Louis Clark, President and Corporate & Financial Accountability Director of the Government Accountability Project.
Remarks delivered by Louis Clark, President of the Government Accountability Project on November 16, 2014 at the Piltz Memorial Service held at the World Wildlife Fund headquarters, Washington, D.C. Continue reading
We provide here a listing of notable blog posts, articles and other statements about Rick Piltz published since 18 October 2014. We will update this list regularly, so check back. Material is listed in reverse chronological order. If you wish to alert us to something not on our list, please submit a link to the item by using our "Leave a Comment Feature." Continue reading
Rick Piltz, Founder and Director of Climate Science Watch
The founder and director of Climate Science Watch, Rick Piltz, passed at 2:46 a.m. on Saturday, 18 October 2014.
In the spring of 2005, Rick resigned from his position with the Coordination Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program to protest the Bush Administration’s political interference with climate change communication. He did so at considerable personal cost and risk. His departure also demonstrated a great level of integrity, authenticity and commitment to the science community and the American public. He soon established Climate Science Watch and over the last decade continued to be a strong, independent and eloquent voice on climate science and policy.
His family, friends and colleagues will miss him greatly.
I can think of no greater tribute to Rick than to commit ourselves to "speak truth to power," as Rick used to say. Let us furthermore rededicate ourselves to moving our communities, businesses, organizations, and governments to effectively and urgently address our climate crisis. I hope many of you will join me in drawing inspiration from Rick as we move forward around the climate issue.
--Nicky Sundt, friend and colleague.
Read more about Rick here.
Please share your thoughts about Rick by clicking on "Leave a Comment" below. We will review and approve comments within 24 hours.
Jonathan Koomey responds to an opinion piece that appeared in the journal Nature, titled “Ditch the 2 C warming goal," by David G. Victor and Charles F. Kennel. In this re-posting of a piece Koomey published today (8 October 2014) on his blog, he explores some key aspects of the 2 C limit that Victor (and others) seem to misunderstand, arguing that the 2 C limit is important in highlighting the urgency of addressing climate change -- and in driving action. Continue reading
Friends-- Climate Science Watch is on leave until further notice. We hope to return soon. In the meantime, we generally won't be posting comments.
"Hundreds of thousands of people in New York City and around the world participated in the People’s Climate March on Sunday to demand action on global warming. Front-page photos and headlines demonstrated the power in the numbers and the seriousness of the cause: 'Global Warning,' said the Hartford Courant. 'Actions Speak Louder than Words,' declared The Standard-Times. 'Climate Surge,' said AM New York." From the Newseum in Washington, DC: Today's Front Pages.
In a new Wall Street Journal piece former BP scientist and DOE Undersecretary of Science Steven Koonin delivers a paradoxical case for climate change inaction. Koonin mis-states a number of scientific details, and ultimately lures readers toward the conclusion that climate change isn’t an urgent problem. His choice of emphasis doesn’t hold up when confronted with all of the available evidence. Continue reading
Arch Coal leasing area, Colorado (Photo: WildEarth Guardians)
Confirming and finalizing a preliminary decision made in July, a Colorado judge has killed a federal permit to allow expanded coal mining in the Gunnison National Forest, after Arch Coal’s application had been approved by the Obama Administration. The Bureau of Land Management failed to consider the cost of climate change impacts in granting the permit, U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson had ruled. Now, after considering potential remedies, Judge Jackson has decided not to send the flawed permit back to the government for reconsideration, saying: "This case is more like a Gordian knot that needs cutting than a simple tangle that the government can untie with a little extra time," Greenwire reported on September 12 (by subscription).
Process of mixing water with fracking fluids to be injected into the ground (Wikimedia Commons)
In an article posted at Mother Jones today, Bill McKibben takes down the Obama administration's pro-fracking policy and argues that creating a new generation of natural gas infrastructure -- pipelines, power plants, export terminals -- is not a bridge to a clean energy future, but an obstacle. "There's no easy bridge to a working climate future," he writes, "no way to avoid angering powerful interests." Continue reading
In his latest Wall Street Journal op-ed, Matt Ridley provides a predictable litany of reasons why action on climate change shouldn’t be a priority right now. It’s a classic “delayer” mash-up of professing respect for science while simultaneously failing to take repeated warnings from scientists seriously. None of his distractions or excuses change the fact that acting on global warming now is the cheapest, safest, and most effective way to ensure a livable future climate for humans. Continue reading
