Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Gillian Caldwell — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:02:27 +0000

Tonight, President Obama is expected to go to bat for his key priorities including energy, health care, and education in a national primetime press conference. We need him now more than ever to enlist every state in this country in the challenge to rebuild a clean, green economy.

The American economy will not be well until we break our reliance on oil and coal and produce energy from renewable sources that create American jobs. Now is the time. This administration and Congress can, with our help, usher in a new era of clean safe sources of energy that will never run out.

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Gillian Caldwell — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:48:14 +0000

We are geared up for a busy and exciting 2009. This will be a bike-rubber-meets-the-road year for building and demonstrating the political will to make the hard changes for a clean energy future.

Here are some notable beacons:

Green Jobs Recovery: Consensus is building in Washington for a quick and energy-efficient recovery package that moves us towards the 5 million green jobs Obama embraced in his campaign. 1Sky board member and ally Van Jones has led the charge and is being listened to in the corridors of power.
Generation E. NY Times' Andrew Revkin calls them Generation E. We call them our allies, but whatever you call them, young climate activists are the light of the future. From staging eye-popping protests with 350.org at the climate talks in Poland, to creating a clean energy unicycle, to New Mexico organizer Juan Reynosa to Powershift 2009,young climate activists are the lynchpin to building political mandate for change.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) will soon be the chair of the important House Energy and Commerce Committee where key legislation will be crafted.
President-elect Obama's climate change and energy appointments are science oriented and have called for strong action to tackle global warming. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), the nominee for Secretary of Labor, is a leading proponent of green jobs.
Obama picked a strong voice for environmental justice, Harvard Professor John Holdren as White House Science Advisor. Holdren was also head of the Woods Hole Research Center.
With the selection of Nobel Prize winner and Berkeley Lab director Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy, The nation will soon have a dedicated and highly intelligent climate advocate in the cabinet.
Al Gore's plea for stronger carbon emissions targets to keep us under 350 ppm made worldwide headlines from the climate talks in Poznan in December. Combined with the Reality campaign's "coal is dirty" message, the Nobel Prize-winning former Vice President is showing he will continue to be vital in communicating the climate challenge.
The public is getting it. The Washington Post/ABC News released a poll indicating that 75 percent of Americans believe 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.
More than just the usual suspects are demanding a clean energy future. Pastor Dan Schultz reports that in meetings with the Obama transition team, faith based leaders are urging global warming action as one of the faith community's top priorities. Interviews with participants in the Obama transition team's faith-based meetings highlight a stepped-up campaign to combat global warming, among other issues.
1Sky and our allies are building support every day. With over 350 allied organizations and more than 130,000 climate activists nationwide, we are building the political will to embrace the 1Sky solutions.

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Luis Hestres — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:20:55 +0000

Yesterday I joined the newly formed Board of Directors of 350.org, coinciding with a range of exciting new changes at the organization. I have been a supporter of 350.org since I first heard about the wacky plan to turn a wonky scientific target into a global people's movement, and I'm thrilled and honored to be officially joining the team.

In the past three years, we have all watched the number "350" morph into a beautiful and urgent S.O.S., rising up from every corner of the globe, from Iceland to the Maldives, Ethiopia to Alaska. In the process, 350.org helped to decisively shift the climate conversation from polar bears to people -- the people whose island nations, cultures and livelihoods will disappear unless those of us who live in the high emitting countries embrace a different economic path.

What has always mattered most about that magic number is that we are already well past it. That means there is no time to waste on stalling tactics like action plans that only get serious in 2020 and shell games like cap-and-trade. Our single goal has to be radically cutting our emissions right here, right now -- not a decade from now, and not by paying someone else to do it for us.

If there is one thing that the failure of cap-and-trade has taught us, it is that trying to win this battle by lobbying elites behind closed doors is a disastrously losing strategy. Not only did it fail to deliver even weak climate legislation in the U.S., it made climate action look like just another opportunity for cronyism, helping to alienate a large sector of the public.

As 350.org has known all along, the real task is to build the kind of mass movement that politicians cannot afford to ignore. That means showing how making the deep emission cuts that science demands is not some dour punishment that will destroy our economy (as the Koch-funded right is perpetually claiming) but rather our best chance of fixing an economic system that is failing us on every level. Shifting to renewable energy and re-localizing our economies could create millions of good new jobs, while leaving us with cleaner cities and a healthier food system. And as 350.org's Global Work Party showed, a big part of averting climate chaos involves rebuilding and strengthening our frayed communities -- and that is a joyful process.

