Climate Change
Declaring War Against Climate Change
The NY Times describes the current negotiations in Beijing as resembling an arms control contest, with demands for verifiable reductions (but in emissions rather than missiles). The military comparison may be apt. Dealing with climate change is going to be like fighting a major war in a number of respects: *It will involve mobilizing for …
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CONTINUE READINGLuke Cole, Environmental Justice Activist, Killed in Car Crash
I’m very sorry to report the news that Luke Cole, long-time environmental justice advocate, was killed in a car accident this week in Uganda. Luke had taken a sabbatical from the Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment , which he headed, to travel the world (he was also my law school classmate and friend). …
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CONTINUE READINGGlobal Hotspots and the Environment
I recently noted the role of environmental woes in North Korea’s current situation. The Middle East also faces serious environmental problems, as a recent TNR posting discusses: Does the world really need more headaches in the Middle East? No, of course not, but rising global temperatures are likely to create a few more regardless. According …
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CONTINUE READINGDrowning the East Coast
According to WaPo, Sea levels could rise faster along the U.S. East Coast than in any other densely populated part of the world, new research shows, as changes in ice caps and ocean currents push water toward a shoreline inlaid with cities, resort boardwalks and gem-rare habitats. Three studies this year, including one out last …
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CONTINUE READINGIndia’s New Government and Climate Change: Good News, Bad News
The Congress Party’s unexpected strong victory in the 2009 elections has also brought one of the strongest Cabinets in recent times. For those interested in the upcoming climate talks, however, it also presents some challenges. At the end of the day, climate policy will not be a focus of the government, but there are some …
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CONTINUE READINGPassage to India
Just arrived in Hyderabad, India, for the RAND/India School of Business conference on entrepreneurship. After that, I make my way west to Bombay, and then north to Delhi, where on June 19th, the new Jindal Global Law School will sponsor a major conference on climate. It’s (sometimes) nice going to conferences, but I am also hoping to find …
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CONTINUE READINGThe China Syndrome
After her trip to China, Speaker Pelosi was upbeat about the Chinese attitude toward climate change, YahooGreen reports: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday expressed high hopes of cooperation between the United State and China, the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, ahead of
CONTINUE READINGHummer to China
At the close of last week’s Congressional delegation trip to China to discuss, among other things, climate change commitments, Rep. Edward Markey had this to say about the upcoming Copenhagen talks and efforts to convince the Chinese to agree to GHG caps (as reported in the NYT): “This is going to be one of the most …
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CONTINUE READINGClimate Refugees
The NY Times had an important article yesterday about the issue of climate refugees. Because climate change poses an existential threat to some nations and a threat to international stability elsewhere, it appears that the U.N. is inching closer to making climate change a security issue under the jurisdiction of the Security Council. Since the …
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CONTINUE READINGIdle Chatter
WBUR’s Here and Now radio show recently covered the story of George Pakenham, the self-named “Verdant Vigilante.” Pakenham roams the streets of New York City engaging in citizen enforcement of the city’s anti-idling law. The law, which has been on the books in various forms since 1971, prohibits idling for greater than 3 minutes (1 …
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