At the end of June, President Obama gave his first major address on climate change to the nation. While many environmentalists jumped for joy, I found myself singularly unimpressed — the speech lacked any real sense of urgency, and it was mired in the same plodding, informative language that convinces few people of the seriousness of the problem, much less compels them to … [Read more...]
Republican renaissance through climate change
The Republicans are a party in crisis. Having lost the election, they're now wracked with internal strife and prospects for a turnaround in the near term appear dim. The primary reasons for this decline are demographic: their values, platform, and policies are now dangerously out of sync with the mainstream, and diverging further every year. Exploring this divergence could fill … [Read more...]
What Obama’s energy speech means for women
President Obama delivered his speech on energy last week at Georgetown University, calling on young people to take an active role in the energy conversation. People have become more aware about how they should conserve energy and astutely choose energy suppliers that offer cheaper and more efficient supply. Awareness will continue to be important. On one hand, this is great. … [Read more...]
Aviation steps up for Japanese relief efforts
The devastating 9.0 earthquake last week in Japan and the resultant tsunami had an immediate effect on all aviation operations to, from, and in Japan. Departing flights were halted, incoming flights re-routed, and a number of domestic Japanese airports were damaged, notably the regional airport in Sendai, near the epicenter. Shutting off outgoing and incoming air traffic at … [Read more...]
Plenty of oil if price is no object
Last week we reported how the International Energy Agency's 2010 World Energy Outlook said that world oil production peaked in 2006. Yesterday, guest columnist Tom Whipple, editor of ASPO-USA's Peak Oil Review, drilled down a little further into that report to show that if you really parse its contents, you see that while the IEA says the world peaked in 2006, they're also … [Read more...]