I guess Donald Trump had to find something else to complain about because Alec Baldwin wasn’t in the SNL cold open last night: Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, on Sunday called the White House “an adult day care center” after President Trump attacked him in a morning Twitter tirade. […]
Climate Leadership Council
Posted inPolitical Animal
Will Hurricane Irma Blow Away GOP Climate Denialism?
Just days prior to Hurricane Irma’s expected assault on Florida, the Washington Post reported: Concern centered particularly on the Florida Keys, a chain of islands at the southern tip of the state that is a tourist hot spot and home to more than 80,000 residents. It is in the direct path of the storm as […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Hurricane Harvey: The Climate 9/11
We will never forget. August 25, 2017–the day Hurricane Harvey hit Texas–will be remembered as a day of infamy and injustice. The horror America experienced that day–and in the days afterward–will be remembered for generations to come. The anger Americans justifiably feel towards those who ignored the advanced warnings of this crisis will never subside. […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
After Hurricane Harvey, Republicans Have No Excuses for Inaction on Climate
How high’s the water, mama? Five feet high and rising How high’s the water, papa? She said it’s five feet high and rising Well the rails are washed out north of town We gotta head for higher ground We can’t come back till the water goes down Five feet high and rising… –Johnny Cash, “Five […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
The Men Who Knew Too Much: Exxon’s Climate Cruelty
What they did was nothing short of sick, nothing short of twisted, nothing short of unforgivable. No wonder one of their executives couldn’t wait to serve the Trump agenda. As David Roberts observes, ExxonMobil’s behavior has been every bit as reckless, selfish and vile as the behavior of the 45th President: The world’s largest oil […]
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Cool Down, Everybody: GOP Climate Heroes Are Still Hard to Find
Sorry, but there’s no reason to pick up the pom-poms for Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Susan Collins (R-ME), whose votes were admittedly crucial to stopping the latest right-wing scheme to destroy President Obama’s climate-protection efforts. Let’s not label them climate hawks just yet, OK? McCain lost his credibility on this issue […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
House of (Human-Caused) Horrors
It could never happen now, but could it happen again two years from now? It was ten years ago today that then-NASA scientist James Hansen testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding the George W. Bush administration’s assault on climate science. In his written testimony, Hansen observed: There is […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
No Network Found: What Bernie and Bill Didn’t Discuss
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has long been one of the strongest voices for aggressive action on climate change on Capitol Hill, and Bill Nye has long been one of the strongest advocates for pro-science policy in the United States, so it was quite disappointing that their recent Facebook Live discussion about the need to take […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Extreme Makeover: Senate Edition
Last week, I noted that the old-school GOP operatives urging the Republican Party to support a federal carbon tax as a “market-based” way to address climate change might be better off supporting state-level efforts to put a price on carbon. After all, despite some evidence of bipartisanship on climate on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Paul […]
Posted inPolitical Animal
Think Globally, Act Statewide
With climate denier Scott Pruitt poised to take over the Environmental Protection Agency, the states are going to play an important role in determining whether America continues to take bold steps to both reduce carbon pollution and hold the fossil-fuel industry accountable–and the industry and its elected lackeys know it: Concerned about what he calls […]
