Finally, an inkling of reason in response to the BP oil spill disaster this summer.
The Obama administration announced today a reversal of Big Proportions to cheers of victory for the environmental world.
A month before the spill began, in a move largely viewed as a bid to appease Republicans, the Interior Department decided that its next 5-year offshore drilling plan would seek to end the longstanding drilling ban in the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Gulf of Mexico around Florida. Today, citing too much risk of another disaster, the Administration reversed that decision. This ensures there will be no drilling in these areas until at least 2017 (by then, hopefully we’ll have come to our senses, and it won’t even be a question).
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Potential presidential contenders Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee will all make appearances in Iowa this month, throwing more speculative fuel on the already fiery debate over the Republican party’s pick for the 2012 election.
Their visits are also turning the state into a culture war battle ground, and Huckabee launched a fresh attack this weekend by celebrating the national “significance” of Iowa’s decision to oust three state Supreme Court justices who approved same-sex marriage.
“The significance and historic nature of the judicial elections here in Iowa were far bigger than the borders of Iowa,” said Huckabee in a speech at an evangelical gathering Sunday. “It was a very important statement that voters made, a statement that resonated across the country and one that I think will give legs to a larger movement over the next few years.”
The Iowa justice recalls were a rallying cry for social conservatives this overwhelmingly money-minded election year, and Huckabee made sure to stay on top of the waning tide: he stoked the flames in June by refusing popular Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ calls for a “truce” on social issues.
“The issue of life and traditional marriage are not bargaining chips nor are they political issues. They are moral issues,” Huckabee insisted at the time. Though certainly heartfelt, Huckabee’s latest outburst also reveals insight into his 2012 strategy.
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Spicy tuna rolls may taste delicious, but the flavorful sushi treats create some pretty massive environmental destruction. Atlantic bluefin tuna are seriously overfished, with population numbers plummeting by up to 85 percent in recent years. According to a new article, the tuna situation may be even more bleak than environmentalists ever thought possible.
As the New York Times reports, member countries of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will meet in Paris next month. What’s decided at the meeting could make or break bluefin tuna’s survival.
The ICCAT meeting establishes yearly catch limits for the threatened fish. Scientists say that if nations stick to 2009’s catch limit — 13,500 tons — the overfished bluefin stand a 60 percent chance of bouncing back by 2019. But based on fishing nations’ past history with illegal and underreported catches, it seems like the odds of survival are stacked against the struggling bluefin.
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The global warming movement is in mourning this week.
Dr. Stephen Schneider, who died suddenly yesterday of a heart attack, devoted his life to the climate cause. If Al Gore is the poster child of the climate campaign, Stephen Schneider was the science, messaging and brains behind the show. This humble genius was a power-broker who changed the world and was doing it well before most others arrived on the scene.
Schneider has long been an inspiration in his ability to inspire other scientists, politicians and average citizens to care about global warming, which was, and still is, no small task. I first met him more than 10 years ago when he spoke at the annual conference of a faith-based global warming groups. What impressed me most was how he commanded the awe and respect of religious leaders of all denominations. He had the unique ability to speak with both scientific authority and with respect and honor for those who took stock in the power of faith. He knew, early on, the climate movement needed their voices and clout. Part of his genius was his ability to bring together people of all stripes.
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