Update, 6/30/2009: At 7:16 p.m. on June 26, 2009 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, 219-212. The ball now moves to the Senate's side of the net.

Two recent polls (Washington Post-ABC News and Mellman Group/Public Opinion...

If Waxman-Markey has a cap and trade, why does it need all the other stuff like fuel-economy standards for cars, renewable electricity standards, and building codes?

The Waxman-Markey climate bill is attracting a lot of criticism, from both sides of the aisle. One criticism is not even aimed...

The fourth post in a series on cap and trade.

What do you do if something emits greenhouse gases but is not under the cap? Use offsets.

Ideally, a cap and trade (or a carbon tax) would be applied economy-wide so that everything that emits greenhouse...

Co-written by Bill Chameides and Prasad Kasibhatla

The climate deniers have a new argument: don't pass climate legislation because it doesn't cut emissions enough.

That's right. It's not that the globe is not warming, or that the warming is not caused by human activities, or even that passing climate legislation would...

This is the second post in a series on cap and trade.

Suppose the United States adopts a cap on greenhouse gas emissions and China does not? What then?

The international thing: it's a bear. Addressing global warming requires an international effort. Especially critical is the participation of the United States...

The first in a series of posts on cap and trade.

Where the climate is concerned, don't be fooled: it's ultimately about the "cap" not the "and trade" part.

The debate about climate policy is heating up. The House is getting ready to consider the Waxman-Markey bill....

The end of an era, to be sure. But how did this happen? The result of meddling by "pointy-headed busybodies" or the inevitable march of time?

I'm sure you've heard the news: General Motors has filed for bankruptcy. Some are pointing fingers, blaming government regulators, environmentalists,...

A new paper suggests that our model for the circulation of the deep ocean may be wrong. But claims that all global warming science should therefore be thrown overboard just don't hold water.

The Ocean Is a Heat Mover

The ocean is a lot of things --...

In Friday's Wall Street Journal Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says "no thanks" to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the climate bill proposed by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA). Why? Apparently, it's a stand against "imperialism."

In its newly proposed rules for biofuels, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concludes ethanol is a loser when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It's a finding that upset one Congressman so much that he won't "trust anybody anymore."

Corn Ethanol and Washington: The Backstory

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com.

Congress has been kicking around the idea of paying people to scrap their old cars and buy new, more fuel-efficient ones....

Throughout much of the U.S. of A., spring has sprung. Here in North Carolina, lawns are lush and verdant and blooms are everywhere. But with the good stuff comes those pesky weeds. What's a gardener to do?

Many Americans attack their weeds by spraying. Zap those guys with a chemical,...

After extensive debate in the House last week, the draft Waxman-Markey climate bill (the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009) is expected to enter the markup (or pin-the-amendment-on-the-bill) stage next week in the Energy and Environment Subcommittee. Even the relatively innocuous renewable electricity standard is expected to be...

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com.

Surprises in the climate system can very quickly make global warming a whole lot worse than predicted. Scientists have known that one such...

Dr. Bill Chameides, dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com.

About 137 years ago the first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska. The idea to set aside a special day for planting trees and educating...

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com. His Twitter handle is: theGreenGrok.

The U.S. Congress is not the only (or first) group considering cash-for-clunkers programs. Similar incentives...

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com. His Twitter handle is: theGreenGrok.

Slowly but steadily the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the leadership of Lisa Jackson has been...

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com. His Twitter handle is: theGreenGrok.

You've probably noticed by now that discussions of greenhouse gases refer to carbon dioxide (CO2) -- and sometimes...

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com. His Twitter handle is: theGreenGrok.

It's been a busy week in Congress for climate legislation. But signals have been mixed.

Waxman and...

Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com. Follow him on Twitter: theGreenGrok

I just returned from the 2-day climate summit at the National Academies sponsored by our