The California Energy Commission wants to force new homes to use solar energy : California moved a step closer Wednesday to requiring solar panels on new homes and low-rise apartment buildings starting in 2020, the first such mandate nationwide and the state's latest step to curb greenhouse gas emissions. This clean energy revolution comes at a price: The commission … [Read more...] about Dumb Green Energy
Environment
Denying Scarcity Is Not an Option
This post turns out to be one of my longer ones. The tl;dr is that (1) a good policy is one that makes lives better, (2) the best policy is the one that makes lives better the most, (3) even the best policy can't give people everything they want, and (4) it's unrealistic to deny point 3.Greg Laden has a post criticizing Bjorn Lomborg's position on the effects of sea level … [Read more...] about Denying Scarcity Is Not an Option
Mother Nature is a Cold Hearted Bitch
I'm guessing that many of you don't know this, but 2010 was named The Year of Biodiversity by the UN sometime before the year began. I am hoping, though, that you at least know what biodiversity is. When asked to define biodiversity, a recent survey in England, a country known to be more environmentally aware than the US, the number one answer was "some kind of … [Read more...] about Mother Nature is a Cold Hearted Bitch
Dim Bulb or Bright Idea?
Here's an interesting local law: The same week millions of people across the world are encouraged to turn off non-essential lights for 60 minutes during the second annual Earth Hour, the Village of Homer Glen is being honored for adopting one of the most comprehensive lighting ordinances in the state. ... The ordinance limits how much light a business can generate based on … [Read more...] about Dim Bulb or Bright Idea?