Mary Robinson, UN Envoy: Climate Agenda Makes 2015 the โMost Important Year Since 1945โ
Mary Robinson, the United Nations envoy on climate change, warns that the transition away from fossil fuels must happen immediately to achieve climateย justice. I am struck by the fact that Eleanor Roosevelt, and her commission, who drew up the Declaration of Human Rights โ a declaration adopted by every country in the world โ never […]
Five Years After The BP Oil Spill, Gulf Coast Residents Say โBP Hasnโt Made Things Rightโ
If you ask Dean Blanchard, the largest shrimp buyer and wholesaler in the region surrounding Grand Isle, Louisiana, things โwent from paradise to hellโ in the five years following the BP oilย disaster. But BP‘s advertisements insist the company is making things right. A BP report on the State of the Gulf five years after the […]
George W Bush Elected President in 2000 'Floating on Oil Money'
This DeSmog UK epic history series post takes a closer look at ExxonMobilโs contribution to George W Bushโs election as President of the Unitedย States. The 2000 US election cycle was as high stakes as they come. Congressional balance was in question, and the presidency was up forย grabs. The George W BushโDick Cheney partnership was Big […]
Emails: How State Department Secretly Approved Expanding Piece of Enbridge's "Keystone XL Clone"
DeSmogBlog has obtained dozens of emails that lend an inside view of how the U.S. State Department secretly handed Enbridgeย a permit to expand the capacity of its U.S.-Canada border-crossing Alberta Clipper pipeline, which carries tar sands diluted bitumen (โdilbitโ) from Alberta to midwestย markets.ย The State Department submitted the emails into the record in the ongoing […]
Secret Papers Reveal Lawson's 1981 Plot to Use Army Against Oil Workers
Lord Lawson asserts that his attack on climate change policy is motivated by deep concerns for the working classes โ fears environmental measures will cost jobs and undermineย prosperity. Environmentalists claim that Lawson is acting in the interests of the oil industry even if he is not directly funded by any oilย companies. A secret government document […]
Five Years After the BP Oil Disaster: A Barrier Island for Nesting Birds Devoid of Life
Cat Island, off the Gulf Coast in Louisianaโs Plaquemines Parish, was home to a vibrant bird rookery inhabited by brown pelicans, seagulls, spoonbills, and egrets before BPโs Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Five years after the largest oil spill in American history, the barrier island has just aboutย disappeared. Despite ongoing efforts by former Plaquemines Parish coastal […]
As Researchers Tie Fracking and Radon, Pennsylvania Moves to Keep Drilling Radioactivity Data Under Wraps
Last week, research into the connection between fracking and radon, an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas, drew international attention, making headlines in English, German and Italian. The study, published in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that buildings in Pennsylvania counties where fracking is most common had significantly higher radon readings than the levels found […]
These 5 Energy Technologies Could Revolutionize the Economy
This is a guest post by Nathan Empsall of Care2 When Congress debates whether to pour money into new tar sands and oil pipelines, and the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee uses snowballs to โproveโ that climate change is a โhoax,โ it can sometimes feel like weโre losing the war to keep […]
Maryland To Become Latest State To Adopt Community Solar Legislation
Following the lead of ten other states that have already adopted similar legislation, Maryland lawmakers this week passed two bills that aim to create community solar projects and increase access to clean energy in the state. The bills, which still must be signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan, would launch a three-year pilot project […]
"Carbon Copy": How Big Oil and King Coal Ghost Write Letters for Public Officials, Business Groups
The Billings Gazette has revealed that coal mining company Cloudpeak Energy ghost wrote protest letters to the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) on behalf of allied policymakers and businessย groups.ย Reporter Tom Lutey examined numerous letters written to DOI from Montana-based stakeholders and noticed something unusual: the language in every single letter was exactly the same. […]