policy

I think the title speaks for itself.

For years it’s been assumed that, using their superior marketing skills, automakers have the ability to trick consumers into buying SUVs and pickup trucks…when, in reality, the consumers really only wanted to buy compact cars.  While that’s probably quite flattering to the marketing departments, it doesn’t have the important benefit of actually being correct.

Politicians are failing to comprehend the breadth of the US infrastructure crisis. Only disasters move our representatives to act — and in an election year, even those actions seem spotty at best and disingenuous at worst. The United States has much more than failing bridges to find, fund and fix. A comprehensive report by Dr. Denny Wilkins.

The White House has outlined their plan to increase fuel efficiency standards to 35 MPG by 2020, a move that will save Americans an estimated $100 billion in fuel costs. The proposal gives a boost to the timeline by requiring the mileage of passenger vehicles to average 31.6 MPG by 2015. That’s up from today’s average of 25 MPG.

British Columbia will be the first in North America to institute a comprehensive carbon tax on nearly all fossil fuels. It’s a groundbreaking move that could prove the feasibility of taxing greenhouse-gas emissions.

While the major presidential candidates agree global warming is real, the Republicans are sharply divided over what to do about it — even as they chase votes in Florida, where the predicted risk of rising sea waters and more severe storms is anything but a passing concern.

Former Vice-President Al Gore and Irish rock singer Bono addressed the World Economic Forum on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland on tackling climate change and global poverty.

Fears of world recession briefly took a back seat Thursday at the World Economic Forum, where leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq focused on how to establish security in their volatile regions.

The European Commission's package of legal proposals on the climate and energy consists of the following documents:

With the objective of providing legislators with well-vetted, detailed policy options, RFF presents a new report. The report, "Assessing U.S. Climate Policy Options: A Report Summarizing Work at RFF as Part of the Inter-Industry U.S. Climate Policy Forum", represents the culmination of the Forum process, written by independent RFF scholars and informed by a year-long dialogue with Forum participants.

China will likely get an energy ministry in March and upgrade its environment watchdog to ministry status, sources said on Monday, as it aims to boost fuel security with oil at $100 a barrel and cut back on pollution.

Behind the millions of words at the Bali climate conference, in documents, speeches and slick brochures, lay a set of simple numbers: 2 and 445 and "25 to 40."

Coming out of Bali are details on a new plan to address the largest overlooked contributor to climate change – the destruction of forests. Right now, developing countries earn more from cutting forests than from keeping them standing. This plan looks to establish a financial value for the carbon stored in standing forests.

Bali climate talks go down to ‘crunch time’

Europe toned down a clash with the United States over 2020 climate goals on the final day of U.N. talks in Bali on Friday, raising hopes of a deal to start negotiations on a new global warming treaty.