Climate 411

Who is right when a national environmental group holds a video competition and the public and the “experts” disagree on who should win?

At the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, the jury of film experts chose Forty Shades of Blue as the best dramatic film.  The Audience Award went to Hustle & Flow.  I don’t know which was a better film, but I do know Hustle & Flow went on to earn $20 million in wide release in the U.S., while Forty Shades of Blue topped out at $75,000.  I’m sure it doesn’t always happen that way, but it goes to show that the experts don’t always know what will succeed in the marketplace of ideas.

We at Environmental Defense Fund just finished something a bit like a film festival — a competition that challenged participants to make a 30 second ad that explains how capping greenhouse gas pollution will help cure our national addition to oil.  This week we announced two winners, one selected by our staff and another chosen by thousands of voters online.  Like at Sundance, the voters and the judges chose different winners…in fact, the video chosen by us “experts” came in dead last in the online voting.

I thought it might be interesting to explain our decision and see what others think. Read More »

As the staff at EDF meet with journalists and Hill staff, we often need to explain why it’s so urgent to act quickly on global warming. To help us do this, we just put together a quick summary of the reasons, with links to studies and other references.

I thought you might also find this a good resource if you need to make the same point. Any suggestions for additions and updates would be great, too.

As President Obama so clearly said, “Delay is no longer an option.”

Keith Gaby is communications director of EDF’s national climate campaign.

In 2008, the wind energy industry added so many new jobs that it now employs more people than coal mining. That and other compelling numbers were released this week by the American Wind Energy Association.

This is a great example of how clean energy investment creates jobs. Unfortunately, with investment of all kinds down, experts don’t expect 2009 to be quite as rosy for the wind industry. But the long-term outlook is good for people seeking jobs in this sector — once Congress puts a cap on carbon pollution, the investment dollars will start flowing again, and the hiring will kick back into high gear.

(Hat tip to Green Wombat.)

“The days of Washington dragging its heels are over”
– President Obama, Jan. 26, 2009

David Yarnold, EDF’s executive director, just sent this message out to our supporters, reflecting on President Obama’s actions this morning:

I just witnessed history in the making.

This morning, President Barack Obama signed two executive orders that could be remembered as the critical turning point toward achieving real energy independence and stopping global warming.

President Obama directed the EPA to review the Bush administration’s denial of a waiver request by California to cut global warming pollution from automobiles. The president also ordered the Transportation Department to enact short-term rules on how automakers can improve the fuel efficiency of their new models.

Politically, what President Obama said was at least as important as what he signed.

The President’s powerful statement affirming his commitment to moving aggressively to cut global warming emissions and unleash America’s clean energy future laid out clear goals for action in the coming weeks and months.

The President’s plan—including the next step of a cap on carbon pollution—means more new jobs, a rebirth for the American auto industry, and less global warming pollution.

If today’s announcement is the start of a comprehensive policy like that, I’d say that’s pretty darn good for the first week in office.

I was deeply honored to be among those who attended the White House ceremony and witness history in the making. And, I couldn’t help but think that this is what change looks like.

For more on today’s news, here’s a good article from the Washington Post.

We’ll keep you posted as we continue our efforts to support President Obama’s goal of capping and reducing America’s global warming pollution.

Steve Cochran is the director of Environmental Defense Fund’s national climate campaign.

We’ve been getting some good reactions to our new Fight Global Warming Toolbar. Treehugger describes it as “a very easy way to be green”. GoodCleanTech says “If only fighting global warming were as easy as surfing the web, surely our ailing blue planet would be on a fast track to recovery. If you think nothing is that easy, you better hold on to your browsers.”

Our free toolbar lets you raise money to stop global warming simply by using the search box, get our latest action alerts, share environmental news, and quickly access tips and tools for reducing your carbon footprint. We have versions for Internet Explorer and Firefox. Try it out and tell us what you think!

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.