California

Retro Environmentalism: Is Plastic the Next Carbon?

Back in the day, before Al Gore informed us about a certain inconvenient truth, before we started to calculate our commutes in carbon, and before people in the South Pacific had to start heading for higher land, there were beach clean ups. People walked along the sand — maybe sometimes only on Earth Day, like [...]

The Clean Air War Is Far From Over

For all the—very necessary—focus on the 21st century problems of climate change and shifting to a cleaner energy economy, we’re still beset by industrial pollution that hasn’t changed a whole lot since the 19th century. Air pollution—from smog to sooty particulates—is still a major health threat to much of the country. How much? According to [...]

Climate: California Approves Carbon Cap-and-Trade

OK, so a national carbon cap-and-trade program is, as we’ve said many times before, extremely dead. And at this point, no one has any idea what form energy and climate legislation might take over the next couple of years, or whether anything’s really possible. Climate change hasn’t gone away, even if many people are pretending [...]

Climate: At the Governator’s Climate Swan Song

  I’m back from vacation (I’m sure I was missed), but I didn’t go home. I’m out in rather lovely Sacramento today and tomorrow, to moderate a couple of panels at the third Governor’s Global Climate Summit. The meeting is outgoing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual gathering of governors and other subnational leaders from around [...]