But it's not enough to dreamily imagine the world we want. We also have to confront, head on, the forces that are determined to use their power and wealth to stop us. Which is why 350.org just launched a campaign targeting the deeply anti-democratic influence that major polluters have over the political process in Washington, starting with the biggest fish of them all, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (chamber.350.org).

I see this campaign as a breakthrough moment in the history of the climate movement, recognition that the struggles for economic justice, real democracy and a livable climate are all profoundly interconnected. As 350.org founder Bill McKibben puts it: unless we go after the "money pollution," no campaign against real pollution stands a chance. The same can be said for any progressive goal, from labor rights to net neutrality. As we recognize these (and many other) connections among our various "issues," I am convinced that a new kind of climate movement will emerge, one that is larger, deeper and more powerful than anything we have seen yet. There is no question that 350.org will be helping to lead the way, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

@NaomiAKlein on joining the new @350

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Luis Hestres — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:59:11 +0000

If you spend a little time as an environmentalist, one thing you’ll hear eventually from friends and family: “I wish there weren’t so many groups. It’s confusing—I don’t know who to volunteer for. Wouldn’t it work better if you all got together?”

This isn’t quite as obvious as it sounds. Different groups have sprung up at different times to fill different niches—you wouldn’t look out at a marsh and say “it would be much nicer if there was just one kind of frog to keep track of.” Diversity has some very real purposes.

But there are moments, and this is one of them, when unity is essential. We’re up against the most sustained assault on the environment ever: in the last few weeks our oldest environmental groups have had to play nonstop defense just to keep Congress from gutting the Clean Air Act. A president elected on the promise of transformational energy change has reverted to opening vast tracts of Wyoming to new coal-mining. A tea-party House has actually voted to deny the science of global warming.

Behind all this is a very unified fossil-fuel industry. Working through the Koch Brothers, the US Chamber of Commerce, and a couple of other fronts they’re busy buying votes and supplying disinformation. And they’re winning. To fight back effectively, we need a much louder voice.

350.org + 1Sky.org event in Fayetteville, Arkansas

That’s why this week we joined together two of the big mass movements around climate change: 1Sky, and 350.org. 1Sky has been coordinating efforts on the ground across the United States; 350.org has been at work in 188 countries around the world. We’ll now all operate under the 350 banner, in an effort to bring a unified message on every front.

That message starts with simple science: our foremost researchers, NASA scientists like James Hansen, have shown that 350 parts per million co2 is the most we can safely have in the atmosphere, a level we’ve already exceeded. No matter how the House votes, physics and chemistry still call the tune.

But the message goes beyond science to politics. We have learned over time that you can’t win simply by explaining the crisis to political leaders; they may intellectually understand that they’re facing the end of the world, but what they really fear is the end of their political careers. We need to build a movement that can reward and punish politicians. Since we’ll never have the money to match the fossil fuel front groups, we’re going to need a different currency: bodies, creativity, passion.

It’s possible to rally that passion. Both 1Sky and 350.org have shown the ability to find and energize a new generation of environmental supporters, one that crosses all demographic and linguistic boundaries.

Together, as the new 350.org, we’ll be speaking with one voice. Shouting, really—trying to drown out the persuasive talk from dirty money.

Wouldn't it be better if you all got together?

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Luis Hestres — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:36:21 +0000

For too long, the fossil fuel industry has had its way on the climate issue--its money has overwhelmed the scientific facts, delaying action on the largest challenge humanity now faces.

Right now, the the Clean Air Act is being threatened, the EPA is under attack, and big polluters are mounting an all-out onslaught that threatens to destroy our lands and scorch our planet. In short, we are losing ground.

In the face of these challenges, one thing is clear: if we want to win, we will have to come together like we never have before.

That’s why we at 350.org and 1Sky have important news to share: starting today, our organizations are officially merging. We’ll be called 350.org, and together we’ll be smarter, bolder, faster, and more creative than we were before.

Over the last three years, 350.org and 1Sky have frequently teamed up for U.S. campaigning. Many of you have been with us every step of the way. Together, we’ve coordinated over 5,000 climate demonstrations in all 50 states. We've helped protect the Clean Air Act and won a campaign to get solar panels back on the White House. We've launched creative projects to get science at the center of the climate debate, trained thousands of new leaders, and built a network of strong local groups.

