Climate Change

Who is John Collins Rudolf? And why is he questioning the shape of the earth?

Apparently, he’s a free-lancer for the New York Times, a generally straight-up environmental reporter – and today, he is Ken Cuccinelli’s publicist. Cuccinelli is Virginia’s wingnut attorney general, who has decided to make a name for himself by filing baseless lawsuits against climate scientists, running to the courthouse before the ink was even dry on …

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A New Thought on Smart Growth

The Public Policy Institute of California just released its new report on SB 375, California’s smart growth law.  I’m still working my way through it, and at the beginning, it seems pretty boilerplate.  For example, it notes that three things California can do to reduce emissions are “Higher-density development, particularly in areas well-served by transit; …

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Preview of Coming Attractions: American Electric Power v. State of Connecticut

The U.S. Supreme Court recently announced the scheduling of oral arguments in the biggest (actually, the only) environmental case of its current Term: American Electric Power v. State of Connecticut. The justices will hear arguments on April 19th, and render their decision in this major climate change case by the end of June. Already, however, …

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Not Enough “Green” to be Green?

The Washington Post has details about the budget proposal.  Here’s the information on EPA: President Obama’s proposed budget provides $9 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, noting that that amount represents a $1.3 billion decrease from the previous budget year. But that’s unlikely to satisfy Republicans in the House who are sharpening their knives to …

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Three Obstacles To California Climate Progress

California’s AB 32  — the Global Warming Solutions Act — is the biggest and best thing going on the domestic climate change front.  The bill is sweeping in its application and the agency charged with implementing the Act, the California Air Resources Board, has moved aggressively to chart out the path the state will need …

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The World in 2050: Economics and Resources

This is a second post on Laurence Smith’s new book, The World in 2050.  I posted previously about demographic projections, but the economic and resource projections are also notable.  Here are some important ones: Conventional oil is at or near its peak.  Remaining oil will be increasingly expensive to obtain. Even with improved efficiency, India …

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The N.Y. Times Clears the Air

The Times as a forceful editorial today about pending legislative efforts to block EPA’s climate regulations and other air pollution regulations: Congress’s failure to enact a climate bill means that the E.P.A.’s authority to regulate these gases — an authority conferred by a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2007 — is, for now, the only …

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Calif court tentatively rules AB 32 implementation unlawful

A California superior court has issued a proposed decision, not yet final, holding that ARB failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in its adoption of the Scoping Plan that is guiding its implementation of AB 32, California’s landmark climate change law.  The ruling proposes to set aside ARB’s CEQA documentation and to …

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Comparing Climate Models with Reality

Despite some year-to-year variation, the models are doing very well in predicting the overall global temperature trends.

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Imminent Foodie-Tree Hugger Alliance!

We often speak of mitigating climate change in light of how much can we afford to reduce consumption, thus leading some foodies to reject environmental values.  A classic in this genre occurs right here in Los Angeles, where Heal the Bay’s executive director, Mark Gold, spends his time trying to save sea creatures, and his …

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