US Corporate Climate Efforts in 2017 Offer Hope for 2018

Corporate climate action is one of the most hopeful stories of 2017 and many say there is reason to believe that it may prove to be an even bigger story in 2018. Hundreds of US corporations are slashing their emissions and adopting increasingly robust sustainability programs. A wide range of companies and organizations have committed billions to combat climate change. All across the US companies are crafting mitigation strategies and increasingly considering their adaptation needs. We are witnessing the broadest US corporate climate consensus that we have ever seen. It goes well beyond the Climate Action Partnership that was formed in 2007.

Republicans Opposing Trump Say he is Dangerously Unqualified to be President

An unprecedented number of Republican insiders have indicated that they cannot bring themselves to support Donald Trump even if he is their party's Presidential nominee. Some have said they will vote for Hilary Clinton, others have opted to leave the GOP altogether.  Republicans who refuse to endorse Trump include past presidents, governors, senators, representatives, experts and aides.

The reasons for the exodus should be obvious to all. Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims.

Make no mistake about it the GOP is not a victim of Trump, they created this monster through their own failed strategies. Trump was conceived through their pandering to the basest aspects of the American electorate. They are responsible for the outrage at government due to their legislative obstructionism.

Republicans had been flirting with racism for a long time. The election of Barack Obama appears to have sent older white Americans over the edge. They see their power being diluted by people of color and progressive ideologies. Rather than assuage their insecurities, and usher them into the modern world, Trump stokes the fires of fear.

Climate Action and the Binary Choice between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump

When it comes to climate and the environment, the DNC made it abundantly clear that the Democratic ticket is a far better choice than the Republican alternative. Despite what some are saying the Democrats are the only choice. However, Trump's lies and ignorance are being bolstered by misrepresentations from the left.  At the DNC speakers praised Hilary Clinton's support for climate action and they lauded the most progressive Democratic platform in the party's history. This is in stark contrast to the Republican National Convention, the GOP's platform and Donald Trump's own words.

Trump Promises to Kill Climate Action in RNC Speech: The False Flags of Fear and Division

As the Republican National Convention drew to a close Donald Trump delivered a speech in which he made it clear that he will dismantle US efforts to address climate change all while exacerbating its cause. He wants to get rid of environmental regulations and expand the domestic production of fossil fuels. Here is a succinct analysis of climate and environment related remarks made by Trump during his acceptance speech at the RNC on July 21, 2016.

Climate Avoidance, No-shows, Discord and Nepotism Mark the Start of the Republican National Convention

As an omen of what is to come, the Trump motorcade had an accident on the way to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. A Trump presidency would not only be calamitous for the economy it would likely push us past climate tipping points. Trump has indicated that he will double down on fossil fuels and this means that if Trump wins we all lose. 

There continues to be determined focused resistance to Trump's Presidential bid from almost all quarters of American society. The small but growing number of Republicans who accept climate science will not be at the convention along with a surprising number of others. Trump has little support from Hispanics, blacks, millennials and women.

Trump's Pick for VP Fails to Secure Support from the Koch Brothers (Videos)

The Republican presidential nominee's choice of VP suggests that the Trump camp may have been hoping to secure support from conservative Christians and the Koch brothers (David and Charles). Earlier this week Donald Trump unceremoniously revealed that Michael Richard "Mike" Pence as his pick for his Vice Presidential running-mate.

Pence is a climate denier and supporter of dirty energy who has sat in the House of Representatives where he amassed an anti-climate and anti-environment voting record.  He has been the governor of Indiana since 2013 where he has been a vocal critic of the Clean Power Plan.

Hilary Clinton is our Last Best Hope of Tackling Climate Change

Anyone interested in climate action needs to appreciate that Hilary Clinton is our last best hope. Clinton has emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and she is a far better choice than the Republican candidate Donald Trump. To get a handle on what is at stake, voters need to understand that without US involvement, efforts to reign-in climate change are doomed to fail. Clinton has recently received endorsements from the greenest candidate in this election cycle Tom O'Malley and Potus himself, President Barack Obama.

Trump Takes his First Beating with More to Come

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has taken his first beating. His ill informed and contradictory statements make for easy fodder. Thinking people recoil in horror at Trump's populism. The man known as "The Donald" has been variously described as a con-man, pathological liar and fascist. On June 2nd the likely Democratic Nominee Hilary Clinton lashed out at the Republican presidential nominee. The verbal lashing was the first time that a rival has taken on Trump since failed GOP contender Ted Cruz took his best shot.

