Climate 411

Mankiw's Argument Against Cap-and-Trade

By Nat Keohane / Published: September 17, 2007

The author of today’s post, Nat Keohane, Ph.D., is Director of Economic Policy and Analysis at Environmental Defense.

In yesterday’s New York Times, Harvard economics professor N. Gregory Mankiw, advisor to President Bush and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, threw his hat into the climate policy ring. Mankiw called for an international carbon tax to address global climate change.

We’re glad that a highly regarded academic economist is calling for serious action to stop global warming. But we part ways with his prescription for what action to take.

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Posted in Climate Change Legislation, Economics / Read 6 Responses

What Has the Government's Climate Program Achieved?

By Bill Chameides / Published: September 14, 2007

Today’s post is by Bill Chameides, Ph.D., science adviser to Environmental Defense and member of the National Academy of Sciences.

In 2002, the Bush Administration set up the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). Yesterday, an independent panel released a report through the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) evaluating how that program has done. The headline in the New York Times sums it up: “Panel Faults Emphasis of U.S. Climate Program.”

When I look at the work of the CCSP over the last five years, here’s what stands out.

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Posted in News / Read 3 Responses

Grim Outlook for Polar Bears

By Lisa Moore / Published: September 14, 2007

The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.

What's a polar bear, Mommy?A frame from an Environmental Defense ad campaign about the danger of unchecked global warming.

“Most Polar Bears Gone by 2050“. You may have seen that headline in the news this week. The study behind this depressing conclusion could land polar bears on the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

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Posted in Arctic & Antarctic / Read 7 Responses

Bjorn Lomborg's Fundamental Mistake

By Jon A. Anda / Published: September 13, 2007

Today’s post is by Jon Anda, president of Environmental Markets Network. It’s a response to a column in Tuesday’s New York Times.

The column’s writer, John Tierney, goes along with Bjorn Lomborg, author of the book “Cool It”. Lomborg acknowledges that global warming is happening, but is against “hysteria and headlong spending on extravagant CO2-cutting programs.”

In the world of greenhouse gases, the devil is in the details. Climate policy is not about any specific scenario – like the one-foot sea level rise Lomborg wades us through – but the chance of a catastrophic outcome.

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Posted in Economics / Read 2 Responses

VT Court Rejects Automakers' Attempt to Continue Polluting

By Jim Tripp / Published: September 12, 2007

The author of today’s post, Jim Tripp, is General Counsel at Environmental Defense. Working with state agencies and other environmental groups, Tripp presented arguments in the Vermont trial this spring.

We won an important victory today. A federal judge in Vermont ruled against U.S. automakers’ attempt to block states from setting new rules limiting global warming pollution from automobiles. In his ruling, Judge William K. Sessions III said that the auto industry failed to prove that it could not safely meet the tailpipe standards.

A number of environmental groups joined the State of Vermont in defending the case, including us at Environmental Defense, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

So can Vermont now implement the tighter emissions requirements? Not quite yet.

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Posted in Cars and Pollution / Read 4 Responses

Cool New Energy Technologies

By Sheryl Canter / Published: September 11, 2007

The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

We know we need energy to power, well, everything. And we know that if we continue to get our power mainly from fossil fuels we’re in big trouble. So where do we get it?

Most people have heard about solar power and wind power, but there are some other alternatives that may be new to you.

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Posted in Energy / Comments are closed