Archive - 2008

The climate blogs were filled this week with reports on the widespread damage in Tennessee when a dike broke releasing a catastrophic surge of coal ash into the surrounding waterways. Although this news failed to steal most of the mainstream media headlines, it's actually turning out to be a bigger mess than the authorities initially predicted. Dave Roberts from Grist notes:

This week, a new survey published by the U.S. Geological Survey indicates that climate change is occurring much fasterthan earlier reports predicted.

Greenpeace wants a criminal investigation in to coal ash spill

Yesterday, the people of Tennessee got a real-life reminder that coal is a dirty fuel. More than 500 million gallons of coal ash sludge spilled into the Emory River yesterday. The spill followed the breach of a dike at a coal-fired power plant owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, and covered as many as 400 acres of land with potentially toxic ash as high as six feet deep.

In this week's radio address, President-elect Obama has an inspiring message for 1Sky and our allies. He was introducing his science and technology team

Last month we were excited about the EPA’s decision to say no to dirty coal plants.  Sadly, this week we saw this position reversed.

This is a guest post by Juan Reynosa, a 1Sky Organizer in New Mexico, who was just featured in The Nation--check out the article here! Below is a short post by Juan introducing himself and his work.--Andrew

It’s been a tumultuous year. From witnessing ongoing war to fighting climate change to the nation’s economic decline, we’ve all had to endure many struggles this year. Yet despite all of these ongoing battles it’s good to try and maintain a positive frame of mind. That’s definitely the mind state I’ve tried to keep throughout the year, because I know that many people like me are working to make a change in our world.

I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays and remind you (if you haven't already) not to miss your chance to send a 1Sky Holiday E-card!

Can you think of any better way to put the biggest Scrooge in the holiday mood than carols from Stephen Colbert? I can't! Nor can Dave Roberts from Grist who wrote:

According to today's Washington Post, 75 percent of Americans said that President-elect Obama should implement policies to reduce global warming -- including half of Republicans.

It's not just that the public wants to see serious changes, they actually are optimistic about those changes occurring: More than two-thirds of Americans polled by the Washington Post and ABC News think that President-elect Obama, once in office, will be able to implement policies to reduce global warming.