Despite all of this work, we haven’t been winning enough. The truth is that we don’t yet have the climate and energy policies our country and the world need. To get them, we’ll need to do much, much more to loosen the stranglehold that corporations have over Congress. We’ll need to be as strong as possible to take on the fossil fuel companies--and we can be stronger together. That’s why we’re merging organizations to create a NEW 350.org.

The merged organization will be running an ongoing series of cutting-edge campaigns--online and offline--that can help usher in a new era of climate action:

We will directly confront the barriers to climate progress--from Big Coal to the US Chamber of Commerce, from the cabal of corrupt politicians attacking the Clean Air Act to an administration too timid to defend it.
We will train, empower, and mobilize a grassroots army of individuals, businesses, organizations, and community leaders pushing for climate solutions in the United States.
We will continue our work globally to build a diverse climate movement all around the world that unites for strategic mobilizations on a scale previously unimagined.

In just a few short months, we’ve witnessed people power in action. From the Middle East to the Midwest, movements have risen up to overturn tired dogma and challenge entrenched power.

Many of us were inspired by these events. And many of us were surprised. Perhaps we were growing skeptical that people power could still work. Maybe we had forgotten a vital fact about our world: that bold citizens, united around a common mission, can still come together to create major change against enormous odds.

This movement will never have the money of the fossil fuel industry, so we’ll have to use a different currency: people power. People power means you. It means your friends and neighbors. It means hundreds of thousands of us across the country, uniting to transform our future.

We can do it, and we'll need your help--that's why we'll be in close touch in the coming weeks and months about exactly how anyone and everyone can plug into this vital mission.

If the events of 2011 have taught us anything, it’s that people, properly organized, can do amazing things together.

On behalf of everyone at the new 350.org, let us be the first to say: we can’t wait to do amazing things with all of you.

Onwards,

May Boeve - Executive Director of the NEW 350.org
Liz Butler - Campaign Director, 1Sky
Bill McKibben - Board Chair at 350.org
Betsy Taylor - Board Chair at 1Sky

A BIG announcement from 1Sky and 350.org

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Naima Pearce — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:14:35 +0000

The World Watches Japan

Following the 9.0 earthquake and resultant tsunami, supplies have been running low in Japan. Food and gasoline shortages have left grocery store aisles bare and homes without heat. The death toll is sobering, with nearly 7,000 confirmed dead andmore than 10,000 people still missing.

Energy issues have become front and center due to the ongoing nuclear power crisis. Concerns about radiation from the Fukushima plant have prompted evacuations, mass testing, and distribution of anti-radiation pills. Helicopters and fire trucks have been dumping water over the reactors to cool overheated fuel rods inside the core, but have had little success.

President Obama has ordered a safety review of American nuclear reactors, but continues to stand behind nuclear power as an important part of his clean energy standard. Meanwhile, officials across the globe are temporarily haulting their nuclear programs until safety standards can be reevaluated.

Though Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have both expressed concern about the risks associated nuclear energy sources, Clinton points out that we get "20 percent of our energy right now -- in the United States -- from nuclear power." The federal Department of Energy's loan guarantee program affirmed that nuclear projects will receive finance uninterrupted.

Cutting Mercury out of Our Diet

The EPA rolled out their mercury emissions standards for coal-burning power plants this week. The proposed standards would include requirements to cut mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gasses. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson explained it's the first ever national standard for the pollutants, calling it "20 years in the making." If the standards go into effect, 91% of mercury emissions produced by plants will be stopped from reaching the air and an estimated 17,000 premature deaths, 11,000 heart attack, 120,000 cases of childhood asthma and 11,000 heart attacks could be prevented. What does that look like in dollars and cents? In the agency's statement on the proposed rules they broke down the numbers:

EPA estimates the value of the improvements to health alone total $59 billion to $140 billion in 2016. This means that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, we get $5 to $13 in health benefits."

To meet the new standards, plants would need to purchase and install scrubbers to prevent the emissions -- costing about $10 billion to the industry by 2015 in funds helping create instillation jobs and scrubber production. Jackson says that $10 billion also comes back at more than $100 billion a year in health and environmental improvements.

Who is Worried about Climate Change?

The numbers are dropping. Hot off Gallup's annual environment poll saying fewer Americans worry about climate change, Democracy Now interviewed the Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism author Naomi Klein on her new book about climate change. Klein is investigating how America looks at climate change and how the political environment has shaped our view of science - or the lack of science.

