Environment

By Juan Cole The good news is that US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reached an agreement on limiting carbon emissions in their two countries. The US puts out 5.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, and China does 7 – 9 billion. The US did 5 billion metric […]

Climate Change

Sea Rise not Distant: Americans on Coast could see 200 Floods a Year before Mortgage paid Off

contributors

Union of Concerned Scientists: “As sea level rises higher over the next 15 to 30 years, tidal flooding is expected to occur more often, cause more disruption, and even render some areas unusable — all within the time frame of a typical home mortgage. Learn more at http://www.ucsusa.org/encroachingtides ” Union of Concerned Scientists: “Tidal Flooding […]

Climate Change

If Germany Drops Coal, can the Industry Survive?

contributors

By Jake Richardson Germany is looking into cutting its use of coal power, at the same time that it is cutting out nuclear. If it does, there could be a ripple effect because Germany is a major player in the European energy market. A Berlin-based journalist said that Germany’s emphasis on renewables is already impacting […]

Climate Change

Can Big Oil “win ugly” in its “Endless War” on Climate Activists?

contributors

by Stephen Leahy (IPS) Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are higher than ever, and we’re seeing more and more extreme weather and climate events….We can’t prevent a large scale disaster if we don’t heed this kind of hard science.” Question: Is that statement about the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report from […]

Climate Change

The Pentagon wants to Surrender to Climate Change, not Fight It

contributors

By Eric Bonds via Foreign Policy in Focus The Pentagon recently released a new report sounding the alarm on the national security threats posed by climate change. Like previous reports on the subject, this one makes clear that Department of Defense (DoD) planners believe that global warming will seriously challenge our nation’s military forces. The […]

Coal

Top 5 Things More Americans will die of than Ebola this Year, including Guns

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The odd hysteria about ebola is being driven more by a media frenzy than the actual public health risks. Ebola is not the sort of disease that is likely to turn into a pandemic, becoming really wide spread. It is too hard to contract (it doesn’t spread by infected persons just breathing […]

Climate Change

Why Can Europe have Climate Targets but not the US? Corruption

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The European Union climate summit has agreed to cut emissions by 40% by 2030, after hard bargaining by Poland and the UK failed to derail an agreement. The 28 nations of the EU also agreed to improve energy efficiency by 27% over the next decade and a half, and to ensure a […]

Energy

Renewables & the Future of India: IT Center Bangalore goes Solar to avoid Brownouts, High Electricity Bills

contributors

News9 “The city [of Bangalore] is struggling with frequent power cuts. Those who were smart enough to invest in solar energy are the only ones coping with it. We take you through a few places in Bengaluru [Bangalore] that entirely uses solar power. Thanks to solar energy, for these smart cookies, it’s no hassle of […]

Climate Change

Climate Treaty Follies: How Inaction is Endangering the World

contributors

By Tom Giesen “To be quite candid the idea of a 2°C target is largely out of the window.” Sir Robert Watson, former IPCC Chair. 2012 Since the late 1990s, the stated goal of world governments has been to hold average global warming to no more than 3.6 degrees F. (2 degrees centigrade). However, many […]