Climate blogs exposed: no more coal, recycling's a sham, and T. Boone Pickens--11/14

Huge news came out yesterday--NO NEW COAL PLANTS! The Sierra Club's legal team has forced the EPA to put an immediate halt on the construction of all new coal-fired power plants in the US. This news marks a huge victory for the climate movement! It's Getting Hot in Here reports:

The ruling in the Bonanza coal plant permitting case (pdf) ruled with the Club’s lawyers that since the Mass. v EPA Supreme Court ruling said Carbon Dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, new coal-fired power plants must implement “Best Available Control Technology” (BACT for short) for CO2.

While the Sierra Club’s legal team and other lawyers are still determining the full implications of the decision, it appears that this decision will essentially stop all new coal plant permitting dead in it’s tracks for at least a year as EPA decides what BACT means in the context of CO2.

Jason also blogged last night about the significance of the decision for the climate movement.

Do you actively recycle? I do too--I have for my entire life. In fact, November 15th is America Recycles Day, but did you ever stop to think that recycling might be a sham? Treehugger.com is pointing their finger at the businesses behind America Recycles Day and calling Bullsh%*!

Lets call recycling what it is- a fraud, a sham, a scam perpetrated by big business on the citizens and municipalities of America. Look who sponsors the National Recycling Coalition: behind America Recycles Day: Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Anheuser-Busch, Coors, Owens-Illinois, International Bottled Water Association, the same people who brought you that other fraud, Keep America Beautiful.

So let's remove recycling from the three R's; it doesn't belong there, use "repair" instead. Let's demand returnable bottles and deposits on everything and let's celebrate Zero Waste Day on November 15 with a returnable bottle of beer.

We've all seen T. Boone Picken's ads on TV the last few months. This week he made an appearance on the 'The Daily Show.'

Although January cannot come soon enough, President-elect Obama will take control during an incredibly difficult time. But it's not only Obama's responsibility to fix our country--we all have a lot of work ahead of us in order to fix Bush's mistakes. But how can we get the biggest 'bang for the buck' especially when our economy is in trouble? Investing in infrastructure! Investing in clean, green energy solutions! Check out Grist.org to find out more:

Infrastructure investment is one of the most effective means to stimulate an economy. A $1 increase in infrastructure spending will generate an estimated $1.59 in increased GDP. Only unemployment benefit extensions or increases in food stamps are more effective.

By pouring money into transit and rail, the government can get the economy moving. When recovery occurs and rising global petroleum demand pushes fuel prices upward, we'll be better prepared to cut our gasoline use, and Obama can claim a victory. When the time comes to pass a climate bill, and opponents begin arguing that rising energy prices will pressure low-income families, we'll be better prepared to keep families mobile without the use of automobiles, and Obama can claim a victory.

Are you going to be in New York City anytime soon? The American Museum of Natural History has just added a new exhibit on global warming. Climate Change: The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future opened last month and runs through next summer. NRDC's Switchboard writes:

The museum tells the story of how humanity remade civilization and the planet through its reliance on fossil fuels -- and the consequences those actions will likely have for centuries to come.

I visited on Oct. 18, opening day, along with a pretty decent crowd. The exhibition is packed with information about global warming's causes and consequences, but my favorite part came at the end, when the focus switched to solutions. Guests got to share their own suggestions on squares of paper that were posted for others to see.

Kennedy went to Berlin, Nixon went to China, will Obama go to Poland? Stop questions and start demanding! 1Sky's November 18th Action is coming up and if you haven't signed up already, sign up today:

What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section below!