We've just ended the hottest decade on record. There's overwhelming evidence that climate change is real now. It's not just about reading the science. It's about people's daily experience. And yet, we've seen this remarkable drop, where, in 2007, 71 -- this is a Harris poll -- 71 percent of Americans believed climate change was real, and two years later, 51 percent of Americans believed it. So a 20 percent drop."

The numbers go on to underscore America's falling concern about climate consequences. 43% of Americans thinks the media exaggerates the seriousness of global warming.

The poll also notes that,

Conservative Republicans are three times as likely as liberal Democrats to think the media is exaggerating the severity of global warming, while Democrats are roughly twice as likely as Republicans to be concerned about climate change and to think it is already impacting the planet."

And this is where Klein's interest falls. It seems that talk around climate change has stepped away from true hard science and become a victim of party lines. It's a political stance, now -- and not a matter of evidence based fact.

The Drill Team

Gas prices are still at remarkable highs. As a result, efforts to pin the blame on someone are in full force. The GOP is seizing the opportunity to push anti-climate policy and offshore drilling as full service magic wands for pump prices. The Newt Gingrich spawned American Solutions group re-launched its "Drill Here, Drill Now" campaign this week with a video that claims high gas prices are clearly the fault of a slow permitting process for offshore drilling. Tapping into our reserves, the video implies, would solve all our problems immediately.

Meanwhile, Democrats are firing back by demanding greater regulation of speculators who bet on petroleum prices. The Democrats haven't been shy about supporting a tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The dueling messages are likely to continue as gas prices climb, keep your eye on who is winning as it could have a big effect on the presidential election.

Energy is front page with the #nuclear crisis in Japan. Also the @EPAgov began a #coal crackdown.

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Naima Pearce — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:47:52 +0000

This week in the roundup we're looking at the threat of 'peak coffee,' the new anti-union bill in Wisconsin, 160,000 lives saved by the Clean Air Act, and Rep. Edward "Don't vote down gravity" Markey.

Wisconsin

In a surprise conference committee meeting late Wednesday night, Wisconsin state senators passed a bill (18-1) drastically cutting the collective bargaining rights of public employees. The original bill was stalled when Democratic senators left the state in protest, Republicans found a loop-hole and held last-minute closed-door vote to pass the bill. Protesters flooded the State Capitol in even greater numbers to demand a recall of those responsible. Think Progress reports, however, that the vote may be declared void since the vote was taken both in secret and without proper advanced notice. Democratic senators plan to return to the state to try to overthrow the bill and stand with those affected. Fox News has begun the name calling by accusing those boycotting companies that stand with Gov. Scott Walker of "union thuggery."

Representative Edward "Don't vote down gravity" Markey

Rep. Markey today earned himself a fancy new nickname by standing up strong for the Clean Air Act... while sitting. Why? He was afraid standing might trigger anti-science members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to repeal gravity. Watch Rep Ed "Don't vote down gravity" Markey in action here:

160,000 Lives Saved

The numbers are in. In the EPA study released on Tuesday, an estimated 160,000 cases of premature death have been prevented in 2010 by the Clean Air Act. These are huge numbers for just one year -- especially when we reflect on the opposition the Clean Air Act faces from many conservative members of Congress. The report also examines the Clean Air Act of 1990's effects on the economy - and determines that nearly $2 trillion in economic benefits will be achieved by 2020.

Green Tech News

Google long-since dove head first into clean energy technology -- but now they're pumping up the volume. The New York Times reports that Google Inc. is seeking government support for jump starting green-tech transformation and actively recruiting lobbyists to garner political energy. The move isn't surprising after Google created the subsidiary Google Energy last year - which gained approval to sell electricity on wholesale markets. This could be big news for the future of clean energy!

Great news for CCAN: The Chesapeake Climate Action Network's fund for solar construction has passed in the Virginia House and Senate. The new law would help Virginians install solar panels with low-interest loan funds from utility customers. The contributing to the fund supporting the low-interest loan is entirely optional for utility customers but CCAN estimates that if even 1% chooses to donate $5 a month $1.8 million will be generated annually.

