Mom, Dad, do I matter? Katherine Ellison in Mother Jones reports that 17-year-old Alec Loorz, founder of Kids vs. Global Warming, and 4 others are suing the US government to lower carbon emissions fast to prevent worsening climate change, starting with a 6% drop in 2013. Their generation will bear the brunt of risks, otherwise. This is our revolution, Alec says.
Who, Me Worry? Department: Climate change concern is based not on scientific ignorance but on your world view, a new Yale research study indicates, reports Targeted News Services. If you value strong, unregulated, individual freedom, you likely will not worry about climate change, and you'll use your scientific knowledge to rationalize that stance. If you value a more unified world community and collective responsibility, you're worried.
The Answer's in the Wind: President Obama says that Congress (read, Republicans mostly) will kill many jobs, if it doesn't extend a wind industry tax credit, due to expire at the end of 2012, reports the Associated Press, as insecure investors leave the industry.
California Dreamin' Just Got Sunnier: Utility regulators in California tweaked the rules that allow participation in the solar metering credit program, doubling the number of those who can install rooftop solar panels and get credit for any extra energy that feeds back to the electrical grid, reports Mark Lifsher at the LA Times.
Win-win-win!!! A new Rights and Resources Initiative reports shows that when land rights of forest dwellers are respected, forests are nurtured rather than destructively exploited, which releases huge amounts of greenhouse gases, reports Elain Kurtenbach of the Associated Press. When people win, so do forests, and the fight against climate change.
Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded when I photographed this aerial shot of the west recently. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a clean, safe future. If you'd like to tell Congress that you support clean energy and will vote for clean energy candidates, join the increasing numbers of people doing so here. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available.