the subject of chapter 37. Savage asks the read to consider a hypothetical in which, on average, we expect no sea level rise -- perhaps because our best estimate is that climate change won't hap...
CONTINUE READINGMeeting the Energy Needs of the Global Poor
I spent yesterday at an important University of Colorado conference organized by Lakshman Guruswamy on energy justice. The conference dealt with a frequently overlooked part of the energy problem. In our discussions of energy policy, we often focus on those who, like Americans, are already high consumers of energy, or the needs of those who, like the Chines, are rapidly increasingly their consumption compensation. But there is a third group -- the billion or more...
CONTINUE READINGEnvironmental “Poetry” (Yet Again)
There once was a coal company, Which fought cap-and-trade mightily. “Costs too much,” they complained, “Emissions can’t be contained, Or our profits will face jeopardy.” There once was a scientist (or two), Whose work couldn’t pass peer review: “It’s all cosmic rays, Or perhaps high-level haze, Or something else besides plain CO2.”...
CONTINUE READINGOptimism on a Climate Bill?
At least, optimism seems to be the White House message, according to a TPM report: On Friday the president urged speed in the broader shift in U.S. energy priorities and said he believed lawmakers -- many of whom are skeptical of the energy bill -- are following. "It is a transformation that will be made as swiftly and as carefully as possible, to ensure that we are doing what it takes to grow this economy in the short, medium, and long term," Obama said. "I do belie...
CONTINUE READINGMore Environmental “Poetry”
A couple of ditties sent to us by some friends: There once was a climate denier Who said, “Let the carbon go higher. From the facts let us run, ‘Cause coal’s cheap by the ton, And who cares if the planet’s on fire?” There once was a man named Inhofe, Whose knowledge of science was soft. He thought up was down, And math made him frown. The data he simply blew off....
CONTINUE READINGTwo Important New Papers About Climate Policy
The latest issue of Science has two key papers on climate policy. First, Tim Searchinger, Dan Kammen (a faculty member at ERG), and others argue that an accounting exemption for bioenergy that appears in the Kyoto Protocol, the European carbon trading scheme and draft legislation on Capitol Hill treats all biofuels as "carbon neutral" even if the process of making them results in large carbon emissions. The land use issues regarding biofuels are actually huge and poo...
CONTINUE READINGUCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy launches new website, publishes climate policy issue
Forgive me for a little boasting about our great student-run environmental law journal, which has just launched a new website with downloadable content and published a terrific, policy-oriented issue (together with the Emmett Center) with lessons from state leaders across the country on tackling climate change. The issue focuses on how states are addressing the climate crisis in light of federalism constraints and opportunities, and what their future role will be...
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