Getting Hot about Oil

The cost of oil has jumped over the last couple of weeks as disruption in Libyan export continues. But no one needs to open a newspaper to know that. It's visible at the pumps. The price for a gallon of gas has climbed over $4 in many cities across the U.S. With the need for energy innovation and clean alternatives more apparent than ever, the House GOP has connected blocking climate change rules with combating rising oil costs.

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has even jumped on this reasoning but as The Hill reports, the math many Republicans are using for this logic is simply misused.

Their claims about the degree to which prices will rise are rooted in an industry-commissioned study of cap-and-trade legislation that died in the last Congress - not an analysis of rules that EPA is moving ahead with under its existing powers."

Meanwhile the Energy Department is defending Secretary of Energy Steven Chu's 200 remarks about figuring out "how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe" to wean American consumers off of oil. Chu insists higher gas prices are harmful for families but GOP has taken the remarks as evidence of an Obama administration scheme for higher pump prices.

Under the mounting pressure President Obama has considered tapping into the oil reserve.

Dirty Air Bill

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced his Dirty Air bill last week alongside an identical Senate complement by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK). Their bill is designed to halt EPA's Clean Air Act programs for big polluters, blocking regulations that are cutting climate pollution and protecting public health. You can read an excellent run down of the bill by our Policy Coordinator, Jason Kowalski.

In an effort to complete his greatest hits, Upton's plan to hold a vote on overturning science-based determination for political decisions this week.

Scientists warn of "Peak Coffee"

You thought opening your wallet for a Starbucks Trenta would leave you penniless? Paying for a regular 8 oz cup might just break the bank. With rising temperature,s Columbia coffee beans have suffered massive damages over the last few years. In combination with unpredictable rain -- the climate chaos has ravaged crops and raised prices. The result? The New York Times reports we might soon hit "peak coffee."

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Naima Pearce — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:59:31 +0000

Glenn Beck's Red Scare

This past Saturday's Rally to Save the American Dream was a resounding success. People all over the nation flooded statehouses to support our public workers and stand up against tax breaks for corporations and the very rich. Along with other proud sponsors of the event (350, AFL-CIO, SEIU, MoveOn and more), we garnered the attention of none other than Glenn Beck -- making it all the way to his infamous chalkboard.

Beck did his best to label anyone who sided with Wisconsin workers as communists; you can check out the full video below via Media Matters. His "McCarthy-like attitude," they point out, was only thwarted due to a shortage of hammer and sickle magnets. Something tells us that if 1Sky is lumped on a board with all those great groups, we must be doing something right. Thanks, Glenn!

As attempts to strip public workers of collective-bargaining rights continue in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and elsewhere, it's our commitment to stand strong with the American workers who refuse to let corporate greed dictate their rights -- no matter whose chalkboard we end up on.

Libya and Oil

As the uprising against Muammar al-Gaddafi's rule in Libya continues, oil prices have soared. Disruption in oil output has knocked out half of Libya's 1.6 million barrels typically exported per day. The U.S. has been hesitant to get involved. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explains, there would need to be strong international support and no perception of "oil-grabbing" if we were to intervene. Soaring oil prices have no foreseen end, and competition with Europe to buy crude could set the market soaring further to all time highs. Spain has taken to lowering their speed limits as oil prices reach higher numbers, and many in the U.S. Congress have called on President Obama to open national strategic reserves of oil to bring down prices of gasoline.

Not Your Average Science Fair Project

When President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu talk about our Sputnik moment in renewable energy, we think of the big plans to build offshore wind farms and subsidize solar energy plants in cities around the U.S. This is the kind of job creation we can rally around -- and more importantly -- need. But what really makes our heart skip a beat here at 1Sky is the root of renewable energy progress: innovation. Watch the video below to see an inspiring report about high school students in Chicago recycling waste oil from area restaurants into fuel that can run any diesel engine.

What started as a science fair project at Whitney Young Magnet High School became a full scale bio-diesel laboratory. This really puts those baking soda volcanoes to shame. The student-made fuel can cut down on carbon emissions as much as 80% when compared against regular diesel fuel, and clocks in at about $1.50 a gallon. Intelligent students and dedicated teachers are building the foundation for our clean energy future.