A Trump Presidency Would Kill Climate Action and Push us Past Irreversible Tipping Points

The fate of climate action and by extension the health of the planet and all its inhabitants depends on who Americans choose as their next President. The choice is between two unpopular candidates, however the leading Democratic candidate has indicated she will stay the course of the Obama administration's climate leadership while the Republican nominee has vowed to end President Obama's slate of green policy initiatives.

Trump Could Win and We All Could Lose

Anyone who cares about the environment, the economy, business, responsible governance, civility or basic human decency is quite right to be terrified by the prospect of a Trump presidency.

Many people think that the combination of deep political divisions within the GOP and Trump's own lunacy will make the Republican nominee unelectable. However, as Van Jones has cautioned, he could still win. The divisions will be smoothed over and the powerfully machinery of the GOP will add to the horrifying prospect that Trump could actually be elected President.

Trump Wants to Mine Coal Frack for Gas and Drill for Oil

Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump is not only invested in the fossil fuel industry he is seeking to expand its role in American energy production.

Coal is among the dirtiest sources of energy, as a consequence coal plants and mining operations are being shut down in the US and around the world. Against this backdrop Trump is promising a revival of the American coal industry.

Climate Doomsday Clock Advances as Trump Wins the Republican Presidential Nomination

For many Democrats and supporters of climate action, Trump's victory was heralded with a grin and a nod. "He will be easy to beat," they say. But all thinking people everywhere are just a little bit uneasy today. The prospect, however distant, that The Donald could be the next president of the United States warrants concern, if not outright terror.

Despite his overt racism, misogyny and climate confusion, millions of Americans support Trump. Even the Koch brothers have said that Trump is unelectable. Nonetheless a trifecta of nefarious forces have coalesced to create the right conditions to make this possible.  The GOP, and of course Trump himself, along with a large number of Americans are all inadvertently complicit in this iniquitous drama.

Climate Focus at the April 14th Democratic Debate

Climate related issues were a major part of the Democratic Presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in Brooklyn, New York, on April 14, 2016. While the two candidates agree that climate change is an urgent issue, there are important distinctions between their respective policy positions.  Regardless of who wins the nomination, this debate establishes the Democratic party as the only choice for environmentally conscious voters.

Trump's Climate Ignorance Would be Laughable if the Implications weren't so Serious

Trump is likely to be the Republican nominee for President of the United States and at first glance this is hilarious, however if he were to elected it would be an unprecedented disaster for climate and the environment.

It is surreal that the man who is likely to secure the Republican nomination for the most powerful office in the world could be so incredibly ignorant about the scientific consensus on climate change.

Here is a review of some of his absurd climate statements and a summary of what he would do to the environment if he were to be elected President.

Environmental Differences Between Hillary and Bernie in the Flint Presidential Debate

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced off in a presidential primary debate at the University of Michigan in Flint, on March 6, 2016. During this substantive debate some salient differences emerged between the two remaining Democratic presidential contenders.

These differences included Sander's relatively stronger emphasis on combating climate change, and opposition to both fracking and campaign finance from the fossil fuel industry.

Climate and Clean Energy in the Third Democratic Presidential Debate

Watching the third Democratic debate, the conspicuous absence of any questions on climate change could have led viewers to think they had tuned into a Republican debate. Although not a single question was asked about climate change, which is startling given the fact that the debate comes only a week after the COP21 agreement was announced, Sanders and O'Malley did manage to briefly mention climate change and clean energy. Clinton conspicuously ignored the topic altogether. She may think this is a good way to win over Republicans who are disillusioned with front running GOP candidate Donald Trump. However it is also a great way to alienate her base.

Trump is Unelectable: So Say the Koch Brothers and Others

Trump may be may be many things but one of the things he is not is electable. It would be easy to dismiss Trump, but at this stage he is the unchallenged leader in the Republican presidential race. Trump is a leader in many ways. In addition to being a first class asshole, Trump is a climate denier of the first order. He is among those who believe that cold weather and snow disprove the veracity of global warming. "With the coldest winter ever recorded, with snow setting record levels up and down the coast," Trump said last February, "the Nobel committee should take the Nobel Prize back from Al Gore."