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Cap v FTax
The Financial Times' lead editorial today argues for prices over command-and-control (duh!) and then goes on to say a tax would be better than a cap (d'oh!). Where to begin?Well, first, let me once again point anyone interested to an ongoing...
Passive houses, active policies
The most-emailed NYT article for two days running has not been another explanation of the shaky housing market (that's #2), but rather a front-page story on solidly built "passive houses":Using ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows,...
Over a barrel, FT takes it in stride
Tomorrow's FT has an analysis of the recent oil price drop that's spot-on. The first sentence already says it all:The plunging oil price is like a dangerously addictive painkiller: short-term relief is being provided at a cost of serious long-term...
Where do John's loyalties lie?
January 2. 5:00 PM. Memphis. TN. ECU (former employer of John--and me) vs. Kentucky (awarder of John's PhD). What will John do? Purple or Blue? The world awaits a decision.The time off should be especially beneficial for Kentucky,...
Obama rears his head at climate summit
President-elect Obama shows his support for Governor Schwarzenegger's bi-partisan governors climate summit:Among the notable quotables:My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security...
Food, it's what's for dinner
From the man who gave us the phrase "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" comes a memo to the next president on why food matters, and much more so than you'd think. Michael Pollan makes a compelling case for why food policy matters in making "...
Doing very well while doing good
Today's New York Times Magazine portrays venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins and the new green Silicon Valley. They are betting hundreds of millions of dollars that now is the time for clean energy:[T]he firm’s green-tech investments didn’tseem...
Keeping cool in a world that's Hot, Flat, and Crowded
I wrote a review of Friedman's Hot, Flat, and Crowded over at Climate411.org:New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has completed his transformation from Middle East specialist to green energy expert. He...
Offsetting for good
Voluntary, private offsets for carbon emissions have puzzled economists for a while. First, of course, why would people buy them if they are voluntary? Turns out they do. Second, and perhaps more important, how can we ensure that they do indeed...
Flat Earth propaganda
While I'm waiting for my copy of Friedman's "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" to arrive, Letterman does his bit to stir up some expectations. Lots of one-liners for environmental economists to nod along:"There's only one thing bigger than...
Creative climate change containment
Even if all industrialized countries were to reduce emissions to zero by 2050, without any action by developing countries to reduce absolute emissions, the world will not be able to prevent 2°C of global average warming, a level considered...