Brown calls for cuts in clean air

Despite his past record of being a leader on environmental causes and Ohio business, Senator Sherrod Brown announced this week that he's urging President Obama to compromise on some greenhouse gas regulations in the Clean Air Act. Compromising with corporate polluters isn't the best way to put Ohio first. As we've mentioned before, Ohio ranks second in the nation in deaths from coal plant pollution, which shortens the life of 1,221 people each year. Annually, Ohio coal plants result in 835 hospital admissions and 1,891 asthma attacks. These are some deadly numbers to face in favor of corporate greed. Senator Brown has taken a firm stance on siding with workers by defending labor unions and their ability to collectively bargain. This is no time to compromise on those same worker's rights to health and safety in their own communities.

Spreading the Environmental Love

Love, as they say, is a two way street. This week EPA administrator Lisa Jackson showered some love on Fox News, whose parent-company announced they've reached their carbon neutral goal. All this follows commentary from numerous Fox News talent on the impending downfall climate regulations pose for our economy.

"I do believe that this is good for business, good for our future," Jackson said at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the agency's fiscal year 2012 budget request.

Meanwhile, Politico published a great article about the GOP's secret love for EPA policy. Despite the efforts to limit greenhouse gas regulation and stunt EPA authority, many programs have found favor with Republicans for cleaning up water and air in their districts. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), a top climate skeptic, spoke up when President Obama suggested budgeting some of these more favorable EPA projects, explaining "You can bet these cuts will be restored."

How did @1Sky make Glenn Beck's infamous blackboard? #climate #wi

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Naima Pearce — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:06:08 +0000

This week we're celebrating an early spring prediction from Punxsutawney Phil, the great students at Purdue University, developments on the electric car and President Obama's threat to veto all the Clean Air Act roadblocks.

Groundhog's Day

The leading story this week comes out of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where a local groundhog has come into the center of a climate change debate.

Climate scientist have for years complained of their inability to educate the public about the dangers of global warming. Maybe they can learn a thing or two from Punxsutawney Phil.

The world’s most famous groundhog prognosticator has little trouble getting attention for his weather predictions. And on Wednesday, the world will tune in once again to watch as Phil emerges from his home on Gobbler’s Knob and looks for his shadow. [UPDATE: Phil failed to see his shadow Wednesday morning, signaling an early spring.]

PBS has done a report on how the world's most renowned (and hairiest) climatologist could be the key to the push we're looking for in climate science.

You can listen to the report here:

A higher education on energy

Student activists at Purdue University shut down the "clean" coal myth as they pressured the Board of Trustees to end plans on building a new coal boiler on campus. While the Board attempted to spin the extension of the coal power plant as a green "clean" coal option, the students did their research, got some like-minded faculty on board and joined up with Campus Beyond Coal coalition. The fight went on for over a year -- but plans were officially scrapped yesterday. What a great example of staying in the fight and getting results!

Meanwhile, President Obama headed to the at Penn State campus to roll out his Better Buildings Initiative. The energy conservation plan sets the goal to make commercial building space 20% more energy efficient by 2020, which would reduce business operating costs by $40 billion a year and creating energy upgrade related jobs. This is the president's kick off to "Race to Green" which will offer state and local grants to attract private investment in these projects.

A climate conscious GOP

Though attempts to gut the Clean Air Act -- or even scrap the EPA altogether -- seem to be running rampant in the GOP, Lisa Hymas at Grist is saying that the sentiment isn't universal. She takes a look at Jon Huntsman, former Utah Governor, and current ambassador to China and possible presidential hopeful. Hymas points out,

In 2007, Huntsman brought his state into the Western Climate Initiative, the only Republican governor other than California's Arnold Schwarzenegger to do so. In 2008, he set a goal for Utah to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels by 2020. His climate activism ticked off the heavily Republican state legislature, which hit Huntsman with a resolution calling on him to back out of the WCI, but the state's heavily Republican electorate didn't seem to mind, as it reelected Huntsman in November 2008 with 78 percent of the vote. In January 2009, Huntsman said he found it 'enormously frustrating' that Republicans had not been working toward a national climate policy Huntsman carried his call for climate action into his ambassadorship, saying that one of his top goals would be collaborating with China on climate solutions"

The electric car

Your next road trip might be in an electric car. Well, maybe if you're only planning to drive around San Francisco -- but that's not a bad start. The Bay Area Management District rolled out $3.9 million in grants this week to install 2,750 in-home charging stations and 30 fast-chargers along highways. That means -- depending on your particular taste of electric car -- a battery can load to full power in as little as 30 minutes via a fast-charger.

