Aww, it's like that guy in Titanic

Thanks to the brilliant folks over at Wildlife Promise and Kerry Boland for this work of mastery.

The briefing is on a 3-day weekend. See ya Monday!

MW

Daily Briefing - 3/8/07: Wildlife, Censorship, Insurance, and Global Warming

In yet another sad example of global warming censorship for this Administration, the New York Times has revealed that wildlife officials associated with the Alaskan branch of the US Fish and Wildlife Service have been told not to speak about climate change, polar bears, or sea life when travelling. Its the lead article in the global warming section today.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/8/07
606 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Wildlife officials told not to discuss climate change or polar bears
- Taking climate legislation to the Hill
- Swiss Re: Insurance losses to rise with global warming
- Montreal protocol, the lesser known predecessor to Kyoto, is slowing warming
- Atlantic: Who wins and who loses?
- Chancellor Merkel urging EU to lead
- Changing consumer habits one foot at a time
- A coal executive with a cleanup mission
- Raleigh to host talks
- A magnet for investor money
- Car makers… bad sports or old fossil fools?
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- The immigration minefield
- House Dems seek 2008 Iraq withdrawal
Potential ‘08ers…
- Hagel (will announce plans on Monday), Edwards (to skip debate hosted by Fox), Giuliani (may be too much of a “New Yorker”… as a NYer, I say bollocks to that!), Obama (says investments presented no conflicts of interest), Obama again (NYers begging to go to his event), Richardson (defending character issues), Romney (betting on tax cuts), Huckabee (picking up staffers in NH)
- Think its hard to run as a Senator, how about as a Member of the House?
- George Will: Sees three good options for conservatives
Other News from the Media
- New York Times has a special green business section
- Bank of America’s money is getting greener
- Vermont wants to become the silicon valley of the green industry
- How green is nuclear power?
…and the Blogosphere
- Andrew Sullivan on Ann Coulter and the denigration of homosexuals
- MYDD: A party switch???
- Oh the glory of city living
- Rev. Jim Wallis responds to James Dobson and his global warming denials
- TomPaine: Not a fan of carbon offsets
- Grist:
o On Sports Illustrated’s coverage of global warming
o Landfills v. incinerators
o A chat with An Inconvenient Truth co-producer Lawrence Bender
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Sorry ladies, looks like Prince William is off the market
- In a battle of diets, Atkins wins
- Wikipedia to seek proof of credentials
- Goodness gracious, Captain America died!!!!
Quotes O’ the Day
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ~Philip K. Dick

Daily Briefing - 3/7/07: Sports and Global Warming, Scooter Libby, and Impeachment

Man, the sections on '08 candidates just keeps growing...

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/7/07
607 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Sports Illustrated: Sports would, and do, gain from going… going…. green!
- IUCN: Women fighting climate change (including NWF’s Patty Glick)
- EU urged to lead
- Experts advise President of the European Commission, Joes Manuel Barroso
- Automakers to fight CA global warming suit
- Minnesota greenhouse gas plan advances
- Reaching Mount Everest
- Global warming and grizzlies
- Tony Blankley: Global warming as a religion and Al Gore and his remissions
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Libby is convicted, faces jail
o For Cheney, political toll may follow
o Guess the pardon date, win a T-shirt!
- Vermont votes to impeach Bush/Cheney
Potential ‘08ers…
- Obama (man of the world), Edwards (snaring some Vilsack supporters), Obama again (rallying in Iowa), Clinton (endorsed by NH House Maj Leader), Giuliani (hawking for votes in Iowa), Obama again again (loves Beyonce), Edwards again (denounces attacks), Hagel (showing his hand?), Giuliani again (will not reach a deal with pro-lifers), Obama for one last time (likes the JFK comparisons), McCain (staffers jump ship after unplanned announcement on Letterman),
- Michigan looks to push its primary date up, bring the automobile industry to the forefront
Other News from the Media
- Venture capitalists want to put some algae in your tank
- The latest trend in ethanol… coal
- A biological hotspot in Africa
- Breathing easier in Thailand: The battle for blue skies pays off
- Preserving land and wildlife to preserve the Afghan identity
- Plug-in hybrids for a sustainable future
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: Parsing the polls on the democrats
- RedState: The latest dumb idea from the separatist right… conservapedia
- TomPaine: A greener farm bill
- Grist:
o The civil war among evangelicals
o Who’s counting the carbon?
o On local currencies
o Mitigation v. adaptation
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- The earliest solar observatory in the Americas
- Borat seen as human rights victim
- Jenna Bush writes book for teens
Quotes O’ the Day
“Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a congressman can.” ~ Mark Twain

