Election 2012: Implications for Coal and Natural Gas

The reelection of President Obama has already sent a message that is impacting the coal industry and it is likely that investors will be more wary of natural gas pending a review. Well ahead of more stringent regulations on the coal industry investors are already seeing the writing on the wall and divesting from this dirty source of energy.

As reviewed in the Washington Post, coal's stock valuations have been directly impacted by Obama's reelection. On the day after the election, shares of Peabody Energy fell 9.6 percent, Arch Coal plunged 12.5 percent, Consol Energy dropped 6.1 percent, and Alpha Natural Resources sank 12.2 percent.

Election 2012: A Mandate for Action on Climate Change

Although not everyone agrees, some environmentalists see the election of 2012 as an endorsement of action on climate change. As reported in a Guardian article, "activists say that it would be wrong to read the election as a stamp of approval for four more years of business as usual. They argue that voters have sent a clear signal that they want more aggressive action on the environment during the president's second term."

Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp is amongst those environmentalists who say that the election provides a mandate for aggressive action on climate change. After the election Krupp issued a statement on Wednesday November 7 saying:

The 2012 US Election Saw the Rise of Environmentalists as a Political Force

Environmentalism has been around for decades, but in 2012, despite a highly polarized electorate and a lack of formal discussion on climate change, environmentalists have emerged as a political force to be reckoned with.

As reviewed in the Washington Post, in the election of 2012, the environmental community played a key role in several stated including "New Mexico, Montana, Texas and other states, winning seven of eight targeted Senate races and at least three targeted House races."

A lot of money was spent by a number of different groups but even the fossil fuel industry was forced to concede that environmental groups appear to have invested their money wisely.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Accepts the Science of Climate Change (Video)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie showed his support for President Obama after Hurricane Sandy. This should come as no surprise as Christie disagrees with the GOP's stance on climate change. In 2011 Christie held a press conference at the State House to discuss the administration's policies on climate change and promoting renewable energy. The Governor stressed the need to have effective policies in place to combat the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment, while leading New Jersey into a greener and more renewable energy future. As a moderate and pragmatic man who accepts the science of climate change Christie may represent the future of a rejuvenated Republican party.

Bloomberg Endorses Obama Citing Climate Change (Video)

In a stunning move, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed the re-election of Barack Obama almost solely because of the issue of climate change. In a piece on the Bloomberg news web site, he said that the destruction caused by hurricane Sandy had led him to his decision. He wrote:

"The floods and fires that swept through our city left a path of destruction that will require years of recovery and rebuilding work. And in the short term, our subway system remains partially shut down, and many city residents and businesses still have no power. In just 14 months, two hurricanes have forced us to evacuate neighborhoods — something our city government had never done before. If this is a trend, it is simply not sustainable."

Hurricane Sandy Underscores Republican's Anti-Science Climate Change Denial (Video)

As Hurricane Sandy pounds the east coast Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks discusses the Republican party's stance on climate change. Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney's comments on climate change during is RNC speech are discussed. Cenk also breaks down the real reason the Republican party has the opinions they do about climate change, turns out it's all about the money.

Romney's Climate Change Ignorance on Display (Video)

At the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney made some derisive comments about President Obama's efforts to tackle climate change. In light of Hurricane Sandy, these comments can only be described as woefully ignorant. America has a choice to make and it would be nothing short of a national tragedy to see a candidate as profoundly misinformed as Mitt Romney win this election.

Romney Ignores the Causes of Hurricane Sandy as Republicans Shout Down Climate Change Advocate (Video)

At a Romney rally in Richmond, Virginia, a Climate Change advocate was shouted down by an angry crowd of Republicans. In response to the statement "What about climate? That's what caused this monster storm. Climate change," the Republicans in attendance all began booing and then started chanting "U-S-A". The man, who was holding a sign that read "END CLIMATE SILENCE" was immediately escorted out of the event.

Meteorologist Discusses Relationship Between Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change (Video)

Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is a rare, hybrid super storm created by an Arctic jet stream from the north wrapping itself around a tropical storm from the south. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at the Weather Underground, warns that such a "Frankenstorm," as it is called, is an outgrowth of the extreme weather changes caused by global warming. "When you heat the oceans more, you extend the length of hurricane season," Masters says. "There's been ample evidence over the last decade or so that hurricane season is getting longer -- it starts earlier, ends later. You're more likely to get these sort of late October storms now, and you're more likely to have this sort of situation where a late October storm meets up with a winter low pressure system and gives us this ridiculous combination of a nor'easter and hurricane that comes ashore, bringing all kinds of destruction."

Hurricane Sandy is a Wake-up Call for those who Doubt the Science of Climate Change (Video)

This video address Hurricane Sandy and the relationship of this super-storm to climate change. 350.org founder Bill McKibben says the storm is a wake-up call. Climate scientist Greg Jones from Southern Oregon University says: "This is a unique event and as a climate scientist I worry that these events will be more frequent."

Youth Advocacy for Action on Climate Change (Video)

Young people need to act, they also need to vote for candidates that will support them. In April, 2012, 10,000 young people came together to stand up for the Earth and push for clean energy and green jobs. This generation is engaged in a fight for survival, they are fighting for themselves and they are fighting on behalf of the children of all species. However, they are fighting against powerful entrenched interests that have spent billions to buy politicians and misinform the public. For that reason alone, this is the most important generation of Americans at the most important time in history.

The Staggering Costs of Ignoring Climate Change

As the US election draws near voters need to acknowledge that there are staggering costs associated with ignoring climate change. Although Republicans claim to be advocates of fiscal responsibility, challenger Mitt Romney has made it clear that he has no intention of addressing climate change. Here is a re-edited article that was written in 2011 in the wake of Hurricane Irene, but is even more relevant in light of devastating costs associated with Hurricane Sandy.

Extreme weather events like Hurricane Irene illustrate the costs of man’s impact on the earth. The planet has been getting warmer since the dawn of the industrial age and for every one degree rise in temperature, moisture rises by 7 percent. Scientists predict that warmer temperatures will increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Or to put it another way, global warming amplifies the risk factors for extreme weather events.

Hurricane Sandy, Climate Change and the Upcoming Election

Hurricane Sandy wreaked massive destruction on the U.S. east coast. What is particularly noteworthy is the fact that this super-storm traversed a section of ocean that is typically too cold to form hurricanes. In addition to 90 mph (144 kph) winds and massive amounts of rain there was up to 3 feet of snow in West Virginia and other areas. The storm was accompanied by record low barometric pressure that pushed the storm far inland. Hurricane Sandy combined with two other weather systems to become a huge mega-storm. The super-storm ploughed well into the Midwest causing waves exceeding 24 feet (7.2 meters) on Lake Michigan. Even more destructive were the record storm surges of 14-feet (4.27-meters) that struck the coasts of both New York and New Jersey. The impact of Sandy prompted New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to say “The level of devastation at the Jersey Shore is unthinkable,” he said. “It is beyond anything I thought I’d ever see…it is a devastating sight right now.”

Romney's Environmentally Destructive Vision for America

Republican nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have presented two radically different visions. While environmentalists have criticized both candidates, it should be obvious that one is clearly better than the other. Obama's campaign slogan is "Forward" while Romney's policy agenda can best be described as "Backwards". Romney has emphasized an increased reliance on fossil fuels, in contrast, President Obama has worked towards the development of a 21 century energy economy. Overall, Obama's environmental Efforts on energy and other issues rank him as one of the greenest Presidents in American history. Romney's proposed policies are nothing short of an environmental nightmare. It is not overstating the case to say that a Romney presidency would imperil the planet. If Romney wins the White House it may very well push us beyond tipping points that will make it impossible to get a handle on climate change.

Insurance Company Acknowledges Extreme Weather Caused by Climate Change

Extreme weather is costing insurance companies billions of dollars and this is forcing them to accept the veracity of climate change. Even before the mega-storm known as Hurricane Sandy hit in late October 2012, a Huffington Post article indicated that federal disaster declarations have doubled winter storm losses since the 1980s. In 2011, thunderstorms caused over $25 billion in damages in the U.S., more than double the previous record.

As reported by Bloomberg, the total economic loss from the Hurricane could exceed $20 billion, including insured losses of about $7 billion to $8 billion. These costs could subtract 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points from US gross domestic product in the fourth quarter. The industry forecasting firm IHS Global Insight estimates the costs of Sandy could be as high as $50 billion in damages and lost business.

Video: Newt Gingrich & Nancy Pelosi Ad to Combat Climate Change

Before Newt Gingrich was running for the GOP presidential nomination he was a leading advocate to combat climate change. This ad is part of the "We Can Solve It" global warming ad campaign sponsored by former Vice President Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection.

Video: Newt Gingrich on Climate Change "The Evidence is Sufficient"

Before running for President, Newt Gingrich was an advocate supporting efforts to combat climate change. In this video he is seen saying, "the evidence is sufficient...to move towards most effective possible steps to reduce carbon loading." He even talked about the need for "green conservatives." He also addressed Republican concerns about big government but he went on to say that we need to discuss "whats the most effective way to solve it rather than get into a fight about whether or not to solve it."

Huntman's Belief in Science Was His Undoing

Utah governor Jon Huntsman's Presidential campaign came to an end when he said, ‘I respect science.’ This is political suicide for anyone seeking the GOP presidential nomination.

Failed GOP 2012 Presidential Candidates on Climate Change

Republican's confusion on climate change is well known, but this ignorance is not only a defining feature of those left in the GOP presidential race, it also applies to those who dropped out. Here are the views of three Republican candidates who are not longer in the 2012 race. At one time these candidates were viewed as the most promising contenders for the Republican nomination for President. The list of failed popular contenders includes Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, and Herman Cain.

In His Own Words Santorum on Climate Change Part 2

As revealed in a Treehugger article titled Rick Santorum Has Absolutely No Idea What He is Talking About, Santorum has some convoluted ideas. Here is his response to a man in New Hampshire who questioned him about climate change: