Newsweek Environment Headlines

Geo-Engineering: Quick, Cheap Way to Cool Planet?

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:25:10 GMT

There will be no climate treaty to emerge from the conference in Copenhagen this month, global leaders now concede. But there may be alternative ways to help combat global warming. Various methods of geo--engineering employ unorthodox means to cool the planet. Advocates say that some of these proposals could be implemented quickly and cheaply. One concept is known as stratospheric aerosol insertion. A primer:

Why Obama Is Going to Copenhagen

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:58:16 GMT

Now that the Copenhagen talks look likely to fail, it is safe for President Obama to go.

James Hansen Talks About Climate Change

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:24:04 GMT

Climate scientist James Hansen talks about global warming, Copenhagen, and his new book.

Standing Up to Litter Bugs, Bullies, Law Breakers

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:41:34 GMT

One man's mission to fix the world—one piece of litter at a time.

The Failure of the Copenhagen Climate Talks

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:09:01 GMT

The 192 countries flocking to Copenhagen next month won't reach consensus on climate change. That won't stop them from acting alone.

Environment: How Much Is a Tree Worth?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:56:18 GMT

Think a tree is just a tree? Think again. A new United Nations study puts dollar signs on the services nature provides.

George Will: The Truth About Global Warming

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:57:26 GMT

Damn the pesky models! Full speed ahead.

Australian PM Rudd on Climate Change, Copenhagen

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:35:20 GMT

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has bulletproof green credentials—his first act as P.M. was to sign the Kyoto Protocol, forcing his country to slash carbon emissions. In December he'll play a key role in negotiating Kyoto's successor at the Copenhagen climate-change conference. He spoke with Newsweek's Barrett Sheridan about the global talks. Excerpts:

China May Be Greener Than We Think

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:22:21 GMT

China's top climate-change negotiator makes a case that his country is gearing up for the December summit in Copenhagen.

Al Gore's Climate-Change Evolution

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:08:52 GMT

Al Gore's views on climate change are advancing as rapidly as the phenomenon itself.

Al Gore's "Our Choice": An Excerpt

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:08:24 GMT

A reality that's still within reach.

Rove: Cap-and-Trade Doesn't Make Sense

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:34:37 GMT

Climate-change legislation that doesn't add up.

Recycling Won’t Save Us, But Greed Might

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:29:02 GMT

I grew up in the 1970s, in the first decade of Earth Days, and can recall brief presentations at my Episcopal Montessori (a bit redundant, that) about pollution, recycling, and gas mileage. To be honest, the subject did not interest me very much then or later. I much preferred trying to think globally—or historically and politically—to acting locally. Under pressure from my wife and now my children, I put the newspapers in the right receptacle. Or at least I do most of the time.

Green Subsidies Aren't Working

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:03:43 GMT

Gaming the global-warming fight.

Arctic Flight Shows Substantial Ice Melting

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:34:09 GMT

Most climate researchers see the Arctic in color-coded satellite pictures. Fewer go to see it up close.

Copenhagen Climate Talks: Why They May Fail

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:11:23 GMT

The path to Copenhagen looks rockier than ever.

Gordon Brown's Copenhagen Climate Plan

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:02:02 GMT

The time is now for an international deal on climate change.

Big Oil Goes Green

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:17:03 GMT

Remember back in 2001 when BP went "Beyond Petroleum"? It was a brilliant marketing campaign, but it had less to do with changing the company's business model than positioning Lord John Browne as the Teflon oil executive. All but a tiny fraction of BP's revenue came, and still comes, from oil. So how should we take the spate of new green announcements from the world's major oil firms? In July, ExxonMobil announced big plans to grow green algae to fuel cars; last week, Chevron unveiled the world's largest carbon-sequestration project in Australia; and in recent months, Valero, Marathon, and Sunoco carried out a series of acquisitions that resulted in Big Oil controlling 7 percent of the U.S. ethanol business.

Bjorn Lomborg: Cutting Carbon Emissions Won't Work

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:47:25 GMT

It's time we considered alternatives.

Green Clouds in Northern Climes

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:37:37 GMT

Just google the words "carbon footprint" and you've added seven grams of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, say Harvard researchers. Google disputes this number, but there's little doubt the IT industry is becoming one of the biggest contributors to global warming. The industry now accounts for 2 percent of worldwide emissions—comparable to the annual total for airplanes.