Environment and Health
Finding the Real Mother of Obamacare
A Financial New Year’s Resolution
On Nov. 26, a group of witnesses, citizens, journalists, and elected officials filed into a public hearing in Washington, DC on how the government might divert taxpayer dollars from supporting the most polluting fossil fuel companies. Are you surprised? Do you think...
Chill the Drills in America’s Arctic
America’s Arctic is a place like no other. Its unique conditions — extreme weather, long periods of darkness, and its remoteness from infrastructure, make it both extremely harsh and fragile. Here, sea ice meets the northern edge of the continent, and animals...
Let the Sun Shine In
Now the Koch brothers are coming after my solar panels. I had solar panels installed on the roof of our Washington, D.C. home this year. My household took advantage of a generous tax incentive from the District government and a creative leasing deal offered by the...
Flashback: Drilling for Oil Wealth on Capitol Hill
I always thought the best job in the world was being Dick Cheney's mea culpa coach. The pay wouldn't be much but, in terms of not having much to do, it ranks up there with being a Christmas shopper for Osama bin Laden. Now I have discovered an even better job. It's...
Santa’s Dreaming of a Green Christmas
Santa's changing some policies at the North Pole. You see, he's concerned about global warming. If the polar ice caps melt, his workshop will sink into the Arctic Ocean. He'd become a climate refugee. What's more, our changing climate is endangering our food supply....
Celebrating the Season without Worshipping Consumerism
The holiday traditions are starting already. Here's mine. My mom called me because she found a great deal on a paring knife at Williams Sonoma. Do I want it? I assured her that I'm getting along fine with the knives I have but thanked her for the thought. And I have...
Islands in the Storm
Shortly after the extent of the damage of storm known as either Super Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda became clear, the United States got to work sending much needed aid to the Philippines. With winds up to 195 miles per hour, it left more than 5,200 people dead and four...
A Better Grip on Climate Change
Earth to climate change deniers: The vast majority of Americans are worried enough about global warming to want our government to help stop this scourge. This good news for people who believe science should drive our climate policy comes from a series of surveys...
A Typhoon Tax
Americans are generous by nature. About half of U.S. families contributed to earthquake relief in Haiti in 2010, and millions of us have already supported typhoon aid for the Philippines. But there’s a golden opportunity for our country to do much more. We can help...
