Top 10 Democratic Presidential Contenders Participate in Climate Town Halls

On September 4th, Democratic presidential contenders made history with their participation in back-to-back climate focused town halls in New York City. For seven hours, one after another, the ten Democrats vying for the party's presidential nomination spoke on the subject of the climate crisis. All ten of these candidates have put forth climate plans and this represents a historic shift for the party and the country. They all agree about the veracity of anthropogenic climate change and the need for consorted action. This is in stark contrast to the current president and most GOP legislators, who equivocate about the veracity or deny it outright.

A Guide to Writing an Environmental Policy for Your Business

Ecological considerations are a significant and growing concern for business. That is why writing an environmental policy for your business is so important today. An environmental policy outlines a business' aims and principles in relation to managing the environmental impacts of its operations. An environmental policy also forms the foundation of environmental improvements made in your business. It sets out key aims and principles and specifically refers to an organization's commitment to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues and sustainability.

Climate Change Speech by European Commissioner Hedegaard

This is the full transcript of a climate change speech by Commissioner Connie Hedegaard on March 3rd 2013, at the Europe Conference, Harvard University.

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me. What an amazing programme!

The last time I was here at Harvard, politicians in this country could not - or did not - use the "dirty word" climate. Now the situation has changed. Climate played a prominent role in both the President's Inauguration Speech and State of the Union address. And recent media coverage also shows that, indeed, the Times They are a-Changin'.

The US Environmental Protection Agency and Fracking

Despite the environmental and health impacts of current methods of extracting natural gas, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have a clear position on hydraulic fracturing, aka "fracking." Even though fracking is associated with numerous problems, the EPA appears to be of two minds on the controversial practice behind America's natural gas boom. Although each state is responsible for its own monitoring of fracking, the agency has nonetheless waded into the divisive debate on more than one occasion.

While the EPA has yet to establish a clear position, the agency does have a history of protecting the public welfare and managing fracking issues. In 2010, the EPA invoked its rarely used emergency authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, to require fracking pioneer Range Resources to provide drinking water and install meters to measure methane levels.

Green Skills You Need to Become an Energy Contractor

Since 2005, the nonresidential green construction market has grown from two percent to 41 percent of market revenues in 2011. That amounts to $58 billion for the nonresidential green construction sector. Electricians are among the trades that enjoy the highest demand. Here is a look at skills that will help electricians 'green' their skill set and land a job.

Familiarity with LEED certification and energy auditing are on the top of the list but there are many other important knowledge sets.

Two years ago, Software Advice reported that growth in the green construction market would require electrical contractors to become energy contractors. They based this theory on a widely distributed report which predicted that electrical contractors would be in high demand for renewable energy and energy conservation projects. In 2012, it appears that their theory is playing out.

DNC Platform is Less Environmentally Focused than in 2008

The platform being discussed at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) is infinitely more environmentally aware than the platform agreed upon at the Republican National convention. However both political parties are less than perfect when it comes to their proposed green initiatives for the next four years.

As reviewed in a Desmog blog post published in Eco-Watch the Republican party platform is essentially a recipe for dependence on fossil fuels.

For their part the Democrats have caved to Republican pressure and they have backpedaled on the environment from their 2008 position. They are no longer calling for an end to fossil fuels, instead they have adopted an all of the above strategy. Although the DNC platform calls for an international deal to curtail GHG pollution, it no longer indicates that the agreement should be binding. The platform also drops the party’s 2008 support for cap-and-trade.

Democrats Against Efforts to Manage Climate Change

While we often think of Republicans as being the minions of the fossil fuel industry, there are also a number of Democrats who support dirty energy like coal. Although Republicans comprise the largest share of people who do not support a science based approach to climate change, some Democrats are also guilty of ignoring the facts about global warming and resisting climate and energy legislation.

With the exception of Democrats from the East and West coasts, there are large pockets of Democratic resistance to serious action on climate change. As the second-biggest producer of this fossil fuel, West Virginia Democrats are amongst the worst climate change deniers in the country. The state's Govenor Earl Ray Tomblin and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin are Democrats who championed the cause of coal industry.

Climate Change and the Democratic Party Platform at the DNC

The Democratic platform promotes the development of clean energy jobs, the conservation of public lands, clean air and water. However to appeal to the American public the Democrats are advocating an an “all-of-the-above" energy strategy, which includes oil, "clean" coal and natural gas. While we may rue support for fossil fuels and the conspicuous absence of important ideas like a market-based cap-and-trade system in the Democrat's 2012 platform, we would do well to remember that there will be no clean energy and no green jobs under a Republican president. The Democrats need to appeal to voters to get elected and at the present time issues like cap-and-trade are dead issues.