Daily Briefing - 3/6/07: Polar Bears, Motorized Decoys, Global Warming, and the "Election on Steroids"

There was a solid showing and generally positive response last night at the public hearing on listing the polar bear as an endangered/threatened species. Most of the people in attendance were in support of the listing, the few opposed represented oil and gas interests as well as some hunting groups.

Hopefully, we'll get a more in-depth overview posted a little later today.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/6/07
608 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Government hears polar bear concerns
o Rep. Inslee: Global warming putting bears at risk
o Alaska officials question the science
- Dingell warns of a climate fight
- Living lightly on the grid and fighting global warming from home
- Local voices will be heard
- Some coral reefs resist global warming
- Taipei Times: The greening of Bush may help US regain global influence
o Gratefully, NWF and our Chairman of the Board, Jerome Ringo is mentioned… but he’s sited as our President. Oh well…
- The American Consumer Institute favors a carbon tax
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Lobbying bill sparks populist uprising on both sides
Potential ‘08ers…
- Obama (a map for a new march), Giuliani (the curmudgeon), Giuliani again (sells his bank), Romney (a rehab plan?), Obama again (globamania… come on, how far are we gonna go with these stupid names?), Clinton (planning a major appeal to women), Edwards (on the influence of faith), Romney again (launches a Spanish radio ad),
- Minnestoa DFL to hold straw poll
- The Caucus: Off the news, the show goes on
- A MEGAPRIMARY… with New York being the frontloader of the day
Other News from the Media
- The big green fuel lie
- Conservationists issue Western energy agenda
- CRP and biofuels are not mutually exclusive, from NWF’s own Julie Sibbing
- Motorized decoys could be laid to rest
- NOLA refuge naturalist wins LWF conservation award
- Ten things wrong with sprawl
…and the Blogosphere
- Open Congress: Fired U.S. attorneys tell all
- The Fix: Can Rudy win?
- TomPaine: Green, efficient excess
- Grist:
o Coal to liquid: Not Cool
o David Roberts’ linkfest
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Wall Street named historic site
- The [Bio]DaVersity Code
- Kids get fatter in the summer… ahem, I think this is a good time to plug No Child Left Inside
o Shaq is helping too
- Wow. Rarely do we see the true importance of journalism, but I think this woman embodies it
Quotes O’ the Day
“For the first time in my history, my community has had to use air conditioners. Imagine that, air conditioners in the Arctic.”-- Inuit leader Sheila Watt-Cloutier.

Daily Briefing - 3/5/07: Bush Administration, the UN, polar bears, and global warming

Tonight from 6:00-9:00pm the Department of Interior (1849 C Street, NW) will be holding a public hearing on whether the polar bear should be lsited as a threatened/endangered species. Please join us for what should be a riveting discussion!

