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Entries from August 2010

A window on France: The World’s Planet Page

August 29th, 2010 · 1 Comment

This summer represented the longest vacation in over a decade, three weeks spent in the homes of relatives and friends in France driven, in part, by a serious illness in the family. This time, often with (extremely) limited web access, provided some breathing space, too much weight gain with excellent food, and provided some windows […]

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Tags: environmental · EU · France · journalism

We don’t need your help … we don’t want it …

August 26th, 2010 · 3 Comments

When it comes to the necessity of facing down pollution in the nation’s electricity system and other major polluting industries, it is hard to read recent Obama Administration action as anything other than a strong statement to leading environmental organizations: Stay out of our way, we don’t need your help … we don’t need it. […]

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Tags: climate change · emissions · Energy · energy efficiency · Obama Administration · politics

TLC

August 25th, 2010 · Comments Off on TLC

TLC … Tender, loving, care. What beautiful words. We can all use some TLC. And, looking at peat fires smoking out Moskovites, flooded Pakistanis, overheated Washingtonians, and other climate chaos victims around the world, it has to be clear to all but the anti-science syndrome sufferring haters of a livable economic system that our planet […]

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Tags: Energy

Does BP stand for Begging for Pennies?

August 23rd, 2010 · Comments Off on Does BP stand for Begging for Pennies?

Few people earn a living (or even make money) running a blog site — especially not one that focuses on issues of substance.  People do it for passion, love, ego, boredom, concern for public service … any number of reasons. And, in almost all cases, doing this costs money from indirect (opportunity costs) to direct […]

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Tags: advertising · Energy · greenwashing · journalism

Seven questions for seven generations

August 19th, 2010 · Comments Off on Seven questions for seven generations

Perhaps the best single piece of advice for societies comes down to one word: generations. To add richness, expand this to three words: think seven generations. Seven generations … Writ large, keeping this in mind when making deciosns about societal investments and structure creates a sustainable space which offers the chance for an indefinite strengthening […]

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Tags: Energy

Buy our way to a better planet?

August 18th, 2010 · 1 Comment

There is a debate, subdued at times, between various approaches toward changing the planet to the better. There are those who layout the fundamental flaws of capitalism and the huge complexity of market failures (see Sick Planet) which, they explain, require us to move forward to something else to have a chance to survive climate […]

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Tags: Energy

The power of “and”

August 17th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Our challenges, opportunities, and solution paths are complex and interrelated. Yet, all too often, we see them individually, not linked and interacting. Last year, in response to a blog post entitled My New High Efficiency Toilet, a commentator wrote I don’t have low flow shower heads, but I rinse up, turn off the water, lather […]

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Tags: Energy

Energy Bookshelf: A power hungry gushing of lies

August 16th, 2010 · 5 Comments

On reading the opening paragraphs of Robert Bryce’s author’s note, I felt a kindred soul: .. just how lucky I am. There is no more complex or fascinating topic than energy. … the scale of energy use and the complexity and the importance of the energy business are unmatched by any industry. The study of […]

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Tags: climate delayers · Energy · energy bookshelf · skeptic · truthiness

“Outrage-Lib” Climate-Change LTE

August 10th, 2010 · 6 Comments

Warren S has made a commitment with a New Year’s Resolution. Every day, another letter to the editor or a politicians about climate change and global warming issues. One of his most recent conclusions is that the rampant inability of traditional media institutions to link global record war temperatures, the hottest year in recorded weather […]

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Tags: catastrophic climate change · guest post

Fighting Back against Cutting Electric Prices with Wind Power

August 9th, 2010 · 2 Comments

This is another guest post from BruceMcF who, again, is worth listening to … Recently, Jerome a Paris and afew from the European Tribune published a piece in New Scientist on why having sufficient wind turbines in an energy portfolio has been observed to lower energy prices to consumers. After tweeting that article, I started […]

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Tags: wind power