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Entries from April 2008

Truthi-Samuelson Strikes Again

April 30th, 2008 · 10 Comments

Robert Samuelson has a real talent, a real expertise in turning fact into truthiness when it comes to the economics of energy and global warming issues. Whether arguing the futility of doing anything about Climate Change (see also J’Accuse, Robert Samuelson, J’Accuse!) or laying out a path for dealing with gas prices, Robert J Samuelson’s […]

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Tags: climate change · Energy · energy efficiency · environmental · Global Warming · politics

The Feds Object To Energy Smart Local Governance

April 29th, 2008 · Comments Off on The Feds Object To Energy Smart Local Governance

Montgomery County, Maryland, is moving toward a stronger building code, with requirements for new homes to meet the Energy Star home building parameters. This is the type of measure rapidly implementable across the country to help foster the move toward a more sensible building infrastructure such as envisioned by Architecture2030 (which has a plan to […]

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Tags: eco-friendly · Energy · energy efficiency · environmental · government energy policy

Skeptical about Skeptics? Check this out …

April 29th, 2008 · Comments Off on Skeptical about Skeptics? Check this out …

Being skeptical about Global Warming skeptics’ arguments has proven, to date, to be a healthy and sensible way to deal with their truthiness claims and arguments.  The Heartland Institute‘s distribution of a list of scientist supposedly doubting Global Warming yet again verifies the value of being skeptical about Global Warming skeptics. DeSmogBlog decided to take a look […]

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Tags: climate change · climate delayers · Global Warming · global warming deniers · Heartland · skeptic · truthiness

Bethesda Bagels vs County Executive’s SUV?

April 29th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Two Washington Post articles in the past week provide an interesting little localized contrast of the challenges related to finding a path toward an Energy Smart future.

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Tags: agriculture · climate change · emissions · Energy · environmental · ethanol · fuel economy · Global Warming · peak oil · political symbols · politics · pollution

Obama Message Coopted by Pollution Front Group

April 28th, 2008 · Comments Off on Obama Message Coopted by Pollution Front Group

The Astroturf Organization Formerly Known As ABEC has come out with a doozy of a first ad. In the battle to protect our future, the alphabet list of astroturf organizations working to undercut a habitable tomorrow is an ever-growing soup.  Tracking the  $35 million+ associated with “Americans for Balanced Energy Choices provided easily full-time employment […]

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Tags: astroturfing · carbon dioxide · coal · Energy · environmental · Global Warming

An invitation: Join a Conversation about Energy

April 28th, 2008 · Comments Off on An invitation: Join a Conversation about Energy

For several years now, various agencies of the US government have been sponsoring a monthly evening lecture series on energy issues: The Energy Conversation.  Held in Crystal City, Virginia, these lectures (conversations?) bring together an eclectic mix of people who generally share a passion about one issue: concerns about the US approach to energy and […]

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Tags: Energy

Shopping Bag advance stymied in Pennsylvania

April 27th, 2008 · Comments Off on Shopping Bag advance stymied in Pennsylvania

Around the world, albeit not aggressively enough, governments are taking actions small and large to change our paths when it comes to energy and resource use. For example, multiple governments have taken action to reduce or eliminate disposable plastic shopping bags. Ireland, for example, has come close to eliminating plastic bags. In Ireland, businesses and […]

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Tags: environmental · plastic · pollution · recycling

Buying our way to a better planet …

April 24th, 2008 · 7 Comments

There is a debate, subdued at times, between various approaches toward changing the planet to the better. In many ways, my viewpoint (on the optimist side) tends toward the ‘enviro-capitalist’, thinking that we can work to structure the economy to make the right choice, the easy (and preferred) choice. There is a challenge between using […]

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Tags: eco-friendly · environmental · Global Warming

House “principles” on GW Legislation: Gaps with requirements

April 23rd, 2008 · 1 Comment

Yesterday’s House Principles on GW Legislation focused on a wording, a framing issue with the opening letter. One that is serious but, as well, quite likely one that the three signatories might well agree with on ‘principle’.  There are, however, there are elements of the House “prinicples” that violate core GW principles.  Principle #1: Scientifically […]

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Tags: climate change · environmental · Global Warming · politics

House Principles re GW Legislation

April 22nd, 2008 · 1 Comment

Representatives Markey, Waxman, and Inslee released Principles for Global Warming for Earth Day. This press release includes a letter that they jointly sent to Speaker Pelosi today. While there is much tremendous and substantive material within this release, one has to wonder about some of the messaging.   To this reader, it seems off-target and to […]

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Tags: climate change · Energy · environmental · Global Warming · government energy policy · politics