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/5/07
609 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Bush Administration estimates a steady increase in emissions over the next decade
o Graphic: Impact of Greenhouse Gas Policies
o Projecting a 19% rise
o Reaction from David Roberts at Grist
- Evangelical’s focus on climate draws fire of Christian right
- The UN’s war on global warming
- Nobel nominee says warming is a human rights issue
- UK Environmental Secretary outlines post-oil future
o Time for a green industrial revolution
- Europeans support greater EU action
- Climate change related malaria rise in Africa
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- National Journal’s 2006 Vote Ratings are out!
- Chapter 1 of Citizen K Street
Potential ‘08ers…
- Gingrich (getting serious at CPAC), Clinton and Obama (speechifying in Selma), Obama (the streak ends at 56!), Bloomberg (the waiting game), Edwards (taking advantage of some nastiness), Romney (new media more open), McCain (big gov’t McCain), Giuliani (what Giuliani will we see?), Giuliani (master o’ disaster), Clinton (urging healthcare for all),
- GOP candidates criticize Coulter slur
Other News from the Media
- We have 10 years to save the coast of Louisiana
- Alaska Governor questions science of polar bear listing
- Global markets continue to fall
- Not the maple sugar!!!
- U.S. and Brazil seek to promote ethanol in the West
- Oil innovations pump new life into old wells
…and the Blogosphere
- MYDD: Breaking down all the vote ratings
- Romney and Coulter, there’s a match for you
- National Review: Can movies do more than deliver a message?
- Grist:
o Good news from Antarctica
o Trade protection, biofuels, and the environment
o Report from Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit
o An early skirmish in the coming coal war
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Patagonia in a new light
- Darwin’s God
- We eat horses?
- Stephen Colbert: Person of the Year
- Um, isn’t the point of Wikipedia is that it can be edited by WHOMEVER? Then why the need for this?
Quotes O’ the Day
"I have been called -- my kids are all aware of this -- dumb, crazy man, science abuser, Holocaust denier, villain of the month, hate-filled, warmonger, Neanderthal, Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun," he announced. "And I can just tell you that I wear some of those titles proudly." ~ Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)

Eco-Capitalism

It has been one week since Hollywood crowned our environmentalist champion Al Gore and fawned over the greening of the Academy Awards. This past week two private equity firms bought out TXU, the utility firm poised to build 11 coal-fired power plants, and immediately announced its plan to scale back those plans to meet solid environmental efficiency standards. Cutting carbon emissions and improving one's sustainable impact no longer applies strictly to those of us wearing hemp and sporting a nasty beard. The glitterati and glamour of Hollywood along with the ubiquitously powerful leaders in business have taken up "being green" in a way not seen before. Sure Hollywood has had its spouts of self-righteousness and the corporate culture has made strategic PR moves in the past, but never has environmentalism and the conservationist spirit been so, as members of older generations would say, with it.

Today's Washington Post has two articles assessing this newfound interest that has piqued our society's most powerful and most glamorous. Bruce Sterling, creator of the cyberpunk genre, writes about his dot-green future where people are “all about creating irresistible consumer demand for cool objects that will yield a global atmosphere upgrade.” Being green is no longer some moral crusade preached by off-the-grid types, however close to my heart they may be. No, its cool, and its what our consumer society wants. The material nature of our society has focused its attention-deficit gaze upon, not the concept of sustainability, but the products and the lifestyle changes and upgrades that concept brings them. Mr. Sterling calls them “cybergreens” and they’re going to “glam, spend and consume our way into planetary survival.”

His outlook, if correct, will be a prescient reading and one that should produce great results. It should be stated that taking on climate change should not be solely rested upon the fickle shoulders of wanton consumer, but continually prodded and shoved by those of us who see this concept of sustainability for what it is and not for what it reaps.

The other article, penned by Yale Professor Daniel Esty, looks at the moneymaking possibilities of going green. He sees that we are in the midst of a revolution, saying “Environmental progress no longer depends on hundreds of bureaucrats at the Environmental Protection Agency…the burden of innovation and technology development will shift to the private sector.” This is a fairly obvious assumption, and he goes on to mention the potential carbon capping market approaches soon to be forced upon industries and businesses.

This burden placed on the private sector is really not a burden at all, but merely a shift in practice. Businesses who realize this change, as he mentions, must adapt or risk losing the competitive edge. What he fails to mention is that this government-prodded shift is only closing an area of profit making and opening another. Hence eco-capitalism, making money and not ruining our planet.

MW