Egypt

We've also seen some powerful demonstrations coming out of Egypt over the last few days. Like President Obama, 1Sky supports the Egyptian people's freedom of assembly, speech and access to information and hope their protest moves forward on a peaceful tract. It's Getting Hot In Here has an article about the climate movement could learn from the people's movement in Egypt when it comes to dismantling the fossil fuel economy.

COP16 flashback

Here's an added bonus for your weekend: If you are looking ahead to COP17 in Durban -- or still trying to sort out just exactly what happened in at COP16, here's a great 2-minute video from some handy kids at UK Youth Climate Coalition.

Cialis tadalafil medicine » Canadian Pharmacies. Buy Generic and Brand Drugs Without a Prescription.

Naima Pearce — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:44:37 +0000

Pressuring China, Pressuring Ourselves

The big story this week revolves around Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Washington and meetings with President Obama. The bulk of their conversation has been pre-packaged with less-than-savory global issues that are set to heat up already tense relations. But energy has found its way between the two world leaders as grounds for compromise. Many outlets predict clean energy could be the high point of their talks.

This is a significant step coming off of December, when the U.S. challenged the special Chinese government's fund that awarded grants to makers of wind power equipment. The New York Times reports:

The Americans say the fund provides subsidies that are illegal under World Trade Organization rules because the grants appear to be contingent on manufacturers using parts made in China.

But even after the President Obama's responsive "Buy American" provision for the Defense Department,that barred Chinese solar panels, Energy Secretary Steven Chu has expressed his continued worry about the U.S. mentality towards clean energy projects. Speaking at the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Wednesday, he explained,

China's made no bones about it. They consider all the energy sectors in their industries as critical technologies… If you read the newspapers, virtually every other day there's another article about how important it is and how critical they think this is. And it's not altruism. They think it's a road to wealth creation in China. But I think it's a road to wealth creation in the United States as well."

That's a far cry from how the U.S. government addresses clean tech, even in the wake of the able and willing. Nonprofit research group Next 10 reports that the green workforce in California,

…expanded 3% from January 2008 to January 2009 -- three times the growth of overall employment around the state. Standouts include the energy-generation sector, which includes renewable-energy efforts such as wind and hydropower… The Bay Area grew the most, with an 8% jump in 2008. The region now represents 28% of green jobs and 26% of companies offering the positions."

But the growth isn't garnering the support it needs. The Wall Street Journal pointed out this week that clean tech in Fremont, California has jumped in the past four years - growing from 6 to 20 firms in just four years.

You can't throw a Frisbee in Fremont without hitting another solar company,"

says Dan Shugar, chief executive of one of these firms, Solaria. But despite the small boom, they are struggling to compete with China and suffer massive layoffs familiar to the area known for the closed Nummi auto plants.

We need to reframe our priorities and foster the growth before it dies out -- but will the U.S. catch on in time? The New York Times offers a platform for the great debate with contributions from Grist, Van Jones and an array of economics, government and environmental experts. This is a must-read to learn the many reasons why clean tech represents the future of our economy.

Weekly Highlights:

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: The public servant who fought to cut climate pollution and create clean energy jobs made significant strides this week. After being shot in the head two weeks ago, she is leaving the hospital to continue her recovery at a Texas rehabilitation facility. We wish her and her family all the best as the congresswoman continues her recovery.
Obama Says: President Obama wrote an opinion essay in the Wall Street Journal defending new climate pollution rules under the Clean Air Act as a "common sense" measure.
Drill, Baby, Drill?: The co-chairman of the National Oil Spill Commission said that the United State's oil will run out by 2031 if efforts to use our reserves aren't curbed. Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla) made comments on draining our domestic supply as a warning to Republic lawmakers pushing to touch reserves as gas prices rise.
Splitting the Spill: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will divide their 1,000 employees into two operations: one to manage the development of offshore resource and the other to enforce safety and environmental regulations. Additionally, Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Regulation and Enforcement Director Michael Bromwich announced the 'creation of a permanent in-house body of experts from government, industry, academia and nongovernmental institutions to advise on offshore drilling safety, well containment and spill response.'
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): Senator Brown has been a longstanding friend to the clean energy movement, but recently he has been under tremendous pressure to support gutting the Clean Air Act. Dirty Energy will stop at nothing to pressure leaders like Brown. Please join 1Sky in calling on Senator Brown to stand up for Ohio and the Clean Air Act.

Got any other interesting news to share? What do you think about developments on the climate front this week? Tell us what you think in the comments section!