12.28.2010

Another non-environmental wonder

Not that I usually look to Politico for insightful analysis, but you just can't make up headlines like this one:


"Opinion: Bush's error on run-up to Iraq war"


And yes, that is a singular 'error'.  The introduction is pretty phenomenal, too:


"No one seems to have noted a major mistake in former President George W. Bush's memoir, “Decision Points.” This error is important. It must be pointed out — not to slam Bush, but to clear up the historical record and make sure that readers of this best-seller do not come away with misperceptions."

12.27.2010

Gem of the day

It's true we're operating in a landscape of digital information overload. But in the insular sustainability industry, would it really kill these Grist authors to crosscheck their article triumphantly proclaiming a 'dimming outlook' for coal in the US with this article from the Times circa a month ago?
FYI here's the gem of bad news:
"Traditionally, coal is burned near where it is mined -- particularly so-called thermal or steaming coal, used for heat and electricity. But in the last few years, long-distance international coal exports have been surging because of China's galloping economy, which now burns half of the six billion tons of coal used globally each year."

12.24.2010

Gem of the day

It's the holiday season and we should all be at home--or very close to getting home, barring cancelled flights across Europe--celebrating the festivities.

Unfortunately today is a day I must come out of the holiday zone to address one of the most important gems I've seen yet this year. Headline below:

"Big Oil Money Working to Rewrite History of Gulf Oil Disaster"

Why does this not really surprise, shock or astonish? Don't we expect an industry-wide effort, supported by various networks of privately funded academics and institutions, to minimise the impact of the Gulf of Mexico spill over time?

Well, it still hurts. Case in point: an excerpt below from a lovely pseudo-news article published in our old favorite, the charming Weekly Standard, by none other than a public policy professor from University of Maryland, Robert Nelson (say what?) And yes, the title of the article really is Oil Spill Hysteria.

"The ecosystem of the Gulf itself turns out to have suffered remarkably little damage from the continuous gushing of oil into the water from April 20 till July 15, when the leaking well was capped."

But wait! It gets even better. Here's a proof point Nelson offers to support the above:

"By mid-August, the NOAA was having trouble finding spilled oil."

Because it was creating a ginormous plume beneath the surface, right? No, stupid. Because, according to the folks at NOAA who are always right (ahem):

"It is well known that bacteria that break down the dispersed and weathered surface oil are abundant in the Gulf of Mexico."

Awkward. But here's the real gem, no explanation needed:

"The search for damage to the Gulf, it seems, is a bit like the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."

Zing! Long live ExxonMobil's academic funding arm.

12.14.2010

Gem of the day

Update: Gazprom's first-ever sustainability report just cruised into my inbox. But wait, there's something not right here. How come it says 2008-2009? That's right. They're not only producing their first-ever report, they're producing it for a period of 2 years ago.

Only from a self-described 'leader of the Russian economy', folks.

I can't decide which is my favorite element: the up-close, 'candid' portrait of Alexey Miller, the company's chairman, the section mysteriously titled 'Employees' Energy: the Company's strategic resource', or the strategically inserted stakeholder 'Viewpoints' which include a mayor testifying to the company's commitment to fund 'certain sporting events'.

Another non-environmental wonder

What's the latest in Fort Worth, Texas? This is the mistake I tragically make of asking myself from time to time. Well, it's this:

"A public bus rolls by with an atheist message on its side: “Millions of people are good without God.” Seconds later, a van follows bearing a riposte: “I still love you. — God,” with another line that says, “2.1 billion Christians are good with God.” A clash of beliefs has rattled this city ever since atheists bought ad space on four city buses to reach out to nonbelievers who might feel isolated during the Christmas season."

Apparently it gets real, real lonely for your average atheist around the festive season. So what does the Christian side of the debate have to say about this war of words playing out on public buses, of all channels?

“We just wanted to reach out to them and let them know about God’s love,” said Heath Hill, president of the media company that owns the van and one of the businessmen who arranged for the Christian ads. “We have gotten some pretty nasty e-mails and phone calls from atheists. But it’s really just about the love of God.”

Nice.

Another non-environmental wonder

So unsurprisingly Nigeria is thinking twice about leveraging the corruption charges it has brought against our old friend Dick Cheney and Halliburton. Looks like somebody in Washington picked up the phone. Case in point: the delicately worded paragraph below from stalwart Bloomberg:

"After “fruitful discussions” with Halliburton officials in London last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is “awaiting further instructions” from the justice minister about whether to drop the charges related to a bribery scandal, Godwin Obla said yesterday in a telephone interview in Abuja, the capital. He didn’t provide details of the discussions."

Ah, justice. So nebulous. TBD.

12.13.2010

Another non-environmental wonder

This actually happened. As the Washington Post bloggers write, it should be watched without any introductory comment.

Gem of the day

Best reason for liking David Attenborough I've ever heard from an average British citizen:

"He's a bit eco, isn't he"

Another non-environmental wonder

Nicolai Ourossoff gives us another masterful description of what Saudi Arabia's planned megacities look like:

"Architecturally they couldn’t be more dreary and conventional — bloated glass towers encircled by quaint town houses and suburban villas decorated in ersatz historical styles. Their gargantuan scale and tabula rasa approach conjure old-style Modernist planning efforts like the creation of Brasília in the 1950s or the colossal Soviet urban experiments of the 1930s, but these are driven by anxiety over the future, not utopian idealism."

12.10.2010

Gem of the day

Thoroughly enjoying this excerpt of Yvo de Boer's Q&A session with readers of FT Energy Source today:

Who are the parties who really don’t want a deal?
Fiona Harvey, FT environment correspondent


Yvo de Boer: No comment.

Another non-environmental wonder

Courtesy of our capitalist friends at Forbes, this is probably the best Wikileaks headline I've seen yet. Prepare yourself:

"Wikileaks' Cable Targets Pfizer"

12.09.2010

Bonus bonus gem

"A Halliburton technician gave testimony on Tuesday that suggested he did not see warning signals that BP’s Macondo well might suffer a blowout because he had left his post just before 9pm to smoke a cigarette."

Thanks, FT. Thursday just got a whole lot more surreal.

Bonus gem

I've been waiting for some good intel on the sticky revolving door between energy companies and foreign governments to turn up from the Wikileaks tour-de-force. Well, here it is--not exactly something you wouldn't suspect, but it's still incredible to see it confirmed:


"Royal Dutch Shell had staff placed in key ministries of the Nigerian government, the Anglo-Dutch oil group claimed in a leaked US diplomatic cable. The group’s top executive in the African state told US diplomats that it therefore knew 'everything that was being done in those ministries.'"

In related news, Shell's massive corporate comms team unsurprisingly declines to comment either way.

Gem of the day

A sad day for coal companies around the world, who looked to him as a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world of demanding environmentalists: Don Blankenship is out.

For anyone who hasn't checked his Twitter feed for awhile--wait, Don Blankenship has Twitter? He has time to tweet from his desk made of coal?--the last one is from way back when in September 28th. Still, it's worth revisiting and you'll see why:

"Affordable coal will raise China’s living standards & quality of life. In America, the gov't tries to limit coal and quality of life."

12.02.2010

Bonus gem

Loving that the British delegates to Cancun are staying in--wait for it--'The Tequila Building'. Apparently it's right on the beach. Good times.

By the way, here's how you get to the conference center, for anyone out there who is [unintentionally] lost:

"The main conference centre is at the mighty Moon Palace resort, which is 35km away from most hotels and actually comprises three separate monstrous complexes. To get to the Moon, people must take off in a bus, travel 40km, go through a security check, and then take another bus a further 10km. When on the Moon, it is nearly a mile between the press centre and the hall where the press conferences take place, and a further mile or so between there and where government delegations hang out."

Gem of the day

I took a well-spent hour last night to watch something I've been meaning to take a look at for awhile--the Yes Men documentary. Conceived, produced and directed by the Yes Men themselves--naturally--the film chronicles the major initiatives the team have pulled on companies from Exxon to Halliburton to Dow Chemical. It's enjoyable in parts, especially when they experiendce the wonder of just how easy it is to dupe and infilitrate the corporate vortex.

But I find it overwhelmingly disappointing. They've done a lot over the years, but haven't been able to maximise the impact of their efforts or achieve lasting change. Even the Chevron spoof campaign from last month, probably their most sophisticated and potentially impactful effort yet, hasn't garnered nearly a fraction of the attention it deserves.

The deranged and greenwash-filled landscape of corporate blah we're facing right now, especially when it comes to the increasingly distorted global debate over the future of energy, needs groups like the Yes Men. Really, really badly.

I salute the general direction of the Chevron spoof--an initiative which mirrored the exact channels and target audiences of the real Chevron campaign, and which began to leverage a global network of like-minded 'armchair activists' to keep it going. There needs to be more connectivity with this network--I think the sky's the limit for people who will be able to relate to and support these kinds of efforts. And I'd like to see the Yes Men take on more on energy and sustainability.

12.01.2010

Bonus gem

Joe Romm has a great post today examining how the New York Times Sunday Magazine, that bastion of convoluted, heaving articles about 'the way society is going' has now equated 'sustainability' with 'consumerism'. Amazing, well done NY Times.

Here's the winning paragraph (Romm's highlights in bold)

"The larger idea is to build a more sustainable economy, or what Chinese leaders have called a balanced and harmonious society. In that economy, families would not have to save 20 percent of their income in order to pay for schooling and medical care, as many do now. They would instead be able to afford more of the comforts of modern life — better housing, clothing, transportation and communication. In time, China would become the world’s next great consumer society."

Right. Does the NY Times have like an intern they can get on sense-checking this stuff? That would be great from my perspective.

Gem of the day

Oh Environmental Leader, how I love the sheer randomness of the headlines you choose to feature. Witness this gem from today's line-up:

"Disney Slashes Pooh's Packaging"

Ingenious.