"You know, I’ve heard people say, "Oh, you know, he’s just kind of optimistic for the sake of optimism." President Bush, on March 21st, via PBS. Or, as Tom Toles Toles puts it:
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Global Warming Heats Up
Says Time. I’ll post their excellent story below the fold with one note: Here at last is a mainstream publication willing to say what is obvious to people who have been watching the issue…that yes, cyclones like Larry in Australia, clocked at an unprecedented 180 mph, are a manifestation of global warming. Why is that so difficult for reporters to put down on paper?
The Other Side of DuPont
Having complimented DuPont on its impressive work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, I feel honor-bound to report the other side of the story. DuPont still is in big trouble over a carcinogenic gas known as PFOA that is a necessary part of the manufacture of its best-known product, Teflon. Many, such as the Environmental Working Group,Continue reading “The Other Side of DuPont”
Map of the Week
Florida and the East Coast, if the Greenland ice sheet melts:
This from a formidable (but actually, excitingly good) shareholder report put out by the group called CERES, for California Environmental Resource Evaluation System).
Remarkably, in contrast to the head-in-the-sand stance of the Bush administration, it documents how a shocking number of big American corporations have taken on the fact and challenge of climate change, including Chevron, DuPont, and GE, and how these corps are making big changes in their operation and their attitude.
And then there are the "laggards," like the villainous ExxonMobil, Sempra, Phelps Dodge, and ConAgra.
I’ll post and briefly discuss the report below the fold.
Cold and Starry
Cold and starry have been the nights down here in March 2006, which reminded me of clear Sierra nights and the talented Tom Killion’s woodcut prints. Killion grew up in my home town, Mill Valley, but has gone on to make quite a name for himself, both as an artist and a scholar. His bookContinue reading “Cold and Starry”
Waah’s Up at Homeland Security
My favorite Washington reporter is the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, because he refuses to take anyone too seriously–especially those who take themselves very, very seriously. Yesterday he reminded me of the great-but-almost-forgotten novelist Thomas Pynchon, who once wrote a brilliant novel–"V"–around the concept of "Wha?" as in "Cafe Wha?" Except that today, it’s our leadersContinue reading “Waah’s Up at Homeland Security”
“A Recipe for Disaster” Says Hansen…on “60 Minutes”
Readers of this blog or the NY Times already know how much trouble James Hansen has had recently trying to talk in public about global warming under the Bush administration, but last night "60 Minutes" retold the story of James Hansen’s muzzling for a television audience, and well, calling it "Rewriting the Science." Hansen toldContinue reading ““A Recipe for Disaster” Says Hansen…on “60 Minutes””
Strange Good News
This month has seen a flood of alarming news about warming in the Arctic regions, but a report last week revealed a potential silver lining. Ozone created in the lower atmosphere–the troposphere–as air pollution is now believed to contribute substantially to warming in the Arctic, especially in the winter months. (That’s because ozone is destroyedContinue reading “Strange Good News”
Sisar Creek in Spring
Hey, enough with the doomy gloom, says my daughter, away at college. And yeah, the wet cold spring makes our creek look lovely…
Appeals Court Refers EPA to Webster’s (and Other Good News)
Today environmentalists got some good news from a Federal Court of Appeals in Washington, which ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency broke the law by allowing utilities to install new equipment without installing new pollution control equipment at the same time, a clear violation of the Clean Air Act. (The change had been stayed sinceContinue reading “Appeals Court Refers EPA to Webster’s (and Other Good News)”
Kit Stolz 