Portland, Oregon, will take $30 million a year from large corporations and spend it on climate protection. Support for the city’s most vulnerable populations is at the heart of the plan. Ben Paulos outlines planned initiatives.
All posts tagged: USA
California voters demand Democrats push clean energy
Almost all of California’s representatives to the US House are now Democrats, and the state is pushing harder than ever for sustainability. Will the US state be able to clean up its energy by 2045? L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look.
Democrats won a clean energy victory in midterm elections
Though the 2018 U.S. Midterm elections didn’t produce a clear victory for the climate, it was far from a defeat. While three of four far-reaching state ballot initiatives didn’t pass, the Democrats will take over leadership of the House of Representatives and several energy progressive candidates also won key governor’s races, L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a closer look.
Americans vote on climate change today
In response to the Trump administration’s massive rollback of environmental regulations, citizens across the US have put forth ballot initiatives to restrict carbon emissions, stop fracking, and encourage renewable energy development. L. Michael Buchsbaum goes in-depth.
Colorado citizens rise up against fracking
In the US state of Colorado, a ballot initiative has proposed to keep fracking at least 2,500 feet (around 760 meters) away from neighborhoods. But industry interests are fighting tooth and nail preserve the status quo, says L. Michael Buchsbaum.
#Fracking4Plastics – a link that drives plastic and climate pollution
The plastics industry has reaped massive hidden benefits from the environmentally destructive fracking boom. Andy Gheorghiu of Food and Water Europe makes a connection business interests and US politics.
Questionable methane estimates in the gas industry: the lesson from the U.S.
Have you heard that fracking is terrible for the environment? The problem might be natural gas in general: it turns out that regardless of extraction techniques, methane losses are about 60 per cent higher than officially reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Lorenzo Cremonese explains.
Climate change insurance is not a silver bullet
Developing countries have contributed the least to climate change, yet they are the most vulnerable to climate catastrophes. Now rich countries are championing the “solution” to climate catastrophes in the form of premiums for insurance schemes. Liane Schalatek and Julie-Anne Richards explain why insurance hasn’t worked in Dominica and Malawi.
No longer a novelty, clean energy technologies boom all across the US
Today, the U.S. has about six times as much renewable energy as it did ten years ago, and some states aim to be 100% renewable by 2050. Julia Pyper explores a new report about the American democratization of renewables, energy storage and electric vehicles.
A climate-friendly response to Trump’s protectionism
Rather than allowing itself to be dragged into Donald Trump’s destructive trade games, the European Union should turn them on their head, by introducing a CO2 levy, including border adjustment. Such a response would help protect the environment and boost the EU’s own international clout. Barbara Unmüßig and Michael Kellner take a look.