Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, gave a speech to the Economic Club in Washington last week in which he laid out the case for a revenue-neutral tax on CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Tillerson reminded his audience of the stubborn fact that fossil fuels will continue to supply almost 60% of the of the worlds’ energy through 2030. Tillerson sees free markets and technology as the best means to bring about change in the world’s energy systems.

The US climate change bill will not pass this year according to Carol Browner, the Director of the White Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy.
While some experts have predicted that the Senate had too much on its plate at this time to take up the Kerry-Boxer cap & trade bill, Ms Browner’s statement on Friday was the first time anyone in the Obama administration officially admitted that a bill would not pass this year.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday its proposal to regulate greenhouse gases emitted by large industrial facilities.

Some cynical, yet humorous, person once noted that anytime the global warming activists or climate change proponents hold a demonstration, it will be the coldest or snowiest day of the year. It’s sometimes called the “Gore Effect.”
During the same week that Senators Boxer and Kerry are unveiling their climate change legislation in the Senate, Bloomberg is reporting that reported that Matt Rogers, a forecaster at Commodity Weather Group, predicts that because of a weak El Nino (the Pacific Ocean warming current), the Northeast may have the coldest and snowiest winter in …

Senator Barbara Boxer, head of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Senator John Kerry, head of the Foreign Relations Committee are presenting their version of climate change - cap and trade- legislation in the Senate Wednesday.
The bill call for a 20% reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% reduction by 2050. These levels are more aggressive than those contained in the House bill passed in June.
The bill contains a provision that will attempt to control speculators in a newly-created carbon trading market. …

European companies faced with higher costs and taxes for waste disposal and recycling are finding a cheaper alternative; they are shipping more waste overseas to Africa, China, India and Indonesia, the New York Times reports.
While much of this waste is sent to qualified recyclers, some of waste trade is illegal. The great concern is the export of waste to countries where children often dismantle waste containing toxic substances.

The United Nations is hosting a climate change meeting in New York this week to help pave the way for the December Copenhagen summit.
European ministers, however, are lowering expectations on reaching a comprehensive greenhouse gas reducing treaty.
According the Financial Times, “European Union officials have grown increasingly frustrated at the U.S. stance, saying it has fallen short on both its level of ambition to reduce emissions and on offering aid to developingnations.”
To the EU, it appears that the Obama Administration is so totally immersed in health care issues that the …

On Wednesday we posted carbon footprint links.  In terms of climate change there are pros and cons to carbon offsets and whether or not there is even a need to do so.  However, in the spirit of keeping readers informed, here are links to carbon emission offsets.

In the newly colored and crowded world of green, we often hear about policy considerations which define, oversee, and in some cases help regulate decisions regarding environmental management.   Policies are often made by a group according to their point of view and what they consider to be “in the best interest of,” however, not everyone may agree upon the ways to best achieve or attain policy goals.

When the Altamonte Pass wind turbine farm was developed over 20 years ago, there was much concern over the wind turbines’ effect on migratory birds, raptors and bats.
The concerns, and at times outcry, of bird experts have continued but those concerns were often questioned as being misplaced or even myths.