The Affairs of States: In the Greening of America
This first installment looks to provide a bit of historical and political context on the federal-state relationship regarding environmental matters and how it has changed over the past half-century.
American politics
Climate Policy in the Manchin Era: Say It Ain’t so Joe!
With the Senate evenly divided, the loss of one Democratic vote with no Republican replacement changes the balance of power.
New Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Climate Action as Congress Weighs Big Infrastructure Bill
Americans support the steps taken by the Biden administration thus far to tackle climate change by large margins, according to a new poll.
Mass Education and the Climate Crisis: Lessons from the Pandemic (Part 5)
The body politic was sick long before the virus arrived, already at risk of collapse under the weight of its elite hierarchies. When its fever breaks, we must learn the right lessons about how to overcome the underlying issues that threaten its very existence.
Mass Education and the Climate Crisis: Lessons from the Pandemic (Part 4)
If the public doesn’t internalize the right lessons, elites remain in control. If we’re to create a sustainable and democratic society, we need the climate movement to recognize that mass education is one of its core responsibilities.
A Blue Dog Night: What It Might Mean for a Green New Deal
A year more of gridlock on climate matters, including green infrastructure, would not only bring the nation closer to crossing the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold scientists warn of, but it could well fracture the Democratic Party.
Mass Education and the Climate Crisis: Lessons from the Pandemic (Part 2)
A profit-maximizing economy creates unnecessary suffering that is entrenched and exacerbated by the ruling class it simultaneously empowers. The public must recognize that systems of concentrated power are the reason why workers were forced back to their jobs amidst an expanding plague–with sufficient government funding, it didn’t have to be that way. Serious responses to any major crisis depend on fundamental system change.
Here’s a Civil Notion: Save the RINOs for the Sake of Democracy and the Environment
Without at least some bipartisan backing, the on-again/off-again climate policy cycle will continue. Absent collaboration today, the future transition to a low-carbon economy will be desperate rather than measured.
Overwhelming odds, unexpected alliances and tough losses — how defeating Keystone XL built a bolder, savvier climate movement
When President Biden rescinded a crucial permit for the Keystone XL pipeline last week, it marked the culmination of one of the longest, highest-profile campaigns in the North American climate movement.
A Conservative for Our Time
I have come to believe that Udall was actually in many ways, a conservative whose creative ideas may help point America’s way forward in a turbulent, polarized, and destructive time. Above all, Udall was devoted to conserving the land and the beauty of the American landscape.
A Plug for Electric Vehicles
The electrification of the transportation sector is not just about the environment. It is about the global competitiveness of US industry. To compete abroad requires the ability and capacity to compete domestically.
Climate Policy in the Biden Era: It’s Morning in America
Whether speaking philosophically of the meaning of democracy and what keeps it strong or specifically of what ails the nation, the differences between Joe Biden and Donald Trump are stark.