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Brian Gumm | August 29, 2016

Verchick in Slate: Connecting the Dots Between Climate Change and Our Vulnerable Energy Grid

It’s common knowledge that our energy choices impact the planet’s climate, but less widely known is how climate change and its intensified storms, heat waves, droughts, and water shortages affect our energy grid. Already vulnerable, the grid can suffer catastrophic damage when a storm like Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy strikes.  In an Aug. 26 […]

Matthew Freeman | August 25, 2016

‘Cultural Cognition’ Theory Offers a Path to Climate Change Progress

Over the course of the last few decades, one of the great communications challenges facing progressives has been, and continues to be, how we talk about climate change. The difficulty in persuading politicians and the public about the need for action isn’t just that the effort has run head-long into a massive and well-funded industry […]

Brian Gumm | August 18, 2016

CPR’s Shapiro Takes on the Politicization of Science in North Carolina

In a new op-ed published in the Raleigh News & Observer, Center for Progressive Reform Member Scholar and Board Member Sidney Shapiro examines two recent examples of politics getting in the way of protecting people and the environment in North Carolina. As he explains, the politicization of science by state officials has serious ramifications for […]

Maxine A Burkett | August 10, 2016

Justice and Contemporary Climate Relocation: An Addendum to Words of Caution on ‘Climate Refugees’

This excerpt is drawn from a post originally published on Aug. 8, 2016, by the Wilson Center’s New Security Beat. The idea that climate change is causing migration and displacement is entering the mainstream, but experts have warned against using the term “climate refugees” to describe what we’re seeing in small islands, coastal regions, and […]

Evan Isaacson | August 10, 2016

Climate-Related Catastrophes Require Proactive Solutions and Preparation

Two people died on July 30 after a 1,000-year storm brought devastating flooding to the lovely and historic Ellicott City, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. The 6.5 inches of rain that fell over the course of a few hours damaged or destroyed more than 150 vehicles and scores of buildings, and forced the rescue of […]

Catherine O'Neill | August 8, 2016

Cleaner Waters for Washington at Long Last?

The Clean Water Act instructs states and tribes to revisit their water quality standards every three years, updating them as necessary to reflect newer science and to ensure progress in cleaning up the nation’s waters – to the point where people can safely catch and eat fish. Last Monday, Washington State’s Department of Ecology unveiled […]

Daniel Farber | August 4, 2016

The New NEPA Guidance

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued new guidance this week on considering climate change in environmental impact statements (EIS). Here are the key points: Quantification. The guidance recommends that agencies quantify projected direct and indirect emissions, using the amount of emissions as a proxy for the eventual impact on climate change. The […]

Evan Isaacson | July 29, 2016

Hidden Penalties and Secretive Settlements Make for Lousy Enforcement Policy

If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? More to the point, if law enforcement issues a civil or criminal fine or sentence without anyone knowing, does it have an effect? Thinking back to my criminal law course, I recall such philosophical discussions over the various […]

Alejandro Camacho | July 20, 2016

On Climate Change Preparation, Record of Land Management Agencies Is Mixed

Whether it’s raging wildfires in the West, catastrophic flooding in the East and Upper Midwest, or rising sea levels on the coasts, there is no question that climate change is affecting and will continue to significantly impact our public lands and the resources they both provide and protect. As a nation, we need to be […]