Natural Resources Defense Council
Director of the Climate and Clean Air Program, at the Natural Resources Defense Council; former staffer and negotiator of the Kyoto Protocol at the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration (1992-2000)
International deal on climate-warming HFCs It’s been 30 years since chlorofluorcarbons were replaced by hydrofluorocarbons to protect the atmosphere. Now hydrofluorocarbons are being replaced by an international agreement with great promise for slowing rising temperatures in the fight against climate change.
Changing the Game on Climate Change To get around Congress, President Obama will use executive power granted by the US Supreme Court to limit carbon emissions from power plants nationwide. The electricity industry and some business leaders are already counting casualties from what they call a "war on coal." Many environmentalists say it's about time. Others warn that the EPA's new regulations may be too little too late. Is the US finally taking world leadership against global warming? Is China watching what happens before the next climate summit in 2015?
After Copenhagen: What's Next for Climate Change? In Copenhagen today, President Obama met with other national leaders, then scolded convention delegates for their apparent failure to reach agreement on climate change. Faced with China's rejection of international oversight, he told the conference that if their effort fails, the "same stale arguments" may continue, "while the danger of climate change grows until it is irreversible." So if the conference collapses, what's next? Will the US Senate pass cap and trade ? Will China follow through on its commitment to curb emissions? Will international competition produce "the energy technology that nobody has yet imagined?" We look at the prospects.
Global Warming, the Auto Industry and Barack Obama Governor Schwarzenegger signed a law regulating tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. But President Bush refused to allow a required waiver of federal law, even though 16 other states said they'd go along with California. Both presidential candidates promised to overrule the President's order. Now it's Barack Obama who's stuck with keeping his word at the same time the Big Three automakers are threatened with bankruptcy. We get a preview of one of Obama's first presidential controversies.
What you need to know about the Gas Tax Last year, California legislators increased California’s gas tax by 12 cents a gallon. The revenue raised from the increases, over $5 billion a year, is supposed to be spent on improving transportation in the state. But there’s been a backlash to the gas tax increase, resulting in Proposition 6 on the November ballot. If passed, it would roll back the tax and require all future fuel tax increases to get voter approval.
Voter Suppression, Climate Change and the President As America prepares to vote again, a question remains from 2016: are the Russians still “meddling” with US elections? Meantime, are Republican election officials in Georgia and Kansas suppressing the vote to serve their own interests? Those updates and the latest on climate change: President Trump says, maybe it’s not a hoax after all.
And now, tax issues Adding a new area of law to the list of President Trump’s legal issues...
As sidewalk gardens grow on Skid Row, homeless residents lose a sidewalk In a city with tens of thousands of people living on its streets, sidewalk space can be a hot commodity. Businesses want to keep the sidewalk clear for customers, but the city’s housing crisis means that for some people, the sidewalk is home. Some property owners have reportedly used sprinklers or private security guards to make sure no one sets up camp outside their doors. And in recent months, people living on the streets have noticed a new tactic – business owners effectively occupying a portion of the sidewalk themselves.