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Pakistan Flood Provides Warning for Growing Climate Disasters

Submitted by Lynn Englum on 24 November 2010 - 12:29pm

A new report released from Refugee International addresses the rising threat of climate change on vulnerable countries and populations. The report draws from the Pakistan flood as an example of the coming increase in extreme weather events from climate change and as a lesson of inadequate response and preparedness. 

Clean Energy Industry: The One that Got Away?

Submitted by Lynn Englum on 18 November 2010 - 1:50pm

Will the clean energy industry be considered America’s biggest missed opportunity of the 21st century? According to a new report from Third Way, this new market will grow $2.2 trillion over the next decade. As it currently stands, the U.S. is poorly positioned to lead this up and coming market.

President Obama believes Republicans & Democrats can find common ground on energy policy

Submitted by Lynn Englum on 9 November 2010 - 4:21pm

During President Obama's post election press conference last week (3 Nov. 2010), several questions and answers during the Q&A session addressed America's energy policy, EPA's regulation of carbon emissions and the possibility of future legislation to reduce carbon pollution.

Federal Task Force says Americans Must Prepare for the "Inevitable Effects" of Climate Change

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 14 October 2010 - 10:55am

"People are already feeling the impacts of climate change and future changes are inevitable," says a report released today (14 October 2010) by a Federal Task Force on climate change adaptation coordinated by the White House.  The report says that "it is becoming ever more urgent to understand and prepare" for climate change impacts, and outlines steps the Administration can take to respond to those growing impacts of climate disruption.

Big Ideas in a Little Book on "Preparing for Climate Change"

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 12 October 2010 - 4:15pm

In a pithy new book, Michael D. Mastrandrea and the late Stephen H. Schneider, argue that policies to slow climate change (mitigation) and to prepare for its impacts (planned adaptation) "must  be complementary and concurrent."

In Rolling Stone Interview, Obama Says "We're Going to Have to Mobilize" on Climate Change

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 11 October 2010 - 5:38pm

"[C]limate change has the potential to have devastating effects on people around the globe," President Obama says in the latest (15 October 2010) issue of Rolling Stone, "and we've got to do something about it."  The President emphasizes the importance of curbing greenhouse gas emissions, though says nothing about preparing for the impacts of climate change -- even though a group of experts in late September called for increased Presidential engagement on preparedness issues.

2020 emissions set to exceed dangerous levels by one third

Submitted by Nick Sundt on 6 October 2010 - 8:47am
Global greenhouse gas emissions under current policy settings could be up to nearly one third more in 2020 than the trend needed to avoid catastrophic climate change, according to the latest “gigatonne gap” analysis conducted by WWF.

Senate Republicans & Democrats Unveil Bill on National Renewable Electricity Standard

Submitted by Lynn Englum on 4 October 2010 - 8:11am

On 21 Sept. 20101, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and several other of his Republican and Democratic colleagues unveiled a bill to establish a national renewable electricity standard (RES).  An RES is an important component of any national energy policy that aims to ramp up renewable energy supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, because of its weak incremental national targets and aggressive actions some states already have taken, it is unclear how much this legislation's RES targets will spur renewable energy generation

Clean Air Act Under Attack...AGAIN

Submitted by Lynn Englum on 17 September 2010 - 2:03pm

After a failed attempt in June (2010), some Senators are again trying to block, weaken or delay the enforcement of the Clean Air Act to limit dangerous climate change pollution from the nation’s biggest polluters.

Risky Business: Leading Wall Street Risk Manager Says Failure to Price Carbon Will Lead to Disaster

Submitted by Lynn Englum on 27 August 2010 - 2:56pm

Financial expert Dr. Robert Litterman says "the Senate has decided to say to the entire world, on behalf of the American public: `We are going to ignore the risks of a climate disaster.'"  In the final months of this Congressional session, he says "the Senate must find a way to deal with the reality of this situation and pass a strong climate bill."

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