“I am speaking on behalf of the United States of America because my negotiators cannot. The obstructionist Congress has shackled justice and delayed ambition for far too long. I am scared for my future. 2020 is too late to wait. We need an urgent path to a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty. We need leaders who will commit to real change, not empty rhetoric. Keep your promises. Keep our hope alive.”
The Top 10 Green Stories of 2011
It’s nearly the end of the year, which mean’s there’s no escape—the Top 10 lists are on their way. We at TIME magazine pride ourselves on creating the Top 10 of Everything, and while technically that’s probably not true, we …
Cutting Down the Amazon: Brazil Takes a Step Backward on Deforestation
After years of allowing clear-cutting and rapid deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil has managed to save its forests. But a new law landing on the President’s desk could undo much of that — and open the door to the bad old days …
Irradiated Baby Food Formula Highlights Ongoing Problems in Fukushima
New tests show traces of radioactive elements in Japanese baby food, forcing the recall of more than 400,000 cans of infant formula. The news underscores the challenges still facing Japan’s food sector nine months after the …
Flip-Flop: Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich Go Skeptical on Climate Change
There was a time—not that long ago—when climate change was almost a bipartisan issue. Both Barack Obama and John McCain said on the 2008 campaign trail that they were worried about the threat of climate change, and they both …
Tsunami Revelations: Scientists Discover that the Japanese Tidal Wave Was a ‘Merged Tsunami’ — the First Ever Observed
The tsunami that tore through northern Japan on March 11 was catastrophically strong. The waves—triggered by a 9.0 earthquake—swamped coastal towns, destroyed homes and offices and led to the deaths of nearly 16,000 people. …
The Science Is Dire on Carbon Emissions. The Politics Are Worse
However you slice it, the scientific news has not been good on the pace of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The weekend saw a pair of new studies that confirmed the fact that—far from curbing greenhouse gas …
President Obama—With Help from Bill Clinton—Pushes Energy Efficiency
It’s been tough going in the renewable energy business lately. Prices for solar panels have fallen drastically, which is good news for consumers, but not so good for solar manufacturers, who are struggling to survive. Some—like …
An Oil Company Strikes Out in the Arctic
Oil companies are salivating at the prospect of prospecting for crude in the Arctic. Early tests have shown significant potential for oil in the cold waters of the far North, but there was always one slight problem: ice. The …
An Arctic Wildcard Could Make the Climate Go Bust
Last week I wrote about a study that said something unusual—climate change may not turn out to be as serious as our worst fears. Well, there was a reason why that study was such an outlier—most of the science on climate …