Davey Warns Paris Climate Deal ‘Won’t Be Ambitious Enough’
A new deal to tackle climate change expected to be agreed in Paris in December is unlikely to prevent dangerous climate change, energy secretary Ed Davey has warned. Davey said he fears the climate talks will not secure ambitious enough commitments from political leaders to limit warming to 2°C, the temperature threshold which countries have agreed […]
California Court Rejects Misleading Language In Local Fracking Ballot Initiative–Twice
Residents of La Habra Heights in Los Angeles County, California want their city to become the latest to ban fracking and other high intensity oil extraction methods, and have placed an initiative on the March 2015 ballot to do just that. The residents and activists seeking to ban fracking in La Habra Heights won a […]
George Will’s Incorrect Claim on Historical Climate Change
This is a guest post by Climate Nexus. Syndicated columnist George Will’s latest piece, “Climate change’s instructive past” is more carefully written than previous columns (see Media Matters Misinformer of the Year), but it still requires correction. Contrary to his claim, past changes in our climate should be understood as a warning, but shouldn’t be seen […]
EPA Sued Over Disclosure Rules for Toxic Pollution from Drilling and Fracking
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been sued over toxic chemicals released into the air, water and land by the oil and gas industry, a coalition of nine environmental and open government groups announced today. The extraction of oil and gas releases more toxic pollution than any other industry except for power plants, according to the […]
Did DeSmog's Coverage of Coal Baron Bob Murray v. Fracker Aubrey McClendon Lawsuit Lead To Sealing of Court Records?
On December 12, Magistrate Judge Mark R. Abel issued an order for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to place five sets of court records under seal for the ongoing case pitting coal baron Robert E. Murray against Aubrey McClendon, one of the godfathers of the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) boom. DeSmogBlog published parts […]
How Two Young Students Took the Climate Denial Bate
DeSmog UK’s epic history investigates how the former Institute of Economic Affairs director general, John Blundell, recruited British students with a flair for free market economics to the US for internships at Koch-funded think tanks. By the early 1990s John Blundell was a well established founder and supporter of several American free-market think tanks. So to […]
Energy Shift Requires Shift In Conversation
This is a guest post by David Suzuki. Abundant, cheap fossil fuels have driven explosive technological, industrial and economic expansion for more than a century. The pervasive infrastructure developed to accommodate this growth makes it difficult to contemplate rapidly shifting away from coal, oil and gas, which creates a psychological barrier to rational discourse on energy issues. […]
White House Confirms Obama Will Veto TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline
The White House confirmed today that President Obama will veto Congressional legislation designed to greenlight construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, the contentious project first proposed six years ago to carry more than 800,000 barrels per day of Canadian oilsands crude from Alberta to refineries and export facilities along the Gulf of Mexico. Despite strong indications of support […]
Tribunal Rules that Tate Must Reveal Price of BP Sponsorship
Tate must disclose its sponsorship arrangements with oil giant BP in a landmark ruling by the UK’s Information Tribunal after successful campaigning by environmental activists. After a three-year long tribunal, the Tate is now forced to publish the sum of money BP paid as a sponsor between 1990 and 2006, along with details of internal decision-making […]
California Governor Proposes Most Ambitious Renewable Energy Target In U.S.
California Governor Jerry Brown used the occasion of his fourth inaugural address to propose an ambitious new clean energy target for the state: 50% renewable energy by 2030. “We are at a crossroads,” Brown said in announcing the proposal, according to Climate Progress. “The challenge is to build for the future, not steal from it, […]