 Charlie Crist Superstar An interview with Florida's governor, a Republican climate crusader Meet Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a surprising blend of Grand Ol' Party and bleeding-heart greenie. During his first year in office, he shocked and delighted environmentalists by pushing an aggressive agenda to stave off climate change and taking other big steps to protect the natural beauty for which his state is famous. In an interview with Grist's Amanda Griscom Little, Crist talks about his lifelong concern for the environment, his animosity toward coal, and the day when he realized he needed to take action against global warming. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
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TODAY'S NEWS
| Mob Gnarly and the Whalers Protesters converge on Japan's whaling fleet; Aussie court rules Japan hunt illegal It's been high drama on the high seas the past few days as the unpopular Japanese whaling fleet has been at the heart of legal action and a target of direct-action protest. Earlier this week, Greenpeace successfully tracked down Japan's whaling fleet in Antarctic waters and has been chasing them around, disrupting the hunt. Today, a federal court in Australia ruled that Japan's whaling was illegal and ordered the fleet not to hunt anywhere near its waters nor in its Antarctic territory. Just hours after the ruling, two protesters from the militant anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society boarded one of the whaling vessels to deliver a letter of protest; the two were then taken into custody by the crew. Sea Shepherd has accused the crew of kidnapping and abuse of the activists. And just when you thought it couldn't get any more interesting, a ship that Australia sent to monitor the whaling fleet is set to arrive in the area soon to gather evidence against the whalers to present to an international court. Japan has said it aims to land up to 900 whales this season; no word yet on its captured-activist quota. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: BBC News, The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News, Agence France-Presse, The Age |
| Antarctic'ed Off Antarctica ice melt more widespread and faster than thought, says study Antarctica holds about 90 percent of the Earth's ice, so it's a bit problematic that the continent seems to be melting faster than expected. Not only is large-scale ice loss more widespread than thought, but the rate of meltiness has accelerated over the last decade, says a study in the journal Nature Geoscience. The West Antarctic ice sheet lost about 132 billion tons of ice in 2006, compared to some 83 billion tons of ice in 1996. Unfortunately, many computer models of future climate impacts assume that Antarctic ice levels will be stable -- and thus may underestimate sea-level rise. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: The Washington Post, Reuters, The Independent, Nature, The Times see also, in Grist: A warming Antarctica is threatened by invasive species |
| The Third Party From the Left U.S. Green Party holds its first presidential debate of the season The Green Party held its first presidential debate of the campaign season last weekend in San Francisco. The five candidates answered a series of questions about the Iraq war, the farm bill, health care, and more at the three-hour event. Ego and rancor weren't on display at the Green debate the way they have been at some of the other party debates. In fact, the candidates spent much of the time visibly agreeing with each other (as opposed to the major-party candidates mostly agreeing with each other but striving to play up minor differences). Just in case observers thought a third-party debate wasn't notable, organizers actually dubbed it "A Presidential Debate That Matters," complete with a big banner declaring as much. The Green Party nomination is still wide open, but former congress member (and former Democrat) Cynthia McKinney is considered a favorite in the race. The official Green Party presidential candidate will be decided in July in Chicago. Expect angry coal-company execs dressed as morose lumps of coal protesting in the streets outside the conference. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: San Francisco Chronicle, Fog City Journal |
| Caping By Cape Wind project given preliminary environmental approval Seems it was only October that the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound was dealt a setback. Now here it is January, and the wind farm that NIMBYs love to hate is inching forward, having been given preliminary environmental approval from the Minerals Management Service. After a public comment period, the final fate of the project is expected to be announced later this year. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: Associated Press see also, in Gristmill: Draft EIS for Nantucket Sound wind project is positive |
| Share and Share We Like Tech companies offer free rights to eco-friendly patents Four tech companies have partnered with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to introduce the Eco-Patent Commons, which will offer the rights to eco-friendly technologies for free. IBM, Sony, Nokia, and Pitney Bowes have together donated 31 patents to the public domain, including one for a shock-absorbing cardboard tray that would replace the need for Styrofoam peanuts, and another patent for a way to recycle cell phones into new devices. "Innovation to address environmental issues will require both the application of technology as well as new models for sharing intellectual property among companies in different industries," says IBM Senior Vice President John E. Kelly III. "IBM is excited to bring its patent resources to bear in service of the environment. We strongly urge other companies to contribute to the Eco-Patent Commons." Perhaps we'll donate our patented pun-maker. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: San Francisco Chronicle, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNN Money |
| Muskrat Love Ain't Got Nothin' on This Romance novelist accused of plagiarizing green group's magazine Bloggers at Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books have accused popular romance writer Cassie Edwards of plagiarism in a number of her tomes, including Savage Longings, Savage Moon, and Savage Beloved. Among the accusations lobbed at Edwards -- who, it may surprise you to know, often writes about the lustful dalliances of Native American characters -- is that a description of black-footed ferrets in last year's Shadow Bear was lifted nearly word-for-word from a 2005 article in a quarterly magazine published by green group Defenders of Wildlife. "I'm glad that our magazine has inspired others to write about endangered wildlife," says Defenders editor and ironically named Mark Cheater. "But I'd like to note that our articles are copyrighted, and those who wish to reuse parts or all of these stories need to seek permission first." Edwards, with a heaving bosom, has said she wasn't aware she needed to credit her sources. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: The New York Times, Associated Press |
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