Politics
Carrots Are More Durable Than Sticks
Laws like the Inflation Reduction Act may have more sticking power than regulations.
it’s hard to repeal subsidies and tax credits. We’re seeing that right now in Congress. There’s been a lot of talk by Trump and others of blowing away the IRA. But many billions of dollars of IRA investments are being made in Republican congressional districts. And this has had an effect. Subsidies won’t solve the climate crisis on their own, but they provide a solid economic and political foundation for climate policies of all kinds.
CONTINUE READINGNo More ‘House of Horrors’ Thanks to These New Laws
Several California laws prohibiting dangerous chemicals from household products go into effect on or after January 1, 2025.
Halloween is the one time when we welcome ghouls, ghosts, and goblins coming to our homes (and, if your neighborhood is anything like mine, a variety of tiny superheroes). This season, however, the Legislature is dealing with a different kind of house of horrors: dangerous chemicals in everyday products that affect millions of Californians’ health. …
Continue reading “No More ‘House of Horrors’ Thanks to These New Laws”
CONTINUE READINGWith a Week to Go, Where Do the Elections Stand?
The Presidential, Senate & House elections will have immense repercussions in terms of energy and environment.
This elections seemunusually weighty in its policy implications. In terms of energy and climate policy, the two parties parties are far apart — Republicans favor energy dominance through massive fossil fuel production, Demorats favor clean energy. To the immense frustration of people on both sides, things haven’t moved much since September, when I last wrote …
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CONTINUE READINGThe 2024 Election Outcome Could Boost the Case for Geoengineering
A Trump victory would increase the odds that we will ultimately need to start blocking solar radiation as a last resort to limit climate change.
A Trump victory would increase the odds that we will eventually need to “break the glass and pull the red lever.” To be prepared for that possibility, we would also need to do more in the short term to research various forms of geoengineering, their feasibility, and their potential side effects. Basically, if you decide you’re going to start smoking a lot more cigarettes, you need to be prepared for the greater likelihood you’ll need chemo.
CONTINUE READINGThe Dangerous Embrace of Convenient Narratives Over Inconvenient Truths
As it turns out, Nature doesn’t care what stories you post on social media or spin on TV.
When lying becomes seen as legitimate political discourse, we’re in deep trouble. It’s short step from blaming people for imaginary crimes to rounding them up and or using force to stop them. That’s why climate scientists get death threats. And yet, whatever threats are made or carried out, reality will remain what it is. You can denounce climate change as a Chinese hoax, but that won’t stop the warming waters of the Gulf from sending incredible storms your way.
CONTINUE READINGStill Crazy After All These Years
There’s been an alarming growth of conspiracy theories, often antisemitic ones, to explain extreme weather events.
Were the Democrats or lithium mining companies or international bankers behind Hurricane Helene? Is geoengineering a conspiracy to take over the planet? These conspiracy theories abound — not just in the corners of the Internet but in political figures like RFK Jr. and Marjorie Taylor Greene. And they’re beginning to influence state legislatures, including one that just banned geoengineering.
CONTINUE READINGWhy is EPA “Faceless”?
People complain about faceless bureaucrats. At least in part, that could be fixed.
How many people can name the head of EPA or even know the title of that office? About 5% of the population, would be my guess. Apart from Scott Pruitt, who became famous for his $20,000 phone booth, few people outside of the field could name any previous holder of the office.
CONTINUE READINGReflections on “Yes they can control the weather.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene is wildly wrong about government scientists controlling hurricanes. There is a rich history of weather modification experiments that make that false claim more dangerous.
Since U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted earlier this month that “Yes they can control the weather” — a bunch of commentators have pointed out that she’s wildly wrong. Yes, she’s wildly wrong. No one can make, intensify, or steer hurricanes. No ability to do anything like this is even on the horizon. Her comment …
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CONTINUE READINGModel Uncertainty in Politics and Climate Policy
The polls could be systematically off, not just due to random error. That’s a worry with climate models as well.
Yes, your favored candidate could sweep the swing states, and yes, climate change could be more moderate than we now expect. But that shouldn’t give you much comfort on either issue, since the errors could equally be in the opposite directions.
Obviously, we’d like to improve our models, but that’s not always easy. In the meantime, the smart thing is to plan on the basis of the best models we have but avoid overconfidence about our predictions.
CONTINUE READINGClimate, Energy, and Environment on the Ballot
Ballot measures in Washington and California are especially important but others are worth noting.
The two biggest state initiatives are a $10 billion green bond proposal in California and a proposed rollback of Washington State’s new cap-and-trade program. The outcomes of these and other initiatives will provide a barometer of public sentiment on environmental issues.
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