Climate Change

Climate Change and Tonight’s Debate

A key issue is missing from the list of topics for tonight’s debate. Climate change is a global problem with global impacts, ultimately requiring a global solution.  Climate change is a threat multiplier from the point of view of national security, intensifying the risk of international conflict and terrorism. (See here for more.) It has …

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The Damage Caused by Climate Change Induced Natural Disasters

Joe Romm has posted a mildly interesting post on the damage from natural disasters.  A couple of thoughts. 1.  Ignoring the last year of the data, the reported Figure 15 shows that in the average year that North America suffers roughly 15 billion dollars worth of damage from natural disasters.   I have two evil …

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Good News On U.S. Carbon Emissions

At Copenhagen, President Obama pledged to cut carbon emissions by 17% by 2020 below 2005. According to Resources for the Future (RFF), the most respected think tank on energy issues, the U.S. is “on course to achieve reductions of 16.3 percent from 2005 levels in 2020.”  RFF identifies three contributing factors:  EPA regulations under the …

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Encouraging Precautionary Investment in an Increasingly Risky World

The NY Times has published an Opinion Piece about reducing wildfire risk in the American West.    Due to climate change, actions such as machinery creating sparks that ignite brush are more likely to happen.  When we anticipate this chain of events, what ex-ante actions should we take?  Should there be more brush clearance in …

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“I Will Fight for Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas”

That’s what Mitt Romney said tonight.  Yes, this is the same man who also said, just a month ago, that he believes that humans are contributing to climate change.  But his heart belongs to fossil fuels. According to Mr. Romney, maximal use of fossil fuels is also the key to economic recovery. Romney even seems …

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PACE Court Ruling Now Final: So What’s the Future of PACE?

Federal Judge Claudia Wilken, who has been presiding over the West Coast lawsuit to overturn federal housing policy and restore residential PACE energy financing programs, made her August ruling final today. As you may recall, Judge Wilken ruled in August that the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) would have to pursue a notice-and-comment rulemaking on …

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“No Regrets” Isn’t a Real Climate Policy

Mitt Romney has called for a no-regrets climate policy: “I believe we should pursue what I call a ‘No Regrets’ policy — steps that will lead to lower emissions, but that will benefit America regardless of whether the risks of global warming materialize and regardless of whether other nations take effective action.” This sounds good. …

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Previewing This Week’s Constitutional Battle Over California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard

On Tuesday morning, October 16th, attorneys will gather at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s majestic courthouse in downtown San Francisco to argue one of the nation’s most important, currently-pending environmental cases.  The case is Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Goldstene, and the issue is the constitutionality of California’s Low Carbon Fuel …

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So Much for THAT Excuse: China Starts a Cap-and-Trade Program

If there is a somewhat credible reason for the United States not to embark on climate legislation, it is that other major emitters — particularly China — are not doing the same.  I don’t buy it, because China is a much poorer country than the United States is and because the West has received the …

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Bob Schieffer Fails the American Public

Bob Schieffer of CBS News will moderate the final Presidential debate, which is supposed to focus on foreign policy and global issues.  The Commission on Presidential Debates recently announced Schieffer’s topic list: * America’s role in the world * Our longest war – Afghanistan and Pakistan * Red Lines – Israel and Iran * The Changing …

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