Why is it so hard for politicians to adopt Jim Hansen's Tax and Dividend. It is highly likely to be effective, and will protect the public from the inevitable price hikes during the switch to renewable energy. Of most importance from a politician's point of view, it is a real vote winner. I don't understand their reluctance. What's that you say?? They have shares in Big Coal and oil. OK, I guess that would do it.

This is one of the signs that has been waited for that the tipping point has been reached. We are talking geological time so the tip could take a year or two but it now seems inevitable. At the peak of this or the next solar cycle in an el Nino year, we may see an ice free Arctic and the process will accelerate.

It is sad if Mitt's comments are based on political expediency. Perhaps they are based on conviction. Good to see he doesn't think that cap and trade is of much use. Perhaps someone should explain to him Tax and Dividend by Jim Hansen. Besides being very likely to be effective, it would be a real vote winner. That would really put the cat amongst the pigeons. Best , too, if he realizes that you don't have to invoke climate change to justify getting off fossil fuels

Every measure that you really want has to be supported. Not just this one.

Have a look at the Daly interview of Bill Clinton a little further down the page. Take into account the real expense of coal (health effects, for instance) and renewable energy is competitive with coal. Better still the price of renewably generated electricity is decreasing day by day and all the indications are that it will continue to do so. We still have waste from the Manhattan project sitting above ground and haven't found a way to dispose of it. Take the true cost of ... More »

An interesting corollary to this is that when the Arctic ocean becomes ice free, it becomes a giant solar collector. If warm rising air over the ocean couples with katibatic winds down the flanks of Greenland, we get highly accelerated melting of the ice sheet. By by New York.

The Libyan conflict may be the first example of liberal interventionism in recent history. All the other 'interventions' by the west in the business of other states have been for some gain for the interfering state, often to steal their resources. Read Hoodwinked by John Perkins. This no-boots-on-the-ground conflict has left the ownership of the success in the hands of the Libyan people. Whatever happens over the coming years, they now have the pride and the example of what they ... More »

Rupert had the same relationship to politicians of the world that J Edgar Hoover had to American politicians. Now that they have the goods on him, they will be doing everything they can to get him off their necks (standing on). Couldn't happen to a more deserving fellow.

It is pretty well certain that global warming will cause extinctions but it must be very hard to separate the extinctions from global warming from extinctions from other causes. Whales which once pumped nutrients (Whale Poo) from the depths to power a whole ecology is almost gone. Over-fishing has reduced key species with hard-to-evaluate downstream effects Nutrient excess has turned large areas of the ocean anaerobic. Silt run off has trashed oyster beds and corals. And this is ... More »

I would have thought that the revelations about Murdoch and his paper(s) would have guaranteed that there would be no approval for the BSkyB deal. Am I missing something. Are we trying to spread this sickness to all branches of the Media.

In a country that elected Bush Junior for a second term and in which 40% of the adult population believes in the literal word of a book written by an obscure sect of desert living extremists some 2000 years ago, Bachmann is no joke. If she is even the candidate for the GOP it's time to look for another planet.

Forget climate change

As long as the American banks are making big money from laundering the drug money (recent article in News Trust), from Mexico, this very sensible policy will never be enacted. Some time ago I read a study that it is 30 times more cost effective to treat addicts than to try to stop drugs coming into the country in order to decrease the drug trade. Sorry I can't remember where I read this.

With the decrease in snowpack and increased variability in precipitation, it becomes doubly important to increase the spread of beavers throughout the catchments of the west. They greatly increase the amount of usable water from a given quantity of precipitation.

Freedoms denied to others eventually seep into your own living space. The corporatocracy has been trashing the environment and civil liberties in any country around the world that has resources that America wants. She has supported mafias of the worst kind. Now they are using the same systems against the citizens of America. Surprise surprise. Read John Perkin's "Hoodwinked" Obama is the first president that is supporting a liberation movement (in Libia) This is ... More »

Same old same old. Read John Perkin's books "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and/or "Hoodwinked". Nothing new under the Sin (sorry, Sun)

What? The rapture didn't happen. OK folks. See you all same time same place next Thursday.

The same problem exists all over the western world. On one hand you want a good work environment and don't want to facilitate dangerous work environments or sweat shops. On the other hand you want to encourage businesses to start up in your area. In my own part of New Zealand we have officials who are incredibly helpful in steering you through the pitfalls of getting things done and that goes a long way toward easing the pain of complying with what sometimes seems to be ... More »

Clearly, Sarah Palin would be the perfect running mate for Donald Trump. Both have the same in-depth sophisticated political savy with a wide ranging knowledge of the world outside America. Together they would lead America into a prosperous future with their far sighted vision of the future. I especially admire Ms Palin's deep ecological knowledge as expressed by her plan to kill off all the wolves of Alaska to improve Moose hunting. A wider application of this type of thinking ... More »

And we want another food production miracle, completely ignoring Parkinson's umpteenth law that population increases to use up any increases in food production. The 60's agricultural revolution is arguably responsible for an extra billion of us on the earth pushing Giai further into a corner. The only exception is when affordable contraception is put into the hands of women. Look at Iran. Present birth rate 1.71 per woman of child bearing age down from just under 10 and prior ... More »

I can't believe that religion will ever disappear. Our need to believe in a supernatural being seems to be hardwired into our brains and we create the most weird and wonderful gods. From the most remote tribes to people in the middle of big cities, we all seem to want to believe. This need seems to vary from person to person and as those with less need drift away from organized religion, the remaining rump gets more and more fanatic. Actually this need for religion may be one of ... More »

This is news. The war was actually about grabbing another countries resources??? Tell us something we don't know. Look at Donald Trump. He may be a nut case but at least he is honest. ('go into Libya and grab the oil')

Koch Industries is the archetypical company that wants complete freedom to do what it wants regardless of its effect on others.

I wonder if Mr average American will even notice that the government is not in session. Clearly, the salaries of the congress men and the senators should stop and not be repaid retroactively. That would focus their attention. Great way to save money for more important things (than government) like health care for the people they have put out of work by their lack of regulation of the banks and investment companies. How much money could be diverted if the congress and senate was ... More »

Tesla cars could sweep the market but only if they go to the other end of the market. There is a huge hunger for a very well engineered, easily repaired car with none of the bells and whistles. Think an electric combi. Cover that puppy with solar panels and watch it sell.

On a more serious vein, we don't really need to believe in climate change to justify getting off fossil fuels. We have pollution, trashing our trade balance, supporting mafias in the supply countries which oppress their own people, financing petrol companies with no loyalty to their own country and which are part of this bonus pig trough mentality, destroying our mountains (coal) and wilderness (arctic) etc. etc. etc. Forget climate change and lets look at our best interests.

The west became powerful as its societies became more and more egalitarian, releasing huge amounts of human energy. Now we see the Muslem and Oriental peoples start to refashion their societies in this direction while America goes backwards. Guess who will own the future.

For once America and the West is involved in a war which is justified and which they are carrying out in a thoroughly admirable way. They must stick to their pledge of no boots on the ground. Not even an advisor. It is up to the incredibly brave Arab people to sort out their own form of government post Kadafi and they, and the form of government they choose will be all the stronger for them having done it themselves. With the rise of egalitarianism in their country we can expect ... More »

If we are going to use nuclear power why don't we switch to Thorium with all its advantages.