Solve Climate: Daily Climate News and Opinion

San Francisco Joins "Better Place" Electric Car Project

Stacy Feldman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:30:58 -0800

The mass-market electric car could finally hit California's roads.

That's thanks to the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, who have declared their intention to transform the Bay Area -- and eventually California -- into the "Electric Vehicle Capital of the US" (video of the press conference here). To do so, they've signed up Palo Alto EV firm Better Place to deliver the charging infrastructure -- the first US deployment of the company’s technology.

The Better Place goal: 250,000 charging ports, 200 battery-exchange stations and a control center to service Bay Area electric car drivers. The cost: $1 billion. The time frame: permitting of the network will begin in January 2009 and construction in 2010. Commercial availability of the electric cars is targeted for 2012.

New Energy Economy, Part 4: Let the National Conversation Begin

Bill Becker — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:25:17 -0800

Now that the 2008 election finally is over, let’s go to Disney World.

I’ll explain, but first some background. The dominant theme of the long presidential campaign was change. The vote on Nov. 4 was a clear mandate for President Obama to make it happen. But what kind of change? And once we begin to define it, will we all disagree?

We need a national conversation on the topic of change, on America’s future. The conversation is sufficiently important that it should be convened by President Obama himself. In fact, along with all of the other tasks that will occupy the transition team between now and January 20, a few members of the team should be assigned to focus on our national trip to Disney World.

Today's Climate: November 21, 2008

Stacy Feldman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:05:34 -0800

Senator Boxer Announces Two Climate Bills to Be Introduced in January (Gristmill)

Sen. Boxer has announced that she will introduce two new climate bills in January. One would create a $15 billion grant program to support clean energy, while the other would direct the EPA to develop a cap-and-trade system by amending the Clean Air Act.

Democratic Leaders Demand Business Plan Before Auto Aid Vote (Detroit Free Press)

Congress has kicked the auto industry’s request for a $25-billion loan back to Detroit, demanding more information by Dec. 2 about how the companies would use the money to survive before considering any bill.

Democrats Oust Longtime Leader of House Panel (New York Times)

Rep. Henry A. Waxman has wrested the chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee from Rep. John D. Dingell in a coup that is expected to accelerate passage of climate legislation backed by President-elect Obama.

Court Voids Shell's Beaufort Sea Drilling Plan (Reuters)

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a major oil-drilling program in the Beaufort Sea, ruling that federal officials failed to address environmental impacts when they granted permission to Shell Oil to drill wells over a three-year period.

Spoof: Chevron Greenwash Ad Campaign Backfires

David Sassoon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:41:52 -0800

Chevron has rolled out an ad campaign called "Will You Join Us" that is aiming to convince Americans that the key to ending the energy crisis is individual action.

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has produced a series of ads of their own, highlighting what Chevron executives and fellow travelers can do -- as individuals -- to make a difference.

For example, Chevron CEO David O'Reilly. He's pictured here next to the pledge LCV would like to see him make:

I will spend less than $6,415,332 to influence politicians next year.

The LCV campaign is called "I Will Point Out Hypocrisy."

Post-Election, Wall Street Journal's Identity Disorder Intensifies

David Sassoon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:14:53 -0800

It’s been almost a year now since Rupert Murdoch took over the Wall Street Journal, and the paper’s newsroom leadership, its reporting style, its size and its look have all had a makeover. Murdoch has left its editorial page alone, however – it’s still spouting green-bashing, extremist free-market opinion – and now post-election, the great financial paper’s identity disorder appears to have intensified.

In the absence of professional diagnosis, we can only speculate that the stress of being out of step with history, combined with the collapse of the global financial system, has further unhinged the edit page's grasp of reality and its inability to accept the news carried in the rest of the paper.

Compare the story “US Car Makers Fail to Improve Resale Value” with the editorial that warns against “making Detroit a subsidiary of the Sierra Club,” and the profound depths of the edit page's denial become alarmingly clear. Why do their opinion writers refuse to read and believe what their own reporters write? That's a question Mr. Murdoch ought to address before it tarnishes the reputation and value of the flagship brand of his NewsCorp empire.

Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.

The subject may deny the reality of the unpleasant fact altogether (simple denial), admit the fact but deny its seriousness (minimisation) or admit both the fact and seriousness but deny responsibility (transference). The concept of denial is particularly important to the study of addiction.

Perhaps even oil addiction?

Here’s the news the Journal published about the declining resale value of Detroit’s autos:

New Energy Economy, Part 3: The Next Transition Team

Bill Becker — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:05:18 -0800

Barack Obama has created a top-notch team to guide his transition into the White House. Next, he should create a team to guide America’s transition to a new energy economy.

I’m not talking about the prestigious group of economic advisers Obama already has assembled to help him identify solutions to the economic meltdown.

I’m talking about a team that includes experts in sustainable energy technologies, climate mitigation and adaptation, capital investment, state and local government, business, industry and labor.

Today's Climate: November 20, 2008

Stacy Feldman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:17:23 -0800

Governors Pledge to Fight Global Warming Together (AP)

Gov. Schwarzenegger, his counterparts in 12 states and regional leaders from 4 other countries have signed a declaration to work together to combat global warming -- a move Schwarzenegger has said will help push heads of state to curb their nations' CO2 emissions.

Canada Wants North America Cap-and-Trade System (Reuters)

Canada's Conservative government, shifting positions in the wake of Obama's election, has said that it would work to develop a North America-wide cap-and-trade system to limit CO2 emissions.

UN Climate Change Chief Hails Obama Commitments (AP)

The recent commitments on global warming by President-elect Obama mark a new beginning for world negotiations to replace the Kyoto Protocol, the head of the UN's climate change body has said.

Waxman Advances in Struggle to Wrest Committee From Dingell (New York Times)

Rep. Henry A. Waxman of California won a preliminary round yesterday in his bid to unseat Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan from his post as chairman of the influential Committee on Energy and Commerce.

In Stunning Twist, Solar Energy Company Makes Offer to Buy Piece of GM

Stacy Feldman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:55:36 -0800

GM news of the day: SolarWorld, the Germany-based maker of solar photovoltaic systems, has unveiled plans to take over the German factories of the Detroit automaker's troubled Opel unit. The goal: to convert the cash-starved Opel into "Europe's first green automobile maker," focusing on creating the next generation of fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicles.

The announcement has "stunned investors in Germany," said CNN.

Inside Access: Video from Obama's Energy and Climate Team

David Sassoon — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:31:19 -0800

New Energy Economy, Part 2: Tough Questions, Tough Answers

Bill Becker — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:24:00 -0800

To lead America into a post-carbon economy, President Obama and the 111th Congress will have to revolutionize the biggest and most heavily lobbied of the government’s programs. That means taking on the armies of the status quo, who have money and inertia on their side.

It’s a battle that must be fought and won. Today, our public policy is riddled with crisis-inducing, self-defeating contradictions. The next Congress will have to resolve some tough questions that past Congresses avoided. For example:

1.) What action will Congress take to prove to the world that the United States is serious about addressing climate action?