- Social:
Natural Resources Defense Council
Director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council
PROFILE
Dan Lashof
Guest
FROM Dan Lashof
Which Way, L.A.?
Is the Carbon Tax an Idea Whose Time Has Come? Environmentalists have long championed a carbon tax, imposed not just on gasoline, but on all fossil fuels, from coal used to generate electricity to diesel fuel used to power heavy equipment, as a way to address climate change. Now it’s winning the support of conservative think-tanks and even some oil companies, as a way to address the budget deficit. Is the tax a smart way to avert both global warming and the fiscal cliff? If so, then why isn't the Obama White House proposing it, and why is Congress so reluctant to consider it? Has hurricane Sandy changed any minds?
To the Point
Is the Carbon Tax an Idea Whose Time Has Come? Environmentalists have long championed a carbon tax, imposed not just on gasoline, but on all fossil fuels, from coal used to generate electricity to diesel fuel used to power heavy equipment, as a way to address climate change. Now it’s winning the support of conservative think-tanks and even some oil companies, as a way to address the budget deficit. Is the tax a smart way to avert both global warming and the fiscal cliff? If so, then why isn't the Obama White House proposing it, and why is Congress so reluctant to consider it? Has hurricane Sandy changed any minds?
Which Way, L.A.?
Copenhagen, Climate Change and Stolen E-Mails As the Copenhagen conference got under way today, the UN panel on climate change promised to investigate claims that scientists at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit manipulated data to support the theory that global warming is man-made.
To the Point
Copenhagen, Climate Change and Stolen E-Mails The UN's global warming summit in Copenhagen opened today amidst new attacks on the basic science of Climate Change. Differences over economics, politics and technology already led some 200 nations to abandon hopes for a binding treaty this year. Now, stolen e-mails between climate researchers are being used to cast doubt on the urgency of taking steps to curtail greenhouse gases. Have scientists manipulated information? Are dissenters being silenced? Instead of debating over reducing emissions, would a crash program for alternative sources of energy be a cheaper, faster way to slow global warming?
Which Way, L.A.?
The Economics and Politics of Global Warming At the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, the Kyoto Treaty on Global Warming will be renegotiated. Environmentalists say the US has a responsibility to play a leading role. A House Committee has passed a sweeping measure, the 932-page American Clean Energy and Security Act . It would "raise the cost of life" for all Americans. President Obama says the battle to slow global warming will be good for the US economy. But some environmentalists warn it’s too little, too late. Some conservatives argue it’s not worth the effort. We hear the beginning of the debate will go on for at least the rest of this year
To the Point
The Economics and Politics of Global Warming President Obama says the battle to slow global warming will be good for the US economy. He wants an energy policy in time for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this coming December. A House committee has passed a sweeping 932-page bill that would re-engineer the production of energy and change the economic behavior of every American. It's expensive, and complicated enough to address the concerns of innumerable interest groups. But some environmentalists warn it's too little, too late. Some conservatives argue it's not worth the effort. The debate will go on for at least the rest of this year. We hear the beginning.
Recommended
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?