As I mentioned in my last post, it’s time for a midterm post-mortem. Fortunately, Barbara Boxer kept her senate seat in California, and the Democrats held the senate, so Senator Boxer will remain chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works committee. Unfortunately, Henry Waxman will relinquish his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a post he held for [...]
With the midterms less than 50 hours from now, it’s fascinating to note how the environmental furor of the summer, especially in the aftermath of the Gulf Oil Spill, seems to have largely subsided in discussions about the elections. Nevertheless, the outcome of the midterms, especially in the House, could have disastrous ramifications for the future of climate legislation. It’s [...]
Last week, Danny Wilson, our environment columnist, posted a very thorough analysis of a very thorough Yale report about climate change. He notes that Only 39% [of respondents] believe that “most scientists think global warming is happening.” This statistic is by far the most damning, and the most revealing. I agree that this is the most damning of the findings [...]
(Crossposted from the Apollo Alliance Blog) It’s easy to forget that global warming has sparked a global response when the stalemate in Congress over national climate legislation continues, even despite the fact that the latest consequence of our fossil fuel addiction – the “worst” environmental catastrophe in America’s history – flickers across televisions nightly. Yet the global clean energy industry could be [...]
In a generally well-written article, HPR staff writer Will Rafey recently addressed the need to raise the gas tax “to make the private cost of driving a car reflect its actual social costs: global warming, air pollution, traffic congestion, and highway maintenance,” and how difficult this has become in the current political climate. I have no disagreement with the thrust [...]
Since the recent explosion of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the politics of the climate bill have become more complicated, according to the New York Times. The newly perceived safety risks make it difficult to include increasing offshore drilling as part of any new policy. The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill is being pitched as an energy independence and climate [...]
In this issue, the HPR has stepped outside its comfort zone by choosing a Covers topic on a region which often gets short shrift in political circles around Harvard and the Institute of Politics. Africa might not seem as current as health care reform, and it might not seem as sexy as drug politics or financial reform, our two most [...]
This week’s big environmental news, namely that President Obama has authorized major offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska, may not be popular with the left but it’s hardly a surprising move, or a necessarily wrong decision. Although he long opposed (and still does oppose) drilling for oil in Alaska’s spectacular Bristol Bay, Obama has consistently been [...]
The Obama administration environmental agenda reemerged on Thursday with the announcement of additional restrictions on strip mining, new fuel efficiency standards for cars, and expanded offshore drilling. These measures may have some merit, but a solution to America’s energy problems will require more comprehensive reform that reduces carbon emissions, eliminates dependence on foreign energy, minimizes economic impact, and is politically [...]
The Spring 2010 issue of the Harvard Political Review is available here in an online browseable pdf format. Most articles are also now available on HarvardPoliticalReview.com, and the rest will be rolling out soon. Harvard students, look for print copies in your house dining halls starting on Wednesday, and in Annenberg on Friday and Saturday! COVERS SECTION: AFRICA: READY TO [...]
Professor Steven D. Levitt, an eminent popular economist from the University of Chicago and co-author of the widely successful books Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics gave a lecture here on Monday. Despite being sparsely publicized, the lecture attracted around 200 people from around the campus, an obvious testament to the popularity of Levitt’s unorthodox economics style. While I was impressed with Professor [...]
On Tuesday night I went to the Harvard Political Union’s discussion on climate change, which was centered around the question of what steps the University should be taking to be greener and on the issue of global warming in general. As part of what seemed to be a minority of non-affiliated observers at the event — i.e. not being part [...]
Last summer I worked for five weeks as a member of an Appalachian Trail crew, living in tents in Northern Maine while performing maintenance on the trail. Apparently I gave them my mailing address, because yesterday I received “The MAINEtainer,” an eight-page newspaper from the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC). One headline stood out: “MATC opposes Highland Plantation wind energy [...]
