The Plan

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Bill Hewitt

As promised, the President gave a major speech today on how to fight the climate crisis and move us forward to a much more sustainable energy economy. The three main components of the plan are to mitigate the production of greenhouse gas gases, to help the country’s cities and states, citizens and businesses adapt to the impacts of climate change, and to lead on international efforts to confront the climate crisis. The White House has provided an excellent infographic detailing the plan, with the full report here as well. Continue reading →

Super Tuesday

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Bill Hewitt

This coming Tuesday, June 25^th, President Obama will deliver a major address on climate change: what the US government will be doing further to drive greenhouse gas reductions, how it will help in adapting to the impacts of climate change, and how it will be working with the international community to confront the climate crisis. Continue reading →

“The Global Threat of Our Time”

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Bill Hewitt

That’s what the President of the United States called climate change today at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. With Chancellor Angela Merkel on the podium beside him, he said: “The effort to slow climate change requires bold action. And on this, Germany and Europe have led.” Truer words were never said. “Our dangerous carbon emissions have come down. But we know we have to do more — and we will do more.” President Obama was referring to the US here in his speech. Continue reading →

Nero’s Still Fiddling

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Bill Hewitt

(graphic from The Ecologist)

I can’t really say it often enough: nuclear power is a scandal. It’s squandered trillions of dollars, generated waste that will be lethal for hundreds of thousands of years, blighted vast areas of Japan and the Ukraine – and is still an accident waiting to happen. But, you say, in this age of warming, we need clean nuclear power to cut our greenhouse gas emissions. Utter, unadulterated, dangerously stupid bullshit! Okay? Can it be said any more clearly than that? Part of the extraordinary tragedy of commercial nuclear power is the fact that while the planet is truly burning, the Nukefists are fiddling away time, money, expertise and political will with this proven outrage of a technology. Continue reading →

Tar Sands – Is the Noose Tightening?

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Bill Hewitt

There has certainly been a tremendous amount of activity surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline project – as there should be: It’s a big test for the environmental movement and, frankly, for the Obama Administration. If approved and built, the KXL will give a tremendous boost to the economic prospects for Canadian tar sands. If denied, the permit will, at the same time, be a serious body blow to the further development of the tar sands and, perhaps more importantly, provide a hugely important signal from Barack Obama that he is deadly serious about solving the climate crisis. Beating back KXL will also be a historic victory for us treehuggers. Continue reading →

A Newer World

on the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change

Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Plan

Super Tuesday

“The Global Threat of Our Time”

Nero’s Still Fiddling

Tar Sands – Is the Noose Tightening?