General
Sacramento Lunch Briefing On Low-Carbon Biofuel Policies For California
Free event in the State Capitol on Friday, January 22nd
As California commits itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, what role will biofuels play as a petroleum alternative? And how can California ensure that more low-carbon biofuels are produced in-state, especially given the competition from cheap oil and cheap international biofuel? State officials and biofuel producers will address these questions at …
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CONTINUE READINGTop 10 Environmental News Stories of 2015
More goods than bad, but some of each.
Here are the top ten stories, at least as I see them: A Warming World. 2015 will almost certainly be the warmest year on record. This is one more confirmation of recent studies indicating that either there was no climate hiatus or it has ended. Saving Wetlands and Water Bodies. EPA and the Army Corp …
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CONTINUE READINGNewsflash: Senate Passes TSCA Reform
A New Chapter In the Effort To Reform Federal Chemical Regulation For the First Time in 40 Years
In a striking turn of events, last night the Senate passed a newly revised version of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which would reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the first time in four decades. A summary of the bill’s provisions and analysis of the differences between …
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CONTINUE READINGHow do we move past the yuck factor in potable water reuse?
This post draws on two recently published articles (here and here) by an international group of collaborators: Christian Binz, Sasha Harris-Lovett, Bernhard Truffer, David Sedlak, and myself, courtesy of the ReNUWIt program. Potable water reuse is increasingly seen as a potential way to help ease urban water supply challenges. Potable reuse is as it sounds …
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CONTINUE READINGTPP Advisory Reports Released
As I described in my earlier post describing the environmental debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC) has been drafting a response from its members. TEPAC is a stakeholder group drawn from industry, environmental, and consumer interests as well as independent experts that reports to the EPA Administrator and …
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CONTINUE READINGNEWSFLASH: Paris Agreement Adopted
FINALLY, a global agreement to move forward.
The Paris agreement has now been adopted. As the Washington Post reports: “Negotiators from 196 countries approved a landmark climate accord on Saturday that seeks to dramatically reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for a dangerous warming of the planet. The agreement, adopted after 13 days of intense bargaining in a Paris suburb, puts …
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CONTINUE READINGThoughts on the Accomplishments of the Paris COP
Climate Change is a Super-Wicked Problem that We’re Beginning to Solve
As the 21st Conference of the Parties comes to a close in Paris, much ink will be spilled analyzing the historic agreement that 195 countries have now reached. Some of that commentary will, undoubtedly, be cynical. The agreement is not in the form of a traditional treaty requiring country ratification. The country commitments to reduce …
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CONTINUE READINGA Moveable Climate Feast?
Paris and the future politics of climate change
Back in 1920s Paris, an unknown writer named Ernest Hemingway hung out in the local cafes with other aspiring artists. It was an odd group, featuring communists like Pablo Picasso, fascists like Ezra Pound, and right-wingers like Gertrude Stein. But they helped each other, promoting their work and ultimately producing a generation of famous artists …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Uneasy Case for NIMBYism
A Growing Class Conflict Lurks Underneath the Land Use Debate
Paul Krugman is turning his attention to housing affordability, and the results as usual are salutary. When discussing the skyrocketing cost of housing in New York City, he observes: There’s still room to build, even in New York, especially upward. Yet while there is something of a building boom in the city, it’s far smaller …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia-Led “Under 2 MOU” Agreement Gaining Steam In Paris
Subnationals commit to aggressive climate goals today at signing ceremony at U.S. Ambassador’s residence
What started as a series of informal conversations about a year ago among Governor Brown, his senior staff, and a few world leaders, has turned into a veritable global movement. The “Under 2 MOU,” which I blogged about on Thursday, just bumped its total from 57 signatories last week to 80 today, with each representing …
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