Weekly Round-up 4/2: The good, the bad, and the hilarious

This week's round-up features climate news from across the spectrum. Politically, the Obama administration announced both good and bad news. Economically, it looks like clean energy holds great hope for our Irish friends as well. Scientifically, a finding was released regarding the scientists attacked by climate skeptic hackers last fall. And in the world of April Fools, the ultimate eco-hoaxters released a video of their greatest hits.

It was a somewhat confusing week for the climate movement, with signals from the Obama administration showing nothing definitive except that our fight for strong climate action will not be an easy one. As we reported on Wednesday, the administration lifted bans on drilling for oil along many Atlantic coastlines, a move that 1Sky obviously opposes. On the other side of things, the EPA announced new rules for mountaintop removal coal mining that would go far to reduce the destructive practice. This ruling, done under Clean Water Act authority, is a long time coming. Read more on this on Grist, where they put it in context with the oil drilling announcement.

The whole idea of boosting the United States' economy with clean energy and green jobs is not something that we Americans are looking at alone. Reuters had an article on Sunday discussing how Ireland is looking at clean energy to spurring their economic growth as well. This would be great to see. The more countries that embrace clean energy whole-heartedly the better it will be for the climate, the global economy, and future generations.

This piece of news will probably be no surprise to most of you. The investigation into the research of British scientists whose email was hacked last fall (which came to be known as "climategate") came back finding that they were innocent of scientific fraud and that their findings on climate change still stand true. It was noted that the scientists could have been more open with their research, but that the science is still strong for human-induced global warming.

The top movie release this week (as we see it) may not have giant robots or a $100 million budget, but it does have some of the most clever examples of socially conscious hoaxes ever. The Yes Men Fix the World features the Yes Men, who you remember from their impersonation of the Chamber of Commerce in October, doing their thing and saying what needs to be said on behalf of major corporations -- whether they like it or not. Their latest movie features several climate change-related stunts, including introducing the infamous Survivaballs as a solution to climate catastrophe.

The Yes Men have partnered with 1Sky by donating a number of copies of The Yes Men Fix the World for us to give to hosts of Spring House Parties. Sign up to host a house party (even if not actually held at your house) and you could get your own copy for free! We promise, it's no hoax.