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Global Warming News
Candidate Stories
Opeds & Editorials
Investing in Clean Energy Is A Smart Strategy in these Troubled Economic Times
10/08/2008
Let’s face it. America’s economy is bad shape. Some will seize upon the troubled times to argue that we should cut back on investing in clean energy and environmental protection. But that’s the wrong direction both for today and for the future.
For today, energy efficiency makes even more sense in tight financial times. Businesses can’t afford to waste energy and drain their bottom lines from high energy bills, while causing more pollution to our environment. Improving energy efficiency is an investment that can achieve a healthy return. Smart businesses view their energy efficiency investments as a profit-center.
GAIL: Better policies needed to avert climate bailout By William B. Gail, Special to the Rocky
10/07/2008
Rocky Mountain News
Will we ever learn? Imagine the scene two decades hence: Congress toiling over the weekend to approve the “Emergency Climate Stabilization Act of 2028,” driven by dire warnings that only their legislation can avoid Monday morning’s anticipated collapse of the Greenland ice sheet.
This is not a particularly realistic scenario. But the analogy with today’s credit crisis should evoke fear in those comfortable with the slow-rolling of climate action. The parallels are ominous - claims that today’s prosperity is too fragile to invest in avoidance of future risks, that the markets will self-adjust to solve all problems, or that we weren’t aware as the collapse unfolded.
AS I SEE IT: Kansas must use its wealth of renewable resources
10/07/2008
Direct cost. Based upon worldwide supply and demand, the cost of coal delivered to Kansas utilities increased 25 percent from 2007 to 2008. That trend continues, with impacts on our bills.
Oil prices. Kansas uses 19 million tons of coal every year — that’s 1,000 coal trains, almost all from Wyoming. The costs of transporting all that coal are soaring, and showing up on our electric bills.
Global Warming News
Clean-Air Policies May Accelerate Warming Trend, Scientist Says
10/09/2008
By Jeremy van Loon
(Bloomberg)—Cleaning air in Beijing and in other large cities suffering from pollution problems by limiting car and power-plant emissions may raise global temperatures instead of lowering them, according to a German scientist.
Aerosols, or particles suspended in air, have a cooling effect on the Earth, countering global warming linked to carbon dioxide, said Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research. A drop in aerosols in the atmosphere could cause a ``rapid’’ rise in temperatures, he said.
House Panel Releases Climate Change Proposal as Marker for Next Congress
10/08/2008
By Avery Palmer
CQ Politics
Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee released Tuesday their long-awaited draft legislation to cap greenhouse gas emissions.
The draft includes notable differences from a climate change bill (
Wall Street and the climate crisis
09/29/2008
The fiscal crisis on Wall Street is a painful lesson in how entire industries can delude themselves into ignoring the most fundamental issues - in this case, the hidden risks from subprime mortgages. It also reveals the vast pitfalls of an economic system obsessed with short-term gains and growth at all costs while ignoring essentials such as building long-term shareholder value and protecting the future of the planet. As we confront global climate change - perhaps the biggest challenge mankind has ever faced - business and government leaders have an opportunity to learn from the Wall Street debacle and get it right.
