Climate 411

Links to Make You Laugh and Cry

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Here are some links to interesting articles I ran across recently:

Six Degrees – Review from RealClimate of a new book that soberly assesses what will happen to the world at one degree increase in temperature, two degrees, etc. It’s alarming – but not alarmist.

The People We Have Been Waiting ForNew York Times Op-Ed by Thomas Friedman that will make you laugh and cry. It ends on a wonderfully optimistic note (in case you’re feeling depressed about climate change).*


*There’s one small inaccuracy in Friedman’s piece. He says climate change will lead to “colder cold spells”. Actually, as the IPCC states, there are “warmer and fewer cold days and nights over most land areas.” The idea that weather will swing to colder as well as warmer extremes is a common misunderstanding.

Posted in What Others are Saying / Comments are closed

Help Developing Countries Cut Carbon, Not Trees

This post is by Sheryl Canter, and Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

In last Friday’s post on the Bali climate talks, Kyle mentioned giving countries incentives to leave their forests standing. This was also the topic of an excellent piece on NPR this morning, "Climate Experts Mull Payment to Stop Deforestation". Our own Annie Petsonk was interviewed for the story:

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Posted in International / Read 3 Responses

Thanks to You on Thanksgiving!

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

With Thanksgiving approaching, we got to thinking about what we’re grateful for, and we wanted to tell you how very grateful we are to you – our online readers, activists and donors. Your support means everything. We even made a video about it!

We’re all heading out for Thanksgiving now so we won’t be posting again this week. See you again on Monday. Have a great holiday!

Posted in News / Comments are closed

Environmental Defense President Testifies Before Congress

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Yesterday, Environmental Defense President Fred Krupp testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works about America’s Climate Security Act (ACSA). "There is no more important legislation that this Committee will ever consider than comprehensive climate change policy," said Krupp in his written remarks [PDF].

Krupp focused on four main points:

  1. Time is of the essence; we must not delay.
  2. This bill has all the essential elements needed to tackle climate change.
  3. We have the technology we need to get started.
  4. The bill’s system of carrots and sticks will prompt international action.

He also recommended some improvements the Senate can make going forward, and alerted Senators to amendments that we would oppose. The bill is scheduled for “mark-up” on December 5 (more on the legislative process in upcoming posts).

Posted in Climate Change Legislation / Read 1 Response

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Ad Misleads America on Costs of Global Warming Action

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

It’s no surprise the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes the Lieberman-Warner bill (see their new ad). They’ve been one of the loudest voices against global warming action for years.

The problem is, their claim that a firm climate bill will cripple our economy is simply wrong. See our previous post on Green Technologies for a more realistic assessment of the costs. There is also a cost to inaction. A recent study by the University of Maryland found that the most expensive option is to do nothing.

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Posted in Economics / Read 1 Response

Governors Challenge Congress to Lead on Climate Change

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

What do the Republican Governor of California, the Democratic Governor of Montana, and the Republican Governor of Utah have in common? A desire for Congress to take action on global warming. Check out our new Governors’ Ad:

Posted in News / Comments are closed