The Footprint Blog

Losing the messaging battle

If you've been paying any attention to the news, you know that there's been a dispiritingly high level of nonsense permeating the recent discussion of climate change. Of course, there's always a high level of nonsense attending any public discussion of climate change. But many of us have been taken aback by the amount of traction that various anti-scientific arguments… read more →

Electric bikes on the rise

Can you stand one more post about electric bikes? The New York Times ran a follow-up recently, and it's worth revisiting the topic. First, the comment thread to the previous post about electric bikes has an interesting diversity of opinions, but to my mind pretty strongly underscores the potential value of this technology. Many everyday commuters and older riders find… read more →

How Bill Gates can end climate change

In response to Bill Gates recent speech calling climate change the most urgent threat to humankind, I somewhat sourly wrote: "The fate of the planet continues to reside in the entirely dysfunctional U.S. Senate, and not even the world's richest man can change that fact." But of course that's not even remotely true. As the world's richest man, Bill Gates… read more →

Bill Gates says we need to get to zero emissions

Bill Gates, world's most successful businessman, has been highlighting the danger of climate change and the need for an energy transformation, earning some praise from environmentalists -- and a surprising amount of backlash. Gates recently gave a TED talk in which he pushed a vision of a world in which population and wealth have increased, even as carbon emissions drop… read more →

Opponents of California’s climate law face challenges

Backers of a voter initiative that would suspend California’s landmark climate law (AB 32) have delayed the launch of their signature-gathering campaign, raising questions about whether their proposal will qualify for the state ballot in November. The promoters of the ballot measure – Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue, Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA), and taxpayer association director Ted Costa – also face… read more →

Forests help cool the planet

Climate change can be counterintuitive. For example, one way to cool the planet would be to clear cut the entire Northern hemisphere. Trees are dark, and absorb heat much more strongly than snow, which reflects light very well. By replacing large swaths of the planet’s dark surfaces (the boreal forest) with light ones (snow and rock), we could pretty significantly… read more →

Weekly comment bait: Audi’s “Green Police” Superbowl ad

I didn't watch the Superbowl because I hate America was on a plane, so it wasn't until Monday that I became aware of chatter about the ad for Audi's A3 TDI clean diesel car, recently named the "Green Car of the Year" for its fuel efficiency. Apparently -- I haven't watched yet -- the ad portrays a "green police" squad… read more →

Nickel bag tax slashes waste in D.C.

Disposable plastic bags make up 47% of the trash in the Anacostia river basin, so Washington D.C. instituted a five-cent bag tax, effective January 1. How much difference could a nickel make? > Less than a month into the program, which D.C. officials describe as an effort to reduce litter and generate funds to clean up the Anacostia River, the… read more →

China set to dominate clean energy

China is the world's manufacturer, and increasingly that applies to energy infrastructure as well: > China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, and is poised to expand even further this year. > China has also leapfrogged the West in the last two years to… read more →

Bringing solar to the masses

Ages ago, Grist ran an interview with Anya Schoolman, a neighborhood activist who organized her Washington, D.C., community into a solar co-op. By forming a coaltion, the group was able to run a daunting gauntlet on the way to installing solar panels on 50 homes. Together, homeowners successfully lobbied for changes in local regulations, forged an agreement with their power… read more →
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