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Manuel said: "This is great news! I hope all cities pass this into law.The practice of using plastic bags just to quickly dispose of them has been going on far t..." [read]

Jay Knecht said: "What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]

gazelle said: "@ Dallas: The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]

Barry said: "Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda. He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]

JJ said: "Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]

Derek said: ""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]

Hundreds Speak Out In Support of EPA Global Warming Rule

by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 11.20.09
Business & Politics

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Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope (left) testifies at the Arlington EPA hearing as API's Howard Feldman looks on.

This week we saw some amazing public action as part of the two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearings on its proposed tailoring rule, which we call the "Big Polluters" rule.

Right now only a handful of pollution sources, including coal-fired power plants, are responsible for more than half of all of the global warming pollution in the United States. Cleaning these up is a large step towards stopping global warming, so EPA is proposing a new rule to start cleaning up these Big Polluters under the Clean Air Act. By targeting the worst offenders, the Big Polluters rule is an important step that will cut global warming pollution while still helping our economy grow.

Article continues: Hundreds Speak Out In Support of EPA Global Warming Rule

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Named Greenest City in the U.K.

by Naturally Savvy on 11.20.09
Business & Politics

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Newcastle-upon-Tyne has been named the greenest city in the U.K. in a sustainability audit conducted by Forum for the Future. Photo by Draco2008 via Flickr.com.

Shrouded in smoke and the center of ship building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne was once a major industrial center. But the city has been transformed into the greenest city in Britain in recent years, according to a sustainability audit, The Guardian reports. Newcastle was a bit of a surprise, surpassing cities that typically come to mind when Britons think "green city," such as Bristol and Brighton & Hove, which ranked second and third, respectively.

But perhaps Brits shouldn't have been quite so surprised.

Article continues: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Named Greenest City in the U.K.

Can Turkey Break the Copenhagen Deadlock?

by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 11.20.09
Business & Politics

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Turkey is being suggested as a "bridge between East and West" on climate change too. Photo of the Bosphorus Bridge spanning Europe and Asia by Jennifer Hattam.

As a city that literally straddles Europe and Asia, Istanbul -- and, by extension, Turkey -- has been endlessly described as a "bridge" between East and West. But the manager of a international program on cities and global warming has actually managed to put a new spin on that old cliché -- by suggesting that Turkey could bridge the gap between developed and developing countries on climate change.

Article continues: Can Turkey Break the Copenhagen Deadlock?

World Toilet Day - Really? Yes...Really.

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11.19.09
Business & Politics

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"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Image credit:flickr, recubejim's photostream

World Toilet Day , which happens to be right now, is needed for good reason. Per the WTD website: "2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year;" and, "Because even the world's wealthiest people still have toilet problems - from unhygienic public toilets to sewage disposal that destroys our waterways." They are so right. Read on for a disgusting example of why you should be thankful if you have access to a decent one, and if your government keeps the poop works properly operating.

Article continues: World Toilet Day - Really? Yes...Really.

Inhofe: "I proudly declare 2009 as the 'Year of the Skeptic'"

by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 11.19.09
Business & Politics

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Photo via Green Inc.

Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma has always been a thorn in the side of environmentalists, especially when it comes to climate change. He doesn't believe in the science and has pledged to go to the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December to bare witness to the "fraud." Inhofe believes that 2009 was a good year for climate change deniers and he believes they are winning the fight for the public's hearts and minds.

Article continues: Inhofe: "I proudly declare 2009 as the 'Year of the Skeptic'"

Debunking The Climate Change Fable

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11.19.09
Business & Politics

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Little Boy Who Cried Wolf. Image credit:Straightedge Marketing.

Generations of English-speaking parents have recited fables to teach their children about life. I suppose there are equivalent fables in other languages. Ones I remember the most are "The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf" (apropos for today's journalists and bloggers who may be prone to a single-minded focus on climate catastrophe), and "Chicken Little" (widely-used in the 80's to characterize the over-reaction to environmental hazards).

Climate change is no fable for scientists. Probably half of elected officials get it. Looks as if some evangelical Christians also understand the meaning. The critical audience left to convince, the largest segment of population - overlooked at our own danger - are those who are willing to entertain the possibility that something truly bad is happening with climate, and that human behavior may be - just may be - a contributing factor. Let's focus on them for a minute.

Article continues: Debunking The Climate Change Fable

News From Mother Jones: 450 ppm Ain't Gonna Cut It

by Mother Jones on 11.19.09
Business & Politics

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For evidence that grassroots activism works, look no further than writer and climate activist Bill McKibben, who has spent the past year tirelessly knocking on doors with his climate crew over at 350.org. But as McKibben writes this week, door-knocking only goes so far: To make real progress on climate change, Obama will have to step up, and that means telling his negotiators that their current goal--450 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere--isn't going to cut it.

Case in point: Obama's recent meeting with Chinese president Hu Jintao. Obama said that he and Hu had agreed "that each of us would take significant mitigation actions and stand behind these commitments." Of course, with any international negotiation the devil is in how you define vague terms like "significant mitigation actions."

Here's hoping Obama's serious about "significant," considering a new study that predicts the present course of CO2 emissions will lead to a staggering rise of 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees F) in coming decades.

And if temperature increase isn't enough to get our leaders moving on climate, maybe it's time we take more drastic actions. Like hitting the dance floor.

More at motherjones.com. For free weekly green living tips, sign up for our Econundrums newsletter here.

Evangelicals Pray For Climate Bill Deliverance

by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 11.18.09
Business & Politics

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Photo via Getty Images

There's no doubt that to pass climate and energy legislation, a diverse constituency is needed. A big boost could come from the evangelical community, many of whom hit the Hill recently to lobby for passage of a bill now. Led by Richard Cizik, who got booted from the National Association of Evangelicals for being too liberal on climate change and gay rights, evangelicals are after similar-thinking Senators who are sitting on the fence.

Article continues: Evangelicals Pray For Climate Bill